Porterhouse

Porterhouse is truly a top steakhouse experience in the Bay Area. As someone who regularly travels nationwide to various client dinners, this place is exceptional. This is a family run restaurant that delivers on all notes, without the pretentiousness. Epic wine selection in one of the few places to dry age steaks in house which adds a ton of flavor and tenderness. All the staff have been with the owner Bruno for years and are world class. Always busy and for good reason. A must visit.

Pretty good, but nothing special. Celebrated a couple birthdays here on a Saturday. Made a reservation weeks prior and the table as ready upon arrival. Ordered the steak tartar appetizer $19, 20 oz porterhouse $68, sides of creamed spinach $13 and mac and cheese $13. They start you off with some complimentary freshly baked bread with butter. The steak tartar was pretty good. They combine all the ingredients at the table and serve it with crispy bread/crackers. Porterhouse meat was quality and cooked perfectly. Comes with a baked potato and 3 pieces of vegetables (literally), but can't complain since most steakhouses don't include any sides. All the males were able to finish their entree, but none of the females could. Creamed spinach was good, but a bit too cheesy. Mac and cheese was average. Both sides were small and suited for about 2 people to share. They gave a complimentary scoop of sorbet to each of the birthday boy and girl Service was good. Food didn't take too long to come out. Medium sized restaurant with some private rooms for large parties. Full bar. Extensive wine bottle menu at the table. Overall, good food, reasonably priced, good service; worth a visit

I had to sit at the bar because it was busy, so it's recommended to make a reservation. The meats are incredible they basically melts in the mouths. Side dishes are very good as well. I will definitely go back

Connected with some of my Bay Area friends on a recent trip back and we grabbed dinner at Porthouse. It was a recommendation from one of my friends that had seen a review on Check Please Bay Area (one of my favorite PBS shows when we lived there). I was not that hungry so I kept it light with a salad and French Onion soup. I have to admit that it was the best French Onion soup that I have ever had. Everyone else got steaks which they really loved. Now the best part was the dessert. We had Bananas Foster and Cherry Jubilee. The owner made it by our table and he shared stories about how he learned to make it and the history of the restaurant and stories about being a restaurant owner. I would rate the desserts as some of the best that I have had in my life. I would recommend going to the restaurant for the dessert alone. Overall a great experience and I would highly recommend.

I was excited to try this restaurant but left genuinely frustrated. I ordered my steak medium-rare; what arrived was almost blue rare—so undercooked that parts of the center were still cool. Beyond temperature, the flavor was flat: none of the rich, nutty character you expect from properly aged beef. To make matters worse, every slice was laced with thick white sinew that made the meat tough and unpleasant to chew. At this price point I would expect a clearly stated, high-quality grade of beef, but the kitchen offered no information and the plate certainly didn’t speak for itself.

Classic American steakhouse experience in bustling downtown San Mateo. This new location is significantly larger than the last location, but the food is still of high quality. The 70-day dry-aged NY strip was amazing, but the sides and the desserts were just average. The Banana Foster cooking show was entertaining. Parking can be challenging, especially on the weekends.

10/10 food, service, ambience, music. A rare establishment with authentic hospitality. Staff go out of their way to make you feel welcome — the world needs more of this state of the art hospitality. Steaks and soufflé are among the best in the Bay

4 guys hanging out on a Wednesday night. We ordered a bunch of appetizers and only shared one tomahawk steaks and chicken, with 4 bottles of wines. My favorite would be the escargot and tomato salad. The pork belly is mostly fat, and the oyster is not meaty enough. However the Tomahawk steak was done to perfection, medium rare as we ordered. The markup on the wines are very reasonable so we had a bit too much to drink. The banana flambé was a great show, can’t miss. Had a great time.

Porterhouse is awesome. The new location is new, bigger space and with better steak vibes. My dinner at Porterhouse has always been consistently amazing and delicious. The service is a bit slow but overall meet my expectations. Enjoy!

Porterhouse: A Classy Italian Steakhouse Experience FOOD Whether you crave a robust steak or something from the sea, Porterhouse has you covered. I highly recommend the cowboy steak--beautifully seared, bursting with flavor, and perfectly medium-rare on request. If you prefer a more delicate cut, the filet mignon melts in your mouth with every bite. Don't overlook their sides: the twice-baked potato is the ideal mix of creamy and indulgent. And if you're more into fish, their catch of the day is impressively thick and cooked to highlight its fresh, ocean-kissed taste. A word to the wise: order your soufflé when you place your appetizer order. This ensures your sweet, airy finale arrives at just the right moment--trust me, you won't want to miss it. SERVICE The service here is as remarkable as the food. Armando, who hails from Italy, is not only incredibly attentive but also hilariously charming. During my birthday dinner, he surprised me with a champagne & peach sherbet, adding a festive touch to the celebration. On another occasion, I hosted some customers and Armando was kind enough to work with my friend Raquel, who actually built the custom drink menu he used for our event. It was a hit! What really made the night unforgettable was my friend Dory getting into a lighthearted joke exchange with Armando--if you happen to overhear them quipping back and forth, prepare to laugh. The staff's sense of humor, combined with their obvious dedication to guest satisfaction, creates a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. AMBIANCE Picture a stylish Italian steakhouse that balances classy elegance with a relaxed, approachable vibe--that's Porterhouse in a nutshell. The décor is polished but never pretentious, making it equally fitting for milestone celebrations, business dinners, or a cozy night out. The thoughtful layout ensures you can enjoy lively conversation without feeling cramped or rushed. In short, Porterhouse strikes the perfect chord between top-notch cuisine, genuinely attentive service, and a refined yet comfortable setting. Don't forget to ask for Armando (and maybe swap jokes with him if you dare). Whether you're celebrating something special or simply seeking an elevated dining experience, Porterhouse will have you coming back for more. Buon appetito!

