Curry Up Now
| Address: | 129 S B St, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-316-8648 |
| Site: | curryupnow.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
ST
Stefanie Jacinto Deo
I love this place! This is casual Indian food in new-age hipster American packaging (but not the pretentious kind). It is so down-to-earth and accessible that youll see all kinds of people eating here---Indians, East Asians, White Americans, and so on. There are a lot of fusion items on the menu, such as the chicken tikka masala burrito and the "unburger". The unburger is a burger with a bun that is slathered with Amul butter (aww yeah) and Maggi ketchup, and contains a smashed samosa and your choice of a protein (paneer, chicken, etc). But hands down, my favorite thing to order is the thali rice plate with either the saag paneer, aloo ghobi, or chicken tikka masala. As for the drinks, I have tried the chai and the mango lassi and was not impressed as Ive tried better versions at other Indian restaurants in the bay area. The chai had a bland spice profile and the mango lassi was too watery. But why order these things anyway when you can have a drink at the Mortar and Pestle bar at the back of this location? Its owned by the same people so you can even have your delicious Curry Up Now meal delivered to your table at Mortar and Pestle. They serve Kingfisher beer on tap and a whole bunch of unique cocktails.
DA
Daivat Dholakia
I LOVE INDIAN FOOD! Well you thought being an Indian I wouldnt! I have been a fan of this place since the first time I had the paneer tikka burrito which was about 3 years back. From that day till today, I only order Burrito here either with Paneer tikka or with saag. I have also tried their samosas, deconstructed samosas, ravioli, sweet patato fries, sexy fries but nothing beats Paneer tikka. The food served here is sorta like fusion because they have quesadillas, burritos, tacos but all with indian toppings/spices. Trust me, once you try this place you will want to come back for more. They also have two other restaurants and a bunch of food trucks all throughout the Bay Area if you dont want to go to Downtown San Mateo. Tip: There can be a long line during peak hours at this location so plan accordingly.
MO
Morgan Lai
Excellent modern Indian street food - I like that they dont hold back on the spice. I also love their free sparkling water dispenser because the bubbles just solidify the spice on your tongue. The special goat curry over rice was a bit on the small side but delicious, and I would order that again if they made it part of their regular menu. The deconstructed samosas are way better than regular samosas. The sweet potato fries werent as crispy and hot as I had hoped for so I likely wont order that again. The mint lassi was good. Everything is slightly expensive ($8 for the pork belly deconstructed samosa, for example), so that deters a bit from just ordering a ton of small plates and trying intriguing sounding items out. Order at the counter with an optional tip bin, takes credit.
ZM
ZmanIsTheMan
The food is pretty good, somewhat small portions for what you pay. It’s really expensive, and they do that annoying thing where they ask for a tip on the computer screen, 15, 20, or 25 percent, even though there is no waiting service. I thought to myself, why the heck would I tip since we’re ordering at the counter anyway? But at the same time, I haven’t gotten the food yet so I don’t want to annoy them by not tipping and having my food be messed with. Sodas and beers are around $5-6 so not worth it if you’re doing to go. The ambiance is what I could best describe as “California hipster” – trendy, playing hip hop on the radio, nothing like India when I visited or what Id imagine Pakistan to be like. In summation: Good food, bad prices, boring atmosphere.
MI
Michelle Hall
Weve visited this place when it first opened and several times thereafter, its been open for almost 1.5 years. Its a gem for fast and easy and very good Indian food. My most recent experiences are based on vegetarian meals; but, they offer a lot of options for meat eaters. If you want that chicken tikki masala burrito, they can make it. They have a creative style menu (similar to what youd find on their food truck): all options are written using decorative fonts in chalk up on a wall. I ordered the "sexy fries" with tofu and samosas (that were shared). The fries were topped with this flavorful masala sauce and the 2 samosas were huge! I recommend this place for the quick bite or for a full on dinner or lunch. Caution: their heat factor can be very spicy!
TA
Tamara Farhat
After passing by this place for so long, today was finally the day I tried it! The place is very cool in the inside there a big bench place for a quick bite and some booth seating for a longer stay I guess. Looked very clean, and the kitchen is just right in front of you. I had the * item Thali platter, with chicken tikka masala and lamb curry. The platter is huge, a full meal with a little of everything. Just perfect. The naan was warm and buttery. The tikka masala and lamb curry were absolutely delicious. The meat was well cooked and very juicy. Everything on that platter was absolutely delicious specially for a fast-food kinda food. I am glad I tried it because I am gonna be coming back here again often!
MI
Michael McAfee
I still have dreams about Curry Up Now. In fact, the next time I fly into SFO, Im taking CalTrain to San Mateo to eat here before I head into the city. The concept of an Indian food burrito is amazing - it takes all of the flavors you love and wraps them up neatly. The Weird, where the chef makes your filling choices, is always a lot of fun; I was once surprised with an entire samosa inside of a chicken tikka masala burrito. The thali platter is a great way to sample a lot of menu items at a reasonable price - kadhai, paneer saag, masala, everything. The Sexy Fries are also an awesome option to share with friends. Honestly, I havent had Curry Up Now in over a year and the flavors are still with me.
BR
Bradley Blackshire
My first experience with Curry Up Now was in Palo Alto, and it was amazing! The service was super fast-maybe 5 minutes from walk in to receiving food, and the food was on point. So it is from that experience that I thought Curry Up Now was a play on "hurry up now". However, this location is kinda slow. There have been a few times I have stood at the register for 2-3 minutes while employees stand staring at a screen by the reg. Sometimes they say they will be with me, others times not really. The food is still amazing, but I just wish they were just as fast as the other location. If you have the time to spare, go on in, but if you are on a short lunch break, you might want to try somewhere else.
A
A Private User
Definitely not your moneys worth. Normally, I like CUNs food served from their food van, which comes to our area on a weekly basis. The B&M store is a different story. We ordered the Thali with three items: Saag Paneer, Paneer Tikka Masala, and Chhole. Of the three, only Paneer Tikka Masala was good. The others were really bland. The Mango Rose Lassi was too sweet. They had a sign encouraging the customers to tip. I dont mind tipping except that here the only service they provide is to bring food to your table. You place the order at the counter, you get the utensils, water or any other drinks yourself, and you bus your own table! They also way over-priced.
