The Library Bar and Grill San Mateo

You know that show «CHEERS» the one infamous bar where Everyone Knows Your Name?
(NORM walks through the door, the bar patrons all shout out!)
Set in this amazing bar where the locals are friendly to everyone that walks through the door.
Well at The Library on San Mateo this was far from that sort of experience.
For me, when deciding where to go for happy hour I think of somewhere friendly I’d like to go to along with hmmm happy hour specials and a happy hour menu.
There was quite a lack of friendliness and smiles here. Very few patrons were around so it seems to me that waitresses would then be on a mission of sweet smiles, crackin’ jokes, conversing as if you are «Norm» just to up their tips. Again, not the case at The Library.
His first order: Bass. They don’t carry it.
*enter sad face #1*
The first beer they had that he likes was Sam Adams Summer Ale on tap and it was served with mostly foam flowing over the top. What a messy way to be served.
There was no such light hearted conversation from our waitress, no smiles, nothing. *silence* *crickets chirping*
2 more beers down and a new waitress and much of the same. She seemed to he more interested in her boyfriend sitting at the other end of the bar as she worked. Mind you there were maybe 8 people altogether sitting at the bar. US included.
Had to ask 2 times for the menu from 2^nd server having waiting 15 minutes from the first time we asked.
*enter sad face #2*
Done. Paid bill. We both decided to MARK this place off our list. We will not be returning. First impressions mean alot when trying a place for the first time.
I’m headed out… where everyone knows my name…
«The Donut Kween»

My GF and I went there last night around 9;30 to get something to eat. There were not a lot of people there and only one wait staff. Poor Girl was running her ass off. We both ordered burgers, med please. The trio app was a disaster. one big chunk of avocado for the guacamole, queso was ok. The burgers came out, were well and almost over well done, cold fries and onion rings. What a disappointment. The manager had asked how everything was and took the complaint to heart. Ended up giving us 20% off after offering deserts, another round etc. I have worked in every position in a restaurant and know it is hard. But, I wont be going back anytime soon. Was not worth the $ 30 bill.

Went with a large group last week to watch the UFC fights. Everyone was happy and food was great. The service was fantastic and very patient with our demanding group. What an improvement from when they first opened. We all agreed this will be our new spot for football season.

Not a good experience and don’t think we will be back! There were not many cars in the parking lot during happy hour so sketchy thoughts from the get go. Our waitress had no knowledge about happy hour specials, prices, or what was even on the menu. My utensils were dirty and my husband’s was missing a fork which is the main utensil we needed. Paid our tab and waitress gave back large bills expecting a large tip for the poorest service we have ever experienced. However the green chili French fries «were bomb» per our waitress.

Best place in town to hang out have some great food and companionship. Bartenders are great especially Maya!!!

This was by far my most unpleasant experience. First the beer was flat, the server stated that the keg had been replaced the night before do their should be nothing wrong with it. I explained that when beer is poured it should have a decent amount of head, especially a milk stout. Nothing was done to rectify the bad pour. I ordered the Library Burger medium rare, burger came back well done. The server did not come around, so I decided to eat the burger as I did not have time to wait around. She never asked how the burger was or discounted the beer. I love to support local eateries, but this is the reason why people don’t support local places.

Came here this past weekend for some food and drinks and I was very surprised how good the food was. Was with a party of 6 and everybody enjoyed their meal. The buffalo chicken sandwich, burger and even the rack of ribs were all very tasty. I’ve been to the library downtown a few years back and have to say that this location is more of a restaurant layout and family friendly.
The interior is nice and has plenty of seating. TVs are placed throughout and we were able to watch a local high school basketball game on the night we came.
The waitresses were all very friendly and attentive. My only small complaint I had was the drink service was slow. Not sure if it was bartender or what. But it just seemed to take a bit too long for my drink to come after we ordered it.

Love this place! Staff is very friendly. We usually order hot wings and pizza. The first time we had the pepperoni and green chili pizza. Amazing, delicious! About a month or so later we had The Librarian. The tomato sauce on the crust was really sweet. Not good. Had another pizza yesterday but took it home. Again the sauce is sweet. We ended up throwing it away. I don’t know how to describe that flavor but it’s not a tomotato/​oregano/​pepper type. Its more sweet. I guess that’s the only way to describe it. They definitely changed the sauce from earlier this summer. I don’t recommend the pizza unless you like that type of flavor. Everything else is really good! I hope mgmnt tastes that sauce and consider another option!

This place was horrible!!! We were greeted with a 5 dollar cover charge per person around 6pm for a fight that started 4 hours later, waited for our server for over 10 mins, which seems like a reoccurring trend based on previous reviews. All of the servers were wearing outfits suitable for a dive strip club. One of my guests ordered a prosecco and was informed there was none available, after we went to bar, the bartender poured a glass… Odd. All of our entrees were served cold except the French fries. After I asked for my meal to be remade it took almost 20 mins for an order of sliders… After our less than mediocre experience we went to speak with the manager who had no interest hearing about the poor experience we had, he actually turned around and walked away with no response. We never will be back and will never recommend to others. Sorry library, you blew it!!! Even the dog was hesitant on eating the leftovers!!! STAY AWAY FROM THIS BAR!!!

