My wife was craving Filipino food. Instead of driving to San Bruno we decided to go here instead. We arrived at 6:00 on a Saturday. It was busy and it looked like people were waiting. Fortunately for us a couple left and they were able to clear it for us. It was loud and festive inside which was fine, but what really bothered me was the phone kept ringing and they never answered it. The phone rang a lot. I love bulalo (beef stew), so I ordered that. There was a lot of meat and it was good, but they put too much lemon grass. I felt that it lost its authentic flavor. We also ordered the Sisig (pork cheek). For non Filipinos it comes out fajita style, frying on a hot plate. It was pretty good. I definitely recommend sisig. The Shanghai lumpia was good as well. Usually other places do not give a lot, but here it was almost a full plate. The disappointment was the Halo Halo. At first appearance there was a scoop of Ube ice cream and a scoop of mango with lech flan on the top of it. The problem was the ingredients inside the halo halo was a disappointment. It was mostly some red jelly that had no flavor. There was a little beans and very few others. It was a disappointing way of concluding our dinner. Other than that the servers were attentive, but busy. If you can catch them they were great. I would recommend going when it is not busy. read more

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The food is amazing and full of flavor...everything is served, family style, so bring some family and friends. I know I'll be coming back again... read more

Can't comment on food or anything, because we came in and waited to be seated. A few people saw us, it didn't acknowledge us. So, after a bit we just left. Wish we could have been seated as pictures looked amazing. read more

Have been coming over here for many years either to dine or order to go food and in the past they were consistent to catering to delicious flavorful food but lately my family and relatives have noticed unsatisfactory greatness in the flavor and cooking of their food. For example, we ordered to go food last June 15 ( Fathers Day ) and noticed the crispy pata was overcooked, darkened and skin not crispy but hard to chew, Bokchoy with garlic was watery and less flavorful, regular dinuguan was also less flavorful and kind of watery consistency. The only ones we enjoyed having was the sago't gulaman and halo halo that was still good. We feel that the quality of food decreases when quantity of orders are high. I hope they take this review as a constructive criticism to further keep their loyal patrons spread great reviews to others instead of disappointments and dissatisfaction. read more

My fiancé and I went here for lunch on Sunday and were seated right away. The staff was super nice, and the food came out quickly. I was a bit disappointed with the Tocino, as it was very dry and a bit hard. read more

Kalesa - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

We celebrated my grandma 86th birthday here. Good food and good customer services. The nice lady sang my grandma a happy birthday with the Caroling. Pricey but worth it. read more

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I have yet to find a filipino restaurant that really wows me. Kalesa isn't it, but their food is decent. I usually come here for a silog plate when I have a sisig craving, and my go to is their sisig silog. I like their sisig because of it's grill-like taste and texture, I'm not so much a fan of the crispy fried version of sisig. Portion is big, but it's pricey. I paid like maybe $15ish for a sisig silog plate. Service is decent and the place is clean. read more

The service here is great, the only issues I had were the flavors of the food but it might just be my preference. The Bangus sisig (which is one of my favorite dishes at any Filipino restaurant) was overly sour. The mayo helped a little with the sourness but at that point I was ready to ask for a side of mayo just to mask the sourness. It didn't taste like sisig but rather just fish with lemon. Presentation of all the dishes were beautiful but unfortunately we were left with dry meats with the tosilog and chicken. I will say that my favorite and a must order from here is the Ukoy. Perfectly crispy but soft and fluffy in all the right places. Tastes amazing on its own, with vinegar, or even with the lumpia sauce which was my favorite to dip in personally. The lumpia was good didn't stand out as exceptional but it was still good and came out hot and fresh. If you come here definitely get the Ukoy and the lumpia. The Kare kare was good too and a hearty portion but I forgot to take a picture unfortunately but this is probably my favorite main dish here. The sauce is a great consistency and I love how they load up on the meat and veggies. The restaurant itself was clean and a welcoming environment so even though I didn't personally like the flavors I still loved the restaurant itself and how friendly the staff is. read more

