Alnico

The food was savory and really good. We enjoyed all we ordered that we shared. Ordered the famous ube pancakes and the sauce that comes with it was so good. The chicken and waffle was delish and chicken porridge was totally different,,the spice and the crunches of the garlic was amazing. I will definitely come back.

Came here for a weekend brunch and will say that the fusion Filipino cuisine is exceptional and quite filling, although there can be some wait time between 10 - 12. Their Ube hotcakes are simply amazing and the flavor inside is great. We also had the Loco Moco and the Branzino-Silog, both of which we quite enjoyed as well. Each person ordering one dish is enough. For drinks, their Vietnamese Coffee with Ube Foam is strong, but the Ube foam doesn't have the most flavor. In terms of pricing, for SF, they're reasonable for brunch, but the only reason it's not 5 stars is because our server was not the most attentive. He got our order wrong, forgot a drink, and also couldn't provide more details about possible allergies in the food. He said he would check and come back, but he never came back to let us know.

We came here with reservations for Mothers Day and had to still wait a little before we got seated due to the table before taking their time. Everything was solid! My mom and sis loved the ube coffee drink and I liked my regular ube drink. The pancakes are good but you must have every bite dipped in the ube sauce. Next time, we can go for the smaller portion to share vs a whole order. The sesame chicken wings with waffles had delicious sesame flavor that was strong on the waffles which we were a fan of. The loco moco was the best one! The sauce was so rich and tasty! Highly recommend and service was great :)

A Filipino-style brunch, what’s not to love. Yes, the wait can be quite long during peak hours, but we arrived reasonably early and were able to be seated right away. The chicken and waffles, as well as the short ribs with rice, were delicious. The signature ube made for beautiful drinks like the Vietnamese Iced Coffee or the Ube Hotcakes. However, the taste may not be as enticing as the visuals suggest. With that said, the food was very good and all in all the restaurant was a great choice for brunch. Recommended.

I chose this spot for a girls’ brunch out I organized because it could accommodate a large group up to 10 people and the online reservation system through Toast was flexible, allowing me to make modifications leading up to and even during the week of our reservation date. I’m very satisfied with this place as a brunch option. I prefer Asian fusion brunch to other brunch cuisines, so this place was ideal. Also, various members in my party, including myself, have dietary restrictions, but this place is allergy friendly and accommodates special diets as well, so there ended up being something for everyone, and everyone in my group liked the food. One of my friends who’d been here before ordered the poached chicken porridge/congee. Out of everything on the menu, it sounded the best and seemed reasonably healthy, so I got that as well. It was delicious and reminded me of the congee I was served on a Singapore Airlines flight a couple years ago. While a bit pricey, the portion was large, so it was a decent value. So far, this has been one of my better brunch experiences in SF and probably one of the only places I would return to.

My friend and I have been wanting to try this place out. We've been seeing posts and articles about the food and were curious. We decided to have brunch at Alnico on a Saturday at 11. My friend took a while to find parking, but she came just in time for us to get seated. It took about 20 minutes of waiting in a virtual line, but we luckily got seated quicker coz most of the other parties were bigger. I got the chicken wings and waffle and the mango mansi drink. My friend got their version of a loco moco and the ube latte. We decided to share the ube pancakes. Flavors were good and I really enjoyed the sauce on the pancakes. Wished I got something alcoholic. The interior is lacking and the staff basically rushed us to pay and leave. Can't blame them coz they were pretty busy. Is it worth another visit? I'd go if someone else wants to try it. Edit: went again with a different set of friends. We were seated outside at around 1pm. Better service coz they weren't in a hurry to get us out of there. The rib-eye Bistek was delicious! And as always, the ube pancakes had to be ordered. Everyone loved it.

Food: 10 out of 10 would recommend. Honestly, if everything else--service, ambiance, wait times--were horrible, I'd still recommend going, just for the food. We were fatties and ordered way too much (Bistek, Tito Boi, Ube Mini Pancake Stack, Turon). It was all good. Just a heads up the mini pancake stack of ube is PLENTY. Unless you're carbo loading for some athletic event the mini pancake stack hits the sweet spot. Seriously, go get the food there. Oh and we got the Matcha Latte and Vietnamese Coffee with Ube. Also delicious. I wish we could taste more Ube with the Coffee but 🤷🏾‍♂️, its to be expected, as with most things coffee related, coffee tends to be the dominant flavor profile. The food arrived in a relatively quick manner. Considering how packed it was, I was expecting the food to take a really long time, but it didn't. I'd say about an average wait period. Service: Absolutely fantastic. They were attentive without hovering, friendly without being too pushy, and were there when you needed them. What else could you ask for. Additionally, I was able to ask them to switch out my longinisa for vegetarian sausage (it was delicious btw). They did it all with zero fuss 👍🏾 Ambiance: The place is really sunny and bright, nicely decorated as well, and since they're so busy there's a constant humdrum of social conversation. Honestly, their popularity is a bit of a double edged sword here because the only noticeably "negative" thing that I could point out is that the place was very crowded and the tables are kind of close together. Even that kind of goes away once the food arrives lol. A stomach full of delicious ube pancakes and what is essentially shrimp and grits will often do that 😅. Wait List: Because of it's popularity, I'd recommend doing a reservation. They say wait times are usually about an hour. However, because we're both lazy and impulsive we just decided to walk up, and despite being fully packed we were seated in like 15 minutes. Another kudos! 👍🏾

