Where strangers become neighbors
Foreigner Café opened in downtown San Mateo in 2019 with family recipes, a small team, and one big idea: that a café could be a place where everyone belongs.
Chef Nicolas Castillo brings everything to life from scratch each morning. From the Berry Croffle to the Smoked Salmon Toast to the Eggs Benedict, every plate is made with real ingredients and real care. The coffee program is just as intentional, featuring Barako from the Philippines, Peerless Coffee from Oakland, and single-origin pour-overs from Red Bay, all ground in-house.
But the food is only part of the story. Foreigner was built to be San Mateo's living room, a place where you can grab breakfast with a friend, take a meeting over a cortado, or just sit with a good book. The motto says it all: Be Real, Be Kind, Be Social.
Five years and 2,000+ weekly guests later, that idea is still the whole point. Whether you're a first-timer or a regular, there's always a seat for you.
