Block 34

This is my favorite restaurant in San Mateo! The cocktails are delicious as well as the best deviled eggs, pork belly app and fries with truffle oil! I didn’t know fries could taste so good. My husband ordered the rack of ribs — I’ve never seen so many ribs in one order and the seasonings were perfect. We enjoyed the meal and the warm service. We will return!

So far, this is one of the best restaurants in San Mateo.
Out of all the restaurants I’ve been to, this place has the most lively and welcoming atmosphere. The manager is extremely nice and helpful, and makes sure that we are having an enjoyable experience. Even our waiter had a sense of humor, and made sure that everything at our table was set and that our food was good. In terms of the food, everything looks tasty. My boyfriend had the new york steak which was cooked just right, and my King Salmon was also soft, moist, and delicious. I definitely want to come back to try their raw oysters or their other entrees. I recommend this place if you are looking for a casual, lively, yet fancy atmosphere.

Very disappointed. Unilocal way off base on this one. Salmon was raw and had to send back twice. They were nice enough about it but twice? Come on. I am not out there looking for free stuff but they should have given us a dessert or some kind of gesture.

I happen be in San Mateo and came across Block 34. We were greeted by the lovely Mater’d. There were no seats available, so we settled for a tight space at the bar. 10 minutes later, the Mater’d advised us that there was a table available
Below is the following we ordered :
Flight of red & white wine. $ 10 for 3
Flight of beer $ 10 for 5
2 Dozen Oysters: very silky and smooth to taste
Reuben sliders: must try
Half rack of ribs: there signature dish. Finger licking good
Millard bacon and cheese hot dog: wrapped in brioche bread. Nothing exciting
Portobello Mushroom w/​tomatoes and mozzarella: Soft pillow like cheese with mushroom? What’s there not to like
Pork belly: just ok
Apple cider donuts: just the name alone, makes u wonder. Very good
Crack pie or custard like pie: OMGeeeee. Yes, that phenomenal .
This was my second visit in one week. I must say, it’s a well deserve 5 stars establishment .
Chef Anderman’s food is just as amazing as his staff.
Looking forward to my next visit

Some of the BEST ribs I have had in the bay are in a very long time. Great liquor selection & the menu doesn’t seem over done. Do a few things & do them well… Will definitely return.

I threw a very nice get together here on Monday evening and I worked with Mario to get the reservations taken care of. We had anticipated a little under 20 people and of course, we went over. The staff was extremely helpful and quick with all of our orders and they were very patient with the amount of crazy children that we had running around the restaurant. We took up pretty much half that restaurant. Everyone ordered their own meals but I had the chance to try their oysters, truffle fries, pork belly and ahi tartare. All of it was delicious, especially the pork belly! They even had a children’s menu and all the kids were very happy with what they got. I could imagine this place would be a very romantic restaurant — if we weren’t there lol.
Over all, wonderful night, good drinks and good food. Mahalo Block 34!

We had amazing food last night at Block 34. The HALF slab of baby back ribs was a HUGE portion of yummy-​ness that i could NOT put down and almost had to LICK THE PLATE!
Pork Belly apps, Truffle Fries, Deviled Eggs — one was better than the next!
Excellent dirty martini, and excellent service!!!
ALSO — great news — THEY BROUGHT BACK HAPPY HOUR!!! till 7:30pm!

Es la primera vez que llegue a este lugar, con mi esposa, buscaba un lugar donde tomar algo y un algunos aperitivos, muy buena comida, bedidas, y sobre todo LA mejor atencion de principio a fin.

I’ve only been here after 9:00 PM on Wednesday nights for their happy hour menu. My boyfriend and I needed a late night spot for after a meeting we went to, and we stumbled upon Block 34 on Unilocal.The 99 cent oysters intrigued us so we gave a shot.
It’s usually not that crowded (Wednesday evening and all), so the service has always been great. They’re friendly and things come out quickly.
The deviled eggs are YUM, with the sriracha sauce drizzled on the side. The ½ pound cheeseburger is super filling and comes with fries. We also got the pork belly bites which were not too shabby.
My boyfriend will usually get a glass of wine or beer. We haven’t tried any cocktails yet, but probably will sometime soon. :-)

This is one of those places you really want to love, but every time the experience seems to fall short in some way. I’ve been her three or four times now, and each time I’ve had a complaint: slow service, sold out of menu options, too small a portion, drinks that taste watered down, etc. Granted, none of these individual issues has compounded on one another in a single sitting, so I can’t say my experiences have been all bad, just not great.
I’ve found that the service can be good, the food can be excellent, and the atmosphere is really nice. I’ll definitely continue to dine here, but with tempered expectations. My hope is they can dial things in tighter and continue to improve.