The pancakes and chicken waffles are expertly prepared, arriving fresh and hot. Upon discovering this spot, I noticed the lengthy queue, so you know it’s good and worth the wait. Arriving before the noon rush ensured a peaceful atmosphere. The staff is incredibly friendly, clearly passionate about their craft. The flavors were delightfully infectious, and the sauces were generously portioned. The wings were perfectly crispy without being greasy. Coming back with friends.

We headed over at around 10:30 am on a Saturday and luckily were able to get seated immediately. Their menu is on a QR code so we looked at the options and a lot of their meat options stood out but I was very curious about trying their ube dishes. Ube Hotcakes - The pancakes over were pretty sweet but the sauce was warm, decadent that paired so well with the giant fluffy pancakes. It was such a filling dish that I was barely able to finish half but I loved the strong ube flavors from the sauce. My friend got the Poached Chicken. Her dish had great flavors and was very comforting for a cold day. The only thing that bothered us a little was the service, it was hard to get a server's attention and they wouldn't stay very long to let us finish saying our full order.

A bit delayed in writing this review, so sad to hear that this place is temporarily closed! Looking forward to visiting again when it reopens. If you like ube, you HAVE to come have the Ube Hot Cakes here at Alnico. Highly recommend reservations because they're always popular. Every time I come and get the hotcakes, I forget how great they are. Even the mini portion is super filling, and the beautiful purple color is so satisfying. A great spot on Valencia that I always recommend to people visiting! The kitchen sometimes seems disorganized or at least lacking in communication -- my friend and I finished out hotcakes and the cleaned and reset our table while we waited for the check, but then a waiter came out with a duplicate order and almost gave us another round of our orders. While I would have loved a second helping, we politely explained we had gotten our food already and he left confused. Not sure what happened there.

Wow. What a great brunch we had today. The eight of us arrived at 10:30am. We were lucky. There was a metered parking space in front. For a Saturday morning, metered parking is $8.50 per hour. The food was fantastic. The staff were pretty accommodating. For 8 people, we shared 2 poached chickens, 2 chicken wing and waffles, 2 real loco Moco, a large Ube pancake and shrimp gumbo. All the food was so so good. I especially like the pancakes - it had a lot of sauce on bottom. It wasn't too sweet. And poached chicken over rice porridge was to die for. The seasoning was perfect and the poached chicken was so so tender. The shrimp gumbo hit the spot. Very savory. I loved the Korean fried chicken wings - perfectly glazed. The sesame butter was a hit but even though we ordered the waffles crispy they still weren't crispy enough. The beef patty in the loco moco was too tough. The chicken adobo silog was on point. The chicken was very savory and tender. We also ordered a pitcher of guava mimosa. The waiter said it was about 4 champagne glasses. They were extra generous. We filled 5 glasses! Thank you!

First time I came here with my friends it was such an amazing experience. We got the Ube Hotcakes, Stuffed Ube French Toast, Turon French Toast, and the special item on the menu for that day was Shrimp Pancit! For drinks we had beautiful Ube Horchatas. The horchatas I believe had a hint of ube from the sweet cream at the top but overall was just a horchata. All the dishes were very flavorful, had beautiful presentations, and the ube hotcakes were perfectly cooked, came back a second time the next day with my boyfriend :3 Service was really patient and considerate with us taking loads of pictures and bringing food in timely manner so it wouldn't be too cold waiting for the complete shot of everything LOL

We were party of five for weekday Filipino Asian fusion brunch. I made a reservation for Friday 10am. Dillon was our server. He was very patient with us as we were catching up and not paying attention to the menu. One friend insists on paying her own bill rather than splitting it equally. As such she placed her order first. Then hubby & I did the same. And the other couple. When we got ready to pay the bill Dillon calculated three different bills. Thanks Dillon. Ordered - * hubby got chicken wings with waffle * I got the grilled marinated pork with white rice and refried beans with two eggs and plantains as did my friend. * a friend ordered the vegan tofu sisig. * friend's hubby got the stuffed ube French toast * good portion sizes. Pros: *Great food presentation. *my mango mansi was very refreshing. Like a lemonade with a twist of mango flavoring. *great french press coffee. Came in a vey tall pot. Let it pot a few minutes before pouring. *eggs on my grilled pork was fried perfectly. Cons: * hubby felt explanation of waffle needed. Do you want it crispy or not? His waffle was on the lighter side. Not to his liking. Overall 3.5 Metered street parking.

