Gaya Gaya Bar & Kitchen

Been here a couple times. My first visit was not as great but my recent visit was so much better. This is the former Sarap and now called Gaya Gaya. The menu is completely different. Chef DJ does a twist on Filipino food. Food: •Ginataang Kalabasa •Steamed Bak Choy •Adobo Fried Chicken with Ube Waffle and Ube Butter •Pork Skewer •Pork Adobo Rice Bowl My favorite dish is the Pork Adobo. The pork is so tender and the flavors is what I remember growing up with. My least favorite is the Chicken Adobo Waffles. Love the live music on Friday nights but it gets a bit loud. Stop by and give them a try.

This location used to be another Filipino restaurant called “Sarap”. Came here today and was surprised that the name “changed” to “Sarap” but it was later confirmed by one of the servers that it is a completely different restaurant. It was a Sunday Bruch, there was fairly good amount of customers but unfortunately there were only 2 servers working the floor. Our server was nice but it was very obvious that she is overwhelmed and made a comment “oh we’re popular today!” (Don’t know what she meant by this but we just played along and placed the order). We were given a brunch menu...very limited choices and I think they could either lower the price or make the servings commensurate to the cost of the meal. We got Adobo Fried Chicken with Ube Waffle-$15(3 pieces of fried chicken with 1 purple yam flavored waffle that was cut into 4). Since this is a Filipino fusion restaurant, I wasn’t really expecting the real deal adobo but to be honest, the chicken was very under seasoned. The waffle was ok though but could be better. Overall the meal was underwhelming and dry, I think there should be a side of sauce/gravy/syrup or something to complement this meal. I know that the restaurant just opened 1 month ago and they’re probably still working out the kinks. I really do have high hopes for this restaurant and it is about time to have a quality Filipino restaurant in town. I am hoping that they will listen to reviews and make improvements. For sure will be back, but probably will wait for a bit.

Came here on recommendation from Eater San Diego, we ordered the chicken and ube waffles, the sinigang and garlic rice. The sinigang was great but it's $28 per order. The chicken has good texture but there's not alot of flavor once the ube butter and waffles are gone ( you get four small waffles) .

Their sinigang fried potatoes are the bomb dot comb. Definitely try their sandwiches too—Chef DJ Tanagalin’s Pork Pork Pork makes a comeback here as the Longanisa Stack Sandwich. The Tapa Cheesesteak (pictured) is also no joke. Desserts are pretty straightforward but solid here as well! Can’t wait to try their new brunch menu as well as the rest of their lunch/dinner menu!

Authentic Filipino food with an artisan flare! The menu was simple with a lot of traditional staple foods. They offer kamayan style if that's something that you're in to. Everything is cooked in a traditional style, very tasty and flavorful. The garlic fried rice is on the oily side but that's typical of Filipino fried rice. Personally, I'm a little disappointed that the Adobo Fried Chicken and Ube Waffles were not available at the time of our visit; that's what I came here for! Aside from that everything was great. Prices are reasonable. I'm definitely going to be back soon for more.

Ok... The crispy pata, the serving size is significantly smaller since the restaurant changed chefs and name(FKA Sarap). First order came out cold and half way cooked. Fairly disappointing due to portion size and food not cooked all the way through. They did replace it, but serving size still small compared to the my original picture post.

kare-kare was really good, calamari was also yummy and the rest of the food was just delicious. place nice, clean and cozy. service was also great.

Nice ambience. Our server was nice and friendly. We came during brunch and had adobo chicken fried, arroz caldo, and sweet and sour salmon. Best vote goes to the salmon. I came for light San Miguel. Definitely coming back for that👍😊.

Literally the same Filipino food I would eat at home made by relatives, but at a sit down restaurant. Filipino dad approved and definitely have been going back. The ox tail nilaga was a favorite and so was the kare kare. Hard to find Filipino food this good at a sit down restaurant. Service was great and they gave great recommendations.

