Top 10 Best Filipino Restaurants in California
California is home to the highest concentration of Filipinos outside of the Philippines! Which may be why Filipino restaurants have been popping up and establishing their “Proudly Pinoy” names in the Golden State.
Whether you’re a Filipino missing your favorite comfort food, or just a culinary tourist wanting to discover and explore Filipino cuisine. We hope you enjoy our top 10 Filipino Restaurants and add these great places to your list of places to go when you come to California.
Overview – Top 10 Best Filipino Restaurants in California
Find out you’re next favorite dish in crunchy lumpia, hearty lechon, sweet banana turon, and savory sisig – all served on the same plate, just like in a true Filipino fiesta. There are also ube-laced desserts and all-day breakfast meals that showcase the Filipino love for all things fried, like eggs, longganisa, and even rice!
Our guide will take you on a virtual tour to Filipino restaurants and cafes spanning from San Francisco to Los Angeles. You’ll find a mix of contemporary and traditional Filipino restaurants offering something for everyone. Better read on to not miss out on the best Filipino restaurants in California. Don’t miss out on these top 10 best Filipino restaurants in California.
Top Filipino Restaurants in San Francisco
The Bay Area has long been home to many Filipinos, which means that there are many excellent Filipino restaurants out there that you may or may not have heard of.
Chibog
2055 Gellert Blvd #5 Daly City, CA 94015
Just like Mama makes it! Chibog specializes in pork dishes like sisig, lechon kawali (crispy pork belly), and binagoongan baboy (fried pork with shrimp paste, tomatoes, and eggplant). They also have another variant of the pork sisig which is excellent bangus sisig (shredded, crispy milkfish). Plus, you can enjoy Filipino favorites like kare-kare and sinigang which make it a great all-around Filipino restaurant; people have been catching on because of how busy the establishment is every day. However, we promise on our mamas that it’s worth the wait!
Café Colma
1700 Hillside Blvd Colma, CA 94014
Craving that late-night fix of your favorite Filipino food? Café Colma is a 24-hour diner inside of a casino with a lengthy menu of Filipino fare — in addition to American and Americanized Chinese. There’s dinuguan (pork and blood stew) and nilagang baka (beef short rib and cabbage soup). They also serve silog plates with longganisa (delightfully greasy pork sausages), and trust us, it is just what you need in the early hours of the morning after a late night.
Nick’s on Grand
223 Grand Ave South San Francisco, CA 94080
This next of the top 10 best Filipino restaurants in California not only boasts a proudly Filipino cuisine but also, everything is 100% plant based! Nick’s on Grand makes healthy alternative Filipino food which is heavily concentrated with meats and other animal products. The sisig sizzles with tofu and mushrooms, the lumpia are filled with vegetables or fake meat, and the halo-halo is topped with dairy-free ube ice cream. It’s the perfect spot to get your Filipino food fix if you’re a vegan or just opting for a healthier option.
Pampanguena Cuisine
4441 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94112
Pampanguena Cuisine offers a long menu of Filipino classics that you might want to try their kamayan, family-style feasts, served on banana leaves and intended to be eaten with your hands. Group meals are a breeze. For parties ranging from two to six people, you can get; whole grilled tilapia, barbecued chicken, lumpia, shrimp fritters, salted eggs, steamed vegetables, and a mountain of rice, plus mandatory dipping sauces. Finish the feast with their halo-halo, turon or leche flan and you’re good to go!
1608 Bistro
1608 Bush St San Francisco, CA 94109
A contemporary Filipino-American brunch restaurant, 1608 Bistro offers a unique spin to the Filipino palate: kare-kare or oxtail-peanut stew is stuffed into baos, adobo-braised pork crowns tostadas, and the waffles carry a purple tint—not from blueberries but ube. Additionally, your stomach is not the only one getting full from the experience as each dish is Instagram-worthy. For example, their piece de resistance. This dish has green pancakes infused with pandan, glazed with coconut cream, and topped with a cloud of cotton candy.
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Great Filipino Restaurants in Los Angeles
Filipino food is getting a lot of attention right now in the City of Angels. These destinations are some of the hottest of the top 10 best Filipino restaurants in California.
Big Boi Filipino Comfort Food
2027 Sawtelle Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025
Big Boi offers soulful Filipino comfort fare in the form of affordable combo plates. But don’t worry! The food does not skimps on flavor! Try out their clean takes on classic dishes like adobo, sisig, tocino, and sinigang. All of which is served with a choice of rice or pancit.
Oi Asian Fusion
4734 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90027
Looking for a twist in your Filipino food? Well, then, you ought to try Oi Asian that isn’t afraid to lean on the ‘fusion’ side of their name. Serving tapsilog and adobo over rice, Oi also urges their customers to venture to fused food like their signature sides Karaage Fried Chicken, Pork Belly Jicama tacos and the Pork Egg Rolls.
Ma’am Sir
4330 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029
Both a critical darling and a financial success, Ma’am Sir is probably the hottest Filipino restaurant in Los Angeles right now. Filled with options like a longganisa burger and crispy pork lechon. Ma’am Sir will really hit the spot from your Filipino food craving.
Dollar Hits
2422 W Temple St Los Angeles, CA 90026
With a strong cult following, Dollar Hits is serving some of the best Filipino street foods in LA. Everything on the menu has a low price and are intended to move. Items do just exactly that when “late nighters” stop by in droves looking for flavorful takes on barbecue chicken, pork, blood, and lobster balls.
LASA
727 N Broadway #120 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Perhaps the future of Filipino food in Los Angeles, LASA, named a 2018 Food & Wine Restaurant of the Year, is a Filipino-inspired, California-influenced restaurant. It means taste in Filipino and the taste has catch on to its patrons. On the menu are Pinoy-takes on classic brunch fare like a pan de sal French toast and house-smoked milkfish served with a fried egg on top. Dinner brings composed Filipino-American dishes like the Kesong Puti Dumplings and the Beef Kilawin (beef tartare).
Conclusion – Top 10 Best Filipino Restaurants in California
Be sure to check out these savory Filipino food restaurants all over the coast of California. These culinary destinations offer the local flavor that is truly the Filipino brand.
