Karilagan

Best Filipino restaurant in my book based on food being cooked very well & served fresh; huge portions (have a large party or be ready to take home yummy leftovers); value pricing; polite and attentive servers. The owners hit the nail on the head! Congratulations and thank you for your great service!

Good casual hangout spot. Was there for the sports bar area. Good set up with the TVs and a some decent bar bites.

Good local spot to get some decent Filipino food.
The establishment is rather small on the inside but the wait is usually under 10 minutes. This was my second time coming here and this time I can recall what I ordered and the service.
If you are coming here with a large group I wish you luck because there are about 8 to 10 tables. Seating is limited. If you are looking for something a bit more spacious I would maybe try Max’s, it is just down the street.
The menu here is very clear and thorough with what each item is and what is included with your dish. When I was here on Saturday I ordered the sizzling sisg, mixed adobo, and the calamari. The portions were on point. Definitely some HEFTY serving portions, making for a good solid meal. There is also a good chance that you may have leftovers, which is always a good thing.
The sizzling sisig was AWESOME. There was a lot of good flavor in the sisig. The calamari was just as good. There was more calamari than I was expecting which was good. The adobo was fantastic. The serving size of the adobo was perfect. I ate about half and then had to take the rest home in a box. Perfect meal for lunch.
The service is very good as well. The waiters and waitresses are very attentive and that makes the experience here SO MUCH better.
The vibes in this place are really good. I highly recommend coming here if you happen to be in the area or passing through. There is an option for take out if you are in a rush but I always suggest that you come here and dine in, just my preference.
Overall, everything was above and beyond what I had expected. Good eating, full stomach, food coma for days.

I don’t eat Filipino food often as there are fewer establishments near where I live but this one is my favorite hands down.
I went here with my brother and his gf and decided to order a whole chicken since my brother and I are meat lovers. We also ordered a beef dish and eggplant dish.
The meats were phenomenal and the chicken turned out to take up two whole plates!
We were very satisfied and the best part was the prices were pretty great. It’s hard to find a place that serves an abundance of meat and at relatively low prices.

We were in town for a graduation and my sister-​in-​law highly recommended this Filipino restaurant. I am always a bit skeptical, but that all went away as soon as the food showed up at the table. The inside was not fancy, but if you can get past that the food was amazing. I have had Filipino food before so I have a good idea what is good and I would rate this as some of the best I have ate. We had Pansit, Bistek, Nilaga soup, Calamari, and Halo Halo as dessert. I love Pansit and just thinking about it I could go for it again, but I will be honest it was the best I have ever had. Everything was great, service was wonderful, the staff was so friendly, and the food came out pretty quick though it was not super busy because we waited for it to open and we were the first to walk it. Overall I have bookmarked this place next time I am in San Francisco. My only regrets was that they do not have a location in Florida. ;-) If the owners read this see if you know any Filipino family near St. Augustine, we really need a place like Karilagan here. lol

BEAT THE MAD AFTER CHURCH DASH OF HUNGRY FILIPINO’S!!! I wouldn’t attempt this place during lunchtime on a Sunday. So this year my mother has made it a bucket list item to try every filipino restaurant in San Francisco. Therefore, this won’t be the last review I write for a filipino restaurant and you will probably see a consistent trend in what we choose to order… hahahahaha! This time around there was 5 of us, my mother, my 3 kids and I. This restaurant is on a main street in the middle of a strip mall type setting. We found parking pretty easily. There isn’t a parking lot dedicated to the strip of shops/​eateries but parking wasn’t scarce. On our walk to the restaurant my kids and mother were stopped in their tracks by the bakery next door. So while they went there I proceeded to Karilagan to see how long the wait was and whether I needed to put my name down. Boy was I right on the money. Why does it seem as if all the filipino restaurants we patron are tiny? This place had maybe a dozen or so tables. Don’t they know SF is like mini PI and us filipinos love our food! Anyhow, no one greeted me and the whole 2×2 reception area was packed. Someone pointed to a clipboard with names on it on the counter a top a pile of menu’s…but no pen! What the heck… so I stood there for a second and when no one even so much as made eye contact I walked into the restaurant and stopped someone and asked to borrow their pen.
Thank goodness for the bakery next door, as it held my kiddos and mom over with a snack pre-​lunch. We arrived at the place at 1:30 and were seating about 2 or 2:15. Our order was as follows:
1. Beef Sinigaang (because my mom heard rave reviews)
2. Lechon kawali (well duh)
3. Sizzling Bangus Belly (Because I went online beforehand and decided the pics did my suggestion justice)
4. Steamed rice for all of course
5. Then the pies de resistance: Halo Halo
I think I spent maybe $ 60 along with everyone’s drink of course, soda and tea nothing spectacular. It was a lot of food, we still had leftovers. Once we were seated, we were greeted by our waiter right away. The food started coming soon thereafter. It was worth the wait and will come back once we’ve apparently tried the rest of the note worthy filipino restaurant’s as per my mom… lol! As I said in the beginning though, find out the peak times for this place and completely miss those or be prepared to wait.