Awesome food Great service and loved the quaintness of the gem of a restaurant Can't way to go back

Porterhouse finished our day in the very best way, we were running early, called the restaurant and they accommodated us no worries. Now to my meal, my porterhouse was what my mouth and taste buds have been looking for, the smokiness, the little char, done to make my desire for porterhouse to be relieved, obtained and dreamt of wonderful things all night long the twice baked potato was the best I've had, standing on the end, broiled to perfection and melted to perfection inside. It was perfect inside elegant without being ostentatious. Porterhouse is located in the heart of San Mateo, CA on the corner of 2nd Ave & S. B St

Our friends invited us to dinner here (our kids too!) and it was delicious. We tried the seafood linguine, linguine, Mac n cheese, wild mushrooms, porterhouse and cowboy. The meat was a little more on the medium rare side rather than medium (what we asked for) but our kids still loved it! The meat was tender and not chewy at all. The pastas were filling and the sauces had great flavor. The mushrooms were okay, nothing too special, the Mac n cheese was delicious! Something I just love about Brie! For dessert we got the bread pudding which was okay, I probably wouldn't get it again, but the banana foster was a good show (esp for the kids). Would come back :)

Porterhouse in San Mateo for a double celebration of Christmas Day and birthday dinner. We wanted a good beef dinner for Christmas Day and Porterhouse did not disappoint. Greeted warmly by the hostess. Ambiance was nice and cozy in the little alcove where our party was seated. Bruno, the owner, came by to say "hello" to our birthday girl. Her family are frequent diners of Porterhouse. This was my second time at Porterhouse so was happy when our birthday girl thought Porterhouse was a great selection for our double celebration. Food, wine and beer selections were great. Kayla, our server during our dinner, was superb. Started with complimentary house bread served sliced, hot, and fresh cold butter on the side. We opted for a double order of the CRAB CAKES, size of big scallops, plated with some dressed arugula and cherry tomatoes and a house sauce that emphasized the tastiness of the crab cakes. A double order of the crab cakes was warranted! We wanted to focus on the beef so we kept it light with starters though I had my eye on, and salivating on other starters like OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL, BEEF CARPACCIO, ONION SOUP or an ICEBERG WEDGE or HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD! FOCUS!!!! We very much enjoyed our FILET MIGNON w/Bordelaise sauce, PORTERHOUSE, and PRIME RIB w/Au jus! All medium rare as requested. All was plated with sautéed spinach, baby carrots & the tastiest baked potato. Added to share a side of the WILD MUSHROOMS w/garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, EVOO & oyster sauce. Also was very pleased wine selections with a bottle of the SAUVIGNON BLANC TWOMEY NAPA & SONOMA COUNTY 2022 and a glass of the CABERNET SAUVIGNON SEMPRE VIVE NAPA VALLEY 2014. The beer selection, EFES PILSENER TURKEY worked! Ended dinner with a MOLTEN LAVA CAKE and a warm BREAD PUDDING to share, as well as complimentary CHAMPAGNE SORBET for the birthday girl! Will be back when we want an excellent quality beef dinner, with warm welcoming staff and cozy surroundings. P.S. No pictures of the food. We were FOCUSED! Try it you'll like it lol!

Great steak! Amazing cocktails! One of the few places where you can still count on consistent quality.

Food, service, and overall experience was incredible!!!! If you're wanting a great meal with ambience, try this spot.

We saw Porterhouse on "Check Please" and it looked pretty good. We've been trying to find a place closer to home than House of Prime Rib for meat and Porterhouse gives you space! It's just so much more relaxing when you aren't so close to other tables. The four of us ordered, two Porterhouse for two, 30 ounces, New York steak on one side and filet mignon on the other. It was delicious. The filet mignon was excellent. We ordered both sets med rare. Each of us got a plate with a baked potato and vegetables. It was okay. Potatoes were warm but they're not super creamy cheesy baked potatoes. We saved ourselves for dessert. We ordered the banana flambé, crepes Suzette - Saturday only and the chocolate souffle -20 minutes. Very impressive lighting of the flambé. Not many places have Crepes Suzette any more but Porterhouse makes one of the best I've had. The crepes aren't doughy and the flavor with ice cream is good. Bananas Flambé is super popular in New Orleans and they do a good job here. But it's much pricier here. They made a hole in the chocolate souffle and poured in melted chocolate. I was waiting for the souffle to drop but it didn't. It was hot and chocolatey. Nice ambiance, elbow room, nice employees, great for steaks, we would come back and try other dishes too.

