Cabalen serves true authentic filipino food. As a filipina myself, the food here hits very close to home and although it is a little pricey, trips here are worth it due to the high quality of food and service. First off, portions are huge. Love their silogs and the many protein options they offer such as bangus, longanisa etc. Second, not only do they offer breakfast plates but they have sooo many other entree options that seem to rotate daily. It ranges from chicken adobo, to dinuguan, all the way to kare kare and much more. Lastly, they have tons of filipino dessert options spread across shelves on the walls for those who love their carbs and sweets. For 3 breakfast plates, and XL entree, one juice and chicharron, we paid a total of $88 (not including tip). Pretty pricey overall but dang did we buss down on the plates when we got home LOL. Love Cabalen as well as all the workers. They're all very sweet and helpful! Get here early because they will run out of food throughout the day and they close at 4:30p on weekends and 6p on weekdays. read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - tocino breakfast plate - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

I got their lumpia fresh out of the fryer and they were super good! I also got an order of their pancit, which I really liked as well. This place is pretty consistent and I've been coming here for years. My favorites from here are their adobo, pancit, bistek and sisig, oh and of course, lumpia! read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - Pancit - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

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Best Filipino restaurant i've tried so far. Service is good. Will definitely go back. Thanks - Pinoy food cravings satisfied!

I often go up and down on I-80 from San Francisco to Sacramento and back. Over the years, Cabalen has been one of my regular stops. For a small space, these folks serve up quite an array of Filipino dishes and the turnover is brisk as they do a respectable amount of business, meaning that the food gets replenished often. I believe they also have other outlets, one in Fairfield and another in Vallejo, but this is the joint with which I'm most familiar. The staff has always been friendly and inviting, in its purest form of Filipino hospitality. I realize how hard it is to be in the restaurant business, what with finding reliable labor, rising prices of ingredients and the frugality of patrons, it's like walking on a knife's edge. For their longevity in staying in the game along with serving such a niche cuisine, I give these folks much respect and gratitude for representing Filipino food that is generally underrepresented in the general scheme of things. I wish them continued success and good luck. read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - The exterior of Cabalen. - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

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My partner and I are new to the area and don't know very much about the restaurants here. We ordered big party trays for our housewarming party, and I'm glad I chose this place! The food did not disappoint, just a little con when they called me the day of the party that the pork lumpia I originally ordered was not available, and asked if I could just change it to chicken lumpia, but glad it worked out well because everybody loved it! Pancit Combination 10/10 - Not salty, and it tastes just like my mom's cooking Pineapple Pork Ribs 100/10 - This was a hit at the party! Pork ribs were tender and juicy, and very flavorful Chicken Lumpia - Seasoned very well, and who doesn't love lumpia right?! Buko Pandan 8/10 - I wish it were a little bit sweeter, but definitely good for our diabetic tito's and tita's! Haha Rice Cake 10/10 - Love love love the caramel on this and reminds me of how my grandma used to make! Overall, I am very pleased with our orders and will come back again and try other dishes! read more

I've had the pleasure of coming to Cabalen since The Kid started Kindergarten at Ohlone Elementary back in 2015. Thanks to her former principal, my love of Filipino cuisine emerged and took off. I had only ever had pancit or lumpia... boy was I missing out. Their beef is tender and delicious. If they run out of beef steak with sautéed onions, I pray they have the beef in mushroom sauce- my 2 favorite go-to entrees with rice and sauce on the rice... extra please !!! Sweet and regular adobo in pork and chicken are delicious. The service is always perfect. They are super sweet, kind and patient (especially when I can't decide). Love the sweet treats that they offer as well. Lovely family restaurant in Hercules that you can order to go or sit inside now. They don't disappoint (Pictures will be added soon) read more

Their lumpia is the best! Their customer service is outstanding. It is a most favor Filipino restaurant locally. Highly recommend.

