This is a late review. 2 months ago we we're served the worst Kare-kare in my life. No eggplant or string beans. Just cabbage! Who ever the chef is needs to be evaluated. Kare-kare used to so good in this place. Will never comeback. ✌️
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Vince Tabor
I recently visited this bakery, excited to indulge in their famous cheesy puffs. However, to our dismay, they had run out of stock. My youngest, an avid fan of their cheesy puffs, couldn’t hide her disappointment. Disheartened, we prepared to leave, planning to return earlier next time.Just as we were about to step away, something unexpected happened. A kind gesture from the cashier left us speechless and deeply touched. She hurried after us, presenting a bag containing a pack of the coveted cheesy puffs. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I found myself unable to properly express my thanks, hastily paying for the unexpected gift.The cashier’s act of compassion, driven by empathy for my daughter’s disappointment, left a lasting impression. It reminded us that true heroes often go unnoticed, their capes replaced by simple acts of kindness. This experience was a powerful reminder of the beauty of human generosity, leaving us with hearts full of gratitude and admiration.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christopher A.
Came here on a rainy day and most of the tables were filled. Waited to be seated after putting name on the list and took about 5-10 minutes to be seated. The 2 main servers were Jane and Magi. 2 waters were brought to our table and asked for lemon from Jane on 2 different occasions and gave some attitude but never brought the lemon . Asked Magi and she brought the lemons for the water. The plates were still dirty and the spoon had stuff on it and asked for new plates and silverware. Ordered the Inihaw platter which comes with grilled pampano, squid, eggplant, pork belly, tomatoes, mango, and alaman. Also ordered lumpia Shanghai and sizzling sisig longanisa. The pork belly had no flavor. The sisig was very oily. Lumpia Shanghai was okay . The squid was very rubbery in my opinion . Eggplant was okay . Overall the food was not up to par and service by Jane was bad. Magi was great .
M Mach
I had always seen Goldilocks when going to the nearby Filipino supermarket, but don’t usually go to National City to dine. One day some friends were in town and we actually craved Filipino food, but didn’t feel like cooking, so we decided to finally try this place out. Parking can be a bit challenging on the weekends at this shopping area, but we were able to get a spot within minutes.The entrance brings you to the bakery section and the restaurant seating is to the left, but the layout makes it confusing as to where you go to actually get seated. It’s hard to tell which employees are servers and which work in the bakery and they’re bouncing all over but no one really greets and seats when they see you enter and stand there. When we were finally brought into the seating area, we were quite surprised that there were so many tables as you can’t see the whole section from the entrance. It feels cramped with so many tables so close together and the decor is reminiscent of dated diner/cafeteria. The commotion of all the other tables and servers make it a challenge to have a relaxing meal.The service is good, when you finally get seated and your food order is taken. The ladies that work there are very friendly and work quite hard as the restaurant does not staff enough to handle all the tables they seat. We can see how each server is stretched thin as they run back and forth nonstop to service all the tables, so bless their hearts! If I rated this review on service alone, I would have given 4 stars, but that is not the case.The food. I’ve grown up enjoying Filipino food and especially married to a Filipino, I’ve learned to make some of my favorite dishes too. Well, we were craving Filipino food this day and didn’t want to cook, so we were ready to just enjoy. We ordered the Sizzling Pork Sisig, Pork Dinaguan, Lechon Kawali, Lechon Kare-Kare. Let me just say that the food was a major letdown. Sisig is my sole favorite Filipino dish, however, the Sisig here was more like a breakfast omelet filling. There was so much chopped veggies, I wasn’t sure if I was eating a vegetarian Sisig or what. I have never in my life had Sisig where almost half was made up of chopped veggies. The Lechon Kawali was extremely dry and over-fried. We had to hunt down a server to ask for a vinegar dipping sauce to help make it more palatable. The Prok Dinaguan was flat in flavor, not horrible but not exactly good. The Pork Kare-Kare was decent and in this case, the best of what we got.Service from the servers would have gotten this review 4 stars, but the food resulted in the 2 stars. It was the first time I ate here and I honestly can’t say I would be returning, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Michael M.
