Own a San Mateo business? Get on the guide →

Now featuring 899 local, independent San Mateo businesses and counting

Real photos, hand-picked

San Mateo in Photos

Our town, the way locals see it. Every photo here was taken in San Mateo by a real person, and every one is credited.

Cruise Night 2026

El Camino Real, September 26, 2026. Tap any photo to see it bigger. Read the full story and watch the videos →

The rear of a green late-1940s Chevrolet Fleetline with polished chrome bumpers — A late-forties Fleetline, chrome polished to a mirror.Photo: San Mateo Local

A mint green 1946 Chevrolet with a license plate reading MINTY — The plate reads MINTY. It earns it.Photo: San Mateo Local

A blue 1950 Chevrolet photographed from behind under a sky streaked with clouds — The kind of sky that makes you stop walking.Photo: San Mateo Local

A man in a red San Francisco 49ers jersey giving a thumbs up beside a gold lowrider — Niners jersey, gold paint, wire wheels. Saturday in San Mateo.Photo: San Mateo Local

A black Impala convertible with a gold Friscos Finest car club plaque — A Frisco’s Finest Impala, out by 20th Avenue.Photo: San Mateo Local

A couple sitting in a pink 1957 Ford Thunderbird, both smiling — A pink Thunderbird, and two people enjoying every second of it.Photo: San Mateo Local

A dark green convertible on El Camino Real at dusk with storefronts behind it — Dusk, and the street is filling in.Photo: San Mateo Local

A bearded rider and a passenger in the sidecar of an olive green motorcycle — Not everything out there had four wheels.Photo: San Mateo Local

A silver Chevelle convertible driving down El Camino Real during the blue hour — A Chevelle rolling through the blue hour.Photo: San Mateo Local

Classic cars with headlights on at night outside a lit storefront — Headlights on. The chrome does the rest.Photo: San Mateo Local

A blue coupe with polished wheels parked under streetlights at night — Parked up under the streetlights.Photo: San Mateo Local

A red convertible at night glowing under a lit storefront sign — Red paint under a lit sign. Hard to beat.Photo: San Mateo Local

A white 1950s Chevrolet with green scalloped paint parked at night under neon — Green scallops on white, lit by the neon behind it.Photo: San Mateo Local

Tail lights of a Mustang at night with a crowd of people watching — Tail lights, and a crowd that stayed late.Photo: San Mateo Local

A truck with a wall of speakers in the bed and purple underglow lighting — Some people brought the whole sound system.Photo: San Mateo Local

Local spots

The places that make San Mateo, San Mateo. Tap a name to see that spot on San Mateo Local.

The Takahashi Market storefront on South Claremont Street, with a tree in fall colors and a clear blue sky — Takahashi Market on South Claremont Street, family-run since 1906. October 2026.Photo: San Mateo Local

A person in a wetsuit riding a skateboard along the bay path, holding a wing overhead, with a dog alongside — Heading out with a wing and a skateboard along the bay.Photo: San Mateo Local

A wooden bridge over a pond in the Japanese Garden in Central Park, San Mateo — The Japanese Garden in Central Park.Photo: San Mateo Local

The tea house and a red Japanese maple in the Central Park Japanese Garden — The tea house and a Japanese maple in the Central Park Japanese Garden.Photo: San Mateo Local

The open lawn and tall trees at Central Park, San Mateo — The big lawn and old trees at Central Park.Photo: San Mateo Local

The B Street pedestrian plaza in downtown San Mateo with a painted street and sidewalk dining — The B Street plaza downtown, with its painted street and sidewalk dining.Photo: San Mateo Local

Kitesurfers on San Francisco Bay — Kitesurfers out on the bay.Photo: San Mateo Local

The San Mateo Bridge across calm blue water, seen from a rocky shoreline path — The San Mateo Bridge, seen from the shoreline.Photo: San Mateo Local

Still water on Marina Lagoon reflecting buildings along the shore — Marina Lagoon on a still day.Photo: San Mateo Local

Pink and white flowers in bloom on a bank beside the water, with houses across the lagoon — Flowers in bloom along the water.Photo: San Mateo Local

Sunlight on a reservoir surrounded by wooded hills above San Mateo — The reservoir in the hills above San Mateo.Photo: San Mateo Local

A Caltrain platform beside modern office buildings in San Mateo — A Caltrain platform and new buildings in San Mateo.Photo: San Mateo Local

The green Central Park entrance arch between two stone pillars, with tall trees behind — The entrance arch at Central Park.Photo: San Mateo Local

A grassy hill with a dirt path and power lines overhead at Seal Point Park — The hill at Seal Point Park, the old landfill off East 3rd Avenue.Photo: San Mateo Local

A bronze sculpture on a grass circle at the top of the hill, with San Mateo and the hills in the distance — The bronze sculpture on top of the hill at Seal Point Park.Photo: San Mateo Local

A long concrete footbridge with white railings leading toward power towers — The footbridge off East 3rd Avenue that leads out into the marsh.Photo: San Mateo Local

Sailboats tied up along a dock on calm water — Sailboats at the Coyote Point Marina.Photo: San Mateo Local

A bench overlooking blue water and wooded hills at Crystal Springs Reservoir — Crystal Springs Reservoir, in the hills just west of San Mateo.Photo: San Mateo Local

A white statue with hands folded in prayer in a stone grotto, lit at night, with a candle and flowers at its base — The grotto at St. Matthew's Church, lit up at night.Photo: San Mateo Local

From locals

Photos shared by people who live here. Each one credited to the person who took it.

No local photos yet. Yours could be the first.