Went on a Saturday and was good timing because they serve lechon by the pound on the weekends. Pretty good lechon. It was $23 per pound. Already preportioned in a to go box waiting under the heat lamp. Skin was thin and crispy. The meat was yummy and well seasoned. Also tried their Pancit Bam I, which is first time for me. I'd compare it to my aunt's home cooked Pancit. It had a mix of sotanghon (glass noodles) and miki (egg noodles). They did not skimp on ingredients. It has lots of fried pork chunks, slices of fish balls and some Chinese sausage slices. This is a non dry Pancit as every noodle was coated with dark reddish brown sauce that's both sweet and salty. A bit to oily for me but it was pretty good. Reasonable price for the portion they give you They also have chicharons in paper bags that are one of the better chicharons I've had. Not too fatty because it had a good proportion of fat, meat and skin. Also not too salty. They have little chicken empanadas they call empanadas. Yummy filling in a crispy fried dough. I like how the dough is not too thick. I would skip the Lomi. It's the only one that was just ok. It was about bland. Generous portion though. Price is reasonable for the amount of food. The restaurant is to go only but they offer their dining room for private events. Small place with huge menu. They also cater. read more

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Bones and dry chicken backs in the delivered adobo! Unbelievable! A average of 3.1in yelp is nothing close to what it should be. read more

I've been coming to this place for years. And they have always served me well. They recently moved to a new location nearby their Lechon making place so it is still near by the former location. However they have now just became officially to go order only or catering. The place is clean and organize and busy. the staff are always kind and friendly. they are accomodating and really helpful. The new location has parking for pick up orders only. Today, I picked up a lechon de leche I ordered for my work Christmas luncheon and it was all ready and prepared when I came. Although they made a mistake from my original order of a medium size lechon de leche they mistakenly prepared me a baby size which was a bummer. But it is what it is, it was still made fresh, smelled good, tasted great and super crunchy! We enjoyed it! read more

Tastebuds - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

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This is the worst lechon place I have ever experienced. The quality was terrible and very dry, overcooked, and with almost no meat. The box even felt heavier than the lechon itself. We could not even serve it to our guests, which was very embarrassing and ruined my reputation as the host. We feel that we were misled and believe we deserve a full refund. suggestion. tou should rename it to ""TASTEBAD" read more

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Basically a friend of mine bought a lichon and expected to be the worth of the dollar for it but wasn't it was way too small... She was very very disappointed soo much.. read more

The was kind a bland. The pakbet was great it smelled great. The lumpiang shanghai was a little dry. The service was ok read more

Tastebuds - Lumpiang Shanghai - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

We are lucky enough to have a baby shower and the one thing I asked for was Filipino food! My cousin had used tastebud's for her son's first birthday so I knew the food was going to be amazing! Michelle, the contact/point person was so wonderful to work with. Easy to communicate with,professional and very responsive via email, text and phone. We chose partial catering and the "barkada" package with an additional purchase of a large cebu lechon! It not only included the most amazing delicious Filipino foods such as sisig, kaldereta, lumpia but also wonderful settup, beautiful white linens and colored accents to perfect match our baby shower theme and easy breakdown! Don't hesitate to use them for your next event! read more

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I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this restaurant goes out of business. The service is consistently terrible. I've been coming here for years, hoping things would improve, but the rude attitude never changes. The waitstaff never smiles, and unfortunately I've noticed the same behavior from the owner as well. To make matters worse, I was overcharged on tips, which is completely unacceptable read more

No public restrooms. Takeout orders only... large catering business. If you want lechon, you will need to order ahead of time. No desserts. We ordered a la carte to go... so the portions are much larger than a plate. The Garlic Rice ($10.95) was really flavorful and did not need anything to enhance it. The Kare Kare ($30.95) is really lacking in flavor.  There is a peanut aroma, but not the flavor.   Note there are plenty of veggies (cut green beans, eggplant and shanghai bok choy) along with some honey comb tripe and of course oxtail.  There is a side of Bagoong monamon (fish paste) to help add a bit of seasoning to the kare kare.  It does enhance the flavor.  Please do not waste the kara kare sauce, it will go really well with the garlic rice. Pork Adobo ($17.95) very flavorful.  You get A LOT of pork with very little sauce, so that's pretty good, unless you love Adobo sauce.  The pork is tender and pretty lean as Adobo goes.  Note there are bay leaves in the dish, so please be careful and dig them out before eating.  The aroma is quite intoxicating. read more

