Won Kok Millbrae opened in November 2025 where Asian Pearl was last. Won Kok has had a location on Monterey Blvd in San Francisco for many years. This spot has updated decor from the previous restaurant along with a temporary wall to sub divide the room. The menu is pretty straightforward old school traditional Cantonese dim sum. Not a lot of modern or cutesy dishes. Be sure to read: Foodnut’s Beginners Introduction to Chinese Dim Sum Best Chinese in San Francisco Decor, Vibe – Big seafood tanks by the kitchen. Fancier interior with big decorative light fixtures and recessed ceiling. Loud, busy, lots of large table get-togethers. Majority of folks were Asians. It was still packed around 1:45pm. Millbrae has a number of decent dim sum spots within a couple miles, far more than most regions. Always wonder why someone would open another spot in such a saturated area. I’d rank this spot above nearby Hong Kong Palace but not as good as HL Peninsula. Service was about average for Chinese restaurants. Although the food is decent for Millbrae, it is probaby better than most elsewhere. Won Kok is worth a try if you are tired of going to the […]

This post originally from Won Kok Lunch Dim Sum Restaurant Review, Millbrae

Gnocchi and Salmon to die for. Stella formerly known as Stella Alpina Osteria is a small Italian restaurant located a block from the main Burlingame Avenue shopping area. Located below ground level, most people would never know it was here. The restaurant opened in May 2005, and was featured on PBS’ Check Please TV show. They moved to Burlingame Avenue into a much larger location. Our last visit was in Summer 2026. Stella, which serves Northern Italian cuisine from the Alps, is on the basement level of a commercial building and has some patio seating for warmer nights. They specialize in braised meats, risottos, pastas and ragus. Decor, Vibe – Stella is has nice paintings on the walls. Not too fancy compared to restaurant in the City. Mostly older folks in their 40’s and beyond were dining. Stella Menu is pretty wide ranging with the usual Italian restaurant menu containing many Antipasti, Secondi, pasta, entrees, and other dishes. The menu had not changed a lot except for prices! Signature Dishes – Veal Osso Buco over Mascarpone Polenta, Gnocchi, Salmon Services was friendly and solid but the waiter was overloaded and never refilled us and had to be flagged down. Food Review […]

This post originally from Stella, Burlingame

old location Breakwater Barbecue is an American craft barbecue carvery specializing in all wood smoked high quality meats. They’ve been around since 2020 and were listed in the SF Chronicles top BBQ list. We were biking nearby (God’s Trail is legendary) and dropped in for lunch. They are located across from the beach, about 20 miles from San Francisco. We’ve been back several times, latest in 2026 at their new location. Happy Hour Thursday/Friday 3-6pm $2 off taco/snacks, $10 Combos, $2 off draft/wine, $30 beer buckets Online ordering is turned off on weekends, so you can’t beat the line The BBQ is as good as anything in SF. Far better than 4505. Give it a try if you are nearby. They run out of meats, so come early. Alas, Breakwater is only so good, it is still a level below the best BBQ we’ve had – Pinkerton’s Houston. Safety Pluses – Outdoor seating in the back and front. Online menu, Delivery services available, online ordering. Breakwater Food Review: Brisket ($19 per 0.5 pound) Creekstone Farms Certified Black Angus, dry rubbed. Nice black edge and lots of fat. Ample quantity. Tender juicy. Solid BBQ sauce – bit sweet. 9/10 Pork Ribs […]

This post originally from Breakwater Barbecue, El Granada

Blue Sky Cafe is a casual Hong Kong style Chinese eatery in the middle of an industrial park in Belmont. Weird location but very solid Cantonese Chinese food and a popular destination. If you appreciate this type of food, run here as there is nothing like it on the Peninsula. Everyone knows now, because the place is really busy on the weekend. Takeout on a Saturday night had a 2 hour delay, so order early for dinner, like at noon!  Last visited in late 2026. A small homey spot with friendly servers, reasonable prices and ample parking. They served takeout only throughout much of the Pandemic, then restarted table service in early 2023. Service gets sketchy when the place is super busy due to overload. Other dishes to try: Oxtail clay pot, Pork Chop Blue Sky Food Picks: Dried Scallop and egg white fried rice ($16.95) is a large size portion of well-done fried rice. Lots of flavor. 8.5/10 – They also have a dish of just eggs with scallops ($24.95) which is an acquired taste. Salt and pepper fish fillet ($12.95) is deep fried and very nice. Ample quantities of this artery clogging dish. 8/10 Sweet-and-sour spareribs Hong Kong […]

This post originally from Blue Sky Cafe, Belmont

Joy, aka Joy’s Taiwan or 5 Joy Restaurant is a small restaurant in the Beach Park plaza strip mall bordering the San Francisco Bay in Foster City, just south of the Highway 92 San Mateo Bridge.  A hidden gem in the middle of no where. The Thai restaurant in the same complex is also solid. Be sure to check out Top 10 Chinese Restaurants in San Francisco They serve Taiwanese style Chinese food along with some Shanghainese Cuisine and Shanxi items. Food from Taiwan can be significantly different than other Chinese regions.  A recent Anthony Bourdain Layover Episode sheds light on this. Joy has been in existence for over 10 years and moved to this new larger location in 2008.  The restaurant is a lot nicer now though the bathroom could still use work! This review encompasses experiences made over many visits, the last of which was in early 2026. Decor, Vibe – Joy is small, unremarkable, noisy but popular for get family and friend get togethers. Not a place for a quiet date. The seating outside is good for warmer summer days.  Deep fried Stinky tofu anyone?  This place serves up tons of it and wrecks of it when […]

This post originally from Joy Restaurant Review, Foster City

Top Notch Modern Hi-End Dim sum Our goto Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco Area.. Why did we dine here? – HL Peninsula opened near Costco Business center of South San Francisco. This is a large and opulent restaurant that is typical of ones in China. High ceilings, huge TV screens, and many private rooms. (Reminds us of J Zhou in Tustin) There is no other place like this nearby. They are part of a restaurant group that has locations in Vancouver and China. Yes, China money is flowing in and we are benefiting from better restaurants. They opened a sister restaurant, HL Peninsula Pearl, about 6 miles away, just south of the Airport, in Burlingame. Each location has a slightly different menu with a couple dishes that the others don’t have. We have some notes about that location below. Other SF Bay Area locations include Milpitas plus a huge one in  Castro Valley. Automatic 16% service charge. Be sure to read: Foodnut’s Beginners Introduction to Chinese Dim Sum Best Chinese in San Francisco Be sure to read our article How to order in authentic Chinese dinner A friend had been here several times and raved about it, so it was […]

This post originally from HL Peninsula, South San Francisco – Burlingame