Had to try this place. Love the camaron rebusado, huge prawns. Lumpiang shanghai is good. Calamari is crispy and tasty. I did not really like kare-​kare because it has ground peanuts, I like my peanut sauce smooth. Bagoong is not to my liking either. So far, those were the only foods i’ve tried. Even if kare-​kare failed me, i will still go back and try other things on the menu.

Only two things that separate this place from other Filipino restaurants. Their beef marrow soup and their Halo halo
Dessert. If I’m in south SF I have to come back just to have this.

#46 review for 2016 Unilocal 100 Challenge
When in Daly City, can’t help but stick to my Pinoy cravings. So we did. And when I crave the same food with my bae, it’s even better.
It’s street parking and we were lucky to find parking right out front. It was crowded especially lunch rush on a Saturday. But I didn’t mind waiting because I was with my favorite company. This is your typical Filipino restaurant who doesn’t emphasize on décor. They will have to totally impress their customers thru their flavors. Which they really did with us.
We were both wanting Miki pancit however, Miki bihon was the closest they had on their menu. All good. Oh, and bae wanted to try their sisig. Food came out piping hot with awesome aroma. We were so hongry. Definitely flavorful and very delicious. Miki bihon was sarap with good chunks of pork and shrimp to garnish the pancit and their sisig was definitely a contender to my Crispy Wok in Artesia. Absolutely authentic pinoy flavors all up in here!
I’d definitely return and recommend this place for awesome Pinoy grub.
#iloveSF

Karilagan is jewel; a neighborhood Filipino restaurant that’s easily accessible to the freeway and definitely worth the drive from Marin. Lumpia were well-​prepared and the hot/​sweet sauce was tangy and a tastebud treat. I asked for extra to go with my take-​home dishes! The service was efficient, attentive and polite and, in a word, lovely.
Pancit was delicous and the consistency of noodles was perfect. I asked for a combination of chicken and shrimp and was accomodated. We also enjoyed the Chicken adobo and one of the soups.
No one needs a magnifying glass to see the entrees! The portions were more than ample.
Even though the restaurant was full on a Saturday night, it was not noisy.
Is this the fancy restaurant where the décor is noteworthy? No. But if you have a good appetite and want a delicious meal, Karilagan is the spot!

I can’t get enough of Karilagan, I really just can’t. If you come in hungry and starving, you will leave here super full. Family style Filipino food at it’s finest and it won’t break the bank.
Almost everything on the menu is tasty, but I almost-​always order the Pork Sisig with garlic rice. Shanghai lumpia is a solid appetizer as well. Karilagan is great for tables of 2 – 10 people. Halo-​Halo for dessert is super yummy as well.
I can’t get enough…

I don’t really eat kare-​kare, it’s not my cravable food of choice.
But I came here with my family because we had a visitor and she wanted some good kare-​kare. She’s from Australia where they don’t have much Filipino food.
This was the first time I ate kare-​kare in a long time and it was yummy. If i’m craving it again, I know where to go!

The food here is very good!!! authentic Filipino food! The server Imelda is the best! The food is a lot! Love the sisig! Tapa! Kare kare! Pakbet! Pancit! Order the halohalo for the dessert! However they get really busy on weekends! Line could be really long. But they serve really fast so it’s worth the wait!

Didn’t realize how busy it would be on a Thursday night but it was and we dealt with it along with the other families in this little cramped seating area. You can tell that the workers were really rushing around but it was also difficult to get their attention. We ordered quite a few things: kare kare, lumpia, bbq chicken, pancit and one other thing I can’t remember. The food was good and the bbq chicken was huge! I was expecting these little skewers and instead received two giant skewers filled with chicken. We also ordered halo halo for dessert. I wasn’t a fan of the pinigpig. I gave it a four stars because again, they could do better with their service. Possibly add another server during their busier hours.