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Drove a hour here from the North Bay because my pregnant wife said she missed good lechon. Got there and she really needed to go pretty bad and they wouldn't let her use the restroom. Obviously not going to buy anything and I'm never coming back. What a waste of time. read more

Came for the lechon, left with none, oh and they moved to down the street, and they serve lechon only on certain days. Waste of time coming here oh and parking good luck very limited. I was better off just going to a Chinese restaurant serving roast pork. Or next time go to union city for their lechon. Not coming back here too out of the way to just be disappointed read more

We paid over$300 for this malnourished lechon. The skin wasn't crispy. It was gummy. The meat itself was super dry! It was terrible! How can they sell this? read more

Tastebuds - Malnourished Lechon!!!! We paid over $300 for this small Lechon. Terrible! - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

How you treat someone during a time of despair and sadness shows your true colors. I will never forget how Tastebuds treated my family and I during a difficult time. I am unsure if Michelle, the main person who runs the business or handles orders, is going through something, but she has been rude to my family and friends that have ordered in the last year. I recently ordered from Tastebuds and she was nice at first, but she needs to learn a thing or two about customer service and empathy. I was already told by other friends that they were very not the nicest company, but it was hard to experience this firsthand. The food was not bad, but their portion size and pricing for trays is more expensive than other competitors like Kariligan and Ongpin. The lechon my friend ordered was also really dry. For the price, I would drive somewhere else for lechon. I was shocked to see their low ratings on yelp, but now I am not surprised. read more

This place has gone downhill since they moved. They use to be really great 5-10 years ago. We ordered Silog & Tocilog breakfast, the garlic fried rice tasted soggy and not completely cooked all the way the texture was off. The easy over egg was a joke tasted weird and looked like fake eggs no drippy yolk at all whatsoever. The meat on both dishes was ehhh. They need to do better or this place is going out of business. read more

I paid for a whole cebu Lechon not Lechon skin. The meat inside was super dry, no salt and no taste or smell of lemon grass , full of pepper. Don't call it cebu Lechon of you can't make it right. read more

Tastebuds is good for 'to go' or for party trays. Their Kare Kare is the best, same as their lumpia, bangus sisig, regular sisig, pancit miki bihon or pancit canton, chicken barbecue. They also serve lechon once a week by the lbs but you have to order ahead of time. The staff here specifically the cashier was nice and friendly. Try this place and you will not be dissapointed. The owner Bambi returns voicemail too. They closed on Monday. Cheers read more

Food always on point! Service is great and ambiance is a bit cold but bearable, make sure to have your jacket. Been coming here for 12+ years and they never disappoint! read more

I bought a whole lechon (small) worth $350. Unfortunately its not a whole lechon. The belly part is gone. If this is worth that much they should be honest enough to give us a whole lechon. read more

Tastebuds - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

The food here is super yummy! My dad loves the pinakbet Ilocano. The veggies are delicious and not so many squash like some other places. The food is hot when I received it the small restaurant really is homey and service is great read more

I'm sad that i only have one little picture, which doesn't even show everything we ordered. I ordered catering trays for my baby shower, and the food was all delicious. Also, i paid extra to have everything delivered, and the person that delivered was so nice and told me how to handle the food. We had: Pancit Miki Bihon Lumpia Shanghai Rice Lechon Kawali Bbq Chicken Bbq pork Bangus Sisig Fish Fillet Escabeche Chopsuey (seafood only) Everyone commented on how good the food was. Special shout out to: the pancit miki bihon, bangus sisis, bbq pork, but everything was really good. We had plenty of leftovers, and mostly everyone took something home for a second meal. Thank you, Tastebuds! read more

Tastebuds - Chopsuey, Fish Escabeche, Bangus Sisig, Beef Caldereta, BBQ Pork and Chicken - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

This yelp account is misleading the customers. I called and asked if they serve Lechon, they say only Friday, Saturday & Sunday. I got so excited and went straight to the location, I got there around 3pm and the store is closed but it says on yelp they are open. According to the cashier who works at the restaurant on 1/19 at 3pm this is not the account for Tastebuds and they don't have any account. I asked if I could use the restroom, and Kuya was so nice to me that he said ok, suddenly the cashier had no consideration and didn't let me use the restroom. The girl is full of negativity and the ambiance of tastebuds is dull. If you would like to get Filipino food around San Bruno, there's another restaurant that is only 5 minutes drive away. read more

