All Spice — Restaurant in San Mateo

Its gotten great reviews and we went in with high expectations. The pictures sure looked great. We had reservations for 6:30 on a Thursday and we were the only ones there at first. Eventually about 1/3 of the place was full. They have outdoor seating right now though we sat inside by the fireplace. The ambiance was very nice.

We wanted to order five dishes and share them but that's not allowed so we had to order one more so that they fulfill the requirement of 3 dishes each. The one dish could only come from the appetizer or desert men so we added a desert to take home. Seemed silly to have such strict rules so that they can charge more for the same food.

Got some nice wine to go with the meal including some champagne and then a carafe of red which was quite nice. I'm not sure what it was but likely a blend with light smoky hint.

Had several dishes and the ones that stood out were the octopus and also the scallop appetizer. The octopus was served on a creamy chickpea mash. Would get those two anytime.

The mains were steak and also squab...aka pigeon...which is a rare treat. Both were good dishes.

The Hawaiian dream desert was also ok. If you like the combination of something really sweet and tart at the same time, you'll like this. We took home the cheesecake though its teeny tiny in case you are expecting an actual piece of cheesecake.

Bottom line is that I was glad to try it but its not a place I'd run back to. For an over $300 meal for two, I really expected something a...

I had been wanting to visit this place for a long time and somehow never found the right time to go. I was pleasantly surprised to know that they had begun brunch services on Sunday and finally gave it a shot. The outdoor patio was nicely decked up with a welcoming atmosphere and the hostess was kind enough to turn on the heaters for us in the mildly cold conditions. We ordered an Avocado toast, Cajun Shakshuka and a Cadillac of Pancakes. Now speaking of a fine dining restaurant, the fundamental principle is that along with providing a gastronomic experience, they ensure that you can taste each of the flavorful ingredients that make up the dish. I was glad they did not let us down on this particular aspect. The presentation of each dish was great even for brunch items. The only letdown was the Shakshuka which didn’t really feel like one. The avocado toast was great with a good number of toppings to go along but note that the avocados are sliced and placed instead of being smashed and spread on the sourdough bread. The Cadillac of pancakes baked in oven were the killer dish spectacular visually and in taste too. The berries, jam and the cream on the were an amazing combo to go with the pancakes. Would love coming here again and try their regular dinner menu too once but meanwhile, if you would like to have something extravagant for brunch in a fine dining setting, this would be a great choice of...

I'm usually pretty skeptical of online reviews, but found the Zagat review to be spot on.

It's easy to pass this place by - I did for a couple of years. It's set back from the road amidst a string of aging, non-descript, small business store fronts. The name - All Spice - suggested that this was just another of the many Indian buffet joints that dot the Peninsula. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Though this restaurant clearly has Indian influences, they are just that...influences. I'd place the cuisine (and ambiance) much closer to Chez TJ than to Amber, for example. I'm easily bored by traditional menus, often finding only an item or two that really interests me. The reverse was true here: with so many creative and intriguing choices, I had a tough time ruling out options.

Service was comfortably friendly, professional, competent, and welcoming - no stuffy shirts here.

From a decor standpoint, this restaurant is in an old house - they have done a fine transformation, and the rooms are very attractively appointed with an appealing ambiance, but if you are looking for SF-chic, this setting may fall slightly short. Think romantic dinner for two, not high-power business event.

Finally, we found the prices to be very fair for the...