Hot Wok Bistro — Restaurant in San Mateo

My daughter and I were visiting SF for the weekend. We were craving great Chinese food and originally found a place that looked promising. After reading the reviews, it seemed that costumer service was lacking, so I looked for other choices. Hot Wok Bistro popped up and we drove an extra several miles in very heavy rain and cold to get there. We were greeted immediately and given a table. Our waitress, Flola (hope I spelled it correctly) came right over with two bowls of hot soup- it hit the spot l, considering the weather. We had the vegetable deluxe and orange chicken. We also ordered spring rolls and crab Rangoons. All food was freshly prepared and was delicious. The highlight of the meal, though, was Flola. She was so personable and kind. She talked to us about our trip and the nature of our visit. She seemed genuinely interested and provided very good customer service. Food came out within 10 mins. I hope to return again one day and enjoy another...

We ordered delivery and got our food very quick. The bag was super hot and I had high hopes but unfortunately when eating I noticed a lot of the meat and vegetables were cold in the middle. This made me wonder if the food was just being reheated instead of cooked when ordered. The portion size was pretty big. We order the chicken corn soup which was very tasty. The beef chow main was good but this had many cold pieces of meat. The chicken fried rice was very bland. The string beans were also cold in the middle. The honey walnut shrimp was soggy, and lastly the Mongolian beef was a bit tough and also cold in the middle. I don’t know if this restaurant is better to eat while dining in but I was pretty disappointed on my takeout order with how expensive...

This place is designed for catering and to-go food, not dine-in eating. The seating feels exposed because of the high ceiling. The place is essentially a warehouse with 80% of the space used for the kitchen.

My friend and I ordered the pork dumplings, light stir fry with beef, and orange sesame chicken.

The food was good, but not great. The orange flavor in the chicken seemed like it came from the peel. It was noticeably and uncomfortably bitter. The chicken itself wasn't as juicy or flavorful as I've come to expect from Asian restaurants. The light stir fry was extremely light. Not very interesting. The dumplings were okay.

Perhaps the food is more "authentic" than what I'm used to. I don't think I would go back.

Service was...