R & B Filipino Cuisine

Bad service. A Filipino guy with glasses and a beanie served us. We tried to order pancit, in which he answered, «if you want some, you’re going to have to wait.» We were already in a rush, and I’m sure he knew. So we know he was doing it on purpose.
Not coming back.

I called in an order of crispy pata and the lady said 45 mins. She took my phone number and all my info and she said that she’ll cook it now. When I went to pick up my food, the lady told me that she forgot. No apologies or anything. Just an «I forgot.» Bad business practice. I will definitely never come back here again.

First time trying this place. The chicken adobo was very tasty but had little bone splinters which resulted in a cracked tooth for me. The squid was whole body including cartilage. Wish I could have tried the lumpia but they weren’t selling the ones in the case.

Oh Auntie, you are so sweet!
My partner and I had to pick up some trays of a family party (how typical does that sound!!!) and we got there at the pick up time of 11am. I guess my family told R & B between the times of 11−12pm so they were still cooking some of the food, which means these trays were going to be fresh and hot. Yummie.
So while we waited, one of the aunties came by with two turon’s and gave them to us. What a treat! They were fresh, gooey and sweet and crispy.
The smell of the food just made us hungrier and once the trays came out, you know we had to do a quality assurance test especially with that shanghi lumpia.
We got 4 ½ trays… shanghi lumpia, pancit, 3 deep fried fishes that were stuffed with something (I don’t know the names, I just point and eat…) and kare-​kare. I have to say, their food is delicious, fresh and reminds me of my grandma’s home cooking. Not oily or greasy either.

Tried this spot during my lunch break and left verrryyyy full but not fully satisfied if that makes any sense to you haha. I was really craving some kare kare so I looked on Unilocal and chose this place since the reviews seemed pretty promising and its proximity to my work. In a little strip mall off of Camino Ruiz, next to California Donuts & Rita’s Italian ice, you should easily be able to find parking in their private lot. When I walked in there were only 2 other people dining in and there’s a decent amount of tables if you wanted to eat there. They do a lot of party trays it looks like and have a wide variety of dishes. Typical lunch take out where they prepare the food and have it on heating trays. There were a lot of choices and nothing was labeled so when I asked if they had kare kare, the employee just gave me a blank stare and pointed to the tray… I ended up getting the 2 item combo with kare kare and lechon kawali with a side order of 3 lumpia and my total came out to be $ 9.98. So of the items that I ordered I liked the lechon the best. Super crispy and still warm (I was worried that the food might be cold based on some of the reviews), there were at least 10 good sized pieces that she gave me. Some of them did have a lot of fat, I have to agree, but when does pork belly NOT have a lot of fat? The sauce they give with it is ADDICTING! I have no idea how they make it but I taste a lot of garlic. The lumpia was pretty good, they weren’t skimpy on the filling. I didn’t love the sauce they serve it with though, tasted a little funny to me. The kare kare was a big disappointment to me sadly. It was a watery consistency I’m not used to and lacked the richness I was looking for. There were green beans and eggplant in it, which I normally really enjoy, but they weren’t fully cooked. There was ONE piece of meat in it and a couple pieces of tripe I believe. The bagoong or whatever they serve with it helped but it didn’t have any depth of flavor to me so I ended up trashing most of it. I might just have to get the recipe from my ex boyfriends mom because NOTHING. ELSE. COMPARES… final verdict– I wouldn’t mind grabbing food here again but will definitely be trying another dish.

First time here as we’ve only lived in Mira Mesa for a couple of weeks. So I stopped in to check this place out while I was picking up donuts next door. It’s your usual family run turo-​turo restaurant which are the best. I got a large garlic rice and a small order of sisig. I don’t eat pork but it looked so good I decided my hubby needed to try it for me. Well, TWO thumbs up pare! Luckily we only live minutes away so you’ll be seeing me again for sure.

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
E. B. White
Woke with the desire for lechon kawali. I was dreaming of that distinct aroma of fried pork. It was 9am and Manilla Fast Food doesn’t start serving it till 10:30am. This place has it though. :-) The setup here is similar to Manilla Fast food where you line up and ask for the food in the warming trays. I chose the 2 item combo with all pandit. Lumpia was a bit dry and a bit overcooked. Flavor was good except on the overcooked parts. Pancit was very good. I liked the mix of veggies and a few fat noodles among the vermicelli noodles. Lechon kawali had aroma of fried pork, crunchy skin and juicy meat. Very good except for a few pieces which were all fat.
On my second visit the lechon kawali was dry and crunchy from being overcooked. Not edible. Lumpia was fine. This would be a good place to eat if person running the fryer took stuff out sooner. I prefer the lechon kawali at Manilla Fast Food but I prefer the pancit here to Nanay’s Best BBQ.

