We recently discovered Luna's Lunpias and it was 100/10! We were first greeted with super friendly…read morestaff who explained their most popular items on their vast menu and we ended up ordering a Huli Huli Chicken Plate, Lunpia Nachos (deconstructed lumpia in nacho form), Mango Coconut Sago, and a calamansi refresher. Every single dish down to the dessert and drink was so good! Can't wait to come back and try more items from their menu!

I'm in town once a year but I've had Luna's bookmarked. It's likely because I wanted lumpia and it…read morehad been mentioned when I was searching around. I got the Lumpia nachos, ube canolis, lumpia and one of their specials that I believe is something of a deep fried shumai. The lumpia nachos leaned sweet. The sauce that you can optionally dip your lumpia in was already pre-added. The chips are wonton chips. It has a good crunch. Getting normal lumpia is probably the better move here. For that I ended up getting two meats because they were out of one of them. I can't remember which but I'm fairly sure that whatever is the more popular one, is the better one. There was a stark difference between the two. I enjoyed the ube canolis and the special. I don't think I have to get either again but that's fine because they have so many other items along with an almost overwhelming number of specials.

Came across this spot and had it bookmarked for the longest while. Here was my experience…read more AMBIANCE Parking: Plaza parking, no problems here really so you should be good. Seating: Limited seating you're moreover better sitting outside using the plaza tables/chairs. Vibes: The spot itself is nothing too flashy, your typical Mira Mesa plaza with plenty of good eateries. The restaurant itself is your casual Filipino turo-turo/point point feel. It's decorated with Filipino decor and food, every space used up. Great place for a quick food adventure or family order. FOOD Sisig (Recommend) Masarap! This sisig hit differently, rather than fried and crispy I felt they used different parts of the pork. Then mixed with onions, seasoning and citrus flavors. I enjoyed the textures and the comfort to it. Fried Chicken (Recommend) Another comforting dish - crispy on the outside, juicy inside, and seasoned well rounded. Nothing overly complicated or trying to reinvent fried chicken--just straightforward familiarity. CUSTOMER SERVICE Awesome! Friendly people and quick services. TL;DR OVERALL 4.5 Stars. Good portions, reasonable prices, and comforting Filipino food without all the extras. Nanay's Best BBQ feels appropriately named. There's something familiar about walking up to a counter filled with Filipino dishes, choosing your ulam, loading up some rice/garlic rice/noodles, and sitting down to a hearty meal. For some familiary Filipino flavors, definitely check out Nanay's Best BBQ. #RepresentAZN #FilipinoFoodMovement TIPS * Come hungry--the combo makes for a hearty lunch.

The Combo we ordered cost $14.25 each. This place gets our thumbs up and it fits our $59 date…read morebudget. And the Pork Sisig is a must try. First time I've tried a Sisig that has Pork BBQ in it. Great improvisation in using their specialty Pork BBQ with the traditional Filipino Sisig. Place is small but there are plenty of table outside. Their chicken bbq is also very tasty and very Filipino, you know, sweet bbq. Check this place out!

Such a special evening at ANIMAE…read more Led by Executive Chef and James Beard Award Finalist Tara Monsod, ANIMAE brings a personal, deeply cultural perspective to San Diego's fine-dining scene. One of the things I appreciate most about Chef Tara Monsod is how she stays true to the Filipino dishes and flavors so many of us grew up with, while still finding a way to elevate them beautifully. The Tuna Kinilaw, Crispy Pig Ear, Short Rib Kare Kare, and Pork Tomahawk Tocino were all standouts. Each dish still felt unmistakably Filipino, but Tara brought her own creativity through technique, texture, presentation, and refinement. The Short Rib Kare Kare felt familiar and comforting, but completely elevated. And the Pork Tomahawk Tocino was such a fun interpretation of a flavor so many Filipinos recognize instantly. Then came dessert. We tried the Sticky Rice Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Crémeux, Buko Pandan, and Matcha Mousse. I especially loved seeing Buko Pandan, another familiar Filipino favorite, presented in such a polished and creative way. And we absolutely LOVED our waitress, Joy! Her enthusiasm for the menu was contagious. She was genuinely passionate about recommending the different dishes and explaining them to us, which made the experience even more fun. And I have to give her extra credit because her Filipino pronunciations were on point! We noticed, Joy! That is what I love about Tara's food. She respects where these dishes come from and keeps the heart and soul of the flavors intact, while still making them feel fresh, sophisticated, and completely her own. And what made the evening even more special was Tara taking the time to come visit with us after coming over from her other restaurant, Le Coq. She was gracious enough to stop by our table and spend some time visiting with us. Such a thoughtful gesture and such a wonderful way to end an already memorable evening. Amazing food, incredible service, beautiful surroundings, wonderful company, and a chef helping Filipino cuisine shine in such a beautiful way. Definitely a night to remember.

