Filipino Restaurants near Carmel By The Sea, CA

“We almost gave up as street parking was so hard to find. I found out later that there was public parking available a few blocks away. Our party of six was seated soon after the party of 4 who came before us. Pedro our server, was friendly. We ordered Farmer's Market Vegetable Curry, Calibonara, Singapore Chili Prawns, Salmon Tropikal, Kare Kare, House-Made Crispy Rolls (lumpia shanghai), Island Kawali appetizer, not my fave as the meat was bland and dry, with a side order of steamed rice. The steamed rice wasn’t what we were expecting and used to, it was fried, with a spicy kick, and the rice was slightly al dente. The hits were the Calibonara, Singapore Chili prawns, and Salmon Tropikal. The Calibonara had bacon, my son liked this dish. The Singapore chili prawns were a hit all around, the prawns were plump, juicy, and cooked perfectly. My mom liked that the salmon was cooked to her liking- grilled perfectly. My brother liked his order of Farmer’s market veggie curry with the sliced fried aubergine, and stewed carrots, broccoli, and celery. I was disappointed with the lumpia Shanghai which were mostly crispy wrappers. Most other dishes had interesting concepts of Filipino fusion. Edwin was there making his rounds, and soon visited our table to check on us. He had us try the lechon which was a secret item and not on the menu. We opted for the kare-kare to be boxed and taken to go as we were pressed for time. There was a mistake in our order, but the items were not included in our bill. Street parking was free for 2 hours max. Only one restroom and it’s gender neutral.“

“Small and tucked away in a shopping center, this non-assuming little hole in the wall is easy to miss. But trust me, you do not want to.

I had dropped off my truck to have repairs done and was waiting on my ride. I hadn’t had breakfast and just wanted a small snack to tide me over. Walking by, I smelled the most delicious odoriferous scents emanating from this culinary oasis. I went inside and was greeted immediately. They were still preparing everything for the day, but seemed happy to see me. I had a simply order of just four pork lumpia to go. The cost: $5!! What an incredible bargain in today’s capitalistic free for all! I salivated at all the other food that was ready, but I knew the lumpia would fulfill me. I cannot wait to bring my wife back! BTW, the lumpia were divine!“