Solid Filipino favorites. Mostly hit, sometimes miss. Served cafeteria style, and there isn't much seating. We usually swing by to pick up and bring it home. Their longanisa is good and we also like the bangus. Some great pastries and dessert as well. They don't serve certain things on the weekdays, so make sure to check they have what you want before stopping by. read more

Food was great, cafeteria style, so it doesn't make sense to pre-order. There's also canned drink options, and plenty of desserts! The workers are efficient and kind. They do speak Tagalog here! There is limited seating inside and no seating outside, so I'd order to-go. There's a great park conveniently right across the street, so have yourself a picnic. Lumpia is $45 for 100 pcs if you're thinking of catering! read more

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Who doesn't like traditional Filipino food! I think they usually have everything from Bangus to Dinuguan to Leche flan or Hopia. They do have silogs but only on certain days I think. Their portions are decent but prices might be on the high side. Everyone there is always friendly and welcoming though. They used to have more seating but now they have just one table inside because they made space for a couple of refrigerators and a shelf for bread. It's a tiny place and there's no outdoor seating so not really a place where you can sit and eat unless you get lucky and arrive early and no one is sitting at the table. I especially like ordering the big platter of Shanghai lumpia for parties with friends or for my child's classroom (it's always a hit with everyone young and old).. my only gripe is the timing of pick up. I used to order over the phone right when they open all the time but 100% of my orders are never ready at the specified time. Even though I give a specified time for pick up I end up waiting at least 10-15 minutes more after the time I requested. I thought maybe it was because I was ordering over the phone and not paying until I get to the restaurant for pick up later in the afternoon so thought I'd try ordering in person, paying up front and giving a pick up time for a few hours later. We arrived a few minutes early and they actually didn't have it ready and I, unfortunately, still waited a little bit. In any case, the wait is usually worth it but if I'm extremely pressed for time I think I would call ahead of time to let them know I was coming to pick up. read more

Food is of course good, their lumpia shanghai is top notch. Service is friendly, but there's not a lot of space for a sit down meal, definitely order out. It's more ideal for filipinos more familiar with foods, as the servicing style is similar to a Panda Express "buffet" with a worker making your plate. read more

Please include deserts on the menu and dishes like palabok, kareKare, bangus na paksiw. When ordering using Dash it is impossible Please add as much as you can so that we can order more Thanks read more

Delicious authentic Filipino dishes!! We liked ginataan gulay and nilaga baka. Buko pie was delicious. Clean place and service was fast. Helpful and friendly customer service. read more

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I've only had the tocino at breakfast time (only available weekends) and the beefsteak. Both were extremely greasy and drenched in oil. The cuts i got were also low quality and just fatty ends/pieces. Extremely unsatisfied. read more

Their lumpia party tray is always a hit at potlucks, get-togethers, or just when we got that craving!!! Easy to go pick up and nicely packaged for easy transport. Sooo yummy!!! read more

Half Tray of pancit- - over- cooked and soggy. Half Tray of Beef Caldereta- beef was pretty tough; you could even "see" the toughness- cuts were very firm. Not the usual melt-in-the-mouth caldereta weve experienced with others, like Goldilocks or DJs in Vallejo. We had to pressure cook the whole thing as our guests were spitting them out. Please, please...change your chef or... never again! Total price for both? Almost $200!!! I couldve done better. Frustrated and disappointed. read more

What has become of Cabalen..... Reviews: Pork Adobo, Dinuguan, Beef Steak It's not what it used to be. I'm ok with raising the price because I understand how expensive everything is but (1) it's not right when you buy a container of pork adobo and half the container is a huge bone with hardly any meat. (2) Dinuguan - all fat no meat, (3) Beef steak - mostly fat and meat is super tough. Never going back. It's not worth it. I'd rather drive to Isla Grand, Pleasant Hill for some great Filipino food. read more