This place was amazing and lived up to the hype. As a Filipino, I'm usually hesitant when it comes…read moreto reiterations of our cultural food. However, Animae successfully captured the flavors of my youth and elevated them. I shared three dishes with another person: the lobster palabok, short rib kare kare, and wagyu corned beef (of course we needed rice with our meal). Kare kare has to be my favorite Filipino dish and this place did a phenomenal job. Also, the latik creme brulee I was hesitant to try but our server said it was the most popular. I'm glad we tried it because it was awesome. I wish I could've tried all their cocktails - I love the Filipino inspired twists. The inside had a nice large ceiling and cool decor but needs a bit more to complete the vibe of the place. Jeans and a collared shirt felt appropriate for this place. I dropped my review by one star specifically for the parking situation. I went to valet my car and was told by the two guys who were busy chatting away that they were full. I see that a car pulls up to them not more than a minute later and they valeted their car. I was lucky enough anyways to get street parking right up front that was free because of the weekend/time of night. There is a paid parking lot right across the street that's $25/2hrs. Valet is also $25.

Was very excited to see a Filipino spot out here! I love how clean and ample safe the shop is. I…read morebelieve a good 4 tables (all filled with folks eating!) and two fridges full of collection of sodas and Filipino drinks! They had so much to offer-- from fresh bangus, tilapia, and other ones I couldn't recall the names!! So much delicious entrees, I can't wait to come back for their mechado. I saw all the Filipino favorites. I wanted to pick up Turon but it was sold out. Def family friendly and super nice ladies :)

Bought a palabok. So yellow color must have pour down the whole food coloring, and it's the taste…read morethat's bland not the usual palabok taste. Lacks seasoning. Please improve.

This was my second time coming here. This time I brought my wife's family for my birthday. They are…read moreFilipino and really wanted to try it. Everyone enjoyed it. Obviously there were things they have had differently or things they wished were served, but overall everyone was happy. The food was hot and delicious just like last time. I was happy to see they had different dishes this time around too. Although I enjoyed everything from last time, it was nice to try some new stuff too. The place was slam packed. Multiple birthday parties going on, so the atmosphere was very alive with conversation. It was like one big family picnic in there. Initially, they could not find my reservation, but they found it and accommodated us with a table right away and even threw in a Halo Halo for my birthday. The hostess was really nice and jovial. With the amount of people in there it got really warm and unfortunately with the door swinging open over and over there were flies, but there isn't much they could do to prevent that.

