I've been wanting to visit Pistahan after reading all the positive reviews on Yelp! I was finally able to make my first visit here on a Saturday morning. I arrived shortly after they opened at 10 am. I opted to try their buffet which is available on the weekends. They had several dishes offered for buffet. I had the following dishes: Pancit Palabok: It was good. The noodles were nicely cooked, but I thought it was a little salty! Dinuguan: It had good flavor. It had lean cuts of pork. Lumpia Shanghai: Good flavor and crispy. Lechon: Nicely seasoned! Sinigang Pork: I thought it was seasoned well, but could have used a bit more tamarind or sour element. Garlic Rice: Very good. Lots of garlic! Grilled Pork Belly: Good flavor! Kare-Kare: Flavor was spot on and the beef was tender! Fried Chicken: It was a little dry and also a little too salty. I would skip it! I had 2 full plates and I tapped out! I was way too full after the 2nd plate! The buffet was over $30. They have water and coffee available. But if you want a soda, you would have to pay extra. I thought the service was friendly and helpful. I had to drive 40 minutes just to try this place. Was it worth it? I'd say it was worth it, just to try it out! Is it worth a return trip? I don't know! Although the food for the most part was good, it wasn't spectacular! There were some misses! If you live near Pistahan, then sure, it is worth a visit! But for me, it may not be. My score is 3.5 stars, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and round it off to 4 stars! Sorry no pictures! I was too busy eating! read more

Picked up food to go from Pistahan on a Saturday night (12/20). Bought lumpiang shanghai, pork belly, pork sisig, leche flan and 3 orders of pancit palabok since this dish is my favorite. Unfortunately my husband, myself and my toddler all got food poisoning from the pancit palabok, so I had to sadly throw away almost $60 worth of pancit palabok. The sisig felt a bit too soggy with too much onions and green pepper, but the leche flan, pork belly and shanghai lumpia were good. read more

I had a fantastic experience! The place was spotless, and the service was top-notch. I indulged in their delicious tapsilog and refreshing gulaman--absolutely delightful! I can't wait to return and enjoy it all over again! read more

Pistahan - Tapsilog Plate Gulaman Drinks - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

We went to Bay Area for vacation. I saw this restaurant on Yelp and I knew I had to try it, I'm glad I did. This was my first time having all you can eat Filipino food. You go in, find a table, sit down, grab a plate, grab your food, enjoy and pay at the end at the counter. I like this style! All the dishes here was amazing! The purple yam soup at the dessert station was another level. I really wish there's something similar in Los Angeles area. read more

See all

Pistahan is a Filipino Restaurant. They serve traditional Filipino food!! But what they are known for is their Lunch Buffet From 11am to 3 Pm !!! It's commonly known as the Cheapest Filipino Buffet in Town at $20 !!!! It is a Lovely Restaurant!!! Very Clean and Well Decorated with Traditional Filipino Art!!! It is Family Owned!!! Employees are Friendly and Helpful!!! Food is Restocked Frequently and kept at a Regulated Temperature!!! Customers are entertaining to watch!!! Several TVs for Entertainment!!! Plenty of Parking in Parking Lot out front of Business!!! This is a Baller On A Budget Approved Establishment!!!! read more

See all

If you are craving for Filipino food this is your go to place. You must come hungry on Saturday or Sunday since they have a buffet. The price is $30 per person when I visited but it's all you can eat. The staff are nice and they clean up quick. I took 1 star to make sigang more sour. Overall I enjoyed the meal. read more

I love reading because it easily transports me into a different world and setting just through words on a page. Cozy mysteries are my favorite especially if it is food related where bakers, caterers, tea, coffee shop or restaurant owners, etc. discover murderers often faster than their local police. Once in awhile when food is almost a main character itself like Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series, it sets off a craving for that cuisine. So for Takeout Tuesday I paired the two together, food from Pistahan of salmon sinigang, longsilog, beef kare kare, and ginataang sitaw at kalabasa that I can pretend Tita Rosie whipped up for me, with a side of Blackmail and Bibingka. My favorite was the beef kare kare, the sauce so luscious, I just want to use every drop over rice. The ginataang had a good combination of vegetables in that creamy but not heavy coconut milk. The salmon sinagang was a bit too tart than I am used to and you can never go wrong with a longsilog plate. I would repeat most of these dishes but there are also so many other dishes I still want to try. They do have a buffet as well that would probably allow you to try more items but personally, I like ordering a la carte so I have lots of leftovers for the next day or two. read more

