The Best Filipino in San Francisco

Pampanga's Cuisine

★★☆☆☆ 2.4 (69) • $

"Went for some bfast Phillipine grub. Found myself in a small strip mall in Daly City choosing some authentic dishes behind a shield of glass in a divey cafe. Yelp says it's closed today, but it's not. Food is average but decent tasting and filling. Lots of options to choose from. They serve the usuals; Beef Caldaretta (beef stew w/veggies),Sisig (flavorful choice chunks of chicken, pork or beef), chicken and pork adobo, BBQ chicken and pork skewers, rice, noodles and so on.. But today.... They had Embudito! As an American, I can describe it as a Philipinno meat loaf. So obvi, I grabbed a loaf of that. Yumm.Definitely a 'cheapy go-to' resto."

Ox & Tiger

★★★★★ 4.9 (115) • $$$$

"Top 3 meals I've had in the city. I'm so glad I went with the pescatarian menu! Everything was absolutely delicious. It's been awhile since I've truly enjoyed every dish.Menu is simple with 3 entrees and a dessert but every dish is curated with so much thought and heart. We got the crab with mushroom as an add on. Wow so good! My favorite was the second dish that had clams, pickled cauliflower, layered potato cake with coconut broth and taro sour bread. Dipping that bread in the broth was icing on the cake. The Japanese cheesecake sitting on a bed of crumble with mushroom ice cream was a fantastic way to end the meal. Above all, I enjoyed the intimacy of the meal and interactions with chefs Hitomi Wada and EJ Macayan, the power couple who owns Ox + Tiger. The place seats 8, and the chefs do everything from cooking, prepping, and entertaining. I felt like I was enjoying comfort food from their home. My sparkling cold sake was a perfect pairing to the seafood. The chefs were so sweet to help celebrate our cousin's birthday. The reason why I chose the place. They also let us sample their Pinot Negro, a red that had notes of coffee. They rotate their menu every 8 weeks and have only repeated one dish. Can't wait to come back and try more of their creations. They're so nice and hospitable and make me want to support their business even more. Been awhile since I've come across a place I'd highly recommend, and I'd recommed Ox + Tiger without a doubt to anyone."

The Pantry

★★★★☆ 3.8 (915) • $$

"My family and I have been dining here for years, even when it relocated to current location.Service is excellent with an extensive menu of breakfast, lunch, dinner entrees!! Took us awhile to figure out!! Ordered the Filipino Tocino , chili con carne omelet, Truck stop special,Joe's special with an appetizer of Sigsig....! All with a generous portion of hash browns w grilled onions -a "must have" here!Just a typical "hole in the wall" (near Ross and Trader Joe's) but serving up delicious Comfort foods with a Filipino flare!!"

Tindahan Pinoy

★★★★☆ 4 (202) • $$

"Tindahan Pinoy is located in a strip mall that has Pho Dao, Đại-Thành Supermarket, Popeye's Louisiana Chicken, T4, etc.The parking isn't too bad. Small place with a couple of shelves full of merchandise for sale. They have a steam table for some food and a kitchen in the back to quickly cook other foods.I came in here to try their breakfast meal of two scoops of garlic rice, a fried egg, tomato & cucumber slices and one meat (Tocino) (3.5/5). It was prepared in about 5-6 minutes.It's usually crowded but not at the time I visited."

JT Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.5 (70) • $

"Rly nice experience! We had no idea what anything was since we hadn't had Filipino food much before, so the owner kindly and enthusiastically explained what all the options were, it was very cuteAnd we chose our dishes and she gave us heaping portions, filling the bowls with the entree and then also plates full of riceThe food itself was really good and well flavored! Wish there were more veggies but the pairing of the rice meat and sauce was greatSmall little restaurant tucked inside a building, a mini cafeteria vibe with lots of character A really solid meal!"