My friend and I tried this Filipino brunch buffet yesterday to see if it's all worth the hype and overall, not too bad especially their price point of $25 pp and that included the drinks shown in the pic. The location had a great ambiance inside. It's almost like you can rent the venue out as they have a stage area. My friend and I enjoyed our food. One of the hotdogs had a gristle and the bistek was too salty for me. I was missing the onions. Also, I was hoping to see the oxtail or some sort of protein with the kare kare but the veggies and sauce were comforting. My favorite was the ube butter even though I'm not much of an ube fan. Definitely, I'll bring my son and dad here next time as I saw in the other reviews that they rotate 3 other dishes. The other reason for the 4 stars is that the food are not covered so it doesn't stay hot or warm. I did have to make my reservation via FB the day before. Not that they check it but maybe just to have an idea of how many people will be trickling in from 9am til 3pm. Go check it out!

The staff were very efficient, helpful and attentive. It was a big family affair for the post memorial service of Uncle Larry Prijoles. The restaurant is expansive with lots of room for a large group probably 100 people. Tables were set up outside. Food buffet style. Pansit, garlic rice, edamame, chicken katsu, adobo, lechon kawali, sisig and more. None of the mediocre dishes stood out. Although I appreciate the accommodations from Kusina, I doubt that I will ever come back for the food.

Everything was delicious with great service. Also ordered a side of Calif sushi roll for my girls, but they gobbled it up before I had a chance to take a picture. Definitely coming back. But one thing that's missing and wished they had some good sweet for dessert. Can't rate them on something they didn't have but wish they did. It's would make it that much better and special

Came here for the sunday brunch buffet. We initially tried to eat here earlier in the year but because it got boosted through social media, the wait times were crazy long. Finally had an opportunity to come here to try the sunday buffet and it did not disappoint. We came about an hour after opening and greeted by friendly staff. They told us that the menu for the buffet stays the same and they rotate 3 dishes. Steam/garlic rice Pancit (noodles) Scrambled/over medium eggs Lumpia (eggrolls) Tocino (cured pork) Hotdog Fried fish Lechon kawali (fried pork belly) Kare kare (stewed meat and veggies in a peanut sauce) Arriz caldo (chicken and rice porridge) Ube oancakes Rolls with Ube Butter Fruit 3 dishes that were there when we dined Giniling (ground pork stewed in tomato sauce) Bistek (beef cooked with soy sauce/lemon) Chicken adobo Drinks included: water, mango tea The food was delicious. We tried a little of everything and felt that the price was a great value for what was offered. I was hoping they would have some sort of filipino dessert or even sago but it was just fruits. They also have a small sushi menu available. All in all, if you're looking for a Filipino brunch buffet, i think this may be the only one in San Diego that offers it. (I could be wrong but haven't heard of any others). Adults are $25 Kids $13 They said to make reservations especially if you have 3 or more in your party.

I've been meaning to try this place and so glad that I finally did. There was quite the crowd celebrating an event and there was a long table set up for them. Apparently, special events can be hosted here and they offer buffets on weekends too. I got the chicken adobo with rice and mac salad. It was delicious and felt like homemade food. I saw the other dishes also looked appetizing and I want to try more dishes from their menu. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Nice ambiance and spacious too.

I came for a group dinner Kimayan style (eating with hands; gloves were given to us). We had banana leaves spread across the table with food (pile for two people sitting across from one another) to share and to eat on your own. The menu for included: White rice Garlic rice Pancit (lots of it--plain) Loganisa Grilled chicken Dried crispy fish (did not like this at all) Grilled Eggplant Bab bokchoy Lechon kawali (liked crispy skin and bit of fat on the meat) Lumpia Vegetable eggroll Slice of pineapple and melon Ube with rice for dessert My favorite was the chicken and the pork (with the various sauces). This was my first time eating the traditional style with hands. Someone mentioned that it was surprising to have tongs! I would have liked for the food to be more warm but understand that is hard to do when food is laid out buffet style for a large group.