Wow, what a shock! I have been here many times, but the dishes today were terrible! I came in around 9:30 AM and was the only one there. I was wondering why no one else was there, but I thought maybe it's a Friday after Halloween? Anyway, I continued to wait for my friend to arrive. I was really excited for my friend to try this place because I loved it so much! I always get the poached chicken, so of course, I ordered it today as well. BUT when they put the dish down, I was horrified. I waited until the server left and told my friend, 'Dude, this isn't what it was supposed to look like!' The poached chicken they just served me was all watery, and it was just really disgusting--like the cook didn't know how to prepare the dish. (see attached pic labeled 11/1/24). I was totally shocked. I decided I needed to tell the server. I told him I couldn't eat this and explained that I always ordered this dish when I came here, but this didn't look like it was made correctly. I even showed him a picture. So I asked him if I could just get another dish--grilled branzino instead. I have also had the grilled branzino and loved it. However, when they brought out the dish, it was another disappointment. It wasn't cooked correctly, and I barely ate it. Garlic rice was lacking in garlic. Branzino skin was mushy, and the fish was bland. Even the sauce that comes on the side didn't taste like anything. We ended up sharing an ube mini shortstack. At least that still tasted the same, and my friend liked it as well. My friend got the grilled marinated pork. She said the pork was bland and dry, and she didn't finish it either. Coming here today was a total disappointment. I loved Alnico. I'm not sure what happened to them. I'm afraid to come back here now. Maybe it's better to visit on weekends when they have a better cook?

Alnico's ube hotcakes were definitely what attracted my interest! I came here about 2 years ago on a weekend with a reservation and there was still a wait, that's how popular this place was. The ube hotcakes were delicious and came in big portions. I do wish the hotcakes had more ube flavor - it was a bit too subtle. Still, the pancakes were fluffy and very filling. My friend also got the ube Vietnamese iced coffee, which tasted more coffee than ube - the ube flavor was barely there.

I came here with a friend on a Saturday afternoon at about 1pm. I did not have to wait. I have seen the infamous ube pancakes on IG and decided to give this place a try. The staff was friendly and the menu is small (which personally I appreciate as it often means they really have perfected those dishes). We decided to give several dishes a try as outlined below. Chicken and waffle: 4/5; personally wished the waffle had more color and texture to it. It was quite soft. The sesame butter did however compliment the waffles well. The chicken reminded me of the chicken you typically get at a Korean or Chinese restaurant. Looked like it was soy glazed of some sort. It was tasty, however nothing to really boast about. Ube pancakes: 4.5/5; these were quite aesthetically pleasing. The ube flavor of the suace was quite strong and you definitely get that ube flavor with each and every bite. The ube sauce mixed with syrup was a great combination. Waffle fries: 5/5; These were so crispy. Definitely recommend. Loganisa: 5/5; Wasn't sure if these were hand-made, but these were well-seasoned, great savory flavor. We got a side of these. Came with 3 pieces. Ube horchata and viet iced coffee with ube foam: 5/5 would give both of these a try.

Came to Alnico for the ube hotcakes and left feeling very satisfied. I usually have not cared much for asian fusion spots but this place exceeded expectations. No wait on a Saturday morning for a party of 4. Service was fast and there were several other parties dining in for brunch making for a pleasant atmosphere. Ube Hotcakes - delicious not overly sweet ube sauce, coconut, nicely made pancakes Branzino - perfectly fried fish, eggs, rice, excellent flavors overall Poached Chicken - poached chicken in grits was comforting, healthy, hearty Tater Tots - classic can't go wrong with tater tots Overall a lovely dining experience! We enjoyed all the food and they were priced reasonably for a brunch spot in SF. Gotta come back next time and try their ube drinks too.

I chose this spot for a girls' brunch out I organized because it could accommodate a large group up to 10 people and the online reservation system through Toast was flexible, allowing me to make modifications leading up to and even during the week of our reservation date. I'm very satisfied with this place as a brunch option. I prefer Asian fusion brunch to other brunch cuisines, so this place was ideal. Also, various members in my party, including myself, have dietary restrictions, but this place is allergy friendly and accommodates special diets as well, so there ended up being something for everyone, and everyone in my group liked the food. One of my friends who'd been here before ordered the poached chicken porridge/congee. Out of everything on the menu, it sounded the best and seemed reasonably healthy, so I got that as well. It was delicious and reminded me of the congee I was served on a Singapore Airlines flight a couple years ago. While a bit pricey, the portion was large, so it was a decent value. So far, this has been one of my better brunch experiences in SF and probably one of the only places I would return to.

