When you visit KitchenTown Cafe, you can expect to find culinary classics like beef short ribs with roasted carrots and mashed potatoes, as well as a variety of unique, one-of-a-kind dishes like tomato-stewed tripe topped with parmesan and a poached egg, or chopped salads with chicory and wild boar salami. 

Why such a wide variety of flavors and approaches at this San Mateo restaurant? Well, KitchenTown Cafe functions as an "incubator" of sorts for up-and-coming chefs, who are invited to prepare and sell their own dishes at KitchenTown Cafe. Catch a glimpse of them at work through the big set of windows opening up onto the kitchen work area, or buy a few samples of their prepared foods to go. If you taste something you especially like, ask about the person who produced it, so you can continue to follow that chef’s culinary career after they graduate from KitchenTown Cafe.