They got rid of one of their best dishes their chicken sisig that's the only reason why I have to give 3 stars because that was our main dish that we always purchased. Bring it back! read more

Ordered 2lbs of lechon. It was 2lbs because they put the sauce in the box. Remove the sauce out of the box it only weighed 1lb. What a ripoff shady business buyer beware!!! read more

Tastebuds - 2 lbs of lechon??? Ordered and got 2lbs with the sauce making it 2 lbs. without the sauce its only 1lb. What a ripoff - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Everyone I know and their mama order lechon from this spot- a must have at every Filipino gathering. This is a "small" pig and it cost around $300. But lately their pigs are skin and bones. Literally. Their pigs are emaciated. There is no meat at all in between the ribs and skin. It's very sad looking. Every time we order lechon from this spot, come eating time, we'd gather, look at the pig and say, "Yup. This one too." It has become a running joke- if you don't want to get fat eating tons of lechon, order from Tastebuds. read more

Tastebuds - Skin and bones lechon - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Slow service. I thought that they were still killing the cow & pig back in the kitchen. We arrived at 6. Our order was taken at 615. We didn't get our food til almost 7pm. We ordered the lechon, kare kare, and crispy dinuguan. We didn't even get our rice until we had to remind them. If I was at home making those dishes from scratch, I'd understand the long wait, but the lechon was already in the back corner of the store getting chopped up. The skin was not crispy at all. I guess because it was already dinner time and might have been roasted on early in the day. The meat in the dinuguan was overcooked. The oxtail in the kare kare could have been cooked more. It didn't taste like real peanut butter was used. The only reason why I'm not giving it less than 3 stars is because I've been here prior to this one night. Maybe on better nights? That and I ordered different dishes. The bangus sisig & crispy binogoongan is good. Pancit taste like pancit anywhere you go. read more

I only rate this place based on its roast lechon which was ordered by the host of a party I attended recently in the city. Some reviewers apparently didn't get the results they wanted, and complain about an undersized creature cooked to a dry texture. I don't know and can't say why there is such a discrepancy between what I experienced and that of these other commenters. Tastebuds is apparently well known for this singular dish and it is not unusual in my experience for Filipino restaurants to be a bit, how shall we term it, uneven in what's delivered to the table. The host of the event was a well known foodie and this was not her first time to order from this restaurant for large groups. One way or another this particular piggy was a beautiful centerpiece, not at all dry and had been well fed prior to its time of, you know, harvest. Excellent crispy outer skin, for one good thing. And, for another, overall inside the skin was to be found a succulent meat not at all suitable for weight reduction. Considering that I recently occupied nearly three months' of my high mileage existence diving in uncounted LA mexican restaurants of every stripe, this event was hardly the best way to begin my planned abstinence from gluttony. Tomorrow... read more

Their lechon here was dry, not crispy and small. The skin was also soggy. They're known for their lechon but I don't know what happened? They didn't maintain the quality of their food. Everyone in the party was disappointed of their lechon. - read more

The pig was dry and this restaurant has the Monopoly on roast, pig "Leachon" in my area. Please people let me know if your know of a restaurant that is roasting a whole pig for special occasions!!! read more

One of my favorite places to have lechon. Dining in - small cozy location with limited seats. Weekend they have a buffet breakfast with a good variety. One of my favorite things to get is fried dinuguan. The service is above average, just right I would say. They aren't super "fast" but they are friendly and willing once you get their attention. Ordering out- super easy, fast, in and out, door dash avail Catering and party- There are a few things/steps to know. You call the location and the ladies at the eatery will take a message and forward it to the event coordinator or manager. I was pleasantly surprised in the correspondence and willingness to help me set up a birthday party. They do not have a private room and with the right size party and availability they may close the location for your private event. Give em a try. read more

This used to be go-to for filipino food before the pandemic. I would take my family here whenever they were in town. It was the only restaurant that I trusted to make dinuguan like at home. We have been back a few times after they re-opened but only for take out and each time it has been a disappointment. The last time in particular the dinuguan tasted anything but - if I didn't know any better I'd think they added pork blood to another soup broth, like tinola, because it tasted nothing like dinuguan. Maybe the cooks are different, with their own recipes. I asked about when they would do dine in. I was told that the owners chose to continue take out only so they wouldn't have to pay the wait staff. read more

I've been going to Tastebuds for the past couple years and their tofu sisig is a meal that my family loves. It's creamy and delicious, plus perfect for a vegetarian like me who just wants some comfort filipino food. read more