I had always seen Goldilocks when going to the nearby Filipino supermarket, but don't usually go to National City to dine. One day some friends were in town and we actually craved Filipino food, but didn't feel like cooking, so we decided to finally try this place out. Parking can be a bit challenging on the weekends at this shopping area, but we were able to get a spot within minutes. The entrance brings you to the bakery section and the restaurant seating is to the left, but the layout makes it confusing as to where you go to actually get seated. It's hard to tell which employees are servers and which work in the bakery and they're bouncing all over but no one really greets and seats when they see you enter and stand there. When we were finally brought into the seating area, we were quite surprised that there were so many tables as you can't see the whole section from the entrance. It feels cramped with so many tables so close together and the decor is reminiscent of dated diner/cafeteria. The commotion of all the other tables and servers make it a challenge to have a relaxing meal. The service is good, when you finally get seated and your food order is taken. The ladies that work there are very friendly and work quite hard as the restaurant does not staff enough to handle all the tables they seat. We can see how each server is stretched thin as they run back and forth nonstop to service all the tables, so bless their hearts! If I rated this review on service alone, I would have given 4 stars, but that is not the case. The food. I've grown up enjoying Filipino food and especially married to a Filipino, I've learned to make some of my favorite dishes too. Well, we were craving Filipino food this day and didn't want to cook, so we were ready to just enjoy. We ordered the Sizzling Pork Sisig, Pork Dinaguan, Lechon Kawali, Lechon Kare-Kare. Let me just say that the food was a major letdown. Sisig is my sole favorite Filipino dish, however, the Sisig here was more like a breakfast omelet filling. There was so much chopped veggies, I wasn't sure if I was eating a vegetarian Sisig or what. I have never in my life had Sisig where almost half was made up of chopped veggies. The Lechon Kawali was extremely dry and over-fried. We had to hunt down a server to ask for a vinegar dipping sauce to help make it more palatable. The Prok Dinaguan was flat in flavor, not horrible but not exactly good. The Pork Kare-Kare was decent and in this case, the best of what we got. Service from the servers would have gotten this review 4 stars, but the food resulted in the 2 stars. It was the first time I ate here and I honestly can't say I would be returning, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like this place.
Ronald B.
I haven't been to this location in about five years but coming back was so nice. The food is absolutely delicious. I love how they had some different options on the menu like the longanisa sisig. The servers were very kind and offered some suggestions of the new items on the menu.
Mika K.
Terrible service. I was in front the the register but the cashier completely ignored me and proceeded to help the people behind me and only the people who spoke Tagalog, pretty racist imo.
Angelica L.
Slow service, ordered food and took us more than 30 minutes to get our first dish. Would not recommend the Dinuguan it doesn't taste good and
Jennifer S.
I'm from Orange County and travel to San Diego with my hubby to eat Filipino food. Since we're there, we stop by at this bakery, I've always love their cheese rolls but unfortunately they didn't get a delivery for 2 weeks for this cheese rolls :( instead got pandesal and Ube cheese. Ube cheese is delicious and moist. Love it!
Team Aigie
Don't eat here. We ordered kare kare but they put lettuce instead of pechay. Also, they put more lettuce than meat and lack peanut butter. Disappointed with the very expensive but not tasty food.
Opens early for Filipino breakfast at 0830am! There is 2 parts...one dining room with various popular pinoy dishes fr Kare Kare, Arroz caldo, pinakbet, pancit, lumpia, fried fish, spaghetti, palabok and so much more! For Breakfast, they have longsilog, tapsilog, any "silog" and Halo halo for desert! The other half of the restaurant is a Bakery- cakes, rolls, frozen treats, pandesals, hopia...and biscocho! I ended up getting fresh hot siopao (aka steam buns) ...3 chicken and 3 pork for roughly $3 each. One free if you buy 6 buns! Flavorful meat filling and the bun is soft and lightly sweet to counter the chicken/pork! So Delicious!