Really vibrant vibe with a classic brunch take on Filipino food. We had the ube French toast and the longanisa. It was super tasty. The longanisa was super crispy and had garlic rice with a vinegar sauce. The French toast was really light and not overly sweet and was complemented with the cream really well. The drinks didn't taste anything too special and it was hard to really taste the ube in it. Still a solid place but a bit pricey

My daughter and I arrived just after 9:30am last Sunday (walk-in). We were seated right away. The menu is not overwhelming, which I can appreciate. There are one to three items per savory section (veg, chicken, seafood, beef) as well as pancakes and French toast. I had the Filipino shrimp gumbo which also has longanisa and is served with white rice. My daughter had the Filipinos in Pares - braised brisket w/ garlic fried rice, fried egg, and a bowl of sabaw (chicken broth). Both dishes had good flavor and were good portion sizes. We got ube hotcakes to share. It is colorful and beautifully Instagrammable, with the pancakes sitting in a pool of ube coconut sauce. The flavor was okay. For beverages, we got mango mansi (mango calamari - yummy, refreshing) and the Vietnamese iced coffee with ube foam (good, exactly what you'd expect). Service is very good. They were attentive when needed, but didn't bother us either. The restrooms are downstairs. Added plus: there was a TV on with the 49er game on. I would not normally be out during a game, but we had to run an unavoidable errand that morning and decided to eat breakfast here while we waited. :)

I came here few weekends with my friends for some brunch and we had reservations. We still had to wait about 10-15 minutes but I definitely recommend to make reservations. By the time we left, there was a lot of people waiting outside! My husband and I ordered : - Ube hotcakes: The ube hotcakes are super delicious with some strawberries and blueberries! You cannot go wrong ordering this as a plate to share with few people. - Pancit Palabok: I went with this one and it was simple okay. The rice noodles with shrimp was flavorful but I don't think there was anything special. - Pork Belly: My husband ordered this one. It was a big portion of pork belly, fried rice, fried eggs and mashed beans. He definitely enjoyed this one as it was filling and the pork belly was nice and juicy. Overall we enjoyed the food there and I also noticed their menus change through the weeks/months as the ones they have online was a bit different then the ones we saw on the day we visited.

Made a reservation for 5 on a Saturday afternoon and was seated at a high top! The food was all really good, I loved the porridge and ube hot cakes, but the Filipinos in pares and porridge were both a little too salty. Service was great and it's a great spot to get brunch / lunch with friends!

Really big fan of this spot. One of the more unique brunch places I've had in SF. If you've never tried Filipino breakfast, this is your spot! Ube Horchata Pancakes - Rich and tasty, buttery and soft, not too sweet. If you love Ube flavored things in general, this is definitely worth trying. A lot of the other Ube pancakes I've tried can be a little too sweet, but this one was just about perfect. Grilled Branzino - Crisp and tasty. Once you pour the sauce over the entire dish and mix it all together, it's extremely tasty. Pork Longanisa - Also really tender, juicy, and savory. Probably my least favorite of the 3 entrees we got, but still really tasty regardless. Ube Horchata - Absolutely delicious. A must-try and probably their most popular beverage! Overall, recommend going family style and trying a variety of different things. Servers were friendly and attentive, would definitely come back!

The ube hotcakes are a must have! They aren't too sweet and the ube and coconut sauce for the pancakes is so good. It's a classic bouncy pancake and not crumbly. We also really enjoyed the chicken and waffle. The waffle comes with black sesame butter and the umami flavor was very enjoyable. The wings were plentiful and juicy and we had leftovers.

Good brunch spot, especially if you love ube. Not sure it was worth the long brunch wait. High 3 stars overall. THE WAIT It's an online wait management system (you scan a QR code at the restaurant to be added). At 11:47am on a Sunday in September, there were 10 parties ahead of us and an estimated 30-45 minute wait. By 12:20pm, there were 0 parties ahead of us and still a 15-30 minute wait. This status didn't change for the next 30 minutes. I finally lost my patience at the one-hour mark and asked the host at 12:50pm about our wait, and he offered for us to sit outside right now (at a table that had been empty for at least 10 minutes). I was not happy about this.. they should have taken initiative to ask us about sitting outside. THE SERVICE Again, not happy about the long wait and the host not offering us the empty table outside until I asked. Our server was fine. THE COST $53.37 total including tax/tip for 2 entrees and 1 drink. THE FOOD * Ube hotcakes ($18) - 4 stars. Very soft & fluffy, and the ube coconut sauce was great. * Stuffed ube french toast ($17.00) - 3 stars. A little disappointed "stuffed" was more like 2 slices with ube spread in between, so it looked like a PBJ, but it was ok overall, the ube mascarpone was good, the bread could be more moist. * Ube Horchata ($6.50) - 3 stars. A little underflavored, and the cream wasn't as thick as in others' photos, so it didn't make the drink as creamy as I hoped.

Wow, my breakfast at Alnico was fantastic. I dined by myself at 9:30 on a Tuesday, and there were only a couple other parties at the restaurant. I ordered the branzino silog and my goodness, the flavors were so delicious. The rice itself had a lot of flavor, and the dish was served with a savory, salty brown sauce that really pulled everything together. The branzino was super crispy and delightful. The tomatoes and red onions provided a refreshing, cool balance to the other warm foods on the plate. I would definitely return and try the ube pancakes that the table next to me ordered which looked so beautiful purple and like a huge potion. Highly recommend and glad I tried it!