I have no idea where these crazy less than 4 or 5 star reviews are coming from. I live in San Francisco, and this is the ONLY decent high quality restaurant on the peninsula. Chefs, not cooks in the kitchen.
Before I mention other things on the menu, their fries are the BOMB! Best fries I’ve had. Herbed or truffled, I think they douse them with crack or something. The aioli that comes with them has just the right mustardy flavor too.
The tuna tartare is just the right amount of spice and is super fresh.
Deviled eggs with sriracha on the side is a great bang for the buck.
I love the chicken sandwich and the pork belly sandwich.
The Ahi burger (despite some comments below), seems to be of the highest grade ahi and was delicious.
I eat out every night in San Francisco and am down in San Mateo once a week and I go to Block 34 because it’s the closest thing to a high end SF restaurant in the area.

Everyday I receive immaculate visions of Block 34’s Block Pie and creamy 99 cent oysters. And Block 34 shattered my dreams. I was absolutely terrified at the genocide of their menu. They removed the Block Pie, Block Fizz and I paid full price for my oysters (I think they ran out of the 99 cent ones??? All of this in one night… it felt like a double Harakiri, honestly.) The Block Pie is WARM buttery, brown sugary orgasmic goodness in your mouth. If you don’t feel the same, you don’t know nuthin’ ’bout mouth orgasms.
My friend just told me that they did serve the Block Pie to her more recently but it was cold and runny. She had to ask them to warm it up. What kind of jagweed frak is that?!
Dear angels in heaven, please guide Block 34 back onto the right path. They have lost their way and are destroying the lives of innocent foodies everywhere. Make them see that my entrails have exploded before me and my heart bleeds and aches for them to be right again… before I descend upon these lost souls on the eve of Winter Solstice. Amen.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while. The place is very open and spacious. I like the vibe and the semi-​open kitchen. The noise levels were just right for a date night or a night out with friends.
The drink menu looked great and we started with a couple classic cocktails. The old-​fashioned was average. It was watered down, probably because of the poor quality ice cubes they use. I love a good stirred cocktail or a nice glass of whiskey, and the ice makes a difference. The shaken cocktails are probably better.
We ordered the shortribs with grits and the mussel dish. The broth in the mussels was decent but lacked flavor. The server also didn’t bring a bowl for the mussel shells. The mussels were huge and plump, but unfortunately there were a couple dead mussels in my bowl.
The shortribs were very tender and flavorful. I also liked the creamy grits that came with. The presentation was a bit lacking, but at least the dish was tasty.
I probably wouldn’t come back for a full dinner but it would be nice for happy hour.

They’re ok.
Had dinner here w/​my GF and made reservations. Upon arriving, I noticed a reservation wasn’t necessary as it wasn’t even close to being packed. Good that they have that option available though.
Ordered the Ahi Tuna Burger (mushy and bland) while my friend had the Strip Steak and Fries (she said it was ok). Their sweet potato fries are bomb. Very crunchy and well seasoned. We had oysters for apps and what can I say? As long as they’re fresh, we’re good… and they were. The dessert was disappointing. We tried the Sundae and it was completely soupy by the time it hit the table. Nothing special and I prefer my ice cream to have some shape instead of being a liquidy mass.
Our servers were friendly BUT it took forever for our food to come.
They have a full bar and the bathrooms are clean. If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll notice I have to comment on it since we all have to go some time during our meal and cleanliness is always appreciated.

My first visit to Block 34 was pretty interesting where I had a late brunch and also a snack off their all-​day bar menu.
For brunch, I had a hard time deciding between their NY Strip Chicken Fried Steak or their Lobster Benedict because both looked and sounded awesome! I decided to go with their fancified take on the southern comfort classic.
NY Strip Chicken Fried Steak w/​horseradish grits, 72 degree egg, browned bacon gravy –
This was pretty good! The Chicken Fried Steak was tender and the egg was perfectly runny. The gravy was good, but I didn’t really taste any bacon in it.
After brunch had ended, I was waiting for a friend to stop by so that gave me some time to take a look at their all-​day bar menu which included build-​your-​own burgers, hot dogs, bacon nachos, pork belly sandos, steak frites, and ribs. I decided to try their hot dog for a snack since I was still moderately full from brunch.
Happy Dog w/​bacon jam and sriracha aioli from the all-​day bar menu –
I managed to stick around for a little bit after brunch had ended to try their Happy Dog. While the hot dog was fine, I wasn’t exactly a fan of the sriracha aioli.
Overall the experience was pretty good. The brunch menu seems pretty solid and their all-​day bar menu is good enough for some cheap eats.
Like other Unilocalers have stated, it’s a very loud environment. When I was here for brunch, they had a DJ play tunes on their speakers which turned conversations into almost like a yelling contest even though you’re right in front of each other.
Aside from that, I thought the experience at Block 34 was good enough to warrant a return visit from me. I would love to go back to try their Lobster Benedict, more of their bar menu, and possibly try something off their dinner menu.