I have lots to say but I won't say toooo much. This place is great! Real, authentic, Filipino food. Nothing else. So if you're looking for that, this place is spot on. I hired this place to cater for my wedding, but before I did so, I tried out their food for lunch. Lunch was great. Food was well done! Large portions for an affordable price for their combo plates. Now for the wedding, I had ordered many different foods, including desserts, such as: Mechado, lollipop chicken, lumpia's, palabok, pichi-pichi, sapin-sapin, puto, & more! They set everything up buffet style, and the desserts were set up real nice onto large platters. After I gave back their dishes that we rented for the wedding, I was also given a free Egg Pie, which is also delicious! This place is very busy, & there's no question why. They're quick, food is good, & affordable. read more

Staff was welcoming and friendly. The food was good and as a fellow Filipino i can confidently say this is super close authentic Pinoy food you can get in Hercules! read more

So still searching for a great place and we can across this Filipino place that has lumpia that are delicious. Since I tried them I've gone back three different times. If you buy 50pcs you pay 25.67 seems reasonable for 2-3 people. They are so good. We have tried there adobo, chicken and pork. Also their pancit. I would recommend this place for sure read more

When you walk in, there is a lot of food to choose from desserts to savory foods and more. The inside is small ideally for small groups of 1-4 and inside could probably seat maximum of 10 people at a time. The service is mediocre. The staff is not super friendly but they give you your food in a timely manner. They usually just have you pay up and then just walk back to the kitchen after getting your food. There is also a fee about 2% if you use a credit card to pay. The food is pretty tasty but it can be quite oily. I have tried other dishes form their food bar but it sits for a while so it can get dry at times. The filipino spaghetti is pretty good, very filling as well. It has a strong sweet flavor and has lots of ground meat and sausage. The medium size is quite large, can feed about 1-3 people. It comes out to about $12 for a medium sized box. The spaghetti and pancit are made early in the day as a big batch and they sell it throughout the day. It will usually just be cold since it sits outside most the time. There will be times where it's sold out if you come later in the day. The inside is kind of quiet and a casual setting. It's nice for small group meetups and casual meals but the inside might be a little loud at times due to kitchen noise. Overall, the place is OK for filipino food but the food can be pretty oily and expensive for what you get. read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - Filipino Spaghetti (medium size) - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

It's been a while since I've made a review at this place but it does not mean that I didn't patronize the place often. I want to show the Bicol Express that I had to go recently. The portion is big and the dish had a lot of meat. They also pour the sauce on top of the 2 scoops of rice. The pork is so tender. It also has coconut milk and it has a bit of spiciness. The place opened at 9:30 am and I was the first customer for the day. The person behind the counter was very nice and took my order quickly. The Filipino food they prepared looks freshly made. If you wanted Filipino food, you had to come here and enjoy all the food that your nanay used to make read more

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Believe it when one of the reviewer here said that this place has the most disrespectful workers. I came here at exactly 8:30am today, a Sunday morning, after work. I found this place on Yelp, and since it's on my way home from work I thought I'd drop by & get some breakfast meals for to-go. I have never been to Cabalen Hercules, so I came in and took my time checking the food options served behind the glass food window. There are no breakfast menus on display, but I saw the other customer ahead of me order a "breakfast meal". So I thought I'd just ask about their breakfast meals. I proceeded to first order a meal entree with chicken adobo & giniling. I observed that the lady did not put a single quail egg with the giniling so I politely asked if she can add some. She replied, "this already has eggs, these are limited so I can't put more because I'll ran out." I thought wow okay I'm a customer too? But I didnt make it a big deal, just let it be, and told her "okay". I then ordered a breakfast meal. Since I said there are no breakfast menu posted anywhere in the store to refer to, I politely clarified with the lady if their breakfast meals come with eggs.. She sacrastically snarked, "Syempre may itlog kaya nga breakfast diba?" "Of course there's egg thats why it's called breakfast meal right?", while she turned her back on me. I was speechless and shocked at how she responded... I held myself from talking back and just decided to hold my peace & left the store. Forget about the food. To whomever (a Filipina with shoulder length black hair and bangs) it was serving the food this Sunday morning, I hope you realize that you need to learn what a true customer service is. You are definitely not an asset to this food business. Disappointing to even think you are also Filipino and that's how you communicate to your customers. Stay away from this place. If I can recommend to go somewhere else for good Filipino food & respectful service, try Babes Ihaw Ihaw in Suisun, Katna's in Fairfield, and Roline's in Vacaville in North Bay. read more

