Isla Restaurant

Hands down one of the best authentic Filipino restaurants in the Bay Area (and no, Jollibee does not count as authentic)! There is something about the atmosphere in Isla that is fast-​paced, yet relaxed at the same time. It really makes you feel like you’re in the Philippines. There are a few options you can do when it comes to ordering food: you can pick several of your favorite dishes as an a la carte, or you can choose from the variety of set meals that they pre-​picked for you. I find that if you want 4 or more dishes, it’s just best to get one of the pre-​picked sets because you save money that way. There is also a bell that you can ring towards the front of the restaurant if you like their service. The bell can get loud, which some people might find annoying, but after a while you don’t notice it anymore – and it just adds to the experience of being there. The food is a bit pricey… but everything is delicious so who cares? Haha

Went there for dinner last night with 2 others and ordered 5 dishes:
Nice setting but very cold inside as there was no heating. We had to eat with our jackets on.
— TNT (crab fat) Prawns: This dish met expectations. Good rich portion for the price. Very tasty dish!
— Kalderentang Oxtail: Very small portion for $ 16. Only 6 pieces of oxtail with the veggies. Tastes good but portions did not meet the price. A bit disappointing :(
— Chicken Tinola: Very tasty broth with ginger, decent chicken pieces, fair value for the price.
— Crispy Binagoongan: Crispy pieces of pork with eggplant, mango and tomato pieces cooked in shrimp paste. First time I had this dish. Decent value for the price
— Pancit Canton: Very tasty. Nice portion for the price.
Would have gotten another star if the oxtail portion was at least reasonable. I would however eat here again to try other things on the menu.

Friday the 22 we celebrated a Birthday here and we all felt ill. The strong fried oil smells, the octopus and shrimp was not cleaned well. I personally was ill all weekend. The service was horrible and food was so bad.

Start off by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of Filipino food so that may have some impact on my review but nonetheless, my experience and the food was decent. Their 3 start rating is fair but not sure why there are so many 1 star reviews.
Came here for lunch on Sunday and this place was packed. There was a line for sure but by the time we arrived my bf’s family already had a table. This place is good for large groups, they have many big round tables.
Food wise — There was a total of six of us and we got the #3 ala carte thing which consisted of: adobung oxtail, butter & garlic shrimp, bicol pakbit, pancit palabok, crispy binagoongan, chicken wings, unlimited steamed rice, misau soup, and three sodas. (They have an online menu with pictures.) My favorites were probably the shrimp, chicken wings, and the pakbit. Everything else was pretty plain tasting or just not my cup of tea. The food comes out in a large platter which is kind of difficult for everybody to reach. It would be nice if they have a swivel table where you move the dishes around but we ended up just passing the plates to everybody which was a hassle.
Portions were pretty small but it fed all of us, which was the most important probably because of that unlimited rice. They were really good about refilling our water pitcher and our rice. The unlimited soda was nice but that place is so crowded and it’s difficult to get through all the tables when you’re trying to get more soda.
Service… they were attentive to us and I think this has to do with the fact that the older adults spoke the language and communicating was easier. I imagine that if you didn’t speak the language, you may have a harder time and may have a bad experience as others have mentioned.
I don’t think I would come back but this isn’t bad if you’re into Filipino food and have a large group.

Sulit Number 4 was good, everything on it was satisfying and had a lot of left overs since they hook it up with Lancia!

We went here on a Friday night hoping to have good Filipino food. We were seated right away. We ordered the Sulit #1, which is a big platter of food fit to feed 4 people. The squid on the plate was not cooked all the way through and was not that great. My girlfriend is Filipino and she knows how it is suppose to taste. The sinigang that we order also was overly salty. I was not a fan. I had a few cups of water to finish the meal. Besides the environment size, I would give the place 1.5 stars but a 2 would suffice for now.
Must try? Not on the top of the list
Try again? I’d rather wait an hour for a different restaurant than to eat here again.

This place has some bomb ass food! But… the service sucks ass real bad! They seat us with no menus… then they take forever to come by and take our order! There’s only like 3 seated tables! Then they get our orders wrong, I asked for 2 sisog silog because there’s 2 PEOPLE then they come out with one and so one person starts eating while the other one waiting for Thier food (because the other person has to go to work soon not cuz he’s a asshole) then we ask how long it’s going to be until the other plate comes out and the guy is like «what u wanted 2?» No shit sherlock… anyways…we just paid for one and bounced. That is all.

The place was packed but was seated right away. The menu was slightly confusing because of all the yummy choices
Unlimited soda, unlimited rice, the Entrées that we ordered were all good. My favorite was the Original Crispy Pork Binagoongan. We also had sinigang, kaldererta, lumpia, and lechon kawali. The service was fast. The staffs were really friendly and helpful. We all had a great time and satisfied with our meal. It surely was a pleasant experience. We will definite go back. Found another great Filipino restaurant in the east bay

My boyfriend and I came here to eat. Yes, there was 2 of us. We both ordered 2 sisig silog and our waiter somehow STUPIDLY thought only 1 of us was eating even though there was TWO of us present and clearly ordered TWO meals.
Cashier was nice enough to speak to management about what happened but management didn’t even do anything about the incident. Not even had the decency to personally apologize. This is the most ridiculous restaurant and staff I’ve come across. First and definitely LAST visit!

