The Refuge (San Mateo)

Great spot to gather with friends, especially on a rainy day or when a game is on. Food is yummy in a grubby way and comes out quickly. The chopped pastrami salad is the best option for health conscious folks as there's no other dish that will give you a decent balance of veggies to meat/carb, but the Reuben is still the classic. The kids get crayons and a little paper to draw on, and there's TV's to distract them as well (for better or worse depending on your parenting style ) so we had a calm, totally manageable dinner here.

This location has veg options on top of the awesome carnivore options. 2 pages of alcohol!Poutine, goofy fries, and garlic fries.... How can you go wrong. Vegetarian options: Options absent from San Carlos are served at this location.

The pastrami burger is the best with the garlic fries. They have a great selection of beers or housemade cherry soda if you're not drinking. The superlative bread pudding really is superlative if you have room.

Yum! Best pastrami and beer selection in the Bay Area. Always a successful visit and this location is fantastic. Highly recommend if you are looking for some good food and belgian ales

Had a beer a cheeses teak and fries. It was delicious and we had a great time! The beer was 2x times larger than I thought.

Great customer service and sports bar restaurant vibe. We had the Ruben sandwich but the pastrami was too thick cut for us and very chewy. Kids had Mac and cheese and loved it.

Excellent food and beer selections. It's always difficult to choose between many great options. The Mac and cheese and cheesesteaks are always hits with everyone. The Poutine, goofy fries, and burgers are all superb.

One of our favorite restaurants in San Mateo. Great food selection, especially if you are a fan of pastrami. Long list of intriguing beers from around the world to complement the savory food. Nice outdoor seating area during the summer months, and a large parking lot nearby.

A love letter to pastrami and the tender, thick cut pastrami is a bit of a stalker, showing up in your sandwich, in your fries and in your salad