Surprised there was no long line outside since today was the Sunday brunch and read from other…read morereviewers to come prepared to wait. Upon walking up to the door, we noticed the closed sign but there was some tables filled already. Asked the young man if they were open or had a private party, he didn't even realize the closed sign was still on. He asked if we had reservations, we did not then he told us to wait outside to be called on, there were tons of empty clean tables, but we didn't argue. As soon as we stepped outside, before I could sit down we got called right back in by the other lady to come inside. Okay. Weird quick game of musical chairs lol. She explained to us how it goes. Drinks on this side of the room. Food on that side. Check. First plate: garlic fried rice (Sinangag), fried eggs, longoniza, Filipino spaghetti, lechon, and a bowl of arroz caldo. Also grabbed two cups, one for water the other for what the waitress said was mango ice tea (spoiler alert: no mangoes were hurt in the process of making this ice tea). Second plate: watermelon and pineapple slices, menudo, kare kare, ube pancake. First the sinangag tasted like it's been left out too long even though it was just brought out. Lots of hard pieces of rice. I decided to not finish it. Next, the fried eggs and longaniza. Fried eggs felt too rubbery for maybe just me. And the longaniza didn't taste anything like longaniza. No spices no garlic. Just a basic sweet hot dog. Maybe I'm wrong and it's just a hot dog. I can say the Filipino spaghetti did taste somewhat like actual Filipino spaghetti, sweet. But not too sweet but also didn't see any hot dogs in there! Now the lechon. Tasted exactly like fried pork. That has zero spices and kinda been out for a while. The arroz caldo had some shreds of chicken I think but I had to fetch for it in the pot. Unfortunately there's no boiled eggs to add but you can add everything else to it like the fried garlic, spring onions lemon etc. Now the drinks. What's up with the non mango mango iced tea? It just tasted like iced tea and if I was told that id be okay. But I love mango drinks and was looking forward to it. The water is the only thing I could say I wasn't disappointed with and only if I didn't have to get it myself I guess would be the only downside lol. I did try to get a second plate. Consisted of some watermelon slices and pineapple slices, menudo and kare kare with white rice. The kare kare and menudo did look like what they were called and that is about it in comparison to what I've had in the past. The menudo had no tomato paste taste to it and was rather bland and the kare kare was also bland. Their kare kare sauce was very watery, missing the thick savory peanut buttery taste. And unfortunately, it was the watermelon slices that made me quit and lose my appetite. It had a weird rotten taste to it. I almost had to vomit. First I thought it was soaked in something maybe vinegar, or I dunno. But I just could not eat anything else. I hope today was just an off day and the food is better. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll ever come back or even recommend my friend or family to come eat here.

Visiting San Diego from Arizona with the family, we found this hidden gem. We ordered two items for…read moremy husband and me, and the portions were huge--like literally so filling, even the rice was a big serving. And the food was really good! The owner (I think) was so nice--she even invited us to come back the next day for lechon. Unfortunately, we didn't get to since we were running out of time and had to head back to AZ. We still had leftovers that we took home and ate later that night.

The food was great. It taste great they give you good portions. I was just a little disappointed to…read morefind a staple in my skewer. I thought it was a bone at first, but it was a staple so that was a big safety risk for me. I probably won't go back for the food initially I don't know maybe but yeah but aside from that all I can say is just please be more careful when you're prepping your food, that's all.

What a great find!! This is the real deal. Rich is the owner and he's got a great place here. The…read moreselection is vast. The skewers are amazing. You pick out your own skewers and take them outside and put them on the barbecue pits. The sauces are good. A sweet and a sour are provided. I particularly liked the chicken skewers and the sausage skewers. The fish balls were excellent. Rich is a US Navy veteran. He's only open Thursday - Saturday so he can spend time with his family. The staff is very helpful and friendly. If you're new, they are happy to show you how it works.

Visiting from Arizona, we tried Eskinita for dinner since we were craving street food. Can I just…read moresay--this is the authentic Filipino street food I've been looking for and missing from the Philippines. Like omg. Their suka (vinegar) and sweet sauce are the best I've had in a while--I literally drank the sauce like it was soup. Soooo freaking good! I'm not even being OA, you really have to try it to believe it. Even my husband said it takes you right back to memories of street food in the Philippines. And did I mention--you get to choose whatever you like and grill it yourself outside, right in front of their store. Ahhh. I honestly can't put into words how happy and satisfied I am. One thing's for sure--I'll be back as soon as we visit San Diego again. I miss it already though.