We came here a few months ago and the service was pretty bad. I’m all for the great filipino food but if you treat us like crap then that’s just horrible business.
Long wait time — I can understand that since it was a popular night.
Sat us without menus — ok?
Asked for water and the waiter just slammed two stacked poorly washed cups on the table and walked away — For real?
Took our order but rushed us in making a decision — At this part I was getting pissed.
We tried to wave down our waiter several times to ask for other things but he kept ignoring us — Really Pissed at that point.
Saw our waiter dicking around behind the front desk area when he saw us several times trying to get his attention — Walked out.
I see other people enjoyed their food which I’m pretty sure is great, but again the service was horrible. It may not be the team as a whole, but that specific waiter was just all bad.
Maybe he’s not there anymore? I may give this spot another chance. Maybe…

Nice little family restaurant with friendly staff, the place was bigger than I thought it would be. I really wanted to like the food, but it wasn’t out of this world when it comes to Filipino dishes.
My uncle was celebrating his birthday so we had a party of 14 at two tables: round table for 10, and a 4 person bench on the side. My aunt was able to make a last minute reservation! We were seated within 10 minutes of arriving even with the stream of customers waiting for a table and a full dining room on a Saturday.
We ordered:
Kare kare (peanut oxtail stew with vegetables)– way too sweet for my taste, peanut butter overload
The pork BBQ had good flavor, but too much fat. Maybe try the chicken BBQ?
Unlimited steamed white rice in a cool silver handled container which goes so well with my favorite dish of the night: sizzling bangus (milkfish) sisig! Squeeze fresh lemon on top and mix it with the sprinkle of chopped jalapeño for a winner! Burst of tastiness with a kick.
The pancit noodles were a bit salty and not as light as I’m used to (kind of weighed down with some sauce/​oil) had a fair mix of veggies and meat.
The fried calamari rings were the next best thing to the bangus sisig.
Crispy pata (fried pork thigh) did not disappoint.
The fish sinigang (sour soup normally with hint of tamarind) was super sour, didn’t like it.
Halo halo (mixed dessert bowl) presentation, along with the food, was good! The ube (purple yam) ice cream on top of crushed ice looked just like the photo. The ingredients weren’t as colorful as I’d hoped though. The Buko Pandan (coconut, jello, coconut gel) was okay; I’ve had better homemade ones.
This place might be hyped up a bit due to its frequent visits on a popular Fil-​Am Channel show, but try it out for yourself. Service is polite, respectful, and they give large tables a whole pitcher of water, which you can even fill up yourself at the two accessible soda dispensers.
If it’s your actual birthday and your party is 4 or more, show ID and your meal is free! Not valid with some promotions though. They have lots of specials with unlimited rice, party platter discounts, and to go only lumpia (Filipino egg roll) specials.
Ring the bells up above to indicate your satisfaction. They have pretty lanterns in their tree outside and added plain white «parols» (handcrafted star lanterns) for the holiday season. Décor is always appreciated.

The best CRISPY binagoongan!!! This place deserves more than 3stat rating.
I love anything crispy. And been craving for different kinds of food. Including Filipino food.
This place not only cooks Filipino dishes well but also pretty good price wise! They offer unlimited rice if you choose to eat dine in. Definitely must try!

The best tasting Filipino food I have had so far.
If you guys know me, I was born in the Philippines and I came here when I was a baby. My parents are from a region in the Philippines called Pampanga and they make the best Kapampangan food! (well at least my family over there does).
This place reminds me of being back home in the Philippines. It’s very nostalgic every time I go here because even the décor reminds me of family’s home over there.
The food here also reminds me of my family’s. They have a very welcoming environment.
I would recommend this place to anyone who likes or wants to try traditional Filipino food.

Eh this place is alright.
Me and my whole family came for my uncles bday and it was our first time.
The pros: The «appetizer» type circle tray with banana leaves, topped with fried egg rolls, grilled shrimp, sour mango, fried pork, pork fat, fried fish, and a few more, was the best part! I actually really enjoyed this. I also love the fact that’s it’s unlimited rice. I also like how you can refill your own cup instead of waiting for someone to come.
I loved the soup that’s given in the beginning! It had eggs inside with light noodles.
The cons: Everything else sucked. The kari kari had too much sweet peanut butter, the sinigang was pale and had bones instead of meat. It wasn’t sour either!!! The halo halo and dessert was small and didn’t have flavor. It was basically sweet milk.
Service was pretty good and they’re nice!
I would probably come back but not for a while. Maybe it’s my mom’s cooking but I’m not fond of this Filipino’s region of food.