Best lechon kawali in Mira Mesa!
Some of my Unilocal Elite friends had wanted to meet up yesterday for lunch and were in the mood for Filipino food. As I was the one with the most experience with the cuisine (gosh, I wonder why…), I had scouted ahead several days prior and determined that R&B would be the best place to go.
The entrees were on steam trays; I had decided that I would do a 2-​item combo of kare-​kare (beef oxtail, tripe, and vegetables in a peanut sauce) and lechon kawali (roast pig). The combo came with 2 scoops of steamed rice and a free bowl of sinigang soup (veggies only… but at least it’s free). Pancit and lechon are each a dollar extra — but when the lechon came out fresh, it’s worth it! My friends ordered a second 2-​item combo of lechon and longanisa/​tocino (pork sausage and sweet pork — here, they were in the same steam tray), and a plate of pancit.
The food was very delicious — I was impressed that not only did we get freshly cooked lechon, it wasn’t fatty at all! The kare-​kare wasn’t as oily as other places I’ve had it, and the portion sizes are quite generous. (In fact, all three of us brought home our leftovers after we had eaten our fill.) Drinks are a bit extra, though, and as they’re in bottles and cans, there’s no fountain service available. Also, there are desserts such as pecan tarts and hopia (mung bean pastries) at the register, though no halo-​halo.
At least the folks at R&B are pleasant enough, and the restaurant itself is pretty clean, if not on the small side. While there’s a TV on premises, it wasn’t turned on (though I have a feeling it would be set to TFC — The Filipino Channel — if it was).
Probably the best independently-​owned Filipino restaurant in Mira Mesa that I’ve been to so far! If you’re in the mood for some reasonably priced Philippine cuisine, give R&B a shot!

Okay follow up review!
So I really didn’t know «how much» pancit you get with a tray (half tray), all I knew was that I needed enough to feed 5 of us and some of have BIG MAN appetites! Also got 20 lumpia’s.
Hubby says the guy seemed annoyed that we didn’t order ahead for the pancit which okay, we will know better next time but they did make some «fresh» for us… This is where I docked a star because in my book you are in the business of customer service/​food service so isn’t it a good thing if you are able to sell more? And it’s not like it was late in the day… It was 11a PLUS what was already out wasn’t going to be enough and we wanted the small broken noodles not the wide noodles… Not even sure what that is… So to sneer and make comments will get you a star docked… As far as flavor goes I will say 5 STARS!!! But you have to earn it all to get 5 whole stars from me. The Lumpia was great… It isn’t so skinny that you can’t see any of the filling but it is a bit skinnier than I like… I understand tho that its they way it rolls… Get it? Rolls? Yea okay so anyway it was delicious!!! The dipping sauce that they provided with the Lumpia however was not as tasty as I have had literally EVERY OTHER place I have ever been. Their sauce looked like pink gelatin and the flavor wasn’t very desirable… We barely used any of it and I skipped it altogether after the 1^st one.
So far I have tried 2 different fishes… Lechon, pancit and lumpia… Gotta def try more stuff there. I also bought their Suman… I was told it should be chewy but it was kind of al dente and I wasn’t a fan… I haven’t tossed them but I’m thinking of resteaming them to see what happens… :/​
And like I said in my tips– GO EARLY!

If I ever eat Filipino food, I make sure it’s from this restaurant. Excellent authentic Filipino food, great and friendly service!
The food here is precooked, prepped daily, very authentic/​traditional and you can order a combination plate of anything you want!
I love the pancit noodles, menudo, chicken adobo (tender, flavorful and juicy), lechon kawali (crispy. sooo good but fatty) and lumpia (egg rolls)! I love the savory flavores and vermicelli texture of the pancit noodles (a must try)!
They are very generous on their portions sizes!
The restaurant is very clean and organized.
Prices range $ 6-​$ 7 for a combination plate.
I also like to order pans (catering) of pancit and/​or lumpia from this restaurant for special occasions!

Lechon Kawali on the weekends!!! Whoo… Great local spot to grab some good filipino food.
Family owned and they are always upbeat and happy to serve their fixings. I usually call if I want to know if they have the items I want. Food is precooked and you can order a combination plate or a la carte with the items they have out.
I believe they do catering too! Don’t hesitate to stop by in your in the neighborhood!

