one of my favorite go-to small filipino shops in sf! - food is quick, served fast food style (like chipotle), and the prices are even better (huge plus) unfortunately, they were short on balut when we came by, but we still ended up being satisfied with our meal. - the worker there was super helpful with recommendations and was quite friendly! - ambiance wasn't amazing, they do have spots to sit down but it's more of a 'grab & go' type of spot. parking situation was a bit difficult as it's in a busy area as well. all-in-all though, very satisfied with what they offer here at Kababayan. i'll be back the next time i'm in SF. :)

tl;dr solid cheap food + variety for lunch Kababayan Cafe, located in the heart of the Mission District, is a place that could easily be overlooked due to its inconspicuous nature. It's a fundamental hole in the wall joint, run by just a solitary person - a potential setback for those in a hurry, but ensuring a meticulous execution of each dish. The restaurant, despite its humble appearance, offers generous servings of food without putting a significant dent in your pocket. My hearty plate that was basically just meat was just $12. Depending on the day of your visit, the menu varies. On my stop in, the pancit noodles had good texture but fell a bit short on flavor. The sisig was flavorful but suffered slightly from the chewiness of the pork. While the individual dining atmosphere might turn off some, those who appreciate solitude in their culinary adventures will find it to their liking. The service is mostly run by 1 person so you go up to the counter and order nand there's not much else - so good if you're going in-n-out for lunch. Kababayan Cafe lacks the Instagrammable vibe we often seek out, and it may be a bit better on price/quality point in Daly City in terms of quality, but it's certainly not a venue to write off and is very solid for a Mission Lunch spot and offers a hard-to-find variety of Filipino food in SF (compared to Inion city/Daly city).

Great neighborhood lunch spot. The chicken soup was on hitters. It was a light homemade soup without noticeable amounts of MSG, just like my wife cooks. Perfect ratio of ginger and seasoning to broth and soft, lovely chicken flavor. Served with bone in and a bitter squash that really adds to the flavor of the soup. I've been looking for a clear broth soup like this for 6 years since we moved to SF. Finally! The other dishes I got were ok, too. Nothing special, but juicy and good. The pancit noodles had a great texture but lacked in flavor. I also prefer thinner noodles. The sisig was juicy and flavorful, but the pork was a bit chewy. Both dishes were ok, and I'd have them on the side with the soup again. I would recommend this place if you're in the area, or if you're like me and have been craving a light, clear broth soup but are too lazy to cook it yourself. Of course, it seems like this place kind of just makes whatever dishes they feel like on any given day (e.g., today no lumpia), so not guarantee it will be there if you make the trek across town. In any case, this is a great little spot with no fuss. One of the main reasons this place does not get 5 stars is because $13 for a 2-item box and small soup seems pretty steep. I have leftovers for tomorrow. While affordable, this place is not truly cheap. And that's really kind of what it would need to make up for the otherwise unappealing restaurant vibe, i.e., no one who ordered in front of me stayed to eat inside. Not a perfect place, but I'll definitely be back. Happy eating!

A little hole in the wall filipino spot butttttt came through with the dinuguan craving I was having!!! So glad we stopped. I got sinigang too but it was a little salty for my taste - they probably used real tamarind HAHA which.. if you're Filipino you know that most of us be using the flavor packet (the green and yellow one not mamacita y'all don't play with me!)

This place is the spot!!!! I'm limited in my Filipino cuisine knowledge, but Tito was super helpful and recommended the Bisket Tagalog, which was a lemon, soy sauce, garlic beef steak. It was fatty and delicious!! The sinigang was sooo flavorful and good. I hate it when sinigang isnt sour enough and this had the perfect blend of savory and sour. Craving satisfied!! We came maybe an hour before closing on a Saturday night, so there was just scraps of the pancit left, which didn't really look that appetizing cause it looked dried out. He literally scrapped off all the noodles to dish it for us. But boy was I wrong. The pancit was kicking with flavor and soft! I can't imagine what it would taste like fresh! Ugh, writing this review makes me want to eat it again. It's a good thing we ordered more for tomorrow! This place is a total diamond in the rough! Got to try the adobo next time!

My go-to Filipino spot in the city-- the food is flavorful, affordable, and authentic. The food is already prepared, so when you walk in, you can choose which items you want. They're also great for catering. A few months before the pandemic, I purchased banana turon (enough to feed 2 dozen teammates for a Thanksgiving potluck). I was amazed that they were able to take my order and have it ready by 9am. It was a huge hit with my teammates! A lot of them went back for seconds :) I came here yesterday with my mom, and we bought the following: - Medium chicken adobo - Large rice - 2 pieces banana turon - 1 order lumpia - 1 tilapia fish - Small pancit All of this food was only for $30!!! I also want to give a shout-out to the gentleman who works here because he has the patience of a saint. My mom went back and forth numerous times on whether she wanted to buy the tilapia, and he remained kind and patient.

Once you accept that this place is one of those old school hole in the walls that doesn't focus on aesthetics, you can appreciate the quality of the food. I am very hard on Filipino restaurants knowing how to cook dishes to my liking. But this place has the taste that I love! I have ordered their Filipino breakfasts, lumpia, bistek, sinigang, and chicken curry. All these so far has satisfied more then to my expectations. The service is good. There are a couple Filipino restaurants near by, but for this area, Kababayan is the one! Catch up on Filipino pop culture or news from The Filipino Channel while eating your meal. TFC is on all day! So if you ever find yourself in the Mission district of San Francisco craving Filipino food, I recommend coming here. Happy Yelping and stay hungry adventurous!

stumble upon a Filipino hole in the wall restaurant while I was walking on the Mission. I ordered ala carte of two items (Pork Menudo & Dinuguan) with a dessert (Halo-Halo). this is a place to get some Filipino food if you don't want to go to the Tenderloin or Daly City. not bad, but the menu is a bit confusing.