We had an exceptional dining experience at Porterhouse in San Mateo! The ambiance was warm and inviting, perfect for a special night out. The service was top-notch, with attentive and knowledgeable staff who made great recommendations. The highlight, of course, was the food. The porterhouse steak was cooked to perfection, juicy and flavorful, paired perfectly with the sides. The wine selection was extensive, offering great choices to complement the meal. Overall, a fantastic place for steak lovers and anyone looking to enjoy a high-quality meal. Highly recommend!

So the last time I was here, prior to our phenomenal meal, we grabbed a drink at the bar. When we were there, we realize they had a bar menu and a happy hour. We saw the porterhouse burger and sword to come back and try it, since it's not on the regular menu. Holy shit, is this burger, the truth! From the bun to the perfectly caramelized quarter onion to the perfectly cook patty, it was all perfect. I can honestly say, it is one of the best burgers I have ever had. My girlfriend also agreed, though she had hers cooked well done. I prefer eating at the bar and having a couple drinks to the restaurant. The bar is nicely decorated and semi elegant. Meaning, don't worry about coming in shorts and a shirt. Though you will be in the company of some snobby customers, you will definitely get wonderful, friendly, and attentive service from the staff at the bar. They are definitely the best and we will certainly be back soon. We definitely want to try some of the other drinks, because the castaway was delicious. See you guys soon!

I am a fan of steakhouses, and Porterhouse's new location reminded me I hadn't been there yet. I had been to the various restaurants occupying this noticeable corner location prior. When you walk in I love the meat display in the fridge on the right. It gets the salivation going. My date and I started out with a couple dirty martinis. No blue cheese olives but that's okay. They were a great prelude to the red wine we ordered for our steaks. Before the main attraction, we decided on the escargot which was as expected- soft, pliable and flavorful snails with a bit of toasted bread. For show time, I got the bone-in ribeye, and she got the filet mignon. Both were very satisfying, but I think I'm not a fan of demi-glace and will ask for it on the side in the future. The potatoes in that interesting little presentation we're so tasty and the vegetables perfect. After dinner we decided to have the flambe and paired it with a couple espresso martinis. The flambe itself was pretty basic goodness like crepes, but the novelty of having it prepared in front of you was appreciated and entertaining. It definitely got the rest of the room looking our way, and probably got others interested in this dessert. Overall we really enjoyed this experience and the late 1930's, early 40's movie posters in our dimly lit dining room. I will definitely return!

I have been eyeing on this since last year, so we came here for our wedding anniversary with reservation through Open Table. First when we came, we still had to wait around 5-10 minutes even though we had reservations... which is a bit disturbing, but it's not a deal breaker. Once we ordered, they brought us bread and whipped butter. Nothing remarkable; the butter was sad because they whipped it (I consider whipping butter as subpar, since it's a way to save cost on pure butter) 2 cocktails from the bar: I wouldn't say it's the best. One was too sweet, the other one was too tart. Escargot: very bland. Full of garlic which I absolutely love, but other than the garlic... it's so bland and flat. No other flavor profile, not salty, not savory, not sweet, no umami, nothing. The steak: we ordered porterhouse. This is the item that lifted all the ratings and overall experience: juicy meat, very tender, amazing texture and flavor. Love it! Although I would like to emphasize that the twice baked potato here once again is very bland and boring. There seem to be not a single spice is put into that dish, it's really flat yet high calories. My husband even complained that it smells terrible (probably due to aged cheese). The onions have strong flavor of reduced balsamic vinegar which I wish they put it separate, since it's ruining the meat's flavor. Their dessert: soufflé is absolutely gross since the sauce has very strong alcohol flavor, but the souffle itself has very strong egg flavor. All in all, the 4 stars is truly just for the porterhouse, nothing else. I'd go back again JUST for the steak, not for the other dishes.

Made a last minute reservation on OpenTable one day before Father's Day. My original reservation was for four people but my sister was able to join so I called the restaurant and they accommodated me easily (whereas the open table website didn't show any availability). You get a nice reminder text about ten minutes prior to your reservation and you can check in via text. Once we arrived we were seated immediately. The AC was blowing HARD! So much so that our menus were flapping. Our server was kind enough to lower the temp for us. Here's what we ordered: Riesling- sweet and refreshing. Just enough of a pour. Old fashioned- hubs said it was done very well with good citrus flavor. Sprite- hella watery :( Romaine hearts salad - crispy and crunchy but barely enough for five people to share. Beets salad: delicious, our favorite of the night. The sweetness of the beets complemented the spice of the arugula and the fried goat cheese balls were unique and tasty. Escargot- very buttery and garlicky and that's pretty much the only notable thing. Onion soup- not good. Too sweet and not balanced! Had to add salt and pepper. Cheese was melty but other than that, pass. Prime rib - cooked very nicely. Good flavor, very light. Good with the potato and flaky salt. Porterhouse- highly recommend. Good cuts of meat and very tender and flavorful. Cowboy - big steak! Seasoned well and perfectly cooked. The sides were ok. Just zucchini and carrot, nothing to write home about. Creme brûlée - tasty and light Bananas foster - super fun with the fire!! $40 though which is crazy but it tasted really good and it was done really well. Overall, this father's day dinner cost us around $615 including tip for five people. Expensive! But generally a good atmosphere and nice service, but it could've been upleveled just a tad.