There are meals you eat, and then there are meals that bring people together. Tita's Kitchenette…read moredid exactly that. I have a loved one in a nursing facility in North San Diego and the staff there provide the kind of compassionate care that comes with dignity. After experiencing another facility that was so heartbreaking it left me questioning everything. I wanted to do something meaningful to thank this incredible team. A card didn't seem like enough. Flowers fade. But good food? Good food creates memories. I ordered the sisig, pancit, and their famous signature lumpia rolls, along with pandesal from Valerio's. Ordering was a breeze. I placed my order at 9:30 a.m. and picked everything up at 4:00 p.m. Three small trays turned out to be an incredible amount of food. I planned for 10 people, but it fed a whole lot more as many from different units gathered to share. The moment that sealed it for me happened before a single tray was opened. A nurse I had never met walked over and said, "Oh, you went to Tita's. I recognized their lumpia." That gave me chills because I knew I had chosen the right place. The food tasted like it came straight from Mamasan's kitchen, authentic, comforting, and made with love. Staff members kept stopping by to thank us, and my only conidition, "Make a plate for the receptionist. He's awesome too." That is what great food does. It creates connection. If you're feeding family, friends, coworkers, or an entire care team, Tita's Kitchenette delivers more than delicious Filipino food. They help you show appreciation in a way people will remember. "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." ----Virginia Woolf

Omg!!!! San Diego County has got to have the best Filipino food in So California…read more We were visiting the area and family members suggested we drive over from our hotel and order from Tita's. We were in the Point Loma area close to SD airport and Tita's was about 10 mins away. Getting there was a maze freeway wise and when we got there, while the line was out the door, moved quickly. We ordered several combos and from what I can recall beefsteak, pancit, adobo, lumpia, sinigang and menudo/caldereta were all deeelicious and just like what you'd expect at a filipino party- but better. Staff here were all friendly and helpful. Love Tita's and look forward to returning!

I finally made it over to try what they are calling Filipino fusion and I walked away so impressed…read more My hubby and I ordered their Güd Burger, Kare Kare bowl and churro to share. This might honestly be my favorite meal. Even if it's quite a drive from San Diego, it was well worth it in my opinion. The Güd Burger completely lived up to the hype. The double Wagyu patties were juicy and full of flavor, the cheese was perfectly melty, and the sweet chili aioli brought everything together. I wasn't sure what to expect from the ube brioche bun, but it added just a hint of sweetness that somehow made the whole burger even better. Nothing overpowered anything else. It all just worked together. The Kare Kare bowl was generous in the Kare Kare, which I appreciated. The physical bowl felt too small compared to the amount they gave us! I'm glad I was sharing this with someone else because I was already full halfway through the bowl. We had to order the ube churros as well...don't skip this! The dipping sauce it came with was so good. I kept dipping my churro into it too because it was that good. The churro was crunchy without being dry. This whole meal was one of those meals where you don't want it to end. It was my first time here and we waited 45 minutes for our food to be ready because of how busy it was. Some people ordered ahead of time so they skipped the wait altogether. The restaurant itself is quite small but we were lucky enough to snag a seat after rush hour. There are less than 10 tables for eating in. Restaurants like this are worth supporting because you know it's a small business and the food tastes like it's made out of love! Already planning my next visit.

Ok, so this is an updated review. I gave them a 1 star on my 1st review because the 1st time I went…read morethey weren't open during their listed hours and the 2nd time I went almost their entire menu was unavailable. I rolled the dice and went there for a third time at around 11:15am because I happened to be in the area. And...they were open and their menu had pretty much all the items available. What a great start!! I ordered pork lumpia and their Gud Burger. The pork lumpia was standard fare - freshly fried and delicious like most lumpias. The Star of the show was the Gud Burger and boy did it shine brightly! 2 Smashed American Wagyu Patties, Sweet Chill Crisp Aioli, Butter Pickles, Pickled Red Onions, White American Cheese, in an Ube bun. Plain and simple, all the flavors came together for burger perfection. The patties were perfectly fried, the aioli flavor was on point, the fried garlic was a chef's kiss. I loved it! Because of the 2 previous visits I could only give Tambayan 4 stars in good conscience, otherwise, it would definitely have been 5 stars. I will definitely be back for more and hopefully it's a repeat of this last visit.