Little Shanghai Restaurant — Restaurant in San Mateo

Affordable, authentic Chinese food.

Ordered their xiao long Bao, sweet soya milk, Chinese donut and a pork chop noodle soup. Everything taste great. Cost us around $25 for two inclusive of tax.

Their portions are huge, each dish ideally be shared by at least two. The noodle bowl was so huge, we reckon it could feed at least four pax. As the food serve really quickly, best not to over order and pace yourself.

The Chinese donut (油条）is by far the best I tasted so far outside of Asia. Fantastic on its own, even better when dunk into the soya milk.

Their service speed is fast. Just a few minutes after you order, everything will be served. They are fast moving so it's best that you know what you want to have before asking the waiter to take your order.

We were there at noon and there was quite a queue. Shuffle yourself to the counter and put down your name and wait nearby. We waited around 10mins to be seated (2 of us), bigger groups will probably have to wait a lot longer. Be prepared to share tables with others too, will help to shorten your wait.

Minus one star for hygiene. Found a strand of hair on the xiao long Bao.

Despite the hygiene bit .... I think we will visit again cause the food really tasted like what we...

Some of the food items were good but others were a hit or miss. What we liked was the pork, tofu & leek dish, the sen jian bao (crispy bottom pork bun), & the chicken broth soup with bamboo and pork. The donburo (braised pork belly) was tasty and tender on the top 1/2 but the bottom 1/2 was a bit chewy (should be like butter all the way through). The salty soy milk was a good surprise. The appetizers (pig ears in spicy sauce & malan veggie tofu) were ok. We had better tasting of these same appetizer dishes at other typical Chinese restaurants that serve these cold appetizer dishes. The XLB skin was a bit thick with only a little bit of juice inside. The pea sprout dish was fine. The fried rice with pork and dried veggies was more moist than fried. The chicken and chestnuts in clay pot had no taste and was made with a flour coating instead of a quick stir fry in sauce only with broken chicken bones in the middle (a definite do NOT order). I might or might not come back. Very tight space between tables. Reservations highly...

This is a tiny eatery that takes us 30 minutes standing to get our seat at lunchtime on a Sunday. Having been missing Shanghai food for many years, I am glad that my Shanghainese friend in Berkeley introduces this place to me. Based on his memory, this place has been in business for more than 10 years. The business is thriving.

They serve typical Shanghai style family breakfast and snacks. Here are what we have: Cifantuan (粢饭团), Soy milk(甜豆浆), Soup Dumpling (小笼包), Pan-fried Steamed Bun （生煎馒头）, Baked wheat gluten (烤麸）,Bacon Vegetable Rice(咸肉菜饭) and Braised Meatball in brown sauce (红烧狮子头). Local people gather here and seriously enjoy their delicacies.

It's a bit challenging to find a parking spot around the restaurant. You may want to avoid lunchtime as the wait can be very long. Try to come in after...