La Chapina Restaurant — Restaurant in San Mateo

As a Guatemalan living in San Jose, I have no local spots to go to. Whenever I'm in San Mateo, for work or fun, I make it a point to visit one of the local spots. La Chapina feels like I'm back home, even hear people speaking dialects that are not Spanish. The service is good and staff is helpful, I do speak fluent Spanish so your mileage may vary. Be aware parking is very limited and you may have to walk from street parking. The food can't beat my mom's or aunt's cooking but feeds the need when the craving hits. Breakfast is good, I get the scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes (sometimes sausage) and it comes with black beans, hand made tortillas, fried plantains and Guatemalan sour cream plus a coffee. I then get to-go bread, atole (different hot drinks), and another dish like hilachas or...

I used to go to Guatemala every year but haven't been in the last 10 years. One part of Guatemala I've missed is the food and this restaurant definitely hit the spot! We ordered the chili relleno, carne asada, tostada appetizer, and fried plantains. All of it was authentic and amazing. Even the tortillas we're handmade and fresh like you would have in Guatemala. This was my husband's first experience with Guatemalan food and he agreed that it was incredible. We will be coming back more often now that we...

Why do I always give five stars to my posts? Because I won't diss a place because it doesn't appeal to me. I enjoyed an early morning breakfast at La Chapina. This restaurant/ bakery is a working person's early morning fuel stop. No frills, but decent coffee, great central American pastries, hot breakfast and lunch menu, like traveling in Guatemala in the middle of the peninsula megalopolis. For me, La Chapina was a totally cool experience. It's open air, enclosed patio and warehouse style seating,...