The place is amazing on Sundays all you can eat. Bar area , sushi station, different events. Very clean lots of seating great staff. Very adorable. Food is fresh . Plenty of parking.

This is our go place for good, old, home style, brunch! Nothing fancy, but just like home. Buffet style really solves your crave and hunger. Drinks are included in the $25 charge. All the staff are friendly just like home. Highly recommended and will always come back. Call first to ensure table, there are times they are fully booked or events.

Came here on a Saturday around 11:30am because we were craving Filipino food. The restaurant was not busy so we were seated right away. What we got: - Lechon Kawali: crispyyyy - Sisig nachos: this was a favorite of everyone. The meat was flavorful, juicy, and the sauce was perfect in balancing the flavors - Shrimp pancit palabok: this dish was ok. I feel like it was lacking something, but it wasn't bad, probably just a preference thing. - Chicken inasal: also a favorite of everyone, including my toddler niece! I want to return to this restaurant because they also have a sushi menu I'm curious to try and a Filipino buffet, but they were not serving that at the time I went. The service was good! They made sure we had what we needed, checked in with us, and overall made our dinning experience comfortable. The overall interior of the restaurant was nice too -- clean and very spacious.

Nice ambiance. Friendly staff. Awesome sushi with Filipino fusion. Good list of beers gotta come back again!

This place is alright. I've visited a handful of times for larger family gatherings for Sunday brunch, so I can't speak for the daily dining experience. The setup of the restaurant is weird, feels homey and like an event space. Lots of space but the chairs and tables are really close to each other, but again pretty good for large groups. When you come on Sundays they have a buffet with popular Filipino dishes, but the food served isn't consistent. One Sunday they'll have sisig, the other they won't. Not sure who makes that decision. No complaints about the food, but I'm Filipino so all the food is similar to what I eat at parties lol-- lumpia, pancit, lechon. Their drinks are good though! Filipino-inspired, all mostly made with sake.

Went to a carshow in Miramar and use yelp to see where to eat lunch before driving back to Vegas and came across this business. It was hot and their a/c is not working We were greeted promptly and had us sit wherever we want. It wasn't busy and the food came out fast. Tried the lumpia, miki bihon pancit, garlic rice and sisig. My son devoured the lumpia. The pancit had large serving and we were only able to finish less than half. The sisig can be better though. The meat was sliced into cubes and not the usual sisig. It wasn't the best but decent. I like the garlic rice but the bottom portion lacked taste and some parts are plain. Posted pics. Its not allowing me to lost the sisig videos for some reason Overall it was good minus the heat coz it was uncomfortable. Hopefully they fix it soon

Date of initial visit: September 10, 2013 Kusina San Diego served as the host for Mira Mesa High School's c/o 1993 reunion back in July; as we arrived late, all my fiancee and I got to try was the lumpia (which was pretty decent). I resolved to give the place a proper visit one of these days, so after Mass last month, went there for a bit of brunch. I had the Chicken Karaage ($10), the Bistek Silog Bowl ($13), and a Diet Coke ($3)... yep, this place is pricy for Filipino food! But, you do get what you pay for here - the breading on the karaage was more of a tempura base, which was different than getting it with the usual panko crust I'm used to (and the aioli dipping sauce added to the starter). The bistek silog bowl was huge, with savory beef strips and flavorful garlic fried rice (which my folks loved when I brought my leftovers home). I even had a bowl of Halo-Halo ($9) - while the shaved ice had hardened when it was brought out to the table, after I had let the ice melt for a bit so I could mix everything together, it turned out quite well. The dining area in Kusina is quite clean and spacious - they host large events here from time to time - but that space could also be a detriment as previous tenants like Boss Bird Kitchen, Cape Town (whose name is still on the bar countertop), and Sarap found out. It also doesn't help matters that this location is a bit out of the way off of Miramar Road. Still, I wish Kusina the best of luck here.