Not too big of a fan of how the servers are dressed, but they have really good wings. I usually go on Saturday mornings and get the wings and a bulldog while I’m watching sports. They have a great atmosphere and lots of TVs around to enjoy the games of the day.

I don’t like the downtown location, but this one is great. The staffs seems to try hard to be friendly. The food is good and the beer is cold. It is clean and in a great location. I recommend this location.

First of all Jenica the hostess was absolutely amazing. The food is very good and the atmosphere is incredible. Thank you so much Library for making me feel great about my visits. The Library was so good I visited 3 times lunch n Dinner.
I hope you continue Success!
Tc your Midas Automotive Repair & Tires Friend.

Where do I start? When I heard a new location was opening I was very curious. I was also told the new location was more family friendly and a bit on the quieter side than the Downtown location. An owner of these establishments was gracious enough to offer free kids meals to YAFL players as long as they worse their jersey inside the restaurant. We decided this was a perfect time to give this new location a shot.
When we entered, we were immediately greeted by 3 seating hostesses. They were all friendly and asked how many people we were expecting. We had a large group, so they asked us to give them a few minutes while they prepared our area. Within 5 minutes they walked us to an area on the left side of the restaurant. While walking to our tables, we noticed 101.7 The Team was broadcasting live. We had a herd of youth football players that were very hungry and very loud. The radio station offered them some airtime to talk about their win. This was perfect timing.
A server named Minny took our drink order and had it out to everyone within 5 minutes. I have to say this was very quick considering the large group we had. I can’t say I’ve had a drink order out this quick when eating out. She was as friendly as can be. She offered if we were going to have separate tickets (which is sometimes frowned upon with eating establishments) when most of the group asked for separate tickets, she was quite content and ready to take our order. Everyone placed their orders as Minny made her rounds. We ordered the Salsa, Queso and Gaucamole appetizer. Everything was made fresh. The salsa was amazing and had a decent kick from the jalapenos. The guacamole was tasty with just the right amount of spice, and the queso was hot and melty. One of the best quesos I’ve had.
Our food came out all at once for the most part. There were a few other servers assisting Minny and they too were very friendly. I ordered the French Dip with pepper jack cheese and green chili. I have to say this is the best French Dip in ABQ. I haven’t had one any better. The beef was tender, and very lean. Sometimes the beef on a French dip can be very fatty with some chewy pieces. Not this one. Every bite was tender and juicy. My son ordered the kids pepperoni pizza. Usually when kids order a pizza at a bar and grill, it’s usually a microwave pizza or something. This pizza was great. It looked and tasted like it was made fresh. If it was a frozen pizza, thumbs up to The Library for making it look and taste fresh.
The Library on San Mateo is a must have. With the great service and great food, it marks itself as a top contender on San Mateo BLVD for a Sports Bar and Grill. This place is at the top of my list in this area. We will return, very soon.

Tried this place out when they first opened and noticed that the service was not on point. Decided to try it out again last time we were in town and we were happy to see that they had fixed that issue and that the food was still amazing!
We will visit again next time we come back home.
Not a bad seat in the house to watch a game

45 minutes and still waiting for food. Not busy but seems like the crew is on siesta.

I was welcomed and seated as soon as I walked in.
Waited 10 minutes and no waitress came to take my drink/​food order.
So I just walked out.

If you’re looking to have a good time at a bar and at a restaurant this is your place to go. The staff is super friendly and very nice the managers are super helpful and courteous to their customers. One of the bar managers Olivia is super sweet and had great recommendations for me. The food is excellent. It’s a great place to hang out after work or with your friends or even with your family. I really like how they changed the look and feel of the restaurant recently. The Mediterranean wrap and the margarita flight are must try items!

The atmosphere is great!.. waitresses are BEA… UTIFUL!.. Great Pizzas and the wings are much better than Buffalo Wow Wings. 32 TV’S with every sports channel you can think of… if not on ask and they will cange it… Omar, Olivia, and the Kitchen is AWESOME! Give it a try.. you WILL NOT be disappointed.

My experience at Library Bar and Grill was not so great. I had high hopes for this location, but they were immediately crushed after my experience. Walked in around 12:00pm on a Wednesday with two others from work. Restaurant was pretty empty, probably about six other tables with people. Our waitress was friendly and conversational and recommended we try the chips and queso for an appetizer. The queso was pretty good, but about half of the chips were stale and gross which was odd. We told this to our waitress who communicated the information to her manager. The manager came and apologized and said he would look into the situation. That was the extent of the stale chips scenario. I ordered the chicken tender salad with grilled chicken and no bacon. My plate was brought to me with bacon. I sent it back and it was returned to me with 10% of the bacon remaining. I didn’t comment on this because we had to return to work. My salad looked a little sad…(photo posted). My co-​workers ordered the Philly cheese steak sandwich and the bacon burger with no bun, both had fries on the side. They both said their food was okay, but their fries came clumped together. I most likely will not return to the Library after this experience which is a drag since it is so close to work and about ten minutes from home.

Ready for a more family friendly version of our downtown favorite! Expanded menu with new items such as a pizza menu!