Islands To the Bay

Is this really closed for good? please tell me they moved. I love the food. One of the best sisig I ever had. Came here couple times just for that.

Ive ordered in the past before and it was delicious and portions was just the right size. Now, i understand i ordered the same thing as last time and I feel like I received half the amount of food as last time! I would expect a little more consistency. For what I paid for i’d rather drive a few more miles and get gateway.

This is for take out and for Lumpias only.
100 lumpias for $ 25. YUP. Called last minute and order them for our family while moving. Best price and taste .
(They have chicken and pork lumpia shanghai.)

Good basic Silog, BBQ chicken and curry, but nothing to write home about on my husband’s locomoco. It’s cheap and they do very basic well enough and for that they didn’t get my one star. I should have gotten the hint when I walked in during lunch hour and did not see ANYONE in the restaurant. The tacky furniture and décor assured me only that they do cheap well (which is okay in this case.)
Sorry! I like giving mom & pop my business, but this one I won’t be returning to. Very disappointed. :(
ETA: Please be careful of how you cook the BBQ. I found some pieces on the border of being too pink for me to eat. I do not want you to get in trouble for getting people sick.

This place is off the hook. Came here on a cheat day, well worth it.

You don’t know how excited I was to learn that a Filipino/​Chamorro restaurant opened in Daly City. The prospect of not waiting until I was in the San Diego area to have Chamorro food filled me with so much hope and happiness. Unfortunately, it was too good to be true.
Immediately, I was turned off by the busy and tacky island décor. Then I walked up to the cafeteria style service area and was even more turned off by the 8 unappetizing food trays that sat behind the glass. They looked like they had been sitting untouched for hours and hours, and we were there around 11:00 — 11:30 am on a Sunday.
Every dish looked Filipino so my husband asked if they had any Chamorro dishes. We were told that we would have to order Chamorro food a la carte. After browsing the menus that they pointed to, we sadly did not see any Chamorro food. The exception was the estufao that was noted as adobo in parentheses. We didn’t even want to stay and eat. Such a let down; a poor representation of Chamorro food. = (

We came here on Sunday due to the reviews we have read here.
It is a typical Filipino restaurant for me and nothing to really rave about. I had their special island fried rice and the omelette breakfast– it was ok. The placemats are kinda weird — like cheap looking ones.
I think they need to fix the section where they have their food– like, make it look more presentable.
The bathroom is nice though! I love clean and well-​kept bathrooms! :)

Ever since I found out about this place, I’ve been back here hella times.
Initially, I didn’t even want to come here.
Let me explain:
A few weeks ago, Wifey and I went to pick-​up some food from another place to bring to a family gathering. I hate to be late so while we were leaving that place, she wanted me to stop here to pick-​up another food that she wanted to order. Of course I threw a fit since it’s gonna delay us another half an hour at the least. Long story short, I ended up loving what she ordered from this place so it piqued my curiosity.
So I checked them on Unilocal and the best way to describe it is Filipino with a Chamorro twist, as other Unilocalers have mentioned.
That very next day, I dragged the Wifey to return here to get some breakfast. That was the plan, but we missed breakfast by half an hour and we ended up getting the lunch menu. For $ 8.45, you can have three items plus a drink and unlimited rice. What the heck?! It was just the two of us and so we had six items and I think we ordered too much. However, it was all very good.
Their lunch is served turo-​turo style which means you choose any combination you like from whatever dishes they have for the day. As I found out later, they don’t serve the same dishes every day, but whatever is fresh or in season is often added to the lunch menu. I’ve never had Chamorro before, so when I tasted their version of Chicken Adobo I was hit with something familiar but new at the same time. The Chamorro twist is that it is cooked with coconut milk and it gives it a tang and extra layer of flavor I’ve never experienced from an adobo.
They also had dinuguan (pork cooked in pig’s blood), bitter melon with eggs, tilapia sinigang (sour soup), chicken tinola and eggplants with beef. The older lady who was watching us, who I believe is the owner, took care of us like a loving mother. She asked if we wanted more rice, to which we humbly accepted. She told us to let her know if we wanted more. Of course we couldn’t because we were so stuffed.
The following week, we returned again and had their silog breakfast menu. Their prices range from $ 5.25 (cheapest) to $ 7.95 (highest) and nothing was over $ 10.00. Mind you, a silog comes with two eggs and rice so you’re getting a bargain and not leaving hungry ever. I had the Fried Chicken Silog ($ 5.50) with a side of Tortang Talong (eggplant omelette) while Wifey opted for their lunch menu instead. This was also the time we go their Halo Halo.
I heard about their Empanadas and they happen to run out at that time. So guess what? We returned the following week for their Empanadas and it was on. The Chamorro version is filled with rice and chicken and it’s either spicy or non-​spicy. Of course I always pick the spicy and was lovin’ every bite. Be careful though since it comes out hot and it needs time to rest before you even think of laying your hand on it.
I kid you not when I say I came back here on my day off on a Friday for breakfast and again on Saturday the following day. That same day, I picked the Wifey and my Mother-​In-​Law and they wanted to eat lunch here. Of course I didn’t tell them I was already here so I went along with the flow. I wonder what the server was thinking when she saw me again on the same day?
FYI: Presentation of the food here is straight up and the dishes for their lunch menu are on chafing dishes. It’s not going to win any awards for looks. The only items that are plated are the breakfast menu. It might not be pretty to look at, but the flavor is superb and you can’t beat the price.
All I know is that I found my new Pinoy joint with a Chamorro twist.
Also, they have the cleanest bathroom I’ve ever been to. Really!