The other night I was hanging with some friends. This was your typical Saturday night where everyone is hangry but no one will make a decision on where to eat. «I don’t care, you pick a spot.» I step up to the plate and suggest Filipino food because I want Filipino food (let’s be real) and I know a great spot to take my friends! KARILAGAN!
Our group: 3 Carnivores and 3 Pescatarians
For two people in our group, this would be their first time trying out Filipino food. I don’t know about you, but when you’re the person who recommends a restaurant, there’s a lot of anxiety that comes with it! Right?! I just want to see my friends happy with their meal. Let’s just say going into the night I was SUPER confident that my friends would love this spot.
We arrive and my friends leave it up to me to order for the table. I got this.
Appetizers: Camaron Rebosado and Lumpiang Shanghai
One bite in, everyone is looking at me like I’m some kind of God! «Grace, OMG! This is delicious. Great choice!» At this point I’m feeling pretty cocky. Just you wait, friends.
Main: Seafood Sinigang, Pancit Miki Bihon, Bistik, Lechon Kawali, Catfish, Fried Bangus Belly, Garlic Rice
I mean we killed it. There was so much food. I was so happy to see my friends go in for thirds! Pescatarian friends said their favorite dish was a tie between the Seafood Sinigang and Bangus Belly. The onions on that dish! So so good! And you really can’t go wrong with the Lechon. Perfection.
Everyone at this point is full and says they’ll pass on dessert. Are you kidding me? Try again.
Dessert: Halo Halo with Ube ice cream and Coco Cha Cha
Guys, I don’t even have the words to describe how much this dessert means to me. Just order it.
Truly a wonderful meal from start to finish. Thank you to our kind servers for taking care of us that night. We will be back! Soon!

Indoors is nicer than what it looks like from the outside. The place is crowded mid-​day just like Fort McKinley. Service is slow, not sure if it’s because they’re short staffed or because the people who work here are slow.
Their kare kare is the only dish we ordered worth mentioning. The sauce is creamy and the meat fell right off the bone. The only thing I wish it had was more veggies. Maybe some bokchoy. Loved that they included tripe though because I don’t think many filipino places do. Serving size is huge and definitely family style. I wouldn’t mind coming here again to try more of their soups.

The wait list doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. I was 1^st in line but I was seated 3^rd and I’m alone.
Kare Kare was okay however, the bagoong was runny.

One of my best bud is super Filipino (e.g., my attempt at a humorous way to say he is straight from the country and still have all his familia residing there in mansions). There were many occasions when he would have his parents fly out for a get together, where I would be invited to enjoy in a feast. Why is this important? Because my experiences eating home-​cooked Filipino food with his family helps set the baseline for all comparison.
With this in mind, how does this place compare? It’s amazing. Food was authentic in taste and the service was great. I had the chicken adobo with fried eggs and garlic rice. They were prompt and friendly too, and the price for proportions made it a great value.
After I came here, I immediately messaged my buddy. He told me I messed up for not getting the steak one haha. Well, there’s always another time since I really dig this place!

As most Filipinas may say, if they’re lucky enough ;), their mom makes the most BOMB Filipino Food EVER. With this said, I enter ANY Filipino Cuisine restaurant as a skeptic. I venture into Karilagan every few months when I’m craving dishes my mom doesn’t feel like making, or doesn’t make at all for that matter.
The following are the dishes I’ve tried and recommend:
1) Calamari — delicious!
Crunchy, but chewy inside. Filipinos are allll about their sauce, so definitely use the vinegar/​soy sauce/​onion/​garlic concoction
2) Ginataang Puso ng saging — translation: heart of banana with coconut — MY FAVE!
Make sure to ask for it to be spicy, otherwise they leave it up to you to season your dish with spice by leaving a whole jalapeño pepper on the side
3) Bicol’s Express — yummmm
Filipinos love their vegetables in coconut milk. This is yet another dish that is to die for. Normally filled with lots of pork and vegetables, highly recommend.
4) Crispy Pata — deep fried pork feet goodness
Use the sauce they provide, you won’t regret. Also, make sure to sit in a sauna for like an hour and run around Lake Merced 5x afterwards.
PS, only thing I wouldn’t order again is the sinigang. I’ve had better ;)
Other than that, Karilagan has really BOMB Filipino food. I’ve never left disappointed. HIghly recommend.

Since I live an hour away from my parents, who by the make the best homemade Filipino food, I come here to get my Filipino food fix!
My mom and brother was coming to my neck of the woods because my dad was coming back from the Philippines! So we decided to kill some time and have an early dinner at Karilagan!
We were the first family to arrive since we got there before it opened. We waited outside in our car and saw the man turn on the open sign and unlocked the doors.
Our waiter was this soft spoke filipino gentleman. He was so nice and made our eating experience wonderful.
We ordered garlic rice, which had a generous amount of garlic.
Pork sinagang, which was delicious! It had a generous amount of pork, which was nice and tender. The soup was sour, just the way I like it.
Bistik. Tender beef with a lot of onions. It was pretty tasty!
Sizzling bangus. No bones, fish was meaty!
Karilagan Ribs. These pork ribs were huge!
Pancit Canton. I think Filipinos don’t cut the noodles because it signifies long life. So when I got my serving of pancit, the noodles were super long! It was delicious!
Talong torta. It’s an egg omelette with egg plant. The edges of the torta was nice and crispy!
6 large dishes for only 4 people! Man we were stuffed! The portion sizes were big. They are not skimpy with the ingredients.
The tables and place setting was clean. From the outside, the restaurant doesn’t seem that glamorous, but I can guarantee you the food is delicious!
My mom and brother are from Pittsburg, but they said they would travel over here to eat!