Mortar & Pestle Bar

Great drinks! Busy but very fun and worth it.

I’ve wanted to do an updated review of this and give a shout out to the bartender named Eric. I was out with a large group of friends for both me and my friend’s birthday outing on Sunday May 29^th and decided to come here for dinner and pregame before heading out to SF. Eric came by and had all of us fitted in the long table on the center and we began ordering. Given that it was only him and another bartender at the moment, it did take a little bit to get our drinks but it was understandable and all drinks were pretty good.
As far as food, I had the chicken tikka masala bowl from their partnered business, Curry Up which was really good and actually complimented the cocktails that he made (Pisco Punch). At the end, Eric was pretty patient with us in having to sort out who payed what in the bill (sorry for the long wait).
All in all, a great time to start off the night and will be coming back soon. Thanks Eric

Cool vibe with unique drinks. The drinks were made well and taste great. It’s dangerous because you’ll keep wanting to order more and more and more. Careful though, it’s a bit pricey for their cocktails.

Great drinks, prices and location. It shares a hallway with Curry Up Now, so you can order from there and they bring it to your table in the back. We met up early and grabbed one of the long tables in the middle of the room. After a couple of beers on tap, we were devouring the waffle fries. Also close to the caltrain station, so easy spot to meet up with friends.

I def agree with the other reviewers that the service sucks. It’s slow because the bar is understaffed. There was only one server tending the whole floor and 2 bartenders. Had the bar added one more server, my friends and I wouldn’t be waiting for 20 min for the server to take our order, then another 20 min to get our drinks, 20 minutes to get our receipt, and another 20 minutes to get our cards back. Poor girl was running around mad.
However, the drinks are phenomenal. Beautifully well-​done and tasty… especially Milk and Honey.
Cool place for happy hour.
I’m giving this place 4 stars rather than 3, or maybe 2, because the drinks are *that* good and food can be ordered from Curry Up Now (awesome indian restaurant).

Unfortunately, I have to give this place one star. It took 10 minutes to finally order my drink. Instead of the bartender focusing in making my drink, he stops in the middle to take pictures because a large group had asked him to take a picture. Afterwards, he proceeded to continue to my drink. Before he finishes to make drink, the bartender stops again to take picture of the same large group because they asked him. WTF? When he finished my drink, I saw him tasting my drink and grimaced. He asked another bartender to taste the drink and gave him a suggestion. When I finally got my drink 15 minutes later, I was already very disappointed because of what I witnessed and felt that my drink was mixed to the quality that it should be.
To the bar manager, I strongly suggest to make it a policy for any bartender not to stop in the middle of mixing drinks to take pictures if asked by any patrons. It’s so unprofessional and very unfair for any patron to receive that drink without the attention, quality, and focus it should have had.

What fun and excellent drinks!
Not your run of the mill drink options.
Cool industrial décor.
Small and intimate bar.
Order a «land of milk and Honey» it’s super delicious.
Great spot for an after dinner drink.

Came here for Happy Hour on 03÷29÷16 from 4−6pm. I was going to order off their Happy Hour menu for drinks, but didn’t find anything appealing on that menu, so I ordered the Bee’s Knees from their regular menu, and it was delicious!
Ordered food from the CurryUpNow Happy Hour Bites menu, which was good as well. Staff was friendly, and service was fairly quick.
The space is pretty standard for a small bar. They have a communal table in the middle. I’m sure this place gets crowded late night and weekends.

The name of this bar is what initially caught my attention. I have this quirky behavior of putting a lot of relevance into the name of a small business. If it seems generic or lazily applied, I probably won’t use my time exploring that place. However, a name like «Mortar and Pestle» is definitely an attention grabber.
And so this was the location of my first date with a gentleman.
The acoustics in the building are a little funky: sound seems to be amplified off the walls. But other than that, the ambiance is delicious:
Dim lighting.
Seating for individuals and/​or groups
Lovely Indiana Jones style notebooks that are actually cocktail menus.
And this place, ladies and gentleman, is not at all about slopping bottom shelf boring drinks down on the counter in front of you. M&P represents the true art of cocktail making. It’s impossible not to watch the entertainment as the bartender uses magic and bitters and pestles to conjure an exquisite cocktail. Truth be told, I was hesitant to imbibe on my beverage after witnessing its creation, because it seemed like a little work of art to me. But eventually, I had to succumb to temptation only to find that the taste of the beverage was just as impressive as its creation. The drinks actually have multiple complex layers that really compliment the other flavors in the drink.
They use unique, quality ingredients, and offer a lot of options I just wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else nearby. And I dig that sort of ingenuity.
Additional perks: there’s a free parking lot right next to the bar, and there’s an Indian restaurant attached to the back half of the building. It’s smack dab in the middle of downtown San Mateo, so there’s plenty of entertainment within walking distance.
A great little establishment.