I had made reservations online on Tuesday prior to the Sunday brunch buffet for 12:3pm. Did not get a confirmation by Friday evening so I called and confirmed it. Arrived Sunday at 12:20pm and showed the hostess my name and reservation. The hostess told my party and I to have a seat outside. She returns at 12:40pm asking if we had signed our name onto the waiting list. We had to remind her that we came in already to show our name. We did not get to our table until 12:50pm. There's a time limit of 90 minutes so on our receipt, it stated that we needed to be out by 2pm which was not cool but also fine since our party was extremely hungry and ate fast. The food was your typical Filipino food, nothing superb besides the ube butter. For $23, it's not bad. Mimosa bottomless was an additional $12, although it was mainly juice. Our server Jose was good but forgot our napkins so I grabbed some from the bar. The menu for last Sunday 4/7/24 included: White rice Garlic rice Pancit Loganisa Tocino (super thick and dry) Arroz Caldo (barely any chicken) Dried crispy fish Bangus (bland) Chicken Adobo Pork menudo Ube pancakes Scrambled eggs Over easy eggs Fried Eggplant Lechon kawali (chewy but the skin was delicious) Hawaiian bread with ube butter (to die for- must eat) Fruit Juice, tea and coffee included FYI Prepared ice tea was delicious but the warm water for tea looked like it had flakes of coffee beans in it. There were no kare kare, pork rib Caldereta ,no chicken katsu, no bistek, no lumpia , no fried dumplings , no picadillo, No sausage with peppers, nor bean sprouts with shrimp as advertised . Also, Parking was plentiful and the setup was kinda tight especially if you didn't get to sit in a booth which we luckily did. Would I come back yeah but not anytime soon. My Filipino food craving is good for now.

Not sure if they had an off day or a new cook. I used to LOVE their sisig. I got my order today and it's not the same. It's not the right cut of pork. It doesn't have that crispy roast pork skin. I am really hoping this is a one off.

We got the sisig nachos and lechon with large rice on the side. Food was super yummy! The nachos sauce was super good and the meat was tender. Portions were good and price was super reasonable. The rice was like 3+ bowls worth and only $4! Service was friendly too, we got extra sauce for free. Had a great experience here.

I happened to drive by one day and noticed this restaurant. I stopped in and ordered the sisig and adobo with rice. The servings were plentiful and fresh, I enjoyed that the sisig didn't have a lot of cartilage or fat prices and were actually meat chunks. Inside the restaurant looked kinda messy as if they were moving things around or renovating? I hear a lot about the AYCE buffet on the weekends but have yet to try it. Overall I enjoyed the food and quick service, I'll be back to try more soon!

Paid by card. Kusina is located in a plaza and offers a lot of plaza parking. I went here on a Sunday morning for brunch with 15 people and was easily able to make a reservation ahead of time. Kusina has indoor seating only. We went for the buffet and it was a great price for what was offered. They have tons of dishes to choose from, and if you want to pay extra, there is also a sushi bar. I would recommend this place and would go back.

This review is solely for the Sunday Breakfast/Brunch Buffet. This place recently blew up thanks to a couple of social media posts that went locally viral. Evidence of this can be seen by the long lines on Sunday morning that were literally non-existent just a few months ago. As the only Filipino buffet in San Diego--breakfast or otherwise--Kusina pretty much has that offering locked in. And let's face it, most FIlipinos love a good buffet lol. For under $30, you do get a pretty sizeable variety of food. They have the standards for Filipino breakfast - tocino, tapa, longanisa, jeprox, daing na bangus and scrambled eggs. Then you get other "ulam" or entrees that rotate, such as adobo, menudo, lechon kawali, kare-kare and others. And of course, you can't be a Filipino spot without a huge tray of garlic fried rice! They also have white rice and noodles (changes from pancit to Filipino spaghetti). I was also genuinely surprised about how good their ube pancakes were - so fluffy and soft! And it's paired with their awesome ube butter! They also have a separate drink section that is included with the buffet, serving coffee, tea, iced water and juices! For an additional charge, you can get bottomless mimosas also! The place is pretty hectic during Sunday brunch so be prepared for lines (both outside to get in and inside at the buffet line). PRO TIP IS TO CALL TO MAKE RESERVATIONS AHEAD OF TIME! If there is availability, this is 100% the way to go. You may not get seated right at the time of the reservation but it certainly beats waiting 30-40 minutes (or more) for a table. The food is good but it's not top notch (for buffet standards, it's pretty darn good). And you get a 1.5 hour limit and the the servers kind of relentlessly remind you of that. It got kind of annoying towards the end as we were clearly packing up and they were still reminding us that our time was up.