11am on a monday for 3 people without a reservation and were seated right away ordered: vietnamese iced coffee with ube foam calamansi refresher decaf coffee ------ longanisa silog tocino silog turon french toast came out with the wrong order and then found out they were out of tocino. ordered another longanisa silog that took another 15-20 min to get to our table, when we had finished everything else already. server was kinda mumbling which is where i think communication went wrong. great filipino food and drinks. flavors felt like i was back in the philippines for breakfast, nice to have this place in the neighborhood. me and my siblings finished every bite and it gave us a great start to the day

*LOCATION* This is a cute brunch spot located in the mission. It's walking distance from bart and has a paid parking garage nearby. There is also metered street parking but it might be hard to find and it's not the safest area. *WAIT TIME* We made a reservation on Friday for the next day, Saturday at 10:45am. We were quickly seated when we got there despite it being pretty busy. *FOOD* -grilled ribeye: huge portion enough for sharing, ribeye had some tendon/chewy bits, loved the acidity of the salad dressing though -filipinos in pares: flavorful tender brisket, the sauce was so good paired with the rice, clean chicken broth -mini ube hotcakes: LOVED the thick ube coconut sauce, not too sweet with fresh fruits on top, pancakes themselves weren't as soft and fluffy as I thought they'd be -calamansi mint mojito: refreshing and sweet -vietnamese iced coffee w/ ube foam, strong coffee w/ a hint of ube foam, wished the foam had a stronger taste -ube horchata: forgot to try my friend's :( *SERVICE* Our waiter was nice and came by several times to take our order as we were being indecisive (too many yummy options!). He recommended for us to order the mini version of the hotcakes to share as we were already all getting our own savory dishes. All of the food came out around the same time and service was great overall! *AMBIENCE* IMO this gives off typical sf brunch vibes with its modern-looking interior and v instagrammable foods. It is on the pricey side but I guess consistent with sf pricing?? I'd def want to come back to try the French toast + chicken and waffles!

The restaurant is very popular because of its ube pancake and that's what i'm coming here for. We arrived around 12:30 and gotta wait around 40 minutes to an hour. The seats are very close to each other so dont expect privacy. You can hear the other tables clearly. I ordered short rib over rice, uber pancake and coffee. The food is great. I love the ube pancake. Its not too sweet at all. The ube sauce is the best i ever had. The short rib is so tender and juicy. Their coffee is good too; i wish they give a little bit more of the ube foam on top because it's great! I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who love ube!

I booked a reservation in advance for a table for 4 for a Sunday brunch. This place only allows reservations for parties of 4 or more, so best to book ahead of time if you have a group! We got the ube hotcakes, Vietnamese iced coffee with ube foam, mango-mansi, calamansi Shirley Temple, grilled branzino-silog, and the grilled marinated pork. We really wanted to try the niloco mo ako, but it's only on the weekday menu, which I found strange. I really liked the Vietnamese iced coffee with ube foam as I thought the flavor was strong, whereas the two other drinks were just okay to me. The food portions were all big. The cost of the entree items are on the pricier side, so the portions should be bigger. All the entrees were good and filling, and there is an entree for everyone, whether you like sweet or savory. Overall, this place is a unique brunch spot as it serves Filipino brunch and is overall a solid brunch spot in SF, but it leans towards the pricier side. Wait could be long too, so I recommend to reserve in advance!

The best Filipino fusion food in the city! I suggest making reservations in advance since they do get pretty busy on the weekends. Parking will also be difficult since you're in the heart of mission. The must gets are the ube pancakes and ube coffee!

Would come specifically for the ube hotcakes and ube horchata again! The pancakes were sooo fluffy and there is this ube sauce that COVERS the plate and it is pretty hard to resist the urge to lick it clean. I am a big fan of ube AND horchata so ... that drink was also a HIT. There is a wait, but not too long. The servers are really nice and accommodating for things to be on the side. The food comes out fairly quick. Because the restaurant is so popular, it was quite loud and hard to converse as a table.

Omg some of the best Filipino breakfast food I've had! And drinks! I had the wings with waffles which was to die for! The sauce on the wings was phenomenal. The Vietnamese coffee with ube was so good! Our server was so nice, they made an extra horchata ube drink and she gave it to us to try!

One of the best brunches I've tasted, with so many options you'll keep coming back. I love a Filipino restaurant! The flavors are strong and portions filling. I loved the tito boy (shrimp and grits). The ube hotcakes are great for sharing and an absolute must have for your first time and every time! Busy for weekend brunch so come early or reserve a table if you got a big group. Servers are friendly and attentive. The restaurant has lots of seating indoor and outdoor.

brunch on a weekend afternoon for a party of 3. * chicken wings-n-waffles - honey-soy glaze, waffles, black sesame butter for $25.99 * Ube Horchata - house made using ube, almond milk, cinnamon, ube whipped cream (contains dairy) for $7.99 * Mini Ube Hotcakes (V) - ube coconut sauce, mixed berries for $17.99 Everything was tasty but I'll skip the ube horchata. It's just not as good as the first time I had it unfortunately.