There were many choices to choose from. The pricing wasn’t too bad, 2 sides with rice for around 6 $. I got the lechon kawali which was $ 1 extra. I also got the mungo beans (i forgot what it’s called in tagalog). I liked it except the fact that there was bitter melon in it. It made it taste really bitter and it was missing something. My boyfriend got diniguan and chicken adobo as his two sides.
The temperature of the food was not hot. It wasn’t even warm. I think if the food was hot it would have definitely changed the taste. The chicken adobo tasted really good. I did like the mungo beans but they were at room temperature. The lechon kawali was alright, it wasnt warm like I wanted it to be. The sauce that it comes with was too sweet and I was expecting a little something more savory. The diniguan tasted pretty good, it wasnt warm like I said. There were a lot of fatty pieces in it but the consistency of it was on point. I wish there were a little bit more meaty pieces. The rice was hard and COLD I was expecting it to be hot knowing that it’s rice it comes straight from the pot rather than the sides sitting out. I dont even think they were under heating lamps, the sides were just over room temp water sitting in pans. The best part of this experience was the sinigang that they give. It comes with your combo and tastes just right. I would like to give this place another chance sooner or later

Filipino food is always a must for me, especially in Mira Mesa. I was determined to go to Nanays since it’s right around the corner but seeing as it’s Sunday they were unfortunately closed. I decided to try the food here because I was needing some delicious Filipino cuisine. It was beyond what I expected. The service was amazing and all the flavors are on point! It was my first time here and they were nothing but helpful. they don’t get 5 stars because I’m not side how consistent they are but I’m really excited to try them again

My go-​to spot for Filipino food, specifically lechon kawali. I usually just get a 1 item combo of lechon and rice, with a small container of sinigang soup on the side, this comes out to $ 5.39 including tax (the soup is complementary). This usually lasts me 2 sittings. I was a bit unhappy when they raised the price of their lechon kawali (an extra $ 1), they said it was because it’s getting more pricy to buy lechon on their end. Hmm. I’ve also had their sago drink which was good, nice and sweet. My boyfriend also likes the adobo from here.
Always a great option if I’m craving Filipino food :)

Good selection of items here for their 1– and 2-​item combos. The food is OK but the seasoning is inconsistent. For example, depending on the batch the sisig is either really spicy, really sour, or even really sweet. Minimum of $ 10 if you’re buying with a card. The ladies who work in the front usually dole out generous portions, and are friendly enough. It’s kind of nice, actually, like getting served lunch by an auntie or grandma.
What really bothers me though is their catering/​order pick up is horribly disorganized. I’ve had to wait over 30 minutes when picking up shanghai lumpia. Every. Single. Time. It seems like when you come in to pick it up is when they put your order in the queue, because you end up waiting for far longer than it takes to actually cook it.
I would be ok with picking it up later if it was actually ready by then, but if you tell me it’ll be ready by 5pm, don’t make me sit around until 5:45pm, and if I ask when it will be ready so that maybe I can go do something else and come back, stop saying «oh it’s almost done, 5 more minutes.» Bull.
I go to them for lumpia because it’s close to where I live, but they’ve consistently shown that it would be better to drive a little further and just get it from any of the other Filipino places in the area. I’d give them 0 stars but their ready-​to-​serve food is not that bad and I don’t have the heart to completely downvote the sweet old ladies. But seriously, get your catering act together and stop making promises to customers that you can’t keep.

The missus and I were craving a Filipino breakfast but weren’t sure where to go. So as usual, we hit up Unilocal to figure it out. And we came across R&B Filipino Cuisine. Now, I’m fairly sure it doesn’t stand for Rhythm & Blues Filipino Cuisine. It’s probably something like «Raffy & Bong Bong’s» Filipino Cuisine. Anyway, I digress.
The food here wasn’t bad at all. We ordered the Tapsilog and the Tocilog. The beef tapa wasn’t cooked the way I know beef tapa. It wasn’t pan fried the way my mom made it. It was almost in a broth and sauteed. Reminded me more of bistek. The Tocilog was actually a mix of tocino and longanisa. They cook them together here. That was pretty awesome. And the garlic rice was standard. Not great, but good. Portions were pretty large. Think Hawaiian plate lunch portions. And the price was very reasonable. Around $ 6 for each «–ilog». We went to another location a while ago that gave smaller portions and charged about $ 9. NO THANKS!
You definitely get your money’s worth here. So come on down to «Ruffa & Baby’s» or whatever R&B stands for and get your grub on!