This is strictly on price. There is no way I spent $25 on 3 little bbq chicken skewers and a piece of bangus (fish). I'm a big advocate for small local businesses but this is murder. I'm not to sure the availability of Filipino food in Hercules but if you're willing to drive else where'. DO IT! MURDER! Never again! read more

The South East Asian enjoy turon with their afternoon tea. No, you do not want to make this on your own. Too much work. Order them for the weekends ( only available Saturday and Sunday ). $2.50 and twice the size of the regular. Bring them to your garden and enjoy as the sun goes down. read more

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I ordered lechon belly as part of our thanksgiving luncheon. Sad to say that I was very distraught and disappointed. For the price that I paid, I expected a crispy skin, moist n tender inside roasted belly. Damn the skin was so chewy that we sliced the skin out and throw them away. Will not recommend ordering kechon belly from them. It will be a waste of your hard earned dollar and they would have to prove me wrong. THIS WAS A TOTAL RIPOFF!!!! read more

I recently came here to pick up some lechon and pancit. I have been here on several occasions. However, the lechon was disappointing this time around. It was not crispy at all. They also charge for bags and now if you use a card, there is a surcharge, like 2.79% or something like that. I get that this is a mom and pop type place, but this is just too much. Seeing as how the lechon was subpar, I am less incline to venture here again. read more

This was based on the 200 lumpias I ordered for my wedding. I had called ahead to place the order for pickup at 5p, which the lady agreed on the phone. She had mentioned that you had to pay in person - fine. Since we were coming from the city and we were going to be late, I had asked my friend to pay for and pick it up. However, when my friend got there, they just started cooking the lumpia and she had to wait for a while for them to get cooked. They had mentioned that they wanted it to be hot during pickup but what's the point in ordering ahead of time if there is going to be a wait for pickup? The lumpias were tasty and a popular item at the party but it would have been good to know the ordering process when they confirmed my order over the phone. read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - Pork lumpias and sauce in white bowl. - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

Such a rip off! We ordered caramel cake, aside from the high price (cost was outrageous $40 !), the cake was tiny, only good for 4 people, and tasted flat, no caramel taste at all! What a disappointment! Will not order from them again. Folks, just save your money & go to Costco. read more

PSA - Cabalen is now offering takeout only. This is my go to spot when I crave Filipino food. They always have plenty of selections cooked fresh daily. They have a steam table with at least 15 different dishes to choose from. You can buy the food ala carte or as combo plates (with rice). My favorite here is their pork and beef ribs sinigang!, lechon kawali (sold by weight), and the garlic shrimp!!! Most of the food is pork base (lots of Filipino dishes are porky!). They also have some Filipino sweets, bread, desserts, dimsum for sale (inside the fridge or on the shelves) and deep fried pork skin. The prices are reasonable and the portion is generous. Come check it out yourself, you will be drooling over all the food they sell. read more

Easy find for an out of towner & right off the freeway. Bonus! They have bibingka like my grandfather "Tatay" used to make among other Filipino desserts to try. I got mongo & rice for my mom & it had bittermelon in it which I actually loved. They didn't have bangus made at the time so I was bummed, but they have other dishes I'd like to try. Service was pleasant. Small cafeteria like setting. I will be back. read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - My mom recovering from an injury. Mongo & rice for her 93rd bday! - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

I drive from Oakland just to eat at Cabalen. Been coming here for years and I never leave disappointed.