My husband and I enjoyed a glass of wine at the bar to start. Good prices on the wines by the glass and cocktails for the bay area. Lacking a little in their spirits selection but that is okay. Most places are in our opinion. Great staff and service at the bar. We were then seated early per our request, yay, as we were famished. Had to wait 10 minutes for a server that wasn't even the server for our section. It wasn't busy at all, just a large birthday in one of the rooms. Finally, a Julio came to check on us with apologies. I really don't like it when a restaurant doesn't bring bread until you order dinner. But, c'est la vie. He stayed as our server and he was fantastic! We brought our own wine, a bottle of 2015 BV Clone 4. I was surprised we were not asked if we wanted the wine to be decanted. Probably just not trained in that aspect of wine. However, we never had to pour the wine ourselves, he kept our glasses at the proper pour throughout dinner. Now on to the food. Our wedge salad was one of the best i've had. My husband said his was just okay, he didn't like what he thought were nuts. The mac & cheese was the BEST! My husband is not a mac & cheese kind of man but loved it! We ordered the signature porterhouse for 2. Pic attached. The strip side was a little tough for my liking and very little taste, but the filet side was so tender you could cut it with a fork and the flavor was melt in your mouth. We were asked if we wanted it sliced. Nice touch! It was too salty overall for my husband. I kind of liked the salt but would rather have not had that much. I think it was due to their aging process. We will go back and order the filet. Due to the fact they are in an old building (very charming!) with high ceilings and a tile floor, it was VERY loud. Luckily we were given the opportunity to sit in the back corner but still very loud. Just be prepared. You do have to raise your voice a little if you are sitting across from your partner. We will sit next to one another next time. Overall, it was good. We will need to go back another time to try again. BTW, we took a ride share to and fro. Downtown San Mateo is a nightmare. There is a parking garage a block or so (the movie theater parking lot) away.

Place looks nice inside (had old movie star posters) it's in a great location, and our waitress was very professional (made you feel like you were in a 5 star restaurant). The food however was just ok in regard to flavor. Portions are huge. Not worth going back again. I think there's better places where you can have tastier foods for a better price

Friendly crew Good service good food. Good customer service definitely recommend. Been going here for the past 5+ years

I came here for dinner on Friday, and the servers were great. It's a really nice restaurant with lots of pictures of old Hollywood actors on the walls. While I enjoyed the food, it didn't exactly wow me. I had the escargot for the appetizer, and it was ok. I wish the garlic was a little cooked or roasted before being piled on top. That garlic was quite potent! My husband and I shared the porterhouse for two. I only tried the NY strip part, so I can't comment on the filet mignon portion. But I thought it was alright. It was a little chewier than I like, but the cook on it was perfect. Perhaps some maldon flakes could have helped it? But the sides were excellent! I really liked how they candied the carrots, and I love twice baked potatoes. The green beans were also good.

One of the few steak houses available in San Mateo. I was surprised to see they moved to this location which has always been a beautiful space. Porterhouse did not disappoint in how they decorated the space. We game here last minute and they were kind enough to fit us in but made it known that we had to leave by a certain time due to reservations. Our waiter was very enthusiastic and friendly. Most do the staff were pretty hard working and efficient when flipping tables and bringing over drinks and food. We ordered the tomahawk, grilled shishito peppers and the banana fosters. The steak was more than enough for the two of us (we ended up with leftovers), and shishito peppers were grilled perfectly but a lot were SO spicy, and the bananas foster....now that was amazing to watch and delicious to eat. It was flambé table side and was eye catching to all the tables in our area.

Denise is the GOAT! The food was good, but she made our experience quite memorable. Great attitude and banter throughout the entire meal. She's the main reason I'm writing this review. We had a party of 9 and everyone enjoyed their steaks. I got the cowboy (18oz bone-in rib eye) and it was a perfect medium rare. A couple pairs each got the Porterhouse to share, which seemed like the best move honestly. Minimal to no leftovers. The twice baked potatoes that came with each steak were also a big hit for the table haha. Oysters were fresh. The only miss was the escargot: way too much garlic. Overpowered the beauty of the snail. Bananas foster for dessert was a fun show and delicious! Great item to share.

Staff are friendly and the overall customer experience is very positive. Daily catch is delicious but the mashed potato may be good to add fresh herbs and butter to be more flavorful. I am in love with the texture of the Soufflé (expect at least 20 mins to make this dish) this place is amazing with old age steak (you won't be disappointed)

Went here for a date night after seeing it on "Check Please, Bay Area", and it would have been four stars but the service was not good. First off the food was decent, not great. But our server took a long time to take our order, to get our order to us, hardly checked on us, and worse when we asked for our check she took 10 minutes to get it to us. I watched as she had the check in her hand but she first stopped at two tables to talk to the customers, about 5 minutes per table. She could have done that after dropping off the check. I would say the meal took an extra 30 minutes of us just sitting there waiting for the next item to come and the check. I would say I will not be going there any time soon.

