Tambayan Filipino BBQ & Grill

I BUY all our food with our own Money but because we believe in small business and we support them!!! I'm so bias about talking about Filipino food because I'm Filipino... the location is the real deal on of the best hole in the wall pinoy infuse food in SD , you just have to COME! I was expecting a point point style filipino style but I was so wrong! Dom is the main guy that push the front line as he is the sous chef and the body that moves all the great food he cooks and preps , Justin is the front line manager/marketing for all the events food and Fernan he is the man behind the making all the food/face of TamBayan and bio was it GudMudFud, the slang on how they would say it. Let me tell you there style of something worth going to there establishment! We almost tried almost all they had and if you want to know more about this restaurant we did a video review on an Instagram SHOW that I created @KBLANCOEATS. They were the 1st episode we did to launch the show !!! We had a full review of all there tasty entrées! YES TO everything they make and sometimes they also do one ups to where they have specials on limited quantity. I know it's been a year we had visit but CONGRATS and may you continue your success at your spot! Also may you continue with the Filipino style home cook meal to a point it's something in the line of tradition style pinoy style EATS but FERNAN puts the twist where he combine different ingredients that works and make the dishes less heavy on your tummy yummski!!! Yes I highly recommend this place!!! I hope to see you guys soon and it's been a min but to all the locals and people traveling to San Diego. This is a must see and stop by and see what TANBAYAN has to offer !

Discovered this place through good ole IG. What we ordered:-Ube churros- very different from other churros, inside was softer and not as sweet. Dipping sauce was good. Nothing to rave about but glad I tried them l. -pork belly skewers- I ordered 2 thinking it was not going to be enough to share one but these were huge pieces. Very flavorful and paired with pickled onions -sisig fries- ate this last and after we traveled about 30-45 mins to put air BNB but it is as still hot. Very big portion, didn't get to finish it all since we ordered so much food. Shared some with the kids and they enjoyed it was well - Kare Kare bowl- made with grilled tri tip I believe or some other cut of meat. It was nice to try, the sauce was really good. Paired well with all the other additions, egg was a little disappointing and some of the cuts of meat was just straight fat but overall nicely executed. I still prefer oxtail version but glad I tried- burger with Uber bun, hubby ordered and I barely saw it or even seen him eat it. It said it was fire lol. Just a bit smaller then expected IMO

Elevated Filipino food in Spring Valley?Highly recommend this hole in the wall for some great renditions on Filipino classics like the Brisket Kare Kare ALWAYS HITS! Proportions are spot on but has a high price point! Check these pinoys out because they are STRAIGHT COOKIN. Keep bumping the old school hip hop!!

Drove down to SD from LA for a little family day trip. Looking for a new lunch spot and came across Tambayan. Hadn't had Filipino food in a while and we were pretty excited.Located in the rather larger shopping center, there is plenty of parking. Looks like a lot of shops were closed on a Sunday. My first reaction walking in was that it was a no frills restaurant. There was a small faux greenery wall I'm assuming meant for photos. Aside from that there wasn't much decor besides the large TVs on the wall.The menu had a good selection of options: rice bowls, burgers, sandwiches, sides, and desserts. We all tried something different. First time seeing Ube buns on the menu.The food took a rather long time but I was pleased to see that it was made to order and not being pulled from a large batch in the kitchen. We had a direct view of the stove where we can see the chef preparing each dish individually.The food:- The Gud Burger-Hot Honey Chili Garlic Bowl-Sisig Bowl-Kare Kare Bowl-Hot Honey Chicken Garlic Sandwich-Lechon Kawali Skewers-Lumpia (a must)Prices were rather high for typical Filipino meals. We paid an additional $2 for garlic rice as an upgrade from steamed rice. However, the portions were large especially for the bowls. We went home with leftovers that were even tastier the next day with a fresh sunny side up egg. Food was fresh. Service was friendly.

I've heard about this spot a few times. I figured I'd check it out.AMBIANCE:Parking: Plaza parking. I've been here a few times and had no issues.Seating: Inside and outside seating. Pretty limited, room for about maybe 10 people and four small groups.Vibes: Welcome to Spring Valley! Nothing too flashy here, but you're close to a lot of places--Downtown, TJ, one of the best oil-changing spots. The place itself is relatively simple. Minimal decor, the main attraction is the good hip-hop music and the TV playing sports. So it's a good place to grab and go, catch up with a friend, or low-key watch a game.FOOD:Shortrib Bowl (Recommend)The beef was well-sauced and flavorful. The pickled onions, chili sauce, and cucumbers helped give it an extra kick. For those new to Filipino foods, this might be a safe betSisig Fries (Recommend)De-freakin-licious! Fries can't fail you as it was a good crunch, especially with waffle fries. The sisig was fresh (chopped fried pork) with a good mix of vinegar/calamansi/aoili complemented with nice mix of fresh red and green onions. Delish, delish, delish!Kare Kare Bowl (Recommend)Round 2! Kare kare sauce (Peanut Butter), smoked brisket, fried eggplant, chili oil, green beans, alfalfa, and garlic chips. Why this is worth your buck is because it's a family favorite, but the extra effort they put into it. The charredness to the eggplant, the creativity of adding microgreens, and delicious slices of smoked brisket.CUSTOMER SERVICE:First time around, Justin was dope. The second time around, Curtis and Dominic were providing the dope service.TL; DR OVERALL:4.5 Stars. Good food, reasonable prices, and a pleasant experience. It's great to see a rise in Filipino food. This spot stands out with its solid service and creative flavors. Wishing Chef Ino, Justin and team the absolute best as they represent Filipino food. #FilipinoFoodMovementTIPS:* Tambayan means a place to hang out.