Giving this place a solid 3 stars. The food was fantastic and once you placed the order the food comes out rather quickly. It would have been 4 stars however, the service here is a little slow. We waited before we placed the order and after we requested the check.
Let me say again, the food was fantastic and so were their desserts. The menu was a bit overwhelming with a lot to choose from but we’ll definitely be back to try other entrees.

We stopped by Isla on our way home from Santa Cruz on a Saturday evening. We got to the restaurant around 8:00PM and they were busy. We didn’t think they would be that busy this late. We had to wait for about 15 min for a party of 5. Not sure if they have a host, but there was no greeting. After being seated, our waitress/​waiters were all nice. We ordered the Sulit Bilao Deal #3 plus an Original Sisig Kapampanga. The Sulit #3 was plenty. It could probably server 7 – 8 people with a regular appetite. The Original Sisig was disappointing. It had a burnt taste. Overall, we were still satisfied with our experience. We just won’t order the Sisig next time.
Oh. The misua soup is good. It’s my first time trying it.
Parking is easy. You won’t have to worry about it. They’re located in a shopping plaza but the restaurant is easy to find.

You can definitely feel the filipino hospitality here. The staff are very friendly, although i can tell they found some humor in the fact my friend and i didn’t know much tagalog. Nonetheless, the food taste the closest to how my mother used to cook. I don’t know if its cause i hadnt had sinigang in years but my first bite was deliciously nostalgic with the tamarind flavor and the tender meat.
We ordered pork sinigang, short ribs kaldereta, and bangus sisig. All of which were so good. Ive never thought to switch up the poultry and fish in those particular dishes, but it really worked for them.
Will be back! Maybe in a larger party to try kamay style! :)

We went here for my sister’s birthday dinner around 6pm on a weekday so it wasn’t so busy. We were able to get a table right away for the 5 of us dining in. Since it was my sister’s birthday that actual day, we saw the special of free birthday meal for the celebrant and thought wow, that would be nice to help the cost. Little did we know it wouldn’t apply if we got a combo. But there was nothing on the menu that stated it could not be combined with any offer as we were looking to get one of the combo deals. They really need to specify that as it is false advertisement.
So there’s always a catch to free stuff! If you’re planning to go there on your birthday and try to get that deal, you can’t get it with any other combo. You’ll have to order all ala carte. But for us, it seems easier to get the combo deal as it’s already listed there in different options rather than take the time to actually figure out what we want. We went with the following of Combo Deal #1 for $ 48 which included:
Crispy Binagoongan sa Gata
Kalderetang Bagus
Ginataang Green Beans and Kalabasa
Kyle’s Chicken Wings
Pancit Bihon Guisado
Unlimited Steam Rice
We also started off with Calamari and Lumpia Shanghai as appetizers for $ 8 each and also a side of Kare Kare, which is my sister’s favorite that costs about $ 16. The food was tasty just like some good old filipino home cooking food. I like the chicken wings the best and the kare kare was a hit with everyone.
The service on the other hand wasn’t that impressive. Once the food came out, we weren’t really check on there after. And if you want more drinks you’ll have to get yourself at the soda fountain. Well at least our food came out in a timely manner. But to ask for the check took a while as well. At least they gave my sister a birthday mango ice cream dessert with a candle so that was nice of them.

I was hoping to have an excellent experience at Isla. From the get-​go, we walk in and they seat us at a corner table which faces the corner of the restaurant. Seating for three and we were pushed up against the back window wall of the restaurant between the corner wall the fountain drink dispenser. I had to ask to be moved to another table as soon as I saw the other party get up and leave. Why do they even place tables in the far corner where our backs were hitting the back window of the building?
FOOD & CUSTOMER SERVICE:
We ordered the Bihon Pancit, Sisig and Bangus Sinigang.
The Sisig was good but needed more seasoning.
The Bangus Sinigang was probably my most favorite dish. The soup was sour and savory. My only issue is that they said it was boneless fish and I had to spit into my napkin numerous times so I wouldn’t choke on any bones.
The Pancit was your typical Bihon Pancit, however, it was a bit soggy on the bottom and the quail eggs threw me off. The quail eggs may be a typical item included in pancit however I passed on it.
My son ordered the Tocino with eggs and garlic rice also known as Tocilog. He loved it! It was gone within 10 minutes.
The customer service was iffy. The lady who delivered our sinigang soup spilled on the table and it leaked through the little slats and onto the floor hitting my husband Jordans. My husband and I witnessed a busboy who was setting table drop utensils on the floor picked it up and just wiped his on his shirt and put it back on the table for the next patron to use. Can you believe that?
I’m not sure if I’ll be coming back to Isla. At least I tried it. The lack of flavor of a few dishes and questionable sanitation practices makes me think twice about returning.

Growing up with home made filipino food makes me really selective when eating out filipino restaurants. Some places nail it and others just. don’t. Meh.
Isla gives you an option to eat «a la carte «I suppose and they emphasize on eating with your hands. Crazy long wait for mediocre filipino food. That’s all. Just definitely not a fan.