I cannot believe how awesome my meal was. From my cocktail, to the bread, butter, porterhouse steak, veggies, twice baked potatoe, bread pudding and after dinner coffee. Everything was excellent, including of course the ambiance and staff. I will definitely be back.

We had a business dinner here before the holidays. We were seated immediately and our drink orders were taken. The restaurant was lively. The food took some time to come out but service was responsive. Steaks were very good, vegetable sides looked a little sad. Desserts were very good , specifically the souflle. A little expensive but all in all, a good experience.

Service excellent Ambiance very nice with coziness. Food is a solid 4. Everything was great: steak tare tare, beef Wellington, mushrooms, except the twice baked potato. I've had it in the past and was excellent. This time it was dry and under warmed. It seemed like it was just sitting under a warmer too long. I was disappointed as this side is something I look forward to eating. But not this time. Brussel sprouts were just ok. They were a little soggy probably cooked prior and reheated but otherwise a nice place to eat. I would come back. Management please serve your potatoes hot.

My family ate at Porterhouse on Easter Sunday. The Hubs and I had given up red meat for Lenten season so it was definitely an occasion to celebrate! We sampled a variety of things: - The onion soup was savory and rich with melted cheese! Just the way I like it! - The steak tartare was served tableside. I didn't realize that the meat was actually hand chopped filet mignon. It appeared very small when it arrived, but after the server mixed in all the accompaniments, it was the perfect amount! Very tasty! - We ordered the porterhouse for two, and it was huge! It came with seasonal vegetables and twice baked potatoes. I liked how they split the plates without us requesting it. The steak was precut and cooked perfectly medium rare. - The porkchop was also very tasty! It was served with fried brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. They also sliced the meat for us to make serving easier. Pork chop was not dry at all and had a mildly sweet sauce. - The wild mushrooms were delicious! There were a good variety of mushrooms and were savory as well as buttery. - The truffled mac and cheese was super cheesy and full of truffle flavor. - The bananas foster was amazing! It was made tableside and quite the show! I wish more restaurants offered this dish! This was quite an expensive meal, but the food was top notch and the service was great! Totally worth it for special occasions!

Pretty solid steakhouse in what I'm pretty sure is a former pool hall I used to go to in high school. The 4 of us split some crab cakes, escargot, a large porterhouse and a bone in ribeye. The aged beef has good flavor and this was more than enough food for the 4 of us. Oh we also got the bananas foster, which I've heard about but never tried. Tableside flambe is always fun. Porterhouse is unapologetically old school and the throwback vibes are fun.

Everything! The food amazing, delicious. Perfect steak, great salad, dessert yummy. Service, impeccable. Great ambience! Definitely worth it.

The location is right on the corner. Has a pretty cool blocked off area where families can hangout in the street. Corn hole and other games available. The ambiance and service of Porterhouse was spectacular. We did enjoy a Cabernet; 2018 Jordan, from Alexander Valley. Now on to the food; I wish I could have taken more pictures but a party of 7 and multiple dishes didn't last that long. For apps we got the oysters(which were good) Escargot (which is a must try even though I think it was garlic forward) polenta poutine (not my style but if you like polenta and poutine a must). There were a couple orders of porterhouse steaks which I can say were great. Cooked medium rare(Wine paring, presentation, and flavor profile was fuego) what I ordered was the mix grill. 8oz steak and half order of lamb chops. Of course the sides the meal comes with. I wanted it medium well because of what I read online and I was kind of disappointed with what was delivered to the table. The meat was a slightly over cooked. To be honest too seasoned with salt as well. Felt like I was eating a block of salt. Anyways I can say my family and I would come again. I think it's a must if you are visiting, just moved to the neighborhood, or just want somewhere to hangout out with nice food.

What an amazing experience. Very old school vibe and exceptional service and food. We had Armando as our server and he was amazing. Made a great experience into a once in a lifetime experience. We started out with escargot, polenta poutine and oysters. All were delicious and the oysters were very fresh. Our table also had the porterhouse (must try), cowboy and filets. The magic of dry aged beef was on full display with the best steaks we ever had. For dessert we had bananas foster, Crepes Suzette and Grand Marnier soufflé. Table side preparation was a show in itself. All were spectacular. Worth every penny and then some. First class all the way.