Shannon S.
So the whole family decided to head out on a pretty Saturday afternoon for lunch in National City . So if you come to Goldilocks be ready for adventure with navigation of the parking lot. As we came in you can tell they was going to be busy . We was seated in a quickly manner and pretty much knew what we want since we come at least once every two weeks give or take . When the food arrived it looked amazing with the exception of the sizzling sisig, it wasn't even sizzling I would say a slow warm state . The sisig was very mushy that is supposed to crispy . The egg wouldn't even cook on the sisig because it was not hot. We ordered sizzling beef steak and it was sizzling but the beef was very tough and the meat is normally thin and tender . We also ordered bulalo was also very tough but the soup base and vegetables was good and not too salty. I can say the crispy pata was great like always . The place very well lit and clean . I will come back since I'm married into a Filipino family . I've had a better experience here before . I can the one they can really improve is the customer service. Not once did they come to see if the food was good and needed anything. So my rating is based on food quality and service .
Maricar Cambronero
My son only order a piece of chocolate roll cake and it took them 20 min. Everybody on our table already finished eating and my sons one piece cake came late.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Longsilog, Daing Na Bangus, Garlic Rice
Tikdol C.
Great food and a lot more to go,dishes in traditional Filipino ways,,,,great service and and place to comfort when dining!!!!!
Roland P.
Several issues- Leo (server) is probably the worst server I've experienced while in San Diego. Never checked on us and I even fixed my plate and he didn't take it away. Asked for water and he just looks at the plate. Ordered Kare-kare and the meat is tough and the eggplant hard like they just cut it and threw it in quickly. Ordered Lechon Kawali and the skin is not even crispy. Like it's been sitting there. Sago- I told Leo it's all ice and he asked me what do I want him to do. Like seriously, you work here not me.
This is a late review. 2 months ago we we're served the worst Kare-kare in my life. No eggplant or string beans. Just cabbage! Who ever the chef is needs to be evaluated. Kare-kare used to so good in this place. Will never comeback. ✌️
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
I recently visited this bakery, excited to indulge in their famous cheesy puffs. However, to our dismay, they had run out of stock. My youngest, an avid fan of their cheesy puffs, couldn’t hide her disappointment. Disheartened, we prepared to leave, planning to return earlier next time.Just as we were about to step away, something unexpected happened. A kind gesture from the cashier left us speechless and deeply touched. She hurried after us, presenting a bag containing a pack of the coveted cheesy puffs. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I found myself unable to properly express my thanks, hastily paying for the unexpected gift.The cashier’s act of compassion, driven by empathy for my daughter’s disappointment, left a lasting impression. It reminded us that true heroes often go unnoticed, their capes replaced by simple acts of kindness. This experience was a powerful reminder of the beauty of human generosity, leaving us with hearts full of gratitude and admiration.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here on a rainy day and most of the tables were filled. Waited to be seated after putting name on the list and took about 5-10 minutes to be seated. The 2 main servers were Jane and Magi. 2 waters were brought to our table and asked for lemon from Jane on 2 different occasions and gave some attitude but never brought the lemon . Asked Magi and she brought the lemons for the water. The plates were still dirty and the spoon had stuff on it and asked for new plates and silverware. Ordered the Inihaw platter which comes with grilled pampano, squid, eggplant, pork belly, tomatoes, mango, and alaman. Also ordered lumpia Shanghai and sizzling sisig longanisa. The pork belly had no flavor. The sisig was very oily. Lumpia Shanghai was okay . The squid was very rubbery in my opinion . Eggplant was okay . Overall the food was not up to par and service by Jane was bad. Magi was great .