Turo Cafe and Grill

★★★★☆ 4.3 (283) • $$

"Turo Cafe and Grill is one of the few places in the Bay Area to get good quality, Filipino food. Turo serves the same dishes that I grew up with at home.In the past, I've ordered popular dishes, including: pancit (noodles), silog (breakfast combos w/egg), pork sinigang (tamarind soup), BBQ skewers, and of course, LUMPIA. It's rare to order lumpia shanghai (finger food pork egg rolls) at such a girthy size. And there's is kinda girthy for a shanghai. Believe me, I've had shanghai in other places which were either "too skinny" and/or "too short". There's one place I know of that tends to roll their shanghai in extra wrappers to almost deceive customers that it's actually filled with enough meat! LOL. In any case, Turo's Shanghai is "fat, tasteful and meaty" for the discerning lumpia lover in you!Turo Cafe deserves 4.5 stars!!! @feastyle approved! The Turo Cafe storefront makes the store look as if it's heavily busy because of outside traffic, but I've developed a "system" on how to work with here. LOL Otherwise, everything has been great since the food is so tasteful they bring back memories of the quality Pinoy dishes I know and love."

Señor Sisig

★★★★☆ 4 (566) • $$

"I was caught but surprise by how much i enjoyed a enjoyed a specific item on this menu - the Tosilog burrito. The first time I tried this burrito, it was delivered while on a night shift at the hospital. On that day, I thought the burrito was really good and scarfed it down but wasn't sure if i was just stressed or super hungry. I next tried recently in an in person pickup order. This time, the burrito tasted just as I remembered but even better! I really appreciate that you have the option to remove egg (i am one of those people who sometimes gets a weird/unpleasant feeling from the taste/texture of eggs). Ordering on toast tab was super easy and it was a quick, seamless pickup experience at the restaurant. The tosilog burrito is and will be one of my favorite san francisco staples while I live here."

Max's Restaurant - Daly City

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (555) • $$

"Easily one of my favorite Filipino restaurants around the area. The food is always top notch. My personal favorites are the chicken adobo, crispy chicken, garlic rice, kare kare, and sinigang! Then for dessert--halo halo! They even have a house special drink which is calamansi mixed with raspberry. The dishes are excellent and the service is absolutely wonderful. The staff always make me feel right at home. During our recent visit, the staff was super accommodating for our party of 10. You can make reservations for parties of 6 and up. Sa susunod ulit! Maraming salamat, Max's Daly City!"

Kalesa

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$

"Service was excellent. Gigi was very personable and attentive to our needs making sure our drinks were always toped off!! Ambiance was nice. Tables were not too close to each other and noise level was tolerable.Food:1) Crispy Dinuguan - very tasty and pork was not fatty. 5 of 52) Pancit Miki Bihon - flavor was slightly bland 3 of 5. Seemed like it was missing something but could not figure it out3) Pinakbet - kind of soupy and we liked as it was not too salty. 4 of 54) Chicken Inasal - flavor was spot on so 5 of 55) Crispy pata - excellent 5 of 56) lumpia shanghai was slightly over cooked 3 of 57) calamari was also spot on so 5 of 5We know what to order at the next visit and we look forward to having Gigi service us. She is great and we really enjoyed interacting with her!!"

Max's Restaurant - South San Francisco

★★★☆☆ 3 (529) • $$

"The lunch special was really good! I got the Sisig for under $20. This is a classy place to bring relatives :) food is good and affordable and cooked by Filipinos!!! I also like their pancit and people love their chicken but for me I never get it because I eat so much Costco chicken!! lol"

The Original Kadok's

★★★★☆ 4 (117) • $$

"I have mixed reviews about this place. There's been times where the food is good and there's been a few times recently where I question the quality of their food. I mainly get their lumpia and years past it used to be piping hot when I order. They would freshly fry it and I didn't mind the wait. Lately, when I come here, they give it to me right away. I understand they want efficiency, but my lumpia was more like room temperature when I got it. I don't know if it's even fresh or was it from the previous night. I wish there was an option for me to ask for freshly fried ones."