See all

Wow! I wish we had something like this in tri-valley! Good selection of Filipino food! I absolutely loved the sinigang, menudo, the ground meat (I forgot what it was called), lumpia, and ube bilo bilo! Too bad I can't really eat much that makes any buffet worth it for me. They also kept refilling the trays and soup which was awesome! Only minus one star because my husband really wanted sisig but it wasn't available for the buffet. And both noodle dishes were a miss for me. Not that flavorful. It's a little hard getting out of this area to get back on the freeway, but maybe because we're not from the area. Would definitely come back! I want more of that sinigang!!! It's been two weeks and I'm still thinking about it! read more

Pistahan - Ube bilo bilo - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

2.5 stars ( it's just ok but could be better) Saw a few local food bloggers try this place out, and I was curious because Filipino buffets are not as common as Chinese style buffets. It is somewhat difficult to get to. Traveling through neighborhoods of tight streets with cars creating more of a narrow way, but when you see the old shopping center, one breaths a sigh of relief. Strip mall center is old...like 1970 old. when You walk in you are greeted by the cashier on your right and pay for the buffet (think hometown buffet) I've been there twice. The first time was to try the buffet over the weekend, Small buffet area with many small buffet containers. They offered many Filipino stews like kare kare, mechado/calderets afritada, adobo, etc. I think one dry noodle dish, a wet noodle called palabok, a few Shanghai lumpia's, longonisa sausages and a piece of roasted pork belly. I saw on a seperate corner table by the bathroom hall a slow cooker of a warm purple ginataan dessert and Sinigang soup, a tamarind pork soup. A little weird that the soup is next to a dessert. Service was average with water fill ups only. But then again it was a buffet, so it's self serve. It was 1/3 full and saw families of 4-5. Some kids were left to kinda scream and run around but most were with family. Buffet was $29.xx plus tax. Decor was casual. Not pretentious, just very casual. 2nd time, I saw amother YouTuber try Crispy Pata. Now mind you I only had this one other time so I was curious because the blogger made it looks so good so while I was in the neighborhood I purchased a medium crispy Pata and Shanghai lumpia. Crispy pata ($26.xx) is a deep fried pork hock. It takes about 20-25 min to fry. Although blogger made it look amazing. I thought it was over fried. Looked very dark, but tasted ok. It came with 2 sauces (see picture). The lumpia was my fave ($11.xx) It was skinny, crunchy and flavorful. I wouldn't mind sitting in the corner and noshing on those golden crispy delicious Would I go back? Maybe if I was in the vicinity AND craving the cuisine. If I do, I really hope it's a much better experience. read more

Pistahan - Medium crispy pata $26. It was average. - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

Buffet? Okay! Well, it was okay. The problem is that I'm no expert on Filipino food. I'm familiar with Crispy Pata, Lechon, Adobo, Pancit, and Lumpia but that's about it. The boss saw the reviews on Yelp and wanted to try it. I didn't do any research but went with her desires. We arrived around 11:30 and were greeted walking in the door. For Buffet, you pay first and then get your food. Lunch was $18.99 per adult. There were plenty of plates under the food table and bowls under the soup table. Flatware and various sauces were to the left of the soup. Napkin dispensers were on the tables. I selected items that I was familiar with. Passed on Menudo and Jackfruit. The selection was small as other yelpers have said but there was enough to make a meal. The temperatures and flavors were okay. The Shrimp Tempura appeared to be Shrimp that had been cut in half, lengthwise and then battered. The soup was really good. I apologize for not catching the name of it. There was another hot item next to the soup. I'm guessing that it might have been dessert, but I did not try it. We were disappointed that Lechon and Crispy Pata were ala carte only items but we would have learned that had we paid more attention to the other reviews. Apparently, they are also available on weekend buffets at a higher price. Maybe we'll have to try again on a weekend. read more

Pistahan - From top center: Longanisa, Lumpia Shanghai, Shrimp Tempura, Pancit, Chop Suey, Chicken Adobo. - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

If you want a taste of typical home style Filipino food then come to the weekend buffet. Its simple variety of homemade dishes will give one an authentic experience for a fair price. Friendly staff, adequate tables. 5 stars because we visit frequently and it gives a consistent authentic buffet. read more

Food is delicious. I usually do door dash. And they come with reasonable time. I usually order their pork sinigang, and the fried milk fish, and I tried the beef niglaga for the first time it was good. read more