Went for Weekday Happy Hour Food - 5/5. Polenta had a crumbly texture and denseness that gave it a nice bite. The ragu and cheese added a very rich flavor, which was soaked up well by the polenta. Ratio of the toppings and polenta was good leading to a nice balance in every bite. Steak salad was fantastic and showcased the quality of steakhouse beef. The beef, which the server informed me was rib eye, was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had a great sear. It was very tender and the simple seasoning of maldon salt, pepper and drizzle of balsamic really elevated the beef's flavor. Salad was simple having fresh vegetables with blue cheese and a light dressing. Sliders were absolutely delicious. The beef had an amazing ratio resulting in a very moist bite with great sear for texture. Seasoning was excellent with bits of sweetness from the bacon marmalade and freshness from the arugula pesto. Fries were excellent having a crispy skin and a very distinct meaty center. They really showcased the high quality of their kennebec potatoes. Sadly, the dessert section missed the mark. We got the grand marnier souffle and the souffle itself was great being soft and creamy. However, the sauce was more or less raw with alcohol flavor. The alcohol flavor was way too strong as if I was pouring a shot of grand marnier onto my souffle making everything taste bitter, which is the opposite of what you'd want in a dessert. Service - 4/5. The service was professional befitting of a steakhouse and timely. Food came out in good time and was in courses. Value - 5/5. They have an excellent happy hour menu that gives steep discounts to their bar menu. Portion sizes are the same and so is the food quality. Prices vary in the mid 10s to 20s, but an option to try steakhouse beef for $20 through their steak salad option is an amazing bargain. Fantastic happy hour location. Parking - Street/Municipal Garage (Metered)

TL;DR: don't go. At this price point (or less) for a tasty fancy meal in downtown San Mateo, you can go to a bunch of other much better places, like Pausa or Sushi Maruyama. I don't think I went in with any crazy high expectations - this is random steakhouse in San Mateo, not a Michelin starred place in SF - but this was still pretty disappointing, lots of room for improvement. 1. The main issue is that the food simply isn't very good. For starters, I got the soup of the day (clam chowder), my companion got the steak tartare. The soup was a joke - it was a very small cup of a watery soup that looked and tasted like an inferior version of Campbell's can of chicken soup. Literally the worst "clam chowder" I've had in my life - literally. This just shouldn't have been on the menu period - truly bizarre judgment. The steak tartare wasn't great - mediocre meat overpowered by way too much lemon. The actual steak entrees were just mediocre. It's not that hard to make a really tasty steak (even at home) - salt, pepper, maybe a little onion or red wine - but somehow they don't succeed. I got the Cowboy ribeye, my date go the filet mignon. Both just not especially good. Ditto for the veggies on the side. 2. For this extremely mediocre meal for 2, we paid over $250. That's a truly insane price for the quality of food and service. 3. Service. The server seemed like a fine guy, was definitely never rude, but he also just wasn't very good at his job. At literally no point in the evening did he or anyone else ask us, "How is the food?", which I'm not sure I've ever seen at any sit-down restaurant. When at the start of the meal I ask him how the clam chowder was, he said "delicious!" (you're allowed, as a waiter, to be honest about the strengths and weaknesses of the menu, or at least not outright lie...), and didn't seem to have very intelligent recommendations about the different steaks. He bizarrely prepared the steak tartare, which I guess was supposed to be a little performance...while my date was in the bathroom...it was her dish (why not do it in front of her, if it's actually supposed to be a little performance?). Why does this restaurant exist as an economically viable enterprise, and why would anyone come here? For probably less money, you can walk over a few blocks to a place like Pausa, where you can have a truly fantastic culinary experience with great service. Looking around at the other patrons, my frank sense was that these are comparatively lower SES or otherwise less sophisticated people who think this is what a fancy meal splurge is supposed to be like. (It's not! You can cook tastier food at home. Only spend money on good restaurants). If you're reading this, Porterhouse, start by trying to cook better food, I swear to god I can cook better than this and I'm not a chef.

Building: Love the building, great for a steakhouse! Parking on a Saturday evening is a nightmare. It seemed like this was our waiter's first day. He told us the soup of the day was carrot. (They don't serve carrot soup) I ordered a ginger ale.... complely flat and watery. My husban'd gin and tonic was fine. The bread to start the meal was just average, nothing special. That should have been my first clue that this was going to be an average meal. 1ST Course: My husband had onion soup - --- who puts maple syrup in Onion Soup?... they did! Yuk! Ceasar Salad was small and could hardly taste the dressing. The crouton was a large as the salad. Nothng special. ENTREES: Filet and lobster - Lobster was a touch overcooked, small but good. I ordered the filet,Our wainter medium well... it arrived medium rare. Lamb and Filet - ordered medium ... arrived medium rare. Most likely the waiter did not submit our steak orders properly. I often order steak and lobster when we want a special dinner, and this was the smallest Filet I have ever received. It looked like it was 2oz. Taste and tenderness were excellent (for medium rare). The vegetables that accompanied the dishes were hard to find. 2 little pieces of carrots (with maple glaze?... weird) and a piece of bok choy, who serves bok choy in a steak house? DESSERT Our waiter did not suggest the special desserts. Only because I heard anothr waiter tell his table about cherries jubilee did I even know it was offered. Cherries were out of season and not sweet. Not worth $35.00. It was my husbands birthday. It could have been so easy to add a candle to the ice cream we were served in the cherries jubilee but once again, out waiter fell flat, while other tables had birthday dessert with candles. If it wern't for ordering dessert we would have walked away hungry after paying a $300.00+ tab for two people including (1) cocktail. Our waiter was totally MIA most of the time, while we watched another table's waiter provide fabulous service. The other waiter, even at one point. stop at our table to refill OUR water glasses. We will not be back. Definitely not worth the money.