I heard about this spot by a a special someone, so I'm giving it a try for the New Year Eve Bash!!! Called in my request lady on the phone upsold me - haha, and promised me I would love it..let y'all know next year!! Happy 2025:) As promised they were very very good... Thank you read more

Don't order their roast beef and mushroom - the beef is not tender! i didn't get any mushroom it's all the can

I ate here a long time ago but when I moved away I didn't have chances to come back. I happened to be in the area and remembered how much I love this place. Filipino food is hard to come by already, so to have a Filipino food vendor is a small town like Hercules is really memorable, especially a good one. I try a little bit of everything to go in difference sized containers or you can order the entree they have two entree sizes where you can order rice with a main. Everything I've tried here I liked. My go to are lechon, Shanghai lumpia, sinagang, chicharrones and they only have dinaguan on weekends. They also have traditional Filipino desserts in Togo containers with descriptions ready to go. I really enjoy coming here and it's close to a park. So you can grab some food from here and eat at the park on a nice day. Highly recommend if you're in the area. read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - Fresh and hot chicharrones!! I ate half of it already - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

I come here once in a while to get my Filipino food fix. There are many items to choose from daily. Arrive early though before they ran out. But each time I show up, I'm always looking for Kare Kare, Sisig, lumpias, or palabok; my 4 favorite Filipino dishes. But Cabalen daily items are different each day so its really cool how they mixed it up. Variety is always good! However, if you need catering for parties, let them know and they will make it for you. Not only they have the dishes to cater but they also have deserts such as puto, bibingka, sapin sapin and many others I can't remember. Hahaha. As for the customer service, the ladies and cooks provide good service and great food. If you're in Hercules area and looking for some authentic Filipino food, stop by Cabalen. They might just have what you're craving for. You'll definitely see me there again! Tip 1: They get many orders for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So if you need something, order early! Tip 2: Cabalen does DoorDash! Convenientl! read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - Round pork lechon. It's holiday times! - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

Been looking for good Filipino food in the Pinole-Hercules area.....For so long! How can there not be many many more with such a large community in this area??? FINALLY FOUND ONE!! Buffett style service with the best looking freshly made array of guisados, chicharrones, deserts and more. It was so hard to choose only two for lunch!! Don't go very hungry or you'll get one of each!!! My problem is going to be to keep myself from going there for lunch EVERY day!! They have a second place in Vallejo. An all women chef crew as far as I could tell. Great customer service and nice happy customers!! That says a lot to me!! Thank you ladies for such delicious food. My family and I will be back frequently!!! IVM read more

Ordered breakfast on a weekend , bansilog for 15 dollars plus tax .. the fish was hard , and overcooked , it's not edible so I ended up throwing the fish . Prices at this joint has gone up so much , portions are less and quality of food is less than desirable . read more

I ordered a large catering delivery order and everything went smoothly. Their catering menu is very large with tons of options. My Filipino family and guests enjoyed the spread and I received compliments on the food choice and many people asked where I got it from. The delivery arrived on time and still hot/warm considering it came from 10 miles away. Portion sizes were decent for the price. I ordered 1/2 trays of lechon kawali, beefsteak, 4 inihaw na bangus, pancit malabon, bihon/sotanghon pancit combo, pinakbet, rice, 100 lumpias and cassava with leche flan. A couple comments where there is room for improvement.. Mix the pancit and its vegetables a little more thoroughly so it's evenly distributed before all the noodles clump together. Pour out some of the fat/sauce of the beefsteak so it doesn't overflow from the tray. And always order more eggrolls! Lol. Great reliable option for catering and good Filipino food! read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - Catering delivery spread, pt 1 - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California

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Great little Filipino food place. Yummy things to eat. Variety of options. Friendly staff that speak Tagalog. Very busy, sometimes they sell out of items. Always a crowd. Close to Luckys and McDonalds. Check it out. I like the lumpia and the deserts. read more

Cabalen Filipino Cuisine - Filipino Near Me - Hercules, California