Kalesa - Tocilog - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

It's nice that Kalesa staff actually picks up the phone and would allow phone orders...this can save a lot of wait time. If the order is "big", they require a credit card on file. Their staff are mostly nice/friendly. Their crispy pata is really good compared to other sellers in the area. There is no cinnamon flavoring that I can taste, which is great! The portion is also generous. Their chicken inasal is hit and miss...the first time I ordered, it was so yummy and cooked just right. The second time, it was burnt. Their beef mechado used to be the best (years ago), but as of late, the beef is cut in big chunks and the flavor seems less tasty. Their pork sisig is great for those that do not like organs, snout and ears. The flavor is also tasty. It does not taste like the "traditional" sisig but it is yummy, just the same. The fish sisig is dry, bland and the portion is too small for its price. Overall, I'm satisfied and would recommend this place. read more

Great Filipino restaurant. Service is fast and delicious food portions are adequate. Prices are a bit on the high side. My last visit was a little off putting when the bus boy was in a hurry of clearing the tables and took my plate without asking me. I was still eating but was busy in a conversation. read more

I've been wanting to try Kalesa for the longest time so when my parents and I were around Milpitas on a Monday night, we finally decided to eat there. The restaurant wasn't busy at all when we got in, but I love the ambiance. I love how the staff were wearing Filipiana and barong. Kalesa is not your typical Filipino restaurant, they are more fancier and they are not doing "turo-turo" style. The prices are a little bit more pricier that most Filipino restaurants so I was was expecting a very good experience. We ordered Mechado, sweet and sour fish, and pancit for our entree. Their serving size are decent and the presentation looks good. My favorite was the sweet and sour fish. It was very flavorful. The mechado and the pancit were alright. As for our service, we were originally helped by an older lady. She wasn't very friendly. It's a good thing that Christian, I think that was his name, took over and helped us throughout our meal. He gave us good suggestions for our dessert and he went above and beyond on helping us, even though we were kind of needy. He put our leftover food on to go boxes for us. Overall, our meal was decent and enjoyable. The service was good and impressive. We'll definitely be back. read more

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The only place close by for a GOOD HALO-HALO! Fix secured!! Loved how much of each ingredient they added! read more

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Came here with my friends and it was my first time trying this place. The service was quite good; we were immediately greeted upon entering and our order was taken promptly. We got the spaghetti, sisig, dinuguan, and turon for dessert. I had never tried sisig or dinuguan before today so I don't exactly have any other experience to base my review of these dishes off of but for what it was I think it was good. Both dishes were savory and nicely seasoned so they paired pretty well with the garlic rice. The dinuguan had a great texture profile as it was still nice and crispy! As for the sisig, it came on a hot plate but it wasn't exactly sizzling; tasty nonetheless. As for the spaghetti, which is one of my favorite Filipino dishes, I think it was okay. The flavor was good, not too savory or overly sweet, but there are 2 things I have to pick at with it. One is that the ratio of sauce to noodle just wasn't right; there was a bit too much sauce and not enough noodles. Second is that the sauce was on the runny side; it did have some viscousness but overall it was borderline liquid which further emphasized the lack of noodles-it made the dish look like noodles swimming in a pool of sauce. The turon for dessert was decent but I've definitely had better turon before. They were crispy and still piping hot, so seemed fresh. However, there really was no caramel flavor except for the caramel in the ice cream itself but that's sort of disappointing. Gotta say it was interesting that they put both banana and thin slices of jackfruit in the turon, I've never seen that been done before. One downside to the dining experience today though was the fact that they didn't really adhere to COVID protocols/regulations as much as I would've expected, especially because it was indoor dining. The place was pretty empty when we were there and two other parties came in; there were PLENTY of tables that they could've sat the other parties at to establish some distance between each party, but alas they did not. They sat a party at a table right next to ours was was literally a feet apart from ours and another party (with ~6 people) diagonal from ours. It was slightly uncomfortable but thankfully we were finishing up anyways. I noticed all the employees wore masks though so that's reassuring. Although this restaurant is not a favorite of mine or a place I would necessarily crave and go out of my way to visit, the overall service was good and the food was satisfactory so I wouldn't be against coming back in the future and trying other dishes. read more