3.5 stars. This is a smallish mom and pop type of restaurant. There are definitely no frills here, but the service is fast and friendly. The seating is plentiful and the food is decent.
I got the lechon (my guilty pleasure) and it was delicious. The sauce it comes with is what makes it – ask for extra! I also got the spicy sautéed squid and although it was tender, it wasn’t really to my liking. The seasoning was a bit salty.
The pieces are fair and you really won’t have any problems with parking. If it’s your first time here, definitely keep a look out since it’s so unassuming you can drive right by it (like I did). Oops! :)

Another Filipino place to add to my rotation whenever I get a craving. This place is about a mile or so off Mira Mesa Blvd. Stopped in to pick up a two-​item combo containing Pancit, Sisig, and Fried Tilapia.
The Pancit had the dependable taste of vermicelli noodles with chopped veggies and pieces of chicken (I think). There were also a few strands of the thicker noodles in the mix. I enjoyed the savory flavors and the texture of the vermicelli noodles.
According to Wikipedia, Sisig means «to snack on something sour». This vinegar-​based dish was a nice mix of pork, chopped onions, green onions, and ginger root. I saw some pieces of spicy pepper flakes and seeds in there as well. There was a backdrop of lingering spiciness that was just tolerable for my weak tongue. There may have been a few too many pieces of ginger for my taste though.
The fried tilapia was probably a little over-​fried. It had just enough seasoning though. It came with a little container of soy sauce with added ingredients. For an extra $ 1, it still seemed to be a pretty good deal.
Portions are definitely typical for Filipino restaurants, meaning VERY generous. The place was empty when I came in during lunch on a Saturday, which is a shame considering they have a great selection of dishes, and the guy helping me was very nice. Inside doesn’t look bad either; better than most Filipino places.
Overall, the food achieved the purpose of satisfying my craving. I would give this first visit a 3.5, but I’ll round up for now. I will be back to try other dishes.

This Filipino restaurant is no joke. Their food is «Authentic Filipino cooking — just like mom’s/dad’s. They do offer a one or two item combo plate as well as sell their turo-​turo (s) a la carte. They have all the «staple» Filipino foods — adobo, dinuguan, menudo, pancit, lumpias, etc. etc. Can’t go wrong with any of them. Love their turons, hopias (my addiction), and rice cakes… however I highly recommend their pecan tarts. Yum!
There is a private parking lot that fill up during lunch hour… street parking is also available.

Two words: LECHON & SINIGANG! They have really good versions here at R &B.
Ever since I had my favorite lechon at Chic-​Boy, I’ve been obsessed with finding something a bit closer to me than National City.
I didn’t have much luck but I recently stumbled across R & B Filipino Cuisine in Mira Mesa. They offer a cafeteria style option of ordering and they make really good lechon.
I thought they said sold their Lechon by the pound but you can actually get it with their 1 or 2 item combinations. The combinations come w/​white rice or pancit (.50c extra for the noodles).
(See pic) you get a decent amount of items to choose from for your 1 or 2 item combos.
And another perk, each combo comes with their extremely tangy/​sour sinigang soup!
I ordered double portion of the lechon. I didn’t want to worry about getting it by the pound or ½ pound but I’m sure they see it by the pound as well. Their lechon serving for the combo dish was pretty generous.
AND, the lechon here is really tasty! Especially, considering, it’s under a heat lamp. But I’m not sure if it’s b/​c I got there at the right time (it was about 6p I think weeknight), but the fried pork tasted fresh and the skin was oh-​so-​good crispy. Granted, it was more oily than Chic-​Boy but regardless, the meat tasted tender and I was just so happy and relieved to have finally found a place that serves good lechon.
I went back a second time few weeks ago to get the lechon and it tasted just as good. I’m not sure if they fry a fresh batch every ‘x’ amount of hour or something but I’m just surprised how crispy the skin stays on the pork!
I never finish the lechon so taking it home to eat the following day is even better actually. (I have to admit though — I went to Chic Boy few days before that and got some extra of their vinegar sauce… so that’s probably another reason the lechon at R&B tasted even better the following day).
But heating (in the convection oven @ 325 degrees) the pork skin (portion) of the lechon proved to be a success. The skin ended up tasting like chicharones!
They also offer Halo Halo — some sort of shaved ice w/​a bunch of stuff added to it (you can see the cups in the refrigerator pic) and topped off w/​a scoop of taro (?) ice cream :) It looked soooo good especially when the temperature outside was probably 91 degrees that day and there wasn’t a/​c inside the restaurant (FYI).
So overall, I really liked their food — primarily the lechon. I’m not familiar with Filipino food so it’s fair to say that my experience is pretty limited. So if anyone has lechon suggestions, please let me know. But in the meantime, R&B satisfies my lechon cravings (and my Chic-​Boy vinegar satisfies the sauce department at the same time so life is good…)