This place is posted open, I drive all the way from LA to get breakfast & they tell you that they are not open until 1030am. That is not good for publicity & for someone driving far to have a breakfast ruins someone's day especially when they are hungry. I told them to change & update their Yelp. They were preparing tons of to go package food during that time. They just ignored. read more

sad that i didnt get to eat here last wednesday! No wonder there were no cars on the side of the parking lot! Only to go orders and no sit down / indoor dining! we tried a different filipino place ive never eaten at before! read more

At first glance, from the outside it doesn't look too impressive. But when you go in it's actually pretty decent. Came to try this out with my friend since I love Filipino food. We ordered ... 1. Crispy Binagoogan : I LOVE crispy the pork is! It's almost like eating pork chips! I would definitely order this again! The only downfall to this dish is that taste. It doesn't have a strong flavor for what it is. It's a little too salty but doesn't have that flavor I usually expect ordering this. 2. Crispy Pata: same deal with this dish. Has a nice crispy fried outer skin, tender inside.. but still does not have the flavor you expect when you order this. 3. Pinakbet with shrimps and pork.: Same trend. The flavors are not there. The vegetables are cooked perfectly and have a nice freshness, but it's all one note. Overall, food if cooked fine BUT LACKS FLAVOR. read more

Tastebuds - Crispy Binagoogan $16.50 - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

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we ordered through Yelp-Grubhub for delivery. Sinigang, pakbet and lechon kawali. We noticed that the pork looked like it wasn't that fresh. We tasted it and found both the meat and skin was hard to bite. My coworker, Paolo, who used to manage a restaurant in a resort in Palawan and used to be OFW in Kuwait, Turkish restaurant was verifying the food. If the pork is freshly fried, the fatty part, atleast should have shown whiter color than darkish brown gray ( check all my photos). To our dismay, we didnt eat the pork and just ate the rest of the viand. When we finished, we called Tastebuds to complain, we spoke to one personnel and another one was passed to us to speak. The person when we tried to state " that it tasted like "double-cooked" if there was such word, or perhaps reheat, tried to defend that they don't do that and didnt offered any solution except to call Grubhub and ask for refund. The person should have sympathizes with us and offered a better solution other than passing us to Grubhub. just a disappointment... read more

Tastebuds - bago ba ito ? o ano? - Filipino Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Bomb ass Filipino food... I'd order her over all the Filipino spots in the Peninsula. I ordered on Grubhub and the food was still hot!

If you are sensitive to MSG, don't order from here. Their food is very tasty but laden with too much MSG. It gave me nausea and headache that lasted more than 10hrs. We ordered their chopped lechon, bangus, and crispy dinuguan read more

They make amazing lechon! I usually get Cebu style and because I'm a show off... I don't have them cut it....just a whole pig for all my pictures lol.....their smallest pig is usually enough for a party of 16 (with other food that is). I've also ordered maybe about 5 times for different occasions and all have been the same amazing quality! Highly recommend them! read more

Our go to spot for tasty Filipino food. Ideal for take out as they did not have any done in options at this time. Faves are tofu sisig and bangus sisig read more

Only a true Pinoy would think of having rice for breakfast. Only a true foodie would excitedly agree to a buffet date at 8am on a Saturday. If you're both, then you're in luck. Your tastebuds will be happy to know that this place serves LECHON ERRRTHANG for brunch on the weekends. * say wuuuut?! * You heard me. Lechon paksiw. Lechon sisig. Lechon kawali. Um, HELLO pork belly, is that you?! To balance the tasty options, they offer ONE vegetable side dish called chop suey which is basically a stir fry veggie dish in an awesome clear sauce. Don't ask me what sauce, it's good. But I skipped that because I made extra room in my tummy for the classic Filipino breakfast pairing of champorado (sweetened cocoa rice porridge) and tuyo (salted fish) It's considered as the poor man's breakfast in the Philippines, but boy, it is SO. DAMN. GOOD! I must've had 3 servings of those because I wouldn't dare cook tuyo at home because my apartment will smell like vajayjay that hasn't been washed for days! (kids, don't try this at home) Yes, I know that Tastebuds takes the leftover lechon from the night before and transforms them into these amazing, artery clogging dishes for breakfast the next day. You have the right to remain silent and shouldn't even complain because this breakfast buffet only costs $12! :0 Tastebuds, MAHAL KITA. read more

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