Went here to celebrate my anniversary and had a great time. We were seated quickly and the server was attentive. We started off with the onion soup and crab cakes and then split the 30oz porterhouse and a side of truffle Mac. The food was delicious, especially the 30 oz porterhouse and the twice baked potato. We ended the night with a chocolate mousse and grand mariner soufflé. The chocolate mousse was good, but neither of us cared for the soufflé, which was a bit disappointing. We will definitely be coming back!

Excellent service, wait staff friendly and attentive without being obsequious...ambiance perfect for fancy dinner...food was AMAZING!! Ordered the filet mignon: cooked perfectly as medium rare, melt in your mouth tender and juicy...seasoned just right and paired the honeyed carrots and creamy mashed potatoes...happy dance... Catch of the day was halibut...just had a taste of it but was a tad under seasoned for my pallet... Filet mignon is definitely the way to go here...great job, my compliments to the whole establishment...

Throughout the years, this restaurant has been so many iterations and none of them seem to last. Hopefully, Porterhouse is here to change that. There are so many things to love about Porterhouse. Perhaps my favorite feature is the glorious meat fridge perched at the entrance that proudly displays a multitude of large and lovely chunks of beef that haunts my dreams after every visit. If only I could take one home and cuddle it all night. *sigh* Yes, I LOVE beef!! The owner has given the place an old school vibe with old movie stars photos adorning the walls and sexy music playing in a softly lit open-space room. The bar is glorious with natural wood, well-stocked with a variety of good alcohol and wine, and classy, cheery bartenders who will laugh and joke with you while serving up fun and fanciful drinks. Their Happy Hour offering (4-6 M-F) is replete with a great selection of food and drink. If you like it spicy like me, I highly recommend the Steak Street Tacos. Served two to a plate, these little beauties are dripping with spice and meat and perfectly cooked!! They are out of this world. The hamburger and beer special is a bargain, but be forewarned that the hamburger bun deteriorates and you will be left with a partially eaten burger and bread remnants that can only be managed with a fork and knife. Overall, Porterhouse is a welcome addition to Downtown San Mateo and I, for one, will return again and again. Hail to the BEEF!

My husband and I were there celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary. We were greeted by Bruno the owner who was friendly and acknowledged our special night before the hostess arrived. We were seated in a quiet corner and our server Kayla greeted us with a lovely smile. She also acknowledged our anniversary, offering us drinks and sharing the specials. Our entire experience that night was incredible, the ambiance, the servers were all amazing and the food was so delicious. We will definitely be back. Highly recommend to all my friends and family.

Came here last Thursday for company dinner with huge party. Easily over 20 ppl. Inside, it's very romantic and antique setting. We had the set menu . Dinner started a bit late bc some folks arrived late, but once everyone was seated, the waiters took our orders and food came out promptly. Salad was standard, nothing special. My coworkers ordered the crab cakes but Weren't too impressed. They were not flakey enough and resembled more like scallops. The steak I ordered medium, was cooked to perfection. Great sauce flavor, so tender and melts in your mouths. The sides were average , the main star was the steak. The dessert was spumoni Gelato. Was also standard. Would come back to try to rib-eye!

Porterhouse is a long-standing local San Mateo steakhouse, which has now moved into the former bank building on B St, previously occupied by Vault 164 and Dahlia. The gorgeous interior featured high ceilings and was decorated with posters and scenes from vintage movies, and the food and service also seemed to have taken a step up from their previous location. We started with the Escargot, a classic French appetizer made of snails covered with garlic butter and breadcrumbs and broiled; and the Steak Tartare, or raw chopped beef topped with a quail egg yolk and mixed with parsley, capers, Cornichons, Dijon, red onion, and lemon zest, all lined up in rows on a plate. One of the more unique appetizers was the crispy Beef Spring Roll, filled with ground dry aged beef, and served with a sweet ginger plum sauce and cabbage/carrot slaw. Finally, we had the Beets Salad, a creatively constructed plate made of four round roasted red beets, four round roasted golden beets, and two crispy balls of goat cheese (10 spheres in total!), all served over a bed of greens and dressed with pistachios. And then came the mains. I tried the Surf & Turf, which came with a tender Filet Mignon (cooked to a juicy rare) and a lobster tail; as well as the Mixed Grill, which came with Filet Mignon and two herb-crusted lamb chops. The perfectly cooked meats came with sautéed julienned carrots and bell peppers, and a creative twice-baked "potato," which was actually a cylinder of mashed potato wrapped in crispy potato skin. For our sides, we had the sautéed Wild Mushrooms with oyster sauce; and the soupy, creamy Truffled Mac & Cheese made with fontina, brie, and cheddar cheeses in a bechamel sauce. The Wild Mushrooms were especially salty but had a nice umami flavor, and the Mac & Cheese had a balanced cheesy flavor without being too heavy. And finally came dessert. The Bananas Foster was a tableside show where the restaurant owner came out to flambee bananas in a sauce of butter, sugar, dark rum, and banana liqueur. The flames made for quite the spectacle, and the bananas and sauce were served with scoops of vanilla ice cream. But my favorite dessert was the Spumoni, a three-flavor gelato, which included chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio, and the ice cream had a pleasantly chewy, mastic texture. Overall, the service and atmosphere made Porterhouse a great place to entertain, though the prices were definitely high for the food.