Meryenda

★★★★★ 4.9 (17) • $$

"Whether you have the munchies from smoking weed or need some carby salty goodness with a beer on a hot day, Meryenda has got you covered. Typically, a pandesal (pan de sal) is a staple bread in the Philippine culture that soaks up liquid really well. I've seen old filipino geezers eating it with their coffee at local filipino coffee shops, so when I checked out this food truck, I was curious. I went to one of their collab events at Humble Sea and after crushing several dranks, I wobbled over to Meryenda and ordered up a Longanisa w/ chips. Longanisa is like their version of a sweet chorizo. While smothered with sweet mayo, then smackled with scallions and a thin carpaccio slice of tomato, it brought this cute sammich altogether. Though I ate all these sammiches, I saw that they also served dessert too! Looked like a piping hot green colored pandan coconut bread putting made of the same pandesal bread. It might put me out if I ate that! Observing the people around me, it looked like dessert was made for sharing between two or if you're a fat a s s like me, you'll indulge in all of it!Definitely going back and recommending this to others who like trendy new spots in the bay."

Los Kuyas

★★★★☆ 3.9 (58)

"A Mexican-Filipino fusion truck that seems to be Mexican in format, but with Filipino flavored meats. So tacos, burritos, nachos, etc. Since the Filipino meats have so much personality, it really was quite a wonderful combination.Sisig Nachos: I like that they didn't try to be fancy and just used that kind of bowling alley nacho cheese sauce. However, no chips from the bag here, they used fresh made tortilla chips. Fried up thick and crispy so they didn't get soggy on the journey back to the office. The standard nacho toppings, but with some deliciously spiced sisig. I especially liked the chips in the corner that soaked up some of that yummy vinegary sauce.Tocino Burrito: Slightly sweet pork gives this otherwise normal burrito a nice upgrade. Tocino is pretty intense so all the carbs of the tortilla and rice carry it well. I like that they toasted the sides of the burrito, for a little texture contrast.Ubechata: I like ube anything, so this was hit. Creamy and quite sweet. Very rich, so I actually preferred drinking this a little later in the day as an afternoon dessert "milkshake"."

Ling Nam Starbread

★★★★☆ 3.9 (271) • $$

"This is the best star bread location ever!! I've been to the Concord, Vallejo, Fairfield, and Union City location and they all do not compare. Every time I come here the bread is always nice and warm. I love the freshness of the bread and how it's perfectly baked each time 5/5. The location is in a busy plaza and the store itself it very tiny. They have a lot of other things that they sell but overall it's always a good experience here."

Hilda's Mart & Bake Shop

★★★★☆ 3.6 (293) • $

"They could improve on being more pleasant. They can improve on servicing prepaid orders during peak times.Quality is going down"

7 Mile House

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"Cannot give this place less then 5 stars. It was one of my old haunts for nearly 8 1/2 years. I worked at Monster Cable and our HQ was in Brisbane. 7 Mile was a company favorite for every major sporting event (SF Giants WS run 2010, 2012, 2014; SF 49ers SB run 2012; GS Warriors Finals 2014 - 2015). It was also a place to celebrate milestones (birthdays, employee anniversaries, farewells, etc). I hadn't been back since late 2015 and it was so wonderful to see the joint hadn't changed. I heard there were some struggles post-pandemic. So it was awesome see they were doing well.My current company participated in a volunteer event at the Cow Place and afterwards our VP took us to lunch at 7 Mile. I felt of wash of nostalgia as I sat down and looked around--everything was the same (maybe newer TVs).For the unenlightened, the owners are Filipino and they offer several Filipino dishes. You know this guy ordered the Pork Adobo. I didn't take pictures of everyone's dish, because I didn't want to be THAT GUY at a compay event. But, check out my dish. It is as good as it looks."

Gateway Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.3 (479) • $

"This place offers take out only after COVID. Tastes delicious and good price as usual.Call and order before you go there to avoid waiting."

