Seafood paella with saffron Spanish rice, squid, mussels, chicken, prawns, salmon, Spanish chorizo, bell peppers, green peas and lemon zest ($37) at Bahche in San Mateo. Courtesy Bahche.
Yusuf Karadogan grew up in the San Mateo County restaurant industry. His late father was a chef at Michelin-recommended sister restaurants Evvia Estiatorio and Kokkari Estiatorio, owned a Mediterranean-Turkish restaurant in San Mateo and created local fast-casual eatery Pita Gyros, which currently has three locations.
Now, Karadogan and his family are embarking on a new venture: Bahche, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar in San Mateo’s Hillsdale neighborhood.
Top: Seafood linguini with prawns, salmon, clams, mussels, calamari, diced tomato, basil and house marinara ($32) at Bahche in San Mateo. Bottom: Pan-seared salmon served with sautéed vegetables and mango salsa ($33). Courtesy Bahche.
“This area, besides Hillsdale Mall, doesn’t really have a nice destination go-to elevated dinner and lunch place,” he said. “There’s a lot of people that live in their area, but I feel like they either go to downtown San Mateo or just other places.”
Meaning “garden” in Turkish, Bahche soft opened Friday in the former space of Roam Artisan Burgers. The menu features recipes passed down from Karadogan’s father. Find a variety of mezzes ($12-$25), salads ($16-$18), burgers ($19-$21), souvlakis ($16-$19) and mains ($27-$45), such as seafood paella, chargrilled whole branzino and seafood linguini.
According to Karadogan, standout dishes include Bahche’s hummus (which is made with caramelized onions), melitzanosalata (a charred eggplant dip), falafel and grilled octopus with romesco sauce.
For dessert, baklava, coconut creme brûlée, bread pudding and chocolate lava cake are available ($12-$14).
“We took about a month just to try to perfect every dish that we can,” Karadogan said. “We’re trying to put out the best quality … Everything we’re doing in-house on a daily basis.”
The interior of Bahche in San Mateo has a 150-inch projector that plays imagery from the Mediterranean. Courtesy Bahche.
The wine bar at Bahche in San Mateo features 60 wines, including those from Greece and Turkey. Courtesy Bahche.
In addition to being a restaurant, Bahche is also a wine bar with about 60 wines and counting. Find wines from Spain, Italy, Napa, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Greece and Turkey ($12-$25 a glass, $38-$165 a bottle). Four beers and grapefruit kombucha are on tap, and two Greek beers are available by the bottle ($8-$10).
“I just wanted to come and be part of the community and create a destination for the people that live in the area, and also create a destination spot where people from all the way from San Jose and San Francisco come somewhere in the middle and have a different atmosphere,” Karadogan said.
Coconut creme brûlée ($12) at Bahche in San Mateo. Courtesy Bahche.
Spiced bread pudding with golden raisins and anglaise sauce ($14) at Bahche in San Mateo. Courtesy Bahche.
Bahche’s interior features neutral, earthy tones with pops of color, as well as a 150-inch projector that plays videos of scenery from the Mediterranean. Inside seats 50, and the outdoor patio seats another 50, although Karadogan plans to fit up to 100 seats on the patio later on.
“The Bay Area is such a busy, fast-paced place. I just want people to come here and slow down life a little bit,” he said. “I want them to feel like they’re on vacation even though they’re in San Mateo. I want people to come relax and take their stress away, along with having good food and wine.”
Bahche, 3081C S. Delaware St., San Mateo; Instagram: @bahchemezze. Open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30-10 p.m.
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