Island to bay, welcome me home with open hands.
This is one of those places where you have a long night and just want to take some
Time, and eat home cooking. The silog plates where presented on fashion of a cafeteria. You had your protein, starch and vegetable. Nothing fancy but tasty when you use the provided sauce. I recommend that you either brush or not kiss anyone after lunch or breakfast here.
Clean area, easy to find parking on weekdays. Now just go!

So glad this place exists! It’s a new restaurant and serves mainly Filipino food, but on the weekends they do have the option of serving Chamorro food. The owners of this joint are from Saipan originally so although the Chamorro food isn’t 100% authentic, their take on it is still just as good!
Ordered their chicken bbq plate with red rice as well as a chicken kelaguen plate with red rice. Red rice can develop more flavor, but overall reminds me of home :) chicken kelaguen is slightly different as they add ginger to it, but it definitely has an enjoyable kick to it. Plus, they’re generous on giving that finnadene sauce ;)
Staff are very nice. When they heard we were from Guam they made plenty of effort to get to know us.
Keep up the good food! Glad to see this in place and I’m looking forward to the day they can serve Chamorro food all days of the week!

Ordered their empanada, after years of not having had any, I thought I’d be treated to the taste of home. A bit disappointing. First bite had my lips full of cooking oil and the filling was lacking. Considering one is priced at $ 2.00, I was hoping for the real deal. Ay adai. This island girl is not a happy one. Their chicken kelaguen’s presentation looked nice. Chicken should be chopped into smaller pieces. They served it with fried chips. It would be better with corn titiya. Taste was alright. Still not the real deal but since it’s the first restaurant I’ve seen here in the bay, then it is what it is. Guess I’ll have to do my own cooking. Staff friendly, which was good. I was really hoping for at least 3.5 stars.

This review reminds me of Janice’s review of Mexico Au Parc when we went to lunch (yess.I still need to do my review on that), where she said healthy Mexican food. Well my tocilog was less greasy than silogs normally are, so healthier Filipino food here. say what?!
He got a loco moco silog. Good portions here and cheap! Our bill was about $ 13 and change. The tocilog as I mentioned wasn’t covered in a pool of grease; garlic rice was nice and light but lingering garlic flavor in my mouth after. His loco moco had a nice light sauce and the patties were thinner but moist. I definitely want to come back and try their sisig. Great Filipino food here, since it’s in the big shopping complex parking will be a pain in the ass later in the day. I like Tselogs near Alemany but, parking is even more nightmarish there; plus Islands To The Bay is even slightly cheaper and a little less greasy. 3.75ish but I’ll round up.

New to the Daly City area this Resturant caters to the Chamorro people with a Filipino twist. What does that mean, well they serve food from the Marianas islands but because Unilocal doesn’t have a category for that so they just categorize it as Philippino, which is the closest thing to this type of food. I guess!
Island to the bay is a brand new Resturant that’s located right across from the classic bowl. When you first enter its a surprise too see just how big the location is. You’re greeted by a friendly young lady who makes sure to acknowledge every customer that walks in. There menu isn’t very big, I think it’s because their brand new, but they have popular Filipino favorites like: lechon, fried tilapia, pancit and adobo. You have options to dine-​in, where you sit down on picnic style tables. The picnic table benches There not the most comfortable to sit on but they do the job. The other option is take out. Most dishes are served with a side of sweet corn or spicy pickles.
The cliché island feel is cozy but expected. The price point is a fare and cheaper than most places in Daly City, which is a point for those who wanna return for more dishes. The only draw back I have is there full menu is not on display. When asked about it I was told because they either ran out of food or they only sale it on the weekends. The reason for only selling it on the weekends is people mostly ask for it on those days, compared to the week days. I’ve never hear of that before when dealing with a Restuarant but I chalk it up to being a new Restuarant.

Island Fish Escabeche = OMG try this NOW. It’s an entire fried Tilapia, covered in a generous amount of cooked vegetables and yellow coconut sauce. You’d think with the fried fish and coconut milk it would be too heavy… but it’s not! Or maybe it is, but I don’t care anyway, hahaha. Additionally it’s served with a side of spicy pickles, and I ordered a side of red rice. All of this set me back only $ 12 including tax.
I’d never seen that preparation before & noticed a few other unique menu items & asked the waitress where it was from. Turns out this restaurant has cuisine influenced by the Marianas Islands (but Unilocal doesn’t have a category for that, so I guess Filipino is the closest thing?) and the Escabeche was from the small island of Saipan.
I’ll be back to try more island cuisine… or maybe I’ll just get the Island Fish Escabeche again, because it was that good! Décor is simple but welcoming, with island pictures and music playing. This space is cozy with about a dozen tables.