Kalesa Restaurant its been my son favorite place to celebrate his bday,thank you for all the server they are so patience and good costomer servise and its nice place to celebrate..try it prove it to urself.It's amazing foods... read more

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Every time I'm in this plaza ordering Mint Basil or sushi, I see tons of people waiting outside of Kalesa. I finally decided to see what the hype was all about. I ordered their blazing sisig to go last time and was not disappointed! I'm sure it would have tasted even better had I ate it fresh at the restaurant. First, I could not believe how generous portion was. The entire plastic container was filled to the top with pork sisig. A separate container contained the sauce, and another container had the jalepenos and onions. It lasted me for at least 4 meals! The pork was so flavorful and was amazing with the jalapenos and onions. The sauce is salty so use sparingly. My order was ready when promised and checking out at the register was quick. The restaurant is located at the far right of the strip mall. It's basically across the parking area from Walgreens. Plenty of parking here! read more

Kalesa - Blazing sisig - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

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Kalesa gave such great service and delivered a very good dinner for my party guest. Not only do they have a amazing restaurant they do parry catering service too. Staff was prepared for the amount of guest that I had. Also the food was amazing. read more

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Solid food!!! Mostly Filipino clientele is a good design the flavors will be authentic. All we could handle today was Fried Chicken, Bulalao and Topsilig. I have to say the chicken was a outstanding. Pretty sure they fry in shortening vs oil because the crust was insanely good. Come with a side sauce that I couldn't figure out. It salty and lightly piquant so great combo. The bulaloa was tender and just the right complement to the meal. Can't wait to come back and try the crispy pata! Bathrooms are 7/10 read more

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Come here for Brunch. Their Halo-Halo is also very good. Service is good and their prices are equal to the servings. read more

Great location, large parking lot! Restaurant gets crowded so arrive early for seats. Large party was happening so restaurant was kind of tight and loud. Food was tasty and our waitress was tentative. We ordered Kare Kare, which was extra creamy! Sisig, my favorite dish & pinakbet my Husband's favorite. My kids ordered a coconut drinks and they came in a real coconut and drank out of it with a straw. Children were so impressed! We will definitely return and try other dishes. read more

It was one of the best Filipino restaurant I tried excellent food and service . Delicious and tasty dishes read more

Beautiful dining place for celebration. Friends and family meet spot Delicious fried chicken, pork sisig , chicken inasal and ukoy Service was pleasant and portion were great. Steam rice, jackfruit (langka) and Bicol express was ok. read more

Service was friendly and quick. Food came out pretty quick for how busy they were and the food portions were big, Come HUNGRY!!! The food was delicious. read more

We've been dining here for many years but this is my 1st time for a review. The service and food has always been consistently great I can honestly say this is the best Filipino restaurant we've been to so far. We never had any issues. Other than the long lines but that just a tell-tale sign that this place is awesome! It's unfortunate that some of the other Yelpers have posted negative experiences. Anyway, we brought first timers to Kalesa many times and now they're devout customers. Also, we love that the staff wear traditional Filipino attire. read more

I've tried a few items from the menu. My recommendations are the crispy peta (fried pork knuckles) and the pancit. So far all the pancit I have tried are consistently good, my fav is the seafood saucy pancit. read more

Probably the worse customer service ever, the old servers need to go through a training on how to smile or talk let alone providing a service. I paid with my Amex and they made a huge deal out of it and made me repay with a different card again. It was a total unpleasant experience. It's crazy how business owners do not care about their customer by hiring the people who do not care at all. read more