This place is great real cool spot with a unique layout and feel. They serve up distinctive specialty cocktails that pack a punch but are great. Perfect meet up spot for a few cocktails before/​after dinner.
The only con is the place is super small so hard to find a seat on a weekend night and they usually only have one bartender so service is extremely slow. Expect to wait about 20 minutes for your drink on a busy night but still have to say worth it.

Cool bar with Indian inspired drinks! I really enjoy the variety of cocktails they offer here. They’re much different from other bars, but remain a little similar to common cocktails at the same time. I had the Mortar and Pestle which was bourbon based, very strong though. Was almost like having bourbon on the rocks! There was another drink that was inside a coconut, it was really cool and refreshing. I also really loved how you got the coconut meat to snack on too!
Just an FYI, this place can get crowded on weekends, but they let us sit in the restaurant side (Curry Up Now) since the bar was full. It was actually pretty nice because I could actually talk to my friends. Overall great spot and nice strong drinks!

Came in on a Friday night and it was pretty poppin’. It was so poppin’ that one of the bartenders asked if we wanted to sit in the Curry Up Now side of the restaurant to which we agreed to since it was kinda loud on the other side. The bartender was very nice and gave us suggestions since it was our first time there. I ordered the Heart Shaped Glasses and it was delicious! It was not too strong but just enough so you could taste a little bit of the alcohol. My friend ordered the Green (something or other) and it came in a coconut! The bartender asked if he wanted the meat from the coconut and she hollowed it out and gave it to him! His drink was VERY strong and it had so much liquid in it. It was well worth the 14 dollars! My other friend ordered the Mortar & Pestle. He said his was fairly strong as well but still good. Definitely coming back here next time I’m in San Mateo.

I came here with my friend to meet up with other Unilocalers (including Owie =D) around 8pm on a Tuesday. There was a garage right next to this, but we parked a little further away and walked. This place was pretty busy and there were only a few spots opened. The couch next to the windows was occupied already. We entered through the main doors but this place could be accessed from the Curry Up Now restaurant side since both places were connected with each other. The lighting was dark so it might be difficult to read the drink menu for some.
The two bartenders were nice and informative. We ordered the Mexican Bishop ($ 11) and the Mortar and Pestle ($ 12). It took a few minutes to prepare our drinks and by then we already found seating at the big table right next to the bar. The Mexican Bishop was tasty and I would recommend that one. It was served in a skull-​shaped cup so that was interesting. The Mortar and Pestle was very strong to me and one of the bartenders was right about that. It was in a mortar with a pestle sticking out of it which definitely matched the name of the drink. lol Later, I tried the Road To Nowhere and it was alright. I could taste the mezcal in it and definitely would be the drink for somebody who loves mezcal.
Good bar and some tasty drinks! Come check it out!

The bartenders are fantastic! Loved every drink we tried.
Junkyard Heart: Their twist on a moscow mule. A ginger lover’s delight and incredibly refreshing!
Ambika’s Grove: The ingredients include gin, lemon, mango, egg whites and some other stuff. this drink’s flavor was complex with just the right amount of sweet, sour and milky. My favorite out of the 3.
The Land of Milk & Honey: Yummy! It’s kind of like drinking double pureed alcoholic yogurt.