I had always seen Goldilocks when going to the nearby Filipino supermarket, but don’t usually go to National City to dine. One day some friends were in town and we actually craved Filipino food, but didn’t feel like cooking, so we decided to finally try this place out. Parking can be a bit challenging on the weekends at this shopping area, but we were able to get a spot within minutes.The entrance brings you to the bakery section and the restaurant seating is to the left, but the layout makes it confusing as to where you go to actually get seated. It’s hard to tell which employees are servers and which work in the bakery and they’re bouncing all over but no one really greets and seats when they see you enter and stand there. When we were finally brought into the seating area, we were quite surprised that there were so many tables as you can’t see the whole section from the entrance. It feels cramped with so many tables so close together and the decor is reminiscent of dated diner/cafeteria. The commotion of all the other tables and servers make it a challenge to have a relaxing meal.The service is good, when you finally get seated and your food order is taken. The ladies that work there are very friendly and work quite hard as the restaurant does not staff enough to handle all the tables they seat. We can see how each server is stretched thin as they run back and forth nonstop to service all the tables, so bless their hearts! If I rated this review on service alone, I would have given 4 stars, but that is not the case.The food. I’ve grown up enjoying Filipino food and especially married to a Filipino, I’ve learned to make some of my favorite dishes too. Well, we were craving Filipino food this day and didn’t want to cook, so we were ready to just enjoy. We ordered the Sizzling Pork Sisig, Pork Dinaguan, Lechon Kawali, Lechon Kare-Kare. Let me just say that the food was a major letdown. Sisig is my sole favorite Filipino dish, however, the Sisig here was more like a breakfast omelet filling. There was so much chopped veggies, I wasn’t sure if I was eating a vegetarian Sisig or what. I have never in my life had Sisig where almost half was made up of chopped veggies. The Lechon Kawali was extremely dry and over-fried. We had to hunt down a server to ask for a vinegar dipping sauce to help make it more palatable. The Prok Dinaguan was flat in flavor, not horrible but not exactly good. The Pork Kare-Kare was decent and in this case, the best of what we got.Service from the servers would have gotten this review 4 stars, but the food resulted in the 2 stars. It was the first time I ate here and I honestly can’t say I would be returning, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
I had always seen Goldilocks when going to the nearby Filipino supermarket, but don't usually go to National City to dine. One day some friends were in town and we actually craved Filipino food, but didn't feel like cooking, so we decided to finally try this place out. Parking can be a bit challenging on the weekends at this shopping area, but we were able to get a spot within minutes. The entrance brings you to the bakery section and the restaurant seating is to the left, but the layout makes it confusing as to where you go to actually get seated. It's hard to tell which employees are servers and which work in the bakery and they're bouncing all over but no one really greets and seats when they see you enter and stand there. When we were finally brought into the seating area, we were quite surprised that there were so many tables as you can't see the whole section from the entrance. It feels cramped with so many tables so close together and the decor is reminiscent of dated diner/cafeteria. The commotion of all the other tables and servers make it a challenge to have a relaxing meal. The service is good, when you finally get seated and your food order is taken. The ladies that work there are very friendly and work quite hard as the restaurant does not staff enough to handle all the tables they seat. We can see how each server is stretched thin as they run back and forth nonstop to service all the tables, so bless their hearts! If I rated this review on service alone, I would have given 4 stars, but that is not the case. The food. I've grown up enjoying Filipino food and especially married to a Filipino, I've learned to make some of my favorite dishes too. Well, we were craving Filipino food this day and didn't want to cook, so we were ready to just enjoy. We ordered the Sizzling Pork Sisig, Pork Dinaguan, Lechon Kawali, Lechon Kare-Kare. Let me just say that the food was a major letdown. Sisig is my sole favorite Filipino dish, however, the Sisig here was more like a breakfast omelet filling. There was so much chopped veggies, I wasn't sure if I was eating a vegetarian Sisig or what. I have never in my life had Sisig where almost half was made up of chopped veggies. The Lechon Kawali was extremely dry and over-fried. We had to hunt down a server to ask for a vinegar dipping sauce to help make it more palatable. The Prok Dinaguan was flat in flavor, not horrible but not exactly good. The Pork Kare-Kare was decent and in this case, the best of what we got. Service from the servers would have gotten this review 4 stars, but the food resulted in the 2 stars. It was the first time I ate here and I honestly can't say I would be returning, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to like this place.
