Among the many things that made our recent trip to California memorable was the multitude of Filipino restaurants out there. Of course, being away from home for a year (or two years – not counting the 1 month visit), we certainly miss our native cuisine. I remember how I’ve had to eat a lot of Jollibee and Chowking foods being that they were among the few options in our office building… until there came other options like Kitaro, a cafe which I forgot the name of, Dunkin Donuts (snacks perhaps), Ministop (sandwiches, croissants?), and of course, the building’s canteen. Of course there were other options surrounding the building like Pancake House, Picadilly, Red Ribbon, etc. etc. etc. But when you’re too busy with work, you just want to stay within the building – thus the Jollibee and Chowking explains. So let me share with you the popular Filipino restaurants we found in California.

Of course, when we went to California, Hubby and I were craving for all sorts of Filipino fast food restos! The first Filipino fast food we searched for was Jollibee. Apparently, we were a little bit late. The Jollibee in the mall was already closed… so were Chowking, Red Ribbon, and Goldilocks. We were a bit dismayed. It was already 9pm when we got to the mall (not knowing the resto’s would be close by that time, but the stores are still open) because we had a late lunch. We searched and searched for open restaurants until we saw Yoshinoya! OMG! We’re still lucky! There are so many Yoshinoya Fast Food Restaurants in California! The one we ate at was in Glendale, California, after our visit to Hollywood Boulevard. I was so excited to order the Beef bowl because it was my usual order back in the Philippines. While it was as good as the one in Manila, it was a bit bland for both of us. Perhaps we should just add more soy sauce then…

The following day, we told ourselves that we should eat at Jollibee for lunch (just to be sure that they’re open, haha). Jollibee is one of the most loved Filipino restaurants/fast food chains in the Philippines. We ate at the Jollibee in Carson City… where you can also find Chowking, Red Ribbon, a Seafood Market, and another Filipino Bakery. There are so many Filipinos there in Carson City that you would actually feel you were back home (the parking, the driving, the people, the traffic, everything)! Anyway, back at Jollibee we got 2 chicken joy (fried chicken) pieces with rice, and 2 pc. burger steak with rice. Hubby even got an extra rice. We were so full and happy, hehe .

Afterwards, we headed to Red Ribbon to buy a dozen of French Sponge Cake (mamon) – “To Go” of course. We had it in the afternoon with my Uncle, Aunt, and cousins . Delicious! Red Ribbon also serves dishes like Palabok, Salisbury Steak, etc. They also have siopao, chicken empanada, and other pastries. We wanted to eat here too but we lacked time. Good thing Hubby’s Uncle brought home Ube (Purple Yam) cake one day and we all enjoyed a slice, or two, or more…

The following days, we had lunch at Chowking – care of Hubby’s Uncle. Thank you! He got us Shanghai rolls – not as good as they were in the Philippines, Tepanyaki Fish – the best dish he ordered, and Stir Fry Noodles (Pancit Bihon – same taste). We were shy to order for more because he was paying. But if it were just me and Hubby, we would still order Siomai and perhaps the usual Beef and Wanton Noodle soup! Yum! But Chowking here in the US wasn’t at all too good for us (or perhaps just the ones we ordered).

Yup, we had to go back to Jollibee for another quick lunch. We missed the spaghetti and the palabok they have. And of course, we had to get the 2 piece burger steak once more. We really missed Jollibee… isn’t it obvious??? Haha. Well, it’s also near both our Uncle’s houses, that’s why it’s more accessible. And of course, because we really love Jollibee. Haha

We couldn’t leave California without eating at another popular Filipino restaurant, Gerry’s Grill! We were so excited to go. My Uncle took us there as per our request and because they haven’t eaten there yet. They left the Philippines years ago so they didn’t know Gerry’s Grill. Gerry’s Grill is one of the most popular Filipino restaurants serving grilled foods and cheap beer! Anyway, we traveled a couple of minutes to Cerritos-Artesia where the nearest Gerry’s Grill can be found. Like us, they were so happy to look at the menu! OMG, like we wanted to order everything in there! My Uncle even wanted the Crispy Pata (Pork Leg, roasted) but we had ordered a lot of Pork dishes already! We ordered Pork Sisig (chopped pork on a sizzling plate), Pork Liempo (grilled pork belly), Grilled Squid, Molo Soup (soup with dumplings), Crab Rice + Garlic Rice, and Pinakbet (variety of vegetables with shrimp paste/anchovies). In fact, we didn’t finish everything! We still took home some Pork Liempo and Grilled Squid enough for two people! What a feast. We were so full, and again so satisfied. All the dishes were delicious! This is our best meal here in California – honestly! It tops off even the top rated restaurants we’ve tried (which I will share with you soon).

After eating at Gerry’s Grill, my Uncle then took us to Goldilocks and told us to buy everything we want to take home with us. WOW! Hubby was so delighted! My uncle was even the one putting stuff in our basket! Thank you Thank you Thank you!

We got a lot of French Sponge Cake (mamon) – in different kinds: regular, special (with cheese), and mocha flavor (yummy!). We also got a couple of Ensaymada (not pictured), Mocha Pianono (Mocha Chiffon Cake roll), Ube Hopia, Goldilocks Sampaloc (tamarind candies), Crunchy Polvoron (milk-based sweet), and Goldilocks Chicharon (pork rinds). Oh, and of course, I forgot to take pictures of the Goldilocks Siopao! Divine! Pardon the photo as the other take home snacks that both my Uncle and Hubby’s Uncle gave to us were also shown. Many many thanks to both our Uncles! Thank you! So there you go, the popular Filipino restaurants in California… Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Goldilocks, Gerry’s Grill, and Chowking. Of course the Yoshinoya is Japanese cuisine but can be found in the Philippines too.

xoxo

Tags: california, fast food, filipino restaurants, restaurant | Category Fashion Juice Anything