Pistahan is amazing! This is one of the best Filipino restaurants in the Bay Area in my opinion and very affordable! I found out about Pistahan from social media and saw that they have a Filipino lunch buffet on weekdays and a breakfast buffet on weekends. The lunch buffet is $21.99 and well worth it! I stopped in with my friend the other week and we were happy to see the delicious options. They have beef kare kare (My fave!), delicious lumpia, longganisa, shrimp tempura, bangus, menudo, ginataang manok, pancit, pinakbet, dinuguan, adobo etc. Everything we tried was fantastic! Service was also A+! The Tita working at the counter was also very nice and friendly. There was an entire party there the day we went, and the restaurant was great about refilling the buffet trays. For dessert they have ginataang munggo and they also brought out yummy cassava later on. I hope they continue to keep the affordable prices! I'd love to keep on supporting and spreading the word if they do! Masarap na, Mura pa! read more

See all

On several occasions i have eaten here, they never failed to satisfy my appetite, every dish they serve cleans my plate every time. Until now. I had a non filipino guest recently and i insisted in serving our food he never is familiar with so i decided Pistahan would be my menu of choice. The pork bbq smells so good so it was the one he tried first, after taking his first bite from the stick, he spit it out right away. It was the fat of the pork not well cooked and not only one piece but 80% of the whole stick was mostly fat. I didnt see that coming and when i first thought of it as a joke, my laughter even added to the embarrassment on the table as he ran to the bathroom gagging. I never had this experience in my whole life and the stares i got from other guests is disheartening although they explained that it's just that one stick picked at the wrong time. Im still not over it or ever will. read more

Pistahan - 80% fat - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

When my sister first told me about this place I was confused and thought she was having a fiesta somewhere but she actually meant this place. When she said Filipino buffet I knew I had to come here. My sister actually came here to hold a small reception for my niece's baptism and I thought it was great how they let her bring small pieces of decor for the reception which helped my sister set aside the area for her guests. When I entered I noticed how clean the restaurant is and I thought their ceiling fans looked really cool. The service here was also very friendly and prompt when you order anything off the menu like drinks and dessert. I haven't really had much luck finding a Filipino buffet I like but this place really hit the spot. When I was here I tried the beef kare kare, pork sisig, lechon, and lumpia Shanghai. All the dishes were really good and put us all in a food coma. Overall, if you're looking for good AYCE Filipino food check out Pistahan! read more

Pistahan - Cute ceiling fans - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

The service is quite good but the food is simple and the taste is salty. Halo halo is simple, taste is simple and the presentation is also simple . Over all 3-4 stars read more

Pistahan - Halo halo - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

Reserved Pistahan for a Filipino family gathering lunch buffet. The trays of food we ordered were all delicious. The halo halo beverage that guests ordered was a lovely treat besides the Ube dessert in the buffet. Service was attentive and respectful. The restaurant is clean , simple decor, perfect for a private lunch buffet party. Matt was helpful to reserve the date and to communicate our orders off the catering menu & regular menu for 50 guests. read more

See all

Lechon belly, the skin so crispy and the meat is moist and delicious! The kaldereta is also a winner! Tastes like home cooked meal! Will come back to try your other dishes! Thanks to Rex and his team! read more

If you like buffets, meat (not for vegetarians!) and Filipino food this is the spot for you... Pistahan was a second option (for Saturday lunch) as a friend and I made a stop at another Filipino spot in San Lorenzo. Unfortunately, found out upon arrival that it was closed for a private event. Noted...call beforehand or visit on a weekday Pistahan is located in the Manor Shopping Center in San Leandro and I've never seen this parking lot so full! Arrived about 11:45 and offered to sit at the counter but a table opened up just in time. Honestly, I didn't realize the weekend was lunch buffet only. Not a big fan as usually there's plenty of food options but not done very well. And I hate the feeling I need to take a nap after like it's Thanksgiving :) Pistahan had some good offerings. The pros of the buffet is allowing you to try various items: lechon, menudo, chicken adobo, kaldereta (sweeter beef stew), liempo (grilled pork), kare kare (peanut-oxtail stew along with pancit (Filipino noodles), lumpia, tempura shrimp, sinagang (sour/savory soup) and a coconut-tapioca based dessert Place gets busy by 1230 with a wait (popular with larger parties) and above average noise level. Food done well except the lechon. Skin was crackling but meat was dry and almost like pulled pork. For me, I will pass on their buffet and order a lunch special or individual items in the future. The chicken adobo, beef kaldereta and pancit were my fave items along with their lumpia. Weekend lunch buffet: $23 (drink not included). Note: My friend Hazel can confirm this spot does Filipino food right! read more