Cozy little bar with limited seating and an interesting menu. I wanted to order everything, so the bartenders were helpful with recommendations.
I opted for a Velvet Elvis, which tasted like an iced coffee with bourbon. I thought the drink could be creamier, but it was a good balance of bourbon and coffee overall.
Drinks ~$ 11 – 13
There’s a brown bag Tuesday special where you get a mystery bottle of wine for $ 15. So, this is probably where I’ll be on Tuesdays!
Tip, it’s quite dark in there and the lit table makes it hard to read the menu. When sitting at the bar, try lowering the menu to the side of the table, so you can use the table itself as a lamp of sorts.

Post-​UYE drinks!!! We weren’t planning on it since we had already had pre-​UYE drinks, but hey sometimes you just have to go with the flow!
Thanks Stan for introducing us to Mortar & Pestle! Such interesting cocktails and a really cool place to hang out with friends! And if you love Curry Up Now’s food, its brick and mortar eatery is just in front part of the bar. M&P and CUN share the space with CUN facing B St. and M&P facing the back alley.
I was tempted to try their eponymous and signature drink, The Mortar & Pestle, which comes in a mortar and pestle and which has bourbon and other good stuff in it, but I wanted something a little lighter. Someone in our group ordered it and gave us a taste and it was very good and strong! I asked the server for something that’s not too boozy and he suggested the Ambika’s Grove which has gin, lemon, mango, egg whites, sumac and Jamaican bitters. Did the combination work? Oh yes, a definite winner! It was frothy, a little sour, a little sweet and very refreshing! Can’t wait to have it again!
If you happen to be in downtown San Mateo and want to have a good cocktail, hit up M&P! Service is friendly, the ambiance is great, and the drinks are delicious!

I highly recommend the Junkyard Heart! It’s minty and slightly sweet and very refreshing. But all drinks here are good. And I really like the décor and the vibe. The bartenders and waiters are very friendly too.
My only complaint would be that it’s very tight knit and there’s not much space. The farthest tables are very cramped and not really the best if you’re a heavier or bigger person. The guy behind me was really just rubbing his back all over me and didn’t even seem to care. I was slightly uncomfortable.

I love this place! If you like craft cocktails, I guarantee you will find a drink that you like. They make them tasty and strong here. There aren’t too many spots around the south bay or peninsula that make strong drinks that taste so darn good.
I’ve tried the following:
— Hemingway Daiquiri
— Caipirinha
— Road To Nowhere
— Jaded Remedy
I am fairly picky when it comes to drinks since I don’t drink often, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed all of them!
If you like Indian fusion food then you can also munch on the bar food from Curry Up Now since Mortar and Pestle is located in the back of the restaurant.

The drinks here are strong and the service is pretty good when it isn’t too busy. You will get your money’s worth when you head to this bar.
They have a wide selection of craft cocktails and rotating selection of beers available which makes it pretty good.
The place itself has a sort of speakeasy vibe with a wall of liquors on display. There also isn’t much seating in the area so it might get crowded during the weekends.
The best thing is that the owner also owns curry up now on the other side so you can order some Indian food to accompany your food. It makes a strangely delicious combination.
The daily punches at this place can be a hit or miss because they change everyday. They are generally cheaper than the normal cocktails so try it if you want a cheaper drink and can’t decide what you want. (At your own risk)

Take the already good stuff from Curry Up Now and add on an awesome bar to it and you have Mortar & Pestle. Mortar & Pestle is one of the bars that I love because it’s tucked in a small alleyway, has a very unique drink menu, and a full blown food menu.
I only came here one time as a pit stop with a few friends, but I wanted to try this one drink that caught my attention from the Unilocal pics.
The Weary Traveler –
Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac, Ras El Hanout, Milk, Liquid Nitrogen, Bitters, Nutmeg
The only reason I ordered this was because it came in a cool glass that almost looks like Darth Vader and I’m crazy enough to have a Liquid Nitrogen drink. It’s basically a very refreshing milk punch and pairs well with any of Curry Up Now’s spicy dishes.
That was the only drink I tried, but their whole bar menu sounds amazing. I’ll have to try the Land of Milk and Honey and their namesake Mortar & Pestle next time.
So if you want some great Indian fusion street food along with great cocktails, in a very swanky atmosphere, I recommend Mortar & Pestle. It’s a great place to take your out-​of-​town friends and also just a great spot to hang out in general.