Gotta love SD County for its plentiful Filipino restaurants. Kusina holds a special place in my heart because my family have been long time patrons of this restaurant, and Kusina has always provided exceptional service and food. I finally had the opportunity to experience Kusina on 2/22/23 for a family reception. We had approximately 60+ for this event, and Kusina beautifully set up their tables and buffet to accommodate our family and friends. We had 2 kinds of lumpia, pancit, sinigang, mixed veggies, fried fish, beef caldereta, adobo, and fried rice. I'm pretty sure I'm missing some dishes because the entire back and side of the restaurant was occupied by their delicious food. I enjoyed it all, as did our non filipino guests and wish I lived close enough to come here regularly. Owners/Chef were on-site and extremely personable, friendly, and accommodating. Service was outstanding. Thank you Kusina for preparing Filipino food as good as mom and dad's and taking great care of us!!!

The food was great and very tasty I should have known this for a long time I definitely would recommend this business for everyone to try

Came here to celebrate my 37th birthday. I brought along a total of 24 hungry guests, including myself. Upon arrival, the staff was very attentive and even provided drinks to my family prior to seating since we were a bit early. When seated, the food came out, and it looked delicious! One side of the table had to stand back up, but the food being laid out on the table was a sight to see. From rice to pancit to bangus to lechon to many filipino foods, food was ready to be eaten. The quality of the food was perfect. Crispy fish with very little bones, tasty pork and chicken, all the food was hot, eating with your hands just elevated the experience. It was a fantastic way to celebrate my birthday with friends. Highly recommend trying this yourself.

Tried this place again. We wanted a sit down Filipino breakfast. We were nicely surprised that they were serving an AYCE Filipino brunch for $23. It comes with coffee and mango juice. Everything was delicious and glad we came here for brunch. Will definitely come again.

The majority of the food were delicious. Love the garlic fried rice, dried fish, Picadillo, apritada, lumpia, eggs, tocino, beef tap etc. typical Filipino breakfast. They also included coffee and ice tea with the AYCE buffet. The only thing that could be better is the bagoong sauce. It would have been better if it was sautéd/cooked longer. Sauce to the spaghetti could be thicker too. Overall, we enjoyed our breakfast here. Customer service was great. All the servers were friendly and attentive. It was a busy morning so can only have the table for about 1.5 hour, which is fair. We were done before that time. They had a good vibe in there. It was casual. Since it was on a Sunday some businesses were closed so there were parking spots. Definitely will return.

My family tried out this restaurant today based on someone's review on TikTok. I'm giving it 4/5 stars but it's really 3.5 but there's not an option for 1/2 a star. Food was good (but I've had better at Filipino parties) and there was a large selection. The set up was nice and the staff was constantly cleaning the area and replenishing the food. The most popular items were the lumpia Shanghai, as it was refilled multiple times, and the ube pancakes. Both were tasty. Areas to improve: 1) Wait table service. Our server had to be flagged several times and had to be reminded of our drink orders. In addition, it took 20 minutes to get our check. I believe she was the only server for the whole restaurant. Please hire more staff. 2) Dining area table arrangements. We were seated by the buffet and people were constantly bumping into our chairs. They definitely need to space the tables farther apart. 3) Food labels. I think a name for each dish and a brief description would be helpful. I knew what everything was (I used to work in my mom's Filipino restaurant years ago) but some people may not. Overall, I would recommend it. The price was reasonable for a buffet ($23/adult, $12/child 11+ years old). This is a great way to introduce a non-Filipino person to traditional Filipino food. They can try a little of everything.