First time trying this restaurant. It didn't disappoint. The food was actually really good. The ube pancake was so flavorful. The pares was very tasty. We had brunch, so the place wasn't packed. Parking wasn't as hard since we came early. The servers were very attentive. The ambiance inside was spacious.

I was pleasantly surprised by this spot! Most of the time I expect delicious food in small portions and at high prices at your typical SF brunch place. But at Alnico, I was met with more than enough food (I even took home leftovers!) and fantastic fusion of flavors. Food: 5/5 - Niloco Mo Ako: 5/5 The short rib was tender and juicy, and paired with the beautifully over-easy eggs and aromatic garlic rice... a meal made in heaven. - Ube Horchata: 5/5 I loved this drink. It was creamy and sweet and I could definitely taste both the cinnamon-y horchata and subtle Ube flavors. Service: 5/5 Pretty good, we were seated outside and they were attentive to when we needed water and even came by to check on us a few times. I was also happy that they took reservations online for parties of 4+. No waiting in line necessary!

Alnico is a popular spot serving a creative Filipino fusion brunch. Their most iconic dish was Ube Hotcakes, a stack of three purple pancakes sitting on a thick, sweet, purple ube coconut sauce, all topped with berries and shredded coconut. The dish was decadently sweet and super photogenic, highlighting an iconic Filipino ingredient. The Grilled Branzino Silog came with two deliciously seasoned and grilled skin-on fillets of Branzino, served with peppery garlic rice, two runny fried eggs, chopped pineapples/tomatoes, and toyo-mansi, a savory dipping sauce; and the Grilled Marinaded Pork dish creatively juxtaposed Latin ingredients (refried beans and plantains) with Filipino-style marinaded pork, garlic rice, and a vinegar dipping sauce. Everything we had here was tasty and satisfying, though the prices were on the high side for brunch.

Came here with a friend. Service was standard and nothing special but I thought it was nice for the servers to first ask if we wanted extra bowls instead of us asking. Space can get alittle tight since it's pretty packed and the tables are fairly close together so you might need to go through a maze when you're leaving or going to the bathroom. I can definitely say that Alnico does their sweet foods really well better than their savory foods. I got the Tito boy and my friend got the Niloco mo ako. I got the ube horchata while he got a Vietnamese coffee with ube foam. And we both shared the French toast with ube mascarpone. Tito boy - wish it would include some other type of seafood besides shrimp. broth in general is pretty watery and I had to get some salt to season my dish. ube horchata - straight up this did not taste like ube or horchata. you can't even taste the rice from the horchata. it just tasted like milky water with the ratio being 80% water and 20% milk. nilco mo ako - meat was straight up tough and the rice itself was so soft it was kind of mushy. the flavor was good though but didn't expect the sauce to be a bit on the sweeter side rather than savory ube French toast - hands down the best thing from what we ordered. The marscapone was really good and light but certain parts of the French toast was tough for some reason??? The filling and cream literally carried the dish. Place is definitely overhyped but if you need something for instagram then I'd recommend it.

solid brunch spot in sf with really good ube options! they only take reservations for groups of 4+, otherwise you need to join the waitlist. i've come here with a group of 14 before so it's appreciated that they take reservations for such a large group. we sat at one long table. there's a QR code you can scan to look at the online menu, but ordering is done with the server. for food, i've had the ube hotcakes, niloco mo ako, chicken wings-n-waffles, and some tater tots. the ube hotcakes were definitely the most standout. i'm not sure if i would call the portions large, but the food is pretty filling. i also got the raspberry iced tea once and liked it a lot. the time i was there with the 14-person group, they didn't give us any utensils at first - we had to ask and then they gave forks, then we had to ask again for knives. not a big deal and probably just a one-off, though.

Maybe I came on the bad day or something...but I don't think it's anything special. Very generous portion for the ube hotcakes, but that doesn't change the fact that the hotcakes were hard to swallow and chew--even the syrup surrounding it couldn't help that. The ube taste also isn't super apparent in my opinion. I'd still come back to give other dishes a try, but I'll have to pass on the hotcakes. Also got the mango juice that was pretty yummy. Staff is friendly and is a good brunch place by yourself or with a friend.

Cute brunch date with my man. Came here on a weekend, so it was pretty busy. We checked in and were seated under about 30 minutes. Not too shabby. The menu option is very limited and that's okay. Let's get into what we ordered: - Vietnamese coffee with ube foam - Strawberry Calamansi - Tito Boy - Niloco Mo Ako - Mini Ube Hotcakes. Everything was delicious! Bon appetite! ***Patience when looking for parking. There are meter & residential parking, but good luck ;)***

