Lazy Dog restaurant coming to San Mateo

The Lazy Dog is coming to San Mateo.

Look for the popular SoCal-based chain to open a new restaurant and bar in the former Mimi’s Cafe at Bridgepointe Shopping Center.

Bridgepointe, located on the east side of Highway 101, is home to the Ice Oasis, the popular ice rink that was rescued by the center’s new owners, the locally based Nazareth Enterprises.

Lazy Dog founder Chris Simms’ restaurants are designed to evoke the feelings he remembers from family vacations in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And the name? After a day of skiing, Simms spotted a dog lying by a warm fireplace in the lodge. He told his friends he “wished everyone could enjoy life as much as that ‘lazy dog’ by the fire,” the company website says. Naturally, the restaurant’s patios are dog-friendly.

Simms’ father was the CEO and founder of Mimi’s, so this restaurant site will be staying in the family.

The casual American menu — pot roast, bison meatloaf, burgers, chicken pot pie — is supplemented by seasonal specials. (For spring, think fresh asparagus soup and vanilla bean custard with fresh berries.) Vegetarian entrees include spaghetti squash with “beetballs.” And sides go beyond the traditional fries to include choices of pickled cucumbers, apple cider slaw, seasonal fruit or ancient grains.

The first Lazy Dog opened in 2003 in Huntington Beach. There are now 30 locations, primarily in California. The Bay Area has four others: Concord, Cupertino, Dublin and the most recent, Newark.