Fantastic! Food was delicious, service was spectacular and atmosphere was perfect. We ended up in a perfect table/booth in the corner. We could see most everyone and was able to pick up in the restaurants vibe. She got the beef Wellington cooked to perfection. I had the Porterhouse cooked to medium rare. it was absolutely delicious. The vegetables were cooked al dente and came out so good. The twice baked potato was unique as it stood upright vs on side. Never had it that way before and it was great. Like a little cup of potato perfection. We shared a half bottle of a recommended wine that paired perfect with the food. We were so full we were going to skip desert but they brought out a complimentary tangerine sorbet which actually helped with the full feeling. The place is not inexpensive but the value is there when you want to be spoiled.

The tomahawk steak that was $250, I would not order. It wasn't tasty or juicy. We got the Shrimp appetizer, the texture is not right. The scallops weren't good. Overall the food you can tell it wasn't fresh. The special salmon, we dislike. I would not come back.

Food and service was excellent. Rib Eye was cooked to perfection and they have yummy espresso martini's. Definitely being added to my normal rotation.

So delicious and excellent service. Pricy but worth it!!! Can't wait till I can afford it lol

This steak house is pretty awesome. The steaks are freakin' delicious, the cocktails are tasty, and service is great. Obviously, you need to get a porterhouse steak cooked to your liking and then have a good rest of the night. I'd come back to this classy joint if I were in the area.

We've been to Porterhouse Steakhouse in downtown San Mateo three times, and each visit has been great. Ambiance: The restaurant has a nice ambiance. We requested a table near the wall through OpenTable, and they accommodated us with a corner table. Food: We started with raw oysters, which were fresh and delicious. We shared the Porterhouse 30oz steak for two, recommended by our knowledgeable server, Armando. The sides of baked potato, roasted veggies, and creamed spinach were all tasty. Service: Armando provided excellent service, making our dining experience even better. Overall: Porterhouse Steakhouse consistently delivers great food, a welcoming atmosphere, and outstanding service. Highly recommended in a prime location, downtown San Mateo especially after they moved a few blocks over to B. Street.

New place is even better ! Yes just had to rate Porterhouse with a 100% yet again on all categories ! The pricing is the best in the bayarea for the aged beef they serve. Service is always the best as long as you make sure to voice out if you need anything. They cant read minds so please ask accordingly during busy hours. This is our go to place :). Thank you for taking care of us on every visit. Plenty of parking across the street. We love the 30oz aged beef and to date, can never finish it and it comes with veggies and that addicting twice cooked mash potato with sweet carrots. Most steak places charge for everything as an add on, not at Porterhouse :). The banana foster made at table side is our favorite. The owner and staff treat you like family.

I'm not much of a steak person but I will come back for their sides and their service. The food was delicious and our service was amazing! I made a reservation online the day before. There were a good amount of spots available. My group was running 15 minutes late and I called to let them know and they were very understanding. They were also very kind to our puppy that we had brought along. (We asked if it would be okay) our server was very kind during our whole trip. Kindly explained all the daily specials, served our food, and fixed our dishes that weren't right. The total for 6 was $791.90= $602 + 120.40 (20% gratuity) + 69.50 tax This most likely won't be every groups cost. We ate family style and ordered many appetizers, salads, and sides, and an entree for everyone. Truffle Mac (10/5) it was delicious at the restaurant and also at home microwaved. I will be getting this next time Steak tartare (4/5) everyone surprisingly liked it They mix it right in front of you Smoked salmon crostini (5/5) can't go wrong with this Iceberg wedge (3/5) it's something you can get anywhere else for a fraction of the cost. We got 3 orders and the kitchen was able to split it into 6 plates. Porterhouse (3/5) I don't think our table enjoyed their porterhouse very much Cowboy (4/5) I liked it but i might have been too full from appetizers Surf and turf (3/5) lobster was too salty and the filet mignon was over cooked. Brussels sprouts (1/5) pass Mushrooms (4/5) our table liked it (10/5) the square dessert. I don't know what it was called Crème brûlée (4/5) not too sweet Molten lava cake (4/5) THE VANILLA GELATO WAS SO GOOD!

Steakhouse serving a variety of dry aged selections. Cowboy steak was tender and cooked well but lacking in flavor. Sauces could be more seasoned. Lamb chops were tender too but cooked unevenly due to sizing differences, one chop being medium well, another rare, and another medium. 30oz wagyu tomahawk was chewy according to my friend. Carpaccio had too much mustard for my liking. Pork belly was tender and fatty, but carrot puree was lackluster. Got a couple cocktails, glass was not full for one of them. Really liked the espresso martini! Server forgot my orders twice...one drink and one dessert. Re-ordered my drink and left the dessert off the receipt. Souffle was meh and pear sorbet was overly sweet

We complain to the manager about the real bad quality for the ribeye as the texture is too hard & having too much tendon. The most astonishing part is that the manager not only didn't give a damn about our complaint & he told us that no one has expressed this quality problem. It sounds like that it is all in our heads. His bad attitude & unwilling to listen customers concerns is really disappointing us. We all will not come again!!!