Came in for an early Saturday dinner. The dining area was empty with only 2 people waiting on take out orders.The gentleman taking orders was very friendly and helpful. I had the smoked brisket kare kare bowl. I was pleasantly surprised at how much food they packed into the bowl. Plenty of super tender brisket, lots of rice, sauce, green beans and grilled eggplant slices plus a soft boiled egg. It's not your traditional kare kare but I wasn't even a little mad at it. It was very flavorful and I quite liked the bbq char and crunch to the eggplant. I would come back for that dish again! The boyfriend ordered a gud burger, filipino corn dog (ube breading encasing filipino hot dog and mozarella cheesestick pieces) and 2 orders of lumpia. He ate EVERYTHING! Even the complimentary ube churros they gave us for the wait. It wasn't that long of a wait but the tasty churros were greatly appreciated! His feedback - "I liked everything"Can't wait to come back and try other dishes!

Muy delicioso ang sarap! A bit pricey, but nowadays it's the quality that counts and their meals choices are definitely worth it. We even had to bring some leftovers home. Nothing but good vibes and friendly people working behind the counter and in the kitchen. Restaurant could be small, but if you're lucky enough you should be able to enjoy your meal hot and fresh off the grill. On a warm summer day, could be a bit uncomfortable since the wall a/c can only do so much with a Kitchen cooking up blazing meals on the regular. We were glad to have stopped by and discovered this Filipino gem of Spring Valley.

Good quality, poor quantity, poor value.Entrees are filled with rice without enough meat/veggies to supplement leading to plain overall palates for what otherwise could be a flavorful meal. Entrees are expensive and they charge an entire dollar for ApplePay use. I cannot recommend this location if value matters to you.Came here with my friends for dinner based on an ad on social media. We were excited to try Filipino food prepared in a more modernized take. We ended up all ordering the following items:Gud Burger: Juicy, filling, heavy. This burger included a wagyu patty that was sandwiched between two Ube milk buns. Honestly I didn't really taste the Ube flavor but the patty was indeed very tender and juicy. We also got the fries which were in a twisted shape which was both fun and tasty since the unique shape gave for more surface area for crust.Sisig Bowl: Vinegar-y, light, dry. The sisig bowl was roughly as expected except with pickled onions. Although I normally really like pickled onions, I feel like there was just too much contrast in this bowl to make for a cohesive palate. The sisig was also pretty dry forcing me to supplement with some extra sauces. It also didn't help that white rice made up 70% of the bowl and there wasn't much meat or veggies leaving me very unfulfilled and unsatisfied.Beef Tapa Bowl: Sweet, tangy, hearty. The beef tapa bowl included marinated beef with korean pickled cucumbers. This bowl is very much reminiscent of what a bulgogi rice bowl would be like. The sweet and tangy worked perfectly with the refreshing and cool snap of the cucumbers. Unfortunately there was also a disproportionate amount of rice in this bowl which was very disappointing.BBQ Chicken Bowl: Char, hearty, tangy. This bowl also featured the korean cucumbers along with some charred barbecue chicken. The charred chicken had a nice smokey taste which similarly to the tapa bowl provided a nice contrast with the cool refreshing snap of the cucumbers. The palate of this bowl was a bit plain without additional sauces.Sisig Fries: Crispy, dry. The sisig here was also pretty dry and the ratio between meat and fries here was also pretty disappointing as is most of their other dishes. This item was split among 4 people and made for a nice supplement since the entrees lacked in volume (outside of the mountains of rice).Note: We wanted to order the Kare Kare bowl and the Shortrib Bowl but they were out.I've had Filipino cuisine in more traditional forms and I recognize that rice is often served in large portions, but at the same time it's also usually well supplemented with a lot of meat and veggies and other flavors. At Tambayan, the proportions between meat/veggies and the carbs were pretty lacking leaving for an otherwise quite plain tasting bowl when considered holistically. That combined with each entree costing nearly $20 after tax and tip (and an unethical $1 additional charge for card/apple pay) made for a very disappointing meal. I understand if there is a $0.50 or so additional charge for CC/ApplePay usage, especially at smaller shops where transactions are more frequent and total volume of sales are smaller per transaction but charging an entire dollar for CC/ApplePay when their average transaction is about $20 and considering how much they skimp on their meat and proportions is pretty ridiculous.The restaurant had ample seating for a small little shop. I want to estimate you could fit maybe 15-20 people in there and it has the classic "asian take out restaurant" vibe. My group had 4 people and we were able to fit at one table, I'd imagine if you have larger groups you'd definitely have to split your party up between a couple tables.

The place is really clean service was quick. I likes the sisig with chunky cuts of pork but the kare kare not so much. First the need was strips not the usual thick beef meet and it didnt go too well with the dish and could use more peanut sauce but the strings beans in it was perfectly cooked.

We ordered the Kare Kare bowl and short ribs bowl and they were fucking salty as fuck! Taste your food before serving to your costumers.