Kusina Ni Tess

★★★★☆ 4.2 (335) • $

"Tiny spot in the TL, but one of our favorite Filipino spots anywhere. This place cooks everything perfectly. The garlic rice is the best, fried items are perfectly fried, sinigang is deliciously sour and savory. And now they have beef pares, hard to find outside of the Philippines, super delicious like a Chinese beef stew. Finish off with Turon, fried banana with a candy like coating."

Grill City

★★☆☆☆ 2.1 (121) • $

"This located within the grocery store - Seafood City.Perfect location when you are doing a grocery run around meal time and you are getting hungry.Order and Service is similar to Panda Express, except it is definitely a lot slower than I expected. Everything was made and ready to grab but I somehow waited 10-15 mins waiting for the line to move. I only tried the chicken skewer with sauce and I think the flavor was pretty good. The only downside is that it was already at room temperature or slight cold which is not what I expected"

Mekeni Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (74) • $

"Great customer service. I ordered the garlic shrimp and garlic noodles. Both items were very Delicious and very flavorful. Ambiance was very customer service friendly"

Via Mare Of America

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (286) • $$

"The family splurged on Filipino food today. You best prepare yourself for some amazing home hooked meals. The flavors were amazing, my favorite dish was the pork belly and the bitter Melon curry dish. Def will be coming back to this spot. So close to home and Def need to be more cultured in how amazing Filipino food is.They also have live performances, some locals, and some who even fly all the way from the Philippines! Def a mabuhay spot!"

Ongpin

★★★☆☆ 3 (502) • $$

"Ongpin Restaurant is a gem in the heart of the Bay Area, and it unquestionably earns its status as one of the oldest and most cherished Filipino restaurants around. Ongpin feels like a warm embrace of home, with aroma of authentic Filipino dishes that have been around since 1994.Beyond the exceptional food, Ongpin is a haven for the community. It's where people come together, celebrate, and create lasting memories. The atmosphere resonates with the warmth and camaraderie that make Ongpin more than just a restaurant; it's a home away from home.The staff's hospitality is unmatched, embodying the spirit of Filipino warmth.For anyone seeking an authentic taste of the Philippines this is the go to place"

Kusina Ni Javen Jesel

★★★★☆ 3.8 (10)

"The good:I tried the Ube Cheesedesal from a food festival and thought they were great and fresh. I liked the appearance (purple, round and cute) and the fluffy interior. These are great as gifts or for catering events. They offer a lot of authentic Filipino dishes for catering as well.The bad:Ube desserts were something I had during my first pregnancy that led me to not be able to eat ube things again because I now associate it with the nausea I had during my first trimester. The interesting:I love how Filipinos use cheese in their desserts because it adds a creamy savoriness."

Auntie Em's Fine Foods & Pastries

★★★★☆ 3.8 (320) • $

"Great customer service and a good selection of desserts. Everything that I bought was delicious. Will definitely go back to buy more"

Russ Fam Kitchen

★★★★★ 4.7 (36)

"Stumbled across this place nestled in the back of the Exxon gas station I love supporting small business. I'm all about it and the quality and the service didn't disappoint limited menu which is great because you know the five or six things you order are gonna be awesome highly recommend all of it. We're actually using them to cater our Super Bowl party and everything was top-notch"

Tastebuds

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (398) • $$

"I'm sad that i only have one little picture, which doesn't even show everything we ordered. I ordered catering trays for my baby shower, and the food was all delicious. Also, i paid extra to have everything delivered, and the person that delivered was so nice and told me how to handle the food.We had:Pancit Miki BihonLumpia ShanghaiRiceLechon KawaliBbq Chicken Bbq porkBangus SisigFish Fillet EscabecheChopsuey (seafood only)Everyone commented on how good the food was. Special shout out to: the pancit miki bihon, bangus sisis, bbq pork, but everything was really good. We had plenty of leftovers, and mostly everyone took something home for a second meal. Thank you, Tastebuds!"

