San Francisco, California, has every type of eatery and cuisine imaginable. There’s the Italian-inspired “Stinking” restaurant that puts garlic in everything and the late-night diner with a storied LGBTQ+ history and some of the city’s best burgers. However, when you’re craving Filipino food in the Bay Area, you’d be remiss not to visit Daly City. Situated minutes away from San Francisco, this is the place to go to savor the fresh, often sweet and rich, flavors of this Southeast Asian country. Daly City, dubbed “Little Manila,” has a significant Filipino community that accounts for more than 30% of this destination’s population.
Filipinos began settling in Daly City in the 1960s. This was due to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, a law that reduced barriers for relocating to the United States. As a result, you’ll find several Filipino eateries throughout the city where you can enjoy a slice of the island’s culinary delights. This includes Chibog. Once named one of the Bay Area’s top restaurants by the San Francisco Chronicle, this spot features dishes like lechon kawali, or fried pork belly, and sinigang.
Lechon kawali, popular among Yelp users, can be served with garlic rice and eggs, a combination known as silog that is typically consumed for breakfast. Sinigang, on the other hand, is a classic Filipino soup made with tamarind, a common ingredient you’ll find in Filipino food, and your choice of protein. With 4.5 stars on Google, Fil-Am Cuisine is another highly-rated eatery in Daly City. This restuarant’s specialty is Filipino BBQ skewers, made with chicken or pork. “Wow their BBQ meat is so tender, juicy with a great char flavor,” wrote an individual on Google. Note that several other reviewers say that Fil-Am Cuisine is a cash-only joint.
Feast on more Filipino food and sweet treats at these Daly City establishments
You’ll find that most Filipino restaurants in Daly City, including Chibog and Fil-Am Cuisine are casual no-frills establishments. In fact, Fil-Am Cuisine lacks seating; guests will have to chow down in their vehicle or elsewhere. If you’re looking for an eatery with a contemporary yet laid back vibe, Tselogs is a good option. On the menu are lumpia Shanghai (Filipino-style egg rolls made with pork) and spaghetti, which in the Philippines is prepared sweet, not savory. Additionally, there are an assortment of silog dishes to choose from and this is arguably what they are best known for.
If you’re new to this cuisine, silog is a must-have. In a sense, it offers insight into Filipino culture. As Chel Gilla, Tselogs founder explained to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2021, “Every Filipino grew up eating silog whether you grew up in the Philippines or outside the Philippines.” That said, you can pair your garlic rice and egg with everything from tocino (sweet pork) to lumpia or longanisa, a sausage with Spanish roots. Tselogs is closed Sunday and Monday.
To end your gastronomic journey in Daly City with a bang, make sure to indulge in a sweet treat. The Bread Basket Bakery, a long-standing Daly City institution, has a 4.2 rating on Yelp. Stop by and savor baked goods like an ube croissant or ube tart. Not familiar with ube? This delicately sweet yam is a staple in the Philippines. Jollibee, a Filipino fast food franchise, also deserves a shout out for its famous peach mango pie and for its significance to Daly City. The location on Mission Street was the chain’s first in the United States, opening to much fanfare in 1998.
Filipino food is not the only reason why Daly City is a Bay Area gem
