"Pampanguena Cuisine is the antithesis of the small plate mania that’s overrun SF. The Filipino restaurant in Excelsior specializes in kamayan-style feasts that could feed the entire Warriors’ bench twice over. The actual amount of food depends on how many people you’re with, but expect your banana leaf-lined basket to be loaded with things like lumpia, a whole grilled tilapia, glistening barbecue pork, and a mound of rice piled high in the middle. Douse everything in vinegar and umami-packed “secret sauce,” and go to town. They do have other a la carte entrées, like a pretty good sisig baboy that arrives bubbling. But you’re not here for a light, no-leftovers lunch—you’re here to go big with the kamayan while admiring the space’s eccentric lobsters, hanging anchors, and other tropical decor." - Julia Chen