We had a reservation for my niece's birthday which was a great idea because there was a long line of people waiting outside in the cold rain. The service is not the best. Our waitress took our order, and seemed to have left us for her lunch break. When the table started to receive the meals, my nephew's meal was missing. We did not notice this until everyone was almost finished with their meals and my nephew was patiently sitting without food. I could not find out waitress for 20 minutes, so I flagged down another waiter to look into it. Our waitress did not return until my nephew finally received his meal when everyone else was finished. My son ordered the chilaquiles and my daughter ordered the Niloco mo ako which was like a Filipino loco moco. My son did not think that the chilaquiles had enough flavor, and my daughter did not like the sweet gravy on her loco-moco-esque meal. I was very happy with the branzino with fried rice. The fish was tender and not greasy. The salsa was made of fresh pineapple, tomato, and red onion which was a fantastic way of breaking up the flavor of the fish and the rice. The dipping sauce with calamansi and soy sauce was perfectly balanced and I like that it was on the side so that I could control the flavor. I was happy with my order and would order the branzino again because the fish was a delightful surprise and I felt like I was eating clean. I'm rating this restaurant 4 stars because it is hard to find good Filipino restaurants. I love the fusion idea. I think if my family wants the niloco mo ako again, they should ask for the gravy to be placed on the side.

Alnico on Valencia is a great brunch spot. The food is delicious definitely try the ube pancakes or the chicken poached dish with chicken, rice, crispy garlic, and herbs. Their Vietnamese iced coffee with the ube so addictive. It's in the perfect location packed with cool shops, vintage finds, and unique spots to explore, so you can easily make a whole day out of it. Grab brunch, then wander the street!

Came here on a Sunday morning for our ube fix. Surprisingly not that crowded, maybe we were early for the Sunday crowd. We had ube hotcakes and ube stuffed French toast. The stuffed French toast is technically not stuffed, just layer of ube in between 2 bread. We both like the ube hotcakes better. They do a good job on the ube. The ube horchata is not too heavy with ube. The color on both dishes was beautiful. Service was good but they could wipe their tables better. There were dried ube smeared on the table.

I had the Branzino-silog which was decent but the fish itself was underseasoned. And it was expensive. The Ube hotcakes were delicious. The calamansi mint mojito was good. My friend had the beef pares and that was beefy and gravy-ish. Overall I'm glad this place exists but as someone who tries almost all the Filipino spots and esp the new/upscale ones, I didn't taste anything that blew my mind or that I would return for. Nice open space, clean bathrooms and seating available outside. Staff was friendly and efficient even during a busy Sunday brunch rush.

Cute Filipino brunch spot in Mission. Definitely recommend making a reservation beforehand because it gets super packed for brunch! It's a popular spot for its unique takes on classic Filipino flavors. They have a good mix of sweet and savory options on the menu. Definitely lots more I wish I could've tried. We ordered the crab eggplant omelette of the day, the ube hotcakes, + steak and eggs. The steak was super flavorful, pretty tender, and was probably my favorite thing we ordered! It's also a huge portion and comes with a mound of rice. The crab eggplant omelette was very unique and filled generously with crab, but it wasn't anything too special or memorable. I wish it had a bit more sauce or something texturally different because the dish itself was pretty monotone otherwise. It's also a large portion but was pretty pricey. I heard so much hype about the ube hotcakes so I was excited to try these! They come in a beautiful purple coconut sauce and taste very coconut forward. I didn't get a strong ube flavor sadly. It's definitely a gorgeously presented dish but the flavors didn't live up to the hype imo. Worth ordering once though if you're curious! It's also a massive portion -- the normal stack is 3 large pancakes. Good for sharing for the whole table. I did like that it wasn't too sweet though. Service was very fast and efficient. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, which would be nice on a warm sunny day. Next time I'd want to try the black sesame chicken and waffles!

One of my new favorite brunch spots! I've heard this place can get busy on the weekends, but I had no issue getting a table on a weekday. Great service and the Filipino food is scrumptious. Vietnamese Iced Coffe w/ Ube Foam- beautiful drink, the ube foam is sooooo purple. Ube Hotcakes- AMAZING. Would definitely recommend trying these here. The pancakes were perfectly fluffy, but the real star was the ube coconut sauce. I could drink this stuff! Not too sweet either, just right. Niloco Mo Ako- The short rib was so tender and gravy delicious. Couldn't stop eating this! I'd love to come back and try a few more dishes!

The food was so delicious!!! Everything on the menu sounded amazing and it was so hard to just pick a few. Everything I was able to try tasted amazing - it was all seasoned and cooked perfectly. All the dishes seemed to have a unique twist to it which made it even more fun to try. On top of great food, the service was also amazing. Everyone was so nice and attentive. It's definitely a great brunch spot with a mid-sized group. The place can get very busy so I highly suggest making a reservation to skip the wait and be guaranteed a table at a timely manner.

Popular brunch spot in the Mission, off of Valencia street. If you're coming on a weekend, I'd recommend making reservations or joining the waitlist ahead of time. There is some outdoor seating - a remnant of COVID days. The outdoor seating is on the sidewalk. We joined the waitlist ahead and waited about 25 min on a Saturday morning. We sat at the bar stools because the reservations took priority. The poached chicken porridge was a 10/10. So flavorful and the chicken falls off the bone. Perfectly soft boiled egg on top. I would come back just for this. The guava-mansi margarita was a 3/5. Quite watered down. Next time I'd try the thai tea or vietnamese coffee with ube.