Fili Taste Grill & Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.7 (16)

"If you've been fortunate to go visit a matriarchal Filipino home, you know that you'll NEVER go hangry. They'll feed you until your pants seams bust and send you home with Tupperware of leftovers.Then, the next time you visit, she'll say, you've gotten "fluffy"....but in a blunt way. Several months ago, I called Pampanguena Cuisine for a lumpia tray and the phone just kept ringing. Come to find out, they closed and Fili Taste Grill & Restaurant took its place in in early June 2024 . They're open for takeout and dine-in. No outdoor seating. While there was no lola onsite, dining at Fili Taste felt like an extension of their home and we left with plenty of leftovers. M E N UFilipino Fare - Array of skewers and a handful of a la carte dishes: Sizzling Sisig, Fili [Grilled] Chicken, Lechon Kawali (fried pork belly), Grilled Jumbo Squid, and Bitter Melon Soup. Combo plates available during lunch from 11 AM - 3 PM: Two proteins/lumpia plus rice for $14.99. If you spend over $35 for two people, it's FREE unlimited rice. Order at the counter (pick your skewers), seat yourself, and pay after you're finished eating. F O O D* SKEWERS ($2 each): https://tinyurl.com/4z8szcb7- Pork BBQ - Chicken BBQ - Pork Stomach - Hot Dog - Chicken Feet - Chicken Heart (x2) - sorry no pic- Kwek-Kwek: Battered + deep fried quail eggs Fili is one of two Filipino restos in the bay to have such a large array of skewers (like Dollar Hits in LA). Most of the skewers are brushed with a savory sweet glaze and perfect if you're looking to get a good sampling of proteins. * Inihaw na Pusit: Grilled Jumbo Squid ($14.99): https://tinyurl.com/mryfcde7Tender and pleasantly chewy with a nice char. Make sure to grab some housemade soy-vinegar-chili dipping sauce from their condiment station. * Fili Chicken, Inasal-Style ($14.99): https://tinyurl.com/msn9ta3pEveryone has their own recipe/variation but inasal chicken is usually marinated with vinegar, calamansi, lemongrass, garlic, and ginger...and annatto for that red hued skin. The whole chicken legs were juicy and lightly seasoned so the soy-vinegar-chili dipping sauce came in handy. * Silver Lechon Kawali: Deep Fried Pork Belly ($14.99): https://tinyurl.com/47dfeb9xFav items of the night! Golden brown and crunchy bursting with juicy porky goodness. It was bit oversalted for me but balanced when dipped into the accompanying sweet mang tomas sauce. * Soup of the Day - Bulalo: Filipino Beef Shank Soup ($19.99): https://tinyurl.com/pkdbcxrwLeast fav item - while the bulalo looked ginormous, it was mainly a huge bone with marrow and two small pieces of beef. The beef was still tough, and the bok choy and corn were undercooked. It just needed to be simmered longer to achieve a rich, soulful broth. * Garlic Rice (Free for spending over $35 for two)No Filipino meal is complete without rice and I was happy the garlic rice was part of the min. spending freebie. S E R V I C EFriendly, warm, pinoy hospitality with prompt food service. A M B I A N C ENo-frills casual dining area with 7-8 tables.P A R K I N GStreet parking can be challenging during peak hours. Overall, if you're looking for tasty Filipino eats with warm hospitality in the city, give this new local small business a try!"

Jam’s Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.2 (63)

"More 4.5 because i believe still they need more improvements... like a bigger space so that they can have more diners to try their food. I am not much of a filipino restaurant eater because I grew up with my mom's cooking and was eventually helping her out in our once catering business in the Philippines. But man... my parents, who first tried this place, gave their thumbs up and so like a good daughter, i tried hesitantly... and the dinakdakan bowled me over. It was authentic and just like the character in ratatouille... sparks flew in first bite and my childhood memories came rushing back. If food does that to you... you know its good. I tried their other offerings. The beef kaldereta, papaitan, sisig and buko pandan were on point. Being ilocano, u can't make me eat somebody else's pinakbet outside family - unless your ilocano too. Their prices are affordable and the servings are hefty for the price. I am still picky with my filipino dishes but if I would recommend a place... go here."

