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Pastrami, belgian beer and burgers - The Refuge - San Mateo, San Mateo, CA

The Refuge - San Mateo

4.6
4.6
122 Reviews
$30 and under
Gastro Pub

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 6 times today
  • Great for craft beers
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Great for happy hour
As featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, The REFUGE specializes in hand-carved, ultra tender, boldly flavored navel pastrami which is sending shockwaves throughout the gastronomic consciousness of patrons who call it “the greatest this planet will see in some time.” The REFUGE boasts the world’s best Belgian and Craft Beer on draught (24 in San Mateo) in the Bay Area, with many more by bottle.

Since 2008, the REFUGE has been providing protection for many East Coast street food classics especially the hand-carved navel pastrami. But wait, just for good measure, we grind our own blend of hamburger on a daily basis as well as procure our own Ribeye Blend for our Authentic CheeseSteaks.

We also offer honest Old World wine, dazzling salads and eclectic appetizers. Casual connoisseurs unite! This place is the real deal. Whether it’s a quick lunch, a raging evening, a private event, take-out or delivery, the REFUGE experience is unlike any other place at any one time.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, American, Deli
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Sat 11:30 am–9:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–8:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Michael Greuel
  • Catering
    The Refuge San Mateo offers party platters and catering with 3 ways to order: <br />CALL: 650-458-3044 | E-MAIL: CATERING@REFUGESC.COM | ORDER ONLINE @ REFUGESC.COM
  • Private party facilities
    Celebrate your next special event at The Refuge. Our location in the new development at the Hillsdale Shopping Center can accommodate large groups from 20 to 250. Let us host you on our spacious outdoor heated patio or our indoor Eagle room.
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Area
    San Mateo
  • Cross Street
    Corner of Sailer Dr. and 31st Ave in the Hillsdale Shopping Center.
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Public transit
    Caltrain - Hillsdale stop
  • Additional
    Dog Friendly, Gluten-free Options

Offers

  • REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!

    7 Apr 2025 only
    Mon - 17:00 - 20:45
    Come join us Monday Night from 6pm-8pm for our Bi-weekly Trivia Night at REFUGE San Mateo in the Hillsdale Shopping Center! $30 voucher goes to the first place team!

    REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night! photo
  • REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!

    21 Apr 2025 only
    Mon - 17:00 - 20:45
    Come join us Monday Night from 6pm-8pm for our Bi-weekly Trivia Night at REFUGE San Mateo in the Hillsdale Shopping Center! $30 voucher goes to the first place team!

    REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night! photo
  • REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night!

    5 May 2025 only
    Mon - 17:00 - 20:45
    Come join us Monday Night from 6pm-8pm for our Bi-weekly Trivia Night at REFUGE San Mateo in the Hillsdale Shopping Center! $30 voucher goes to the first place team!

    REFUGE San Mateo Bi-Weekly Trivia Night! photo

What 122 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Refuge in San Mateo impresses with "best pastrami west of the Mississippi" and a "huge beer selection." Patrons rave about the "fantastic food" and "super fast service." Ideal for family dinners or a fun date night, this spot offers "something for everyone" on the menu. Highly recommended.
122 Reviews
  1. Evelyn VIP

    San Francisco18 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 18 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Enjoyed our corned beef platters and service was good

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  2. Michael

    San Francisco17 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 18 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The corned Beef was prepared perfectly. Busy day, but servers were on top of it and did a great job.

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  3. Jim

    San Francisco10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 25 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The Reuben is to die for. I’m a big fan of pastrami, so this is tailor-made for me!

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  4. Isaac

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 8 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic food, great drinks, super fast service! We drive from pretty far to come here.

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  5. Marta VIP

    San Francisco237 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 30 January 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Best pastrami Ruben in the Universe. Friendly, attentive waitstaff. Order the onion rings, you won't go wrong.

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  6. Ann VIP

    San Francisco21 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 30 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a wonderful experience at The Refuge. Great food and fantastic service. Great place to dine with family or fun date night. There is something for everyone on the menu. Great new beers and ciders on tap make each visit memorable. Highly recommend this restaurant.

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  7. Judy

    San Francisco23 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 15 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great time! Thanks Refuge for sponsoring a fundraiser for our Temple. The service was very friendly and the menu had an even longer cocktail and beer list than the food menu. Hubs gave that a thumbs up. Way to go! Our pastrami Sammy’s were delicious, saved half for lunch. Will be going back soon.

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  8. Lady

    San Francisco10 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 8 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Thanks for hosting our lunch meeting today. Food was delicious!

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  9. Adam

    San Francisco5 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on 5 January 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    The photos were misleading since I was hoping to find a quiet and nice place for a date, and that had better food. Instead, the food was disappointing. The burger patty wasn't properly formed or properly cooked. Also, unless you're mixing steak meat with your patty, ground beef should never be raw in the middle. Burgers should be pink in the middle and or medium, not rare unless you're having a steak burger. Also, this place was too casual for going on a nice date. More like a loud sports bar that happened to be kind of empty. I won't go back here ever again. Burger was way over salted like someone spilled the bottle in the ground beef by accident. Fries were not tasty or properly crispy. Price for value didn't make much sense, but if you have poor taste or you don't care about quality, then you probably won't notice. I'll be amazed if this restaurant can keep its doors open for much longer serving lousy food like this. No complaints about the service. They were responsive and fairly quick, but in all fairness, the place was not busy at all. No need to make a reservation and I really don't understand why this place was even listed on Open Table to begin with. What a disgrace.

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  10. thelma

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 4 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great experience for a family gathering,, three generations coming together. We felt comfortable and well attended to. Refuge has the best pastrami in town as well as myriad of delectable choices for all ages

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FAQs

The Refuge - San Mateo offers delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. The Refuge - San Mateo also offers takeaway which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 458-3044.

The Refuge - San Mateo is rated 4.6 stars by 122 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 6 times today
Google Map for The Refuge - San Mateo

66 31st Ave, San Mateo, CA 94403-3404

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Corner of Sailer Dr. and 31st Ave in the Hillsdale Shopping Center.
  • Area
    San Mateo
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Sat 11:30 am–9:00 pm Sun 11:30 am–8:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, American, Deli
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Public transit
    Caltrain - Hillsdale stop
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Michael Greuel
  • Additional
    Dog Friendly, Gluten-free Options
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    The Refuge San Mateo offers party platters and catering with 3 ways to order: <br />CALL: 650-458-3044 | E-MAIL: CATERING@REFUGESC.COM | ORDER ONLINE @ REFUGESC.COM
  • Private party facilities
    Celebrate your next special event at The Refuge. Our location in the new development at the Hillsdale Shopping Center can accommodate large groups from 20 to 250. Let us host you on our spacious outdoor heated patio or our indoor Eagle room.
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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