I had Ube hotcakes and my friend got Poached porridge. Foods were not good as I expected I came here because it was known for Ube, but ube hotcake did not have ube taste and had stronger coconut flavor. The porridge was too salty. Both of us did not finish half the dish. Also, the waiter was very impolite and didnt like his attitude

Ok, Alnico is now my favorite brunch place in the city. We arrived 20 mins after they opened on a Sunday and there was no wait. They have a lot of seating including counter seating and a few outdoor seating but no heat lamp. New christmas music was playing in the background. We ordered the following: Ube horchata - not overly sweet, cinnamon-y taste which reminds me of milk soaked in some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and topped with whipped Ube cream and a dash of cinnamon. Ube hot cakes - 3 huge fluffy pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar, coconut flakes, and berries surrounded with warm and light Ube coconut sauce. Chicken and waffles - 5 well seasoned, fried drummettes, next to a lightly crisp, fluffy waffle, topped with black sesame soft butter and a side of sweet glaze. Everything came out within 10 minutes of ordering. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We had to take almost half of the Ube hotcakes home because the portion was so big. The sauce was still warm too. I normally don't eat pancakes unless it's macadamia or Ube and the Ube hot cakes here won't disappoint. The blueberries and strawberries were sweet too and it's December! As for the wings, I could eat a dozen of those. I'm looking forward to returning soon!

What a great Filipino fusion brunch spot in San Francisco! We came here as a giant group of roughly 15-20 authors to enjoy a nice brunch together on a Saturday morning. The servings are huge! I split a plate of ube hotcakes with one of my friends. They were so fluffy and filling, and not too sweet (the best compliment you can get from an Asian when it comes to desserts). The ube flavor was very rich. The hotcakes were also beautifully plated with strawberries and blueberries. I also sampled a pink guava hotcake, and those were also very delicious! Service was great, and they were really attentive to our large group, which we all really appreciated. It's a bit pricey, especially considering that this is out in the city, where everything is kind of pricey, but it was really nice to check out this place with a giant group of people.

Al Nico is a Filipino inspired brunch spot that has the perfect mix of sweet and savory dishes. Me and my friends ordered the ube French toast, ube pancake and loco moco. These dishes were all decently sized portions for the price you're paying. I now order the mini ube pancake which is a perfect size for me because the regular size is huge. The feedback from my friends were that the drinks were OK. My coffee lover friends weren't fans of the ube horchata's consistency and flavor. I've had their alcoholic drinks that were very sweet, but not as strong as I expected. This is a popular brunch spot and gets very busy on the weekends, so I recommend making reservations in advance. Overall it's a good, casual restaurant to catch up with friends. And I appreciate its modern take on Filipino-inspired flavors

Excellent food Chicken and waffles - korean style crispy chicken wings with soy honey glaze, umami plus sweet is so good! - waffles were light and fluffy- crispy, went so well with the sweet black sesame butter, it was very comforting Braised ribs - tender meat and heavy over flavorful rice definitely hit. When you break the egg yolk in the rice it was richer and creamier Ube hot cakes - my favorite!! The pancakes were perfectly fluffy and the ube coconut cream was on point! Everything from the texture and consistency was so good like a slightly thicker gel Vietnamese coffee with ube cream - definitely did not taste the ube in the cream but it looked great, viet coffee is always good due to the condensed milk. I wouldn't get it again just due to the poor value on it though Service was friendly, food came out quick, atmosphere was lively Overall a definite winner and I'd return for the ube hot cakes!

Food is good, pinoy fusion !!! Service is fabulous, all are nice and attentive. The place is energetic!!! Ambiance has a SF vibe. Definitely going back and bring some friends who haven't been in Valencia St strip.

Whenever we visit SF, we make sure to check out the Filipino food scene. Since we've been to Abaca so many times, we needed something new new. Thank you, Yelp for recommending Alnico!! Headed over for breakfast right after checking out of our hotel. Pro tip: Get on the waitlist so you can be seated right away. The food was soooo good. We had: 1. Vietnamese Coffee with Ube foam: I didn't think Vietnamese coffee needed Ube foam, but it did :) In the best, elevated way. 2. Ube Hotcakes - This was for the kid and the gram, but totally yummy! Supper fluffy pancakes and the sauce is what really took the pancakes to the next level. HUGE Portion - definitely could share. 3. Bistek Plate with an egg: Again - HUGE Portion. I shared this with the kid and we still couldn't finish it. It's ok, bc this dish makes the BEST leftovers. Loved all the onions and the amount of sauce to soak up the rice was everything!! I would come back for this dish! 4. Niloco Mo Ako: The hubs ordered this. It was a large portion that I thought he could share if he wanted to but didn't. I get it, it was good! The short ribs, garlic rice, with an egg was too good to share. I got a courtesy taste and it was yummy. I would definitely come back again!