Señor Sisig - Food Trucks

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"Yay to some vegan/vegetarian Filipino options!! Easy to order and prompt pickup. Delicious burrito with the vegan chicken as protein, I did medium spicy and it feels accurate to me. I only wish the salsa container had more salsa -- less than half full and not enough to eat with even half of my burrito. But that's a complement because the salsa is good!! I'd like more of it! Staff were nice and welcoming. Mobile orders are to the left, I couldn't tell when I first walked in. The guy checked my bag to ensure I had everything."

Timog

★★★★☆ 3.7 (57) • $$

"The layout was nice, clean and set up is classy, and art showing the Philippines is well made.You will need to go inside the Lions shopping area and go all the way at the back to find this hidden gem. Great selection of dishes to choose from, it is food place to take family or friends since it is family style sharing of food. We started off with the fried eggplant with fresh vegetables and lumpiang shanghai is a must in any Filipino dish to order. Perfectly fried and taste is delicious. We then had Chicken Inasal (bbq chicken), garlic fried rice, the crispy palabok had great presentation, and lechon kawali was seasoned well and meat was flavorful, crispy, and came out juicy.The food was all cooked well and the quality and taste was great will definitely come back to try other dishes.Dessert we ordered was turon a la mode was hoping they still had mango ice cream. I would definitely try the halo halo0 next time.Service overall was super amazing and they were helpful and attentive. There is a buffet option on Sat and Sun during lunch definitely stop by to try that."

PI Wings

★★★★★ 4.6 (15)

"Came to try their wings during Takeover Tuesdays over at the mochi donut shop Daly City. Place is really clean and cute with the decor and all the plants.I've tried all of their flavors. Sisig, sinigang, arroz caldo, adobo, bicol express, kare kare, & palabok. My favorite is the sisig & sinigang. Sinigang is chef's kiss with that hot rice. The staff are great! Really friendly and ready to educate you about all the different flavors. Parking can be challenging if you can't catch parking in the front. However, there's the Walgreens parking lot across the street and the on Reiner street around the corner."

Blend Eatery

★★★★★ 4.6 (56)

"I was so happy with this awesome option for lunch on Stanford campus! The tofu was very filling as a vegetarian option and there were lots of choices for toppings! The fried egg on top was a nice filling treat. The outside tables were nice and calm and pleasant and the service was pretty quick given the lunch crowd. Overall a top experience!"

Miles Bistro

★★★★☆ 4 (84)

"Glad I took a chance to try this place. Food was definitely on point and brought memories of my parents cooking. Felt at home here. Fresh and cooked to order. I had the pancit, chicken wings (was the best I tasted) and the lechon kawali. My order was not oily at all and it was seasoned right. The pancit had crispy fresh vegetables, the lechon and chicken wings was served hot, tasted juicy and crunchy. They accommodated my seafood allergy which made me happy more. Definitely my new spot for my filipino food craves . Extra 5 for recognizing the neighborhood back home"

Toppings Tree Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (614) • $$

"Filipino food that provides homey vibes and great service. No wait to be seated and quick turnaround of the food once ordered. Pictured: sizzling sisig. Very flavorful pork with great additions of onion and garlic bits that enhance the dish. Love the pieces of lime if you choose to squeeze some on and makes the dish pop even more. Doesn't come with rice but would highly recommend adding the garlic fried rice plate that you can share with others. Was surprised with the quantity of food provided given the price point and had some to take home. Hit the spot when I was craving Filipino food. 8/10 will come again!"

Patio Filipino

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$

"The space was clean and well decorated. It smelled delicious too with the scent of sizzling sisig coming from the next table!The food was phenomenal! it tasted exactly right, and was beautifully plated. All the servers were friendly and helpful and made nice comments about my toddler. They even brought her a plate of orange slices when she wanted fruit. We had the Kare kare, lumpianitas, pancit bihon and caldereta. I can't wait to visit the Bay Area again just to have a meal here!"