We went again last night. They just introduced their Fall Menu and their new Fall Hours! And, they are back to their roots — great food, great wine and great atmosphere!
We tried their new Kale Salad — it was wonderful — with roasted squash and crunchy bits and yumminess. We ate every last bite. Who says that about Kale Salad?! WE DO!
We enjoyed their new Canard Trio — DUCK DUCK DUCK !!! It was a grilled duck breast with duck fried rice and a duck egg.
We also tried their NY Strip — a classic steak and pomme frites with peppercorn sauce and creamed spinach. My other half likes rare steaks, i like medium — but he told me to trust him and I did. The steak was one of the best I’ve ever had.
And the new dessert menu!!! Apple Cider Donuts with fresh whipped cream and caramel sauce. We LOVED every morsel.
Great cocktails, attentive staff, terrific wine list selections.
And now — new hours to enable us to linger over an after dinner cocktail.
Great job, Block34!!!

Great dinner/​happy hour place in downtown San Mateo. I come here often for happy hour and love the $ 0.99 cent oysters and the rosé.
5 stars for ambiance, happy hour, oysters.
4 stars for food. The oysters were great, free spicy crack jacks (thanks to Unilocal deal) were also great even though I don’t like spicy food, the truffle fries are wonderful, and the miller hot dog was delicious.
3 stars for service. This is one area where they need to improve. I’ve come here at least 5 times, sat at different tables, and I’ve had multiple waiters, but all of them need a bit more training. The service is slow, they sometimes forget about your order, and it’s hard to get any of the servers’ attention. You can also see the servers chatting with each other a bit more than you’d like. They’re all very nice and helpful, but you’re often forgotten and it seems like there is no system for who serves which table/​chairs at the bar or when people are served. We had to ask for our order multiple times, and from two different waiters.
Overall a great place and I’ll come back for the oysters and rosé. Just wish they could just improve their service just a tad bit!

Went here for the late night happy hour.
The inside was spacious and brightly lit, almost cheery in contrast to bars and restaraunt a I go to, with the space looking tidy and open. They can easily accommodate large groups of people.
I was torn in terms of rating the customer service, as it altered between two waiters/​bartenders, one of which was extremely polite and helpful, the other acting like he was doing a favor by taking our drink orders.
The $ 1 oysters were decent, but not as good as the others in the area, the sliders were good, and the drinks affordably priced and overall pretty good-​my favorite of which was the sour 34. Contrary to some of the other reviews, my friends and I found the crackerjacks to be pretty good overall. Would try this place again for future happy hours.

Dollar oysters every day! *two thumbs up*
I was here early enough where the place was practically empty. It was funny since the host/​manager was nowhere around and there were 4 or 5 cooks staring at me not knowing what to do. Finally, one of them walked out to greet and seat me for happy hour.
I ordered a dozen oysters and herb fries while waiting for my friend. The oysters came out quick. A little too quickly that I wish the person had taken their time to shuck the oysters better. Almost all the oysters had shell bits in them. Aside from that, the oysters were good. The mignonette was tasty.
The herb fries were nice and crispy. Yum!
The place filled up fast so it’s popular. The service was okay. It seemed like the host/​manager person was the only waitstaff. Will be back for more oysters!

After walking by this place for months and craning my head saying «I want to tryyyy this place,» we finally went in for a happy hour. We shared a burger, fries and a salad and had two special cocktails — a pomegranate cosmo. Oh, and a couple of oysters because they’re only 99 cents at happy hour.
It took a while to warm up to the place, though. We didn’t get served right away and the first couple of encounters with waitstaff with a bit chilly. I was turned off but we stayed and ended up having a really fun guy wait on us. The food is beautifully presented and delicious. We loved everything! The cocktails were so good that we ordered two more and stayed a bit longer.
Really enjoyed our experience but wasn’t completely won over. It’s a bit loud and not particularly cozy in there so I think it’s better for a party mood. The prices are high which makes this more of a food experience than stuff-​your-​face eating.

When foie gras made its return to California, we just had to get our fix ASAP. We saw that Block 34 had it seared on their menu for a whopping $ 27, as an appetizer, and I just had to get my fix.
We ordered multiple «bites» which are priced relatively high for being what they are — bites. There was lobster bruschetta, crab cakes, white truffle oil poached eggs on toast, truffle fries. It was all very tasty, especially the fries.
The raw bar was well stocked, but at $ 3-​$ 4 per shell, it’s almost unaffordable. Especially if someone sitting at a communal table 2 feet away is eating the same exact thing for $ 1 each. Just ridiculous.
Then we had the spicy ahi tartare and the main reason we came, the foie gras. The foie was not hot when it arrived, in fact it was luke warm at best. However, I missed it so dearly that I didn’t mind the cold temperature and slathered it generously on my brioche toast — the tomato jam that came with it was quite complementary.
The mushroom risotto was very fragrant and cooked perfectly al dente. The braised short ribs were not quite tender as it could be, lacked in sauce, and the horseradish grits were very chunky.
Desserts were shared, first being the warm chocolate brownie — can’t really go wrong. Then the lemon panna cotta with roasted pecans, which is quite an interesting combination. I love panna cotta, and I love pecans, just not so sure I like them together.
All in all, the meal was decent. The price and value just wasn’t quite there, but the food was tasty.