See all

Yesterday we went for our first time to celebrate our nephews birthday! Everything was delicious! The portions are awesome and the price is reasonable! Most of our party of six ordered rice plates plus we ordered bangus sisig, pansit, chicken adobo, and lumpia to share!We had a lot of leftovers for the birthday boy to take home. The woman taking our order was kind, friendly and patient! I'm so grateful we found a new filipino spot for when we don't feel like cooking. It was clean inside and the presentation of the dishes were nice. Kudos to the chef for making our fried eggs to perfection!! What a hidden gem in San Leandro. We are looking forward to going back to try more dishes and the brunch buffet!! read more

Pistahan - bangus sisig, lumpia - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

Came here on a Sunday for weekend lunch which was $26.99/person. You pay upfront and dining is 100% self service. There were about 13 different items to choose from, 1 soup, 1 dessert, & steamed rice. My favorite was the palabok and kare kare. The buffet trays are really small but they refill food quite often. I noticed they do not follow FIFO so the freshest food will be on top and the older food will be on the bottom. They also stopped serving lechon and put out fried pork belly instead which was a bit disappointing. But overall, I had a pretty good experience, I felt like I was at a Filipino party eating lots of homey foods. I wished there was a bit more variety compared to other buffets like fruits, pastries, desserts, etc because the price was a bit steep for the size of the buffet. read more

Pistahan - A little bit of everything - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

The food is good the service is great especially the restaurant good location the delivery was excellent .

Come here hungry. I enjoyed their pork dishes. so take a tums after your meal and drink lots if water you will definitely get a food coma.

Place is hit or miss. Dined in before and it was good. So this time we ordered take out. Ugh. Super disappointed. Bangus sisig had hella mayo and onions and just tasted mushy. The fried chicken was as halfway burnt and hard to eat. And the Laing was the worst. Husband said it wasn't even taro leaves and maybe collard greens and didn't taste right. Gonna be a while to get over this before giving it another try. read more

The cheapest Filipino food buffet in the East Bay! A good amount of selections to feast on, and lots of side sauces! The restaurant is decorated in Filipino artifacts, paintings, and more! It's also very spacious. They are open from 11-3 weekend buffets and Al a carte options! Definitely going back again! read more

See all

Came here with my fiance. He's never had Filipino food before besides sinigang. The food was delicious, and the portions were huge!! Definitely 5 stars!! read more

See all

Food is fresh and a great selection. Staff very friendly. Very nice open restaurant and very clean

Great Filipino Buffett gem located in a strip mall. The buffet is $24 per person for all you can eat. The food is plentiful and the quality of food is good. They have Leon water and coffee you can self serve. The selection does change a bit each time I come. I cannot come too often as I tend to overeat! read more

See all

If you're looking for Filipino food, here is the place you must try. We had salmon sinigang, pancit, pork sisig and etc. Their food is not too greasy and tastes flavorful. Their dishes are not over-salted. They also have a buffet for lunchtime, which is quite reasonable. But if you don't want a buffet, you can order a-la carte anytime. The parking here is also quite spacious. read more

While in line at the nearby Chinese bakery & deli to try the famous fish sandwich, I was craving a snack so I placed an order at Pistahan for some Shanghai lumpia. One order included 12 full size lumpias and a container of sauce for $11.99. The lumpia was piping hot so I knew it just came out of the fryer. While it was good, I have had better. The restaurant itself was clean and the employee at the counter was friendly. read more

I rarely give reviews sa mga nakakainan namin and I think I need to give this for the store's improvement. We purchased Lechon Paksiw and sobrang asim niya. I know na paksiw is supposed to be maasim pero sa sobrang asim, na-trigger po ang acid reflux ko. Sana po tinitikman niyo bago niyo i-serve sa customer. Hindi po kasi katanggap tanggap yung asim. Imbes na ma-enjoy yung sarsa, yung laman na lang ang nakain. read more

It saddens me how my family and I ordered the following to-go: - pork sinigang - chicken adobo And both were completely drenched in oil. The pork sinigang had little to no pork - it was mostly chunks of fat. I understand trying to save costs but the quality of meat shouldn't be one of them. When we put it in the fridge to skim the fat, the whole bowl came out. The broth did not separate from the lard. Same went for the chicken adobo. The chicken adobo's sauce was oily. The chicken also was in shredded chunks as if it was reheated multiple times and eventually fell off the bone and shredded itself. Ultimately, I'm highly disappointed. I'm all for Filipino food but this didn't cut it. You'll definitely need your cholesterol meds with how much fat and oil is in their food. read more