Came here for the Sunday brunch buffet to celebrate my birthday. Checking in for our 11:30 reservation was easy and the hostess was friendly. A typical Filipino buffet ambiance that isn't anything special..Think a simple setup with basic chairs, and minimal decorations. The buffet station was arranged in a straightforward manner, with dishes and serving utensils readily available. Overall, the atmosphere is casual and functional, focusing more on the food than on elaborate decor or ambiance.The place was pretty busy and the line the for the buffet looked long, but moved quickly. The buffet spread featured an array of Filipino brunch classics, including garlic rice, Tocino, longanisa, juicy beef tapa, and perfectly cooked eggs. For those craving heartier fare, lunch options like succulent lechon, kare kare, bistek, adobo, and arroz caldo were also available. To satisfy your sweet tooth, a selection of fresh fruits and Ube pancakes with a side of ube butter stole the show. Don't miss out on the $12 bottomless calamansi mimosas, a refreshing and zesty treat. Throughout the experience, the waitstaff ensured that our glasses were always brimming. Unfortunately, the only hiccups we encountered was that the water at the tea station was lukewarm instead of piping hot. Additionally, despite making a reservation two weeks in advance and receiving assurance that everything was set, follow-up call the day before our visit revealed it wasn't recorded. The staff member was able to secure our reservation once again. It was a relief to know that our desired time slot was still available, avoiding any potential disappointment of arriving without a reservation. Would definitely recommend a follow up call to reconfirm your reservations if you make one.

I absolutely love EVERYTHING I ever order off their menu. My go-to Filipino restaurant in Miramar!

I've been a handful of times and it's just a good time every time. Plenty of parking in the complex and service has been friendly. I can't speak about authenticity of Filipino cuisine but there are a few dishes that stand out to me here. Pork sisig. Comes on a sizzling plate, very flavorful and great portion to share. Oxtail nilaga. It's a comforting bowl of soup! Packed with flavor but not heavy at all. It's the kind of stuff you crave when you're missing home, feeling under the weather, or just want some dang good soup. Pancit padabok. I'm a sucker for this shrimpy, garlicky dish. If you're unfamiliar, I recommend trying! I also love the QQ texture of the noods. This is my favorite dish here. Other honorable mentions: Solid loco moco. And of course, can't miss with lumpia, but not one of the more memorable dishes. This is definitely our go-to for Filipino in SD.

I called to order around 100 salt/ pepper chicken wings but Naty, the lady that answered the phone said she'll run it over to the owner. Called me back and said they can't take my order because it's not on the menu. On the other she also said that if I order more, then maybe they can. And she said they have other menu like fried chicken or chicken karage. I asked what part of the chicken they will cook and if it's like rotisserie style. Seems irritated and said she's just a waitress so she doesn't know and will talk to the owner and call me back . Didn't got a call back so I called again and she said the owner is on the phone and asked me if I can call back in 15 minutes. I called back not within 15 minutes as she said but 30 minutes to be sure he's not on the phone anymore. They never answered their phone so I left a message. They are closing now and I never got a call back from them. There are other restaurants that I can order this food but this is the nearest to the mortuary where my mom has the viewing. I'm doing this review because I was so frustrated with their service on the phone. It won't take them a minute to tell me that they can't take my order instead of waiting for their call so I can call another restaurant. Is it Naty, the waitress or the owner Tres?

Delicious Filipino food! I'm impressed. I don't normally enjoy sit down Filipino restaurants if I have to be honest, I usually opt for Turo-turo (or point-point) type Filipino food or home cooking, but I liked every dish here! Came here with my big family and we ordered adobo, sinigang, pancit palabok, sisig, and lumpia. Everything was flavorful and had good texture. The service was really nice from our servers, which I don't always get from other Filipino establishments.