Finally! Chamorro food close to home — sadly the Guamanian staples are offered during weekends and often not throughout the week, thankfully their Filipino menu did not disappoint.
Friendly service and fair portions at a reasonable price.
Island Fish Escabeche (fried tilapia?) with julienned carrots, green bell peppers, & ginger, in a mild coconut curry sauce: decadent but not too rich. $ 9.95 — bookmarked for future visits.
Crispy Pata: a good-​sized leg with crispy fried skin, enveloping tender on-​the-​bone meat. Served with a side of vinegar/​soy to sawsaw (dip) the sinful deliciousness. Surprisingly lean and competitively priced at $ 10.95.
What goes well with fried fish and a fried pork leg? More deep-​fried pork!
Lechon Kawali: Pork Belly fried to perfection in a kawali (wok) as opposed to the traditional rotisseried lechon. The cracklin (crispy skin) was amazing and the attached laman (meat) remained succulent despite its golden brown exterior. A table favorite at $ 9.95.
This address has a remarkably high turnover hosting more than 5 restaurants in the last 5 years but I hope Islands To The Bay is here to stay.
We’ll be back during the weekend for red rice, kelaguen, and donne’!

Best Island food in the Bay! They have everything on the menu that reminds me of a hearty home cooked meal. From Chicken Kelaguin, Fritada, BBQ, Bistek, Red Rice and Crispy Pata! They also have the famous Tinian Donne and Fina denne you can’t get at any restaurant in town. The service is 5 stars (10 if I can give it!), manager/​owners are personable, funny and make dining here a great experience! If you haven’t gone, GO! What are you waiting for?

This place is by far the best Chamorro Filipino restaurant in the bay. Their portions are huge (I can’t ever finish them) which is a good thing. Also, their sisig is by far the best I’ve ever tried. It’s super tasty. That’s a definite must try. And for those Authentic Chamorro food lovers, this is the spot you are looking for. Overall, good experience and good service

Went for my usual Saturday morning grocery shop and saw this new place. Decided to stop by and pick up breakfast on the way home…
Was instantly greeted by the staff with a cheery «Good Morning» welcome! I looked over at the menu and gave my order of Tosilog and the eggplant omelette and asked for it to go… Upon placing my order, was asked if I would like complimentary coffee or iced tea while I waited and gracious declined…
As I waited for my order at a nearby table, I eagerly waited as I watched on the mounted TV, island tunes that played and entertained the guests as they waited and ate. The matching island themed décor on the tables made the place all the more of a «warm island» vibe!
Within minutes, my order was ready and off I went home…
The food items that I ordered were delicious and reminded me of home cooked meals my mom & Aunties would make…
Definitely will come back for lunch/​dinner soon!

Last night my fiancé and I were actually planning on grabbing dinner at Plaza Rizal, but to our surprise it had been replaced with Islands to the Bay. We decided to just dine here anyway and we were so glad we did! It actually happened to be their grand opening day and we were pleased to see a decent amount of guests dining in. Island music playing in the background added a nice touch too!
First I’ll talk about the staff. They were so friendly, excited, and sweet! We could tell they were a bit nervous but they handled themselves well, and though our food did take a bit longer to come out than usual we totally understood because it was their opening day :)
Now, for the food. The menu consists of various Filipino and nearby island dishes. We ended up ordering several a la carte dishes:
Fish Escabeche — So delicious! This was a whole deep fried tilapia coated in a thick coconut ginger sauce and vegetables.
Pinakbet — Filipino veggie dish, yum!
Dinuguan — This was so good! Dinuguan isn’t for everyone, but it was my dad’s specialty. He was famous for this dish in our family, and sadly, before he passed he didn’t share the recipe with anyone. Whenever my sister and I see dinuguan on a menu, we always order it and in most cases are disappointed because it never tastes as good as our dad’s. The dinuguan here was almost as good as my dad’s, just needed a little more spice and vinegar bite in my opinion! I was so excited that I took a picture of it and sent it to my sister right away :) That dish alone will keep me coming back to this place!
The food is delicious, their prices are so reasonable, and more importantly, the staff seems to really care about what they do. Can’t wait to come back and support this local business!

If you’re an islander and love authentic Filipino and Chamorro dishes (usually served on the weekends) you’ll love what Islands to the bay has to offer. If you haven’t tried either? I highly suggest Islands to the Bay! Order their crispy pata, it’s one of MY favorites, Nonetheless, they have so much more to try! Give them a shot! Happy ordering :-)
#saipan670 #hafaadai #allday #islandfood #islandgrub #proudchamorro #proudislander #LOTT