Came here because of their lunch Buffett. I believe it's from 11am-3pm. It was a reasonable price $23. There are plenty of tables and chair. Looks nice and clean. Workers are very friendly. We loved the beef kare kare and the misaw soup. They also had a dessert. We will be back! You can also order ala carte items. read more

See all

[IN A NUTSHELL] great filipino food, great lumpia taste and price [VERDICT] - APPROVED [RUN-DOWN] I cam here with a friend and I have to say this is such a family oriented restaurant. This place is really big and I love how they have Christmas decorations up. I think what I want come here for the future is to try their buffet, which I think is unique about this place. Living in the bay area, I haven't heard of a Filipino buffet which would be something I want to try in the future. The service was super nice and if you come here, to go or dine in, I highly recommend getting the lumpia. For a great deal and great flavor. There's not much about this place I can say but I think it is worth to try. I'm hoping to do a review on their buffet next, so stay tuned. [SCORE & ORDER] OVERALL: 3.75/5 * Beef Tacilog (Dried Cured Beef) $12.00 (3.5/5) -I have not eaten a lot of Filipino dish in my day but this was so good. The rice I have to give so much credit for because I am much of a garlic girl and this rice was so good. Crispy garlic in the rice was such a genius idea and I honestly really like it. It enhanced the the rice and added texture to it. The beef was a little on the chared (that's not a word haha but like imagine burnt but right before that) side, which wasn't that bad in my opinion. This beef was also a little on the sweeter side which I was not used to but actually enjoyed. I think the combination of the garlic rice and the beef was really good. By the time I knew it, the meal was done. I would recommend getting this dish. * Lumpia Shanghai $8.99 - 12 pieces (4/5) -WOW. These came out fresh fresh. They were so hot we had to wait a little to eat them. I've always loved lumpia and I can say that this place did not disappoint. The crunch factor was there and for that price, I think it is so worth. The inside was also filled with a lot of meat and had the right amount of flavoring. I am unsure of the difference between an eggtroll and a lumpia besides the size but this tasted much like that. If you look at the picture you can see that it was fried to perfection with a golden finish. I would recommend getting this dish as an appetizer. [SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE] (not reflected upon review score): Service was super good. I believe this is a family owned restaurant which was super nice to us and giving us suggestions on what to order. There was a mom and daughter that was serving us which was really cool to see. They kept inviting us to come to the buffet that they for their lunch special which I will come back for. The atmosphere is really nice. They have Christmas decorations up already which was super fun and cool. There is plenty of space and you can see the buffet station and the space has a lot of seating of booths and tables. They waitress was also super nice and welcoming. I would definitely recommend coming here because it feels very homey. [TIME STAMP] NOVEMBER 2022 read more

See all

We came here on my Mom's 86th Birthday the Buffet was great lots of food I recommend this Filipino Buffet

Food was good -- no complains but wish the buffet has more variety. I was expecting more than 10 dishes for the price.

Excellent lumpia, my BFF was delighted. Also got some entrees, desserts, and drinks. Great service, patiently explained the menu items and related dishes & boxed up everything for to go order. Looks like a cool place, especially during their weekend buffet. Highly recommend! read more

Pistahan - Menu so my friend could reorder! - Filipino Near Me - San Leandro, California

See all

Love the buffet at this place. They have pork belly lechón and they serve it in portions at the cutting station. Great selection of traditional Filipino food. Condiments are available too to suit your tastes. Highly recommend this place if you are in the area. read more

Great atmosphere and portion sizes! The owners personally greeted us and had a fun time listening to how they created their recipes. There's free, easy parking in the lot and inside has lots of inside seating, and there are TVs that show TFC (the Filipino channel) & sports channels too - at the time, it was basketball, my favorite! read more

See all

I came here on a Sunday to check out their buffet. I was in the mood for some Filipino food and this did not disappoint. I walked in around noon and they were busy busy. Luckily I was in a small group and they were able to accommodate us before a reservation at 1:30. The staff were friendly and relatively attentive given it was buffet focused. There were no less 15 different stewed/sauteed dishes, plus rice, pancit, other noodles and roughly 5 different fried dishes (e.g., shrimp, lumpia, chicken) and of course lechon. There was sinigang and dessert on the side as well as coffee for grabs. Definitely worth going and spending time enjoying the selections. It does get crowded so consider calling ahead especially if you're going with a larger party. read more