Very good food and good service. The layout of the restaurant was unusual, seems it's meant for large party celebrations. Not sure how it is during other days, but there was a large party in the room when I went. Wall and floor finishes are pleasant, kind of reminds me of a hotel conference room. Kare-kare was good, no tripe, thank God. However, not much meat, oxtail is pricey, but even beef chunk would've been good to include. Lumpia was fresh and crispy. Dinaguan was really tasty as well. There was an unusual dish that didn't seem so Filipino with what looked like ramen with vegetables. We ordered several dishes and the bill wasn't too bad. All good things checked off my list of expectations so I am definately going back for more. read more

Their bangus sisig gave me FOOD POISONING!! Cook your meals thoroughly!!!!!!! Service was fine, but I should've known something was up when the person giving us our food was so grumpy. She didn't care and obviously didn't check to see if my egg was cooked all the way on the sisig. Pay attention to the food you cook!! Pork adobo tasted like bistek, it was WAY too sour. Ambiance was fine I suppose. What i DO want to talk about is how they put up a non-negotiable 18% tip?!?! We were only a party of 3... This place has gone from authentic Filipino Cuisine to shoddy scam artists. Smh. ‍ read more

This is an easy one: really good food/prices are reasonable/service is great. Very clean and orderly. Great place to bring the family.

Positives: good authentic filipino food, large portions Negatives: poor service, waited at least 15 mins after we were seated (not even acknowledged), bathroom dirty. Tips: know that there will be a wait, try and call for reservations, review menu prior to coming in-once escorted to table- put in your order immediately read more

The crispy pata is the best! Service was good and place is clean. The staff are always smiling and welcoming, like what Filipinos are famous for. Will go back. read more

Good food and great family style size servings that are VERY reasonably priced. Halo Halo is huge! Good for two. read more

My family and I have been coming to Kalesa for years. We always enjoyed the breakfast buffets and dinners we would celebrate there. Food is always delicious! I decided to have Kalesa cater my wedding in June and it was amazing! Even before the wedding, communication with the restaurant manager Sonia, and owner Marc, was great and responsive. They were able to accommodate us and add additional choices to our package. They also were able to visit the venue on site and figure out the contract with the venue. On the day of the wedding, the set up was beautiful! All the food looked delicious and the decor looked very nice. We were able to cut the lechon to signify the start of dinner and the rest was cut and served by their workers. Overall a fantastic catering experience and would highly recommend for any weddings or events alike!!! read more

Kalesa - Whole Lechon - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

Been craving for Bulalo, the soup itself was very tasteful but the meat doesn't taste anything.

My parents' favorite local Filipino spot. I always try to get them to try new places but we somehow end up here ‍ food is always good. Service is great too. Always down to support local Filipino spots. read more

My sisters and I ordered Beef Sistek, Lechon Kawali and Sitaw Kalabasa sa gata which were all ok. The Halo Halo Ube was very bland and nothing special. The Halo Halo from Grill City in Milpitas is much better. Anyway, they charged us a fixed 18% Gratuity for the 4 of us. Normally, 6 or more persons causes this type of gratuity but not 4 people. The food here is marginal and the prices are steep. read more

Kalesa - Bill with %18 gratuity fixed for 4 people - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

The best Filipino restaurant in the bay. Quality and quantity should be together. Service is great. Manong is the best waiter. read more

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Good food, poor service. They dont like to regularly answer calls our family drove 20 minutes. When I arrived they just walked away without even acknowledging me. The phone even said 18 missed calls. Someone else returned to the register and I had to ask for help. With how much they charge its no longer worth coming from San Jose because of their lack of attentiveness. read more

The food for me is so so. Some were great and some were just okay. Not bad but not over the top good to make me want to drive out here. Service was great and prompt. read more

I am glad we found this place. Sisig is on point and great portion size! Will try other items soon.

Went with a Filipino who ordered in a party of four. The food was authentic and well prepared. As old white guys, we were not able to judge whether the preparations was good or not, but Ed assured us that this was what we would get in Manila. He said that this was his favorite in the area and often cam for family celebrations as did his Filipino friends...there were lots of Filipinos there. The dishes were served in large portions and while we ordered 4 different items (plus lumpia) we took home lots of leftovers. They were even good the second day. This is my go-to place for Filipino food. read more