Tucked away in a business area this Filipino cuisine brings you Filipino flavors in the right way! Their sisig was a bit different than traditional vibes but felt rich and elevated and the longanisa bowl was good! Longanisa was cold though when it was served. Lunch crowd was filing when I got in so food was served semi fast. Building looks like it's seats a lot of people on the inside.

God bless Kusina and it's owner, Tress. Kusina first is a great restaurant primarily serving a menu featuring Filipino and Hawaiian dishes. However, they also cater, and virtually ask them to make any other cuisine and they will be more than happy to oblige. Kusina is where we held the reception after my Dad's services. It's located just a few minutes away from Miramar National Cemetery. We were recommended by my aunt and we had lunch and met with Tress a couple of weeks before the service. The food pictured with this post are from that visit. For the funeral reception we were able to have the entire restaurant. Tress prepared a buffet of chicken Katsu, kalua pork, pancit, pasta, and braised beef (an off menu item). Salad and sautéed vegetables. My favorite was the braised beef. My mom, no slouch in the kalua pork department, gave the pork a shaka. I wasn't my usual Yelping self and I had to attend to our guests so I unfortunately didn't take pictures of the buffet spread but trust me, everyone was full. =) Working with Tress was such a pleasant experience. He was very flexible and chill. Gave great recommendations and was very prompt in returning messages. Most of all he was compassionate dealing with the family and genuinely humbled that we trusted his establishment with such an important event. I definitely will be dropping in to dine again and will keep Kusina and Tress at the top of the list the next time I have to plan an event.

Sunday Brunch! Clearly one of the best deals in San Diego- AYCE?! With fish and pork? And Asian clientele?! How is this even fiscally feasible, I dare not ask. The food is not labeled but the servers rapidly refilling every dish can tell you what they are. I started my heaping plate with a bed of perfect pancit (noodles) bypassed the rest of the filler pancakes and rice, and went straight for the deep fried crispy whole fish slices , pink sausage, and stewed pork and beef dishes- and I re-loaded my plate twice more before admitting defeat. Those sausage were the stuff of dreams- slightly sweet with tremendous umami and perfect saltiness! Definitely my single fav item on the buffet. The pork stew with the giant jalapenos was delicious as well. I also loved the spice bar at the end and loaded up on chili crisp, fried garlic, green onion and the brown gravy which turned out to be sweet, for making a loco moco- rice, hamburger patty and sunny side up fried egg. I will definitely be back! Drinks other than iced tea and water are extra but there is a bottomless mimosa for I forget, but maybe $13ish? Or a single for $6 for sure. Plenty of fresh pineapple and watermelon to wash everything down. Will definitely be back.

Great place to eat at a sit down Filipino restaurant!! Highly recommend their Kare kare with peanut butter sauce!! Lechon is so good!!! Crispy! Sigsig is not sour! So it's different but good! Pork belly with small shrimps was so good! Get it with a bowl of rice!! You won't regret it!!! One plate is a good size to share with 2 people and if you get more items, the more food you can eat!!! Clean restaurant!! A lot of parking spaces!

I had a problem today with getting food via DoorDash. Tress, went out of his way to try to help me and work it out with DoorDash. It couldn't be fixed, so I went there to pick up my order. He and the rest of the staff were so kind and helpful. While there, I saw their full menu and buffet. The food looked delicious. There were lots of people there enjoying their food, and the ambience was good. My take out was outstanding. The next time I'm back in town, I will definitely put Kusina SD in my list to visit with family and friends. Diane Ayson

If you're looking for huge family sharing portions of delicious Filipino food, you're at the right place with Kusina. The service was great and the staff incredibly knowledgeable. They served us delicious food with a smile. I am torn between the loco moco and sisig as my favorite but I'm leaning towards the sisig. I loved that it came out with huge chunks of lechon and the sizzling plate was a nice touch. We came during the noon hour on a Saturday and were seated promptly so I highly suggest you give them a try.

Went here for a birthday celebration and gathering of Hawai'i friends last night. Service, sushi and food was great. They brought everything out hot and fresh and kept the drinks filled. Mahalo for also preparing the "special" roll that our friend craved! We will be back!

Kusina San Diego was the one who catered during my Dads wake last August & also during my Dad's 40th Celebration After Life. The food was very delicious partnered with great service. This place is a favorite!

Really well kept and clean lunch spot - with tons of beautifully decorated and clean seating. We arrived around 11am on a weekday and were seated at a huge table for our party of four. Portions were really large and most of us had to take food home. Overall flavors were solid but we felt like it wasn't too unique - just a solid lunch spot but nothing to write home about

Love the sushi there with Izzy! Best spot in San Diego! Prices, hospitality and quality in food! New favorite spot! Coming back! Thank you Kusina for taking care of us!

I was excited for a Filipino restaurant closer to us than National City but the food didn't meet expectations. The vibe didn't even feel like a restaurant, more like a venue for weddings. When I walked in, I wasn't sure if the people at the table were wedding parties testing out food or if they really were just dining in. We had no issues getting seated but it did take awhile for them to come back and grab our orders. The menu is pretty extensive with a lot of traditional Filipino dishes and I thought that would be a good indicator of quality. Lumpia: Comes with an uneven amount. Skin was crispy at least and it was pretty standard tasting. Nothing spectacular but nothing terrible. Garlic Rice: At first, they misheard and brought out plain rice but they were quick to fix it. The bowl is pretty big, for two people at least. But there wasn't much of a garlic taste to it, probably didn't put enough or cooked it long enough. Pork Sinigang: Besides the lumpia, the sinigang was the only other dish that I liked. It's sour as expected and pretty generous with various pork belly and vegetables. Very satisfying on a cold night. Chicken Adobo: At first, I thought this was going to be a hit. The chicken was tender and there were chunks of potatoes to help soak up the sauce. But the more I ate it, the more I realized how salty the dish was and there wasn't enough vinegar to give the classic Adobo taste. Very difficult to eat on its own and it's a good thing an order of rice comes with so much. Sizzling Sisig: I was most excited for this and it let me down the most. The presentation is as expected, served with an egg on top over a sizzling plate. But the taste was off. The sisig I'm familiar with has a more vinegary flavor to it which this didn't have. A little too salty too. I believe there's much better Filipino options in San Diego, well worth the drive. If you have to visit, at least get the lumpia and pork sinigang.

Took a friend to Kusina to try it....I had already gone and really liked everything about it. They really go out of their way to make your experience an exceptional one....very accommodating. Food and the service are wonderful. The owner / manager is super awesome and so are his employees. I had the Lechon Kawali (pork belly) which was really good. My friend had the Katsu and really enjoyed his plate. Great food, super friendly service, very clean restaurant that has a bar inside, plenty of parking. There are some TV's inside as well. Menu has great selections.

This restaurant recently became super popular on Instagram and I feel they didn't have the manpower to support yet. My family and I came on a Sunday with set reservations and it was busy. We were seated but not in an ideal location because it's buffet style so I felt everyone was hovering over us as we ate as they were getting in line. It's not a huge restaurant but they really took advantage of the seating. One downfall is they advertised bottomless mimosas and we were there first when they opened and they said they were all out. The food was great and offered a whole bunch of selection. We would get a plate and I feel then they would bring something new out. There was a hold up in the line because they were out at one point of three dishes. It is a buffet but I would say they offered about 7 different dishes. Overall it was good but I would probably give it a bit of time to figure out some kinks they have.

I grew up in south SD and for years was disappointed with the Filipino food up in this area. I'm happy that years later, there are good places here, including Kusina. The food reminds me of my childhood and the chef and staff are extremely welcoming. Tried the Sunday buffet brunch for the first time and I really like the food and the variety of offerings. My family and I love this place.

I found the buffet section was sparse and the flavors were rather bland. Will have to try the menu items next to come to a conclusion.

A group of 4 of us (2 guys and 2 girls