I haven't been to this location in about five years but coming back was so nice. The food is absolutely delicious. I love how they had some different options on the menu like the longanisa sisig. The servers were very kind and offered some suggestions of the new items on the menu.
Terrible service. I was in front the the register but the cashier completely ignored me and proceeded to help the people behind me and only the people who spoke Tagalog, pretty racist imo.
Slow service, ordered food and took us more than 30 minutes to get our first dish. Would not recommend the Dinuguan it doesn't taste good and
I'm from Orange County and travel to San Diego with my hubby to eat Filipino food. Since we're there, we stop by at this bakery, I've always love their cheese rolls but unfortunately they didn't get a delivery for 2 weeks for this cheese rolls :( instead got pandesal and Ube cheese. Ube cheese is delicious and moist. Love it!
Don't eat here. We ordered kare kare but they put lettuce instead of pechay. Also, they put more lettuce than meat and lack peanut butter. Disappointed with the very expensive but not tasty food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Opens early for Filipino breakfast at 0830am! There is 2 parts...one dining room with various popular pinoy dishes fr Kare Kare, Arroz caldo, pinakbet, pancit, lumpia, fried fish, spaghetti, palabok and so much more! For Breakfast, they have longsilog, tapsilog, any "silog" and Halo halo for desert! The other half of the restaurant is a Bakery- cakes, rolls, frozen treats, pandesals, hopia...and biscocho! I ended up getting fresh hot siopao (aka steam buns) ...3 chicken and 3 pork for roughly $3 each. One free if you buy 6 buns! Flavorful meat filling and the bun is soft and lightly sweet to counter the chicken/pork! So Delicious!
So the whole family decided to head out on a pretty Saturday afternoon for lunch in National City . So if you come to Goldilocks be ready for adventure with navigation of the parking lot. As we came in you can tell they was going to be busy . We was seated in a quickly manner and pretty much knew what we want since we come at least once every two weeks give or take . When the food arrived it looked amazing with the exception of the sizzling sisig, it wasn't even sizzling I would say a slow warm state . The sisig was very mushy that is supposed to crispy . The egg wouldn't even cook on the sisig because it was not hot. We ordered sizzling beef steak and it was sizzling but the beef was very tough and the meat is normally thin and tender . We also ordered bulalo was also very tough but the soup base and vegetables was good and not too salty. I can say the crispy pata was great like always . The place very well lit and clean . I will come back since I'm married into a Filipino family . I've had a better experience here before . I can the one they can really improve is the customer service. Not once did they come to see if the food was good and needed anything. So my rating is based on food quality and service .
My son only order a piece of chocolate roll cake and it took them 20 min. Everybody on our table already finished eating and my sons one piece cake came late.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Longsilog, Daing Na Bangus, Garlic Rice
Great food and a lot more to go,dishes in traditional Filipino ways,,,,great service and and place to comfort when dining!!!!!
Several issues- Leo (server) is probably the worst server I've experienced while in San Diego. Never checked on us and I even fixed my plate and he didn't take it away. Asked for water and he just looks at the plate. Ordered Kare-kare and the meat is tough and the eggplant hard like they just cut it and threw it in quickly. Ordered Lechon Kawali and the skin is not even crispy. Like it's been sitting there. Sago- I told Leo it's all ice and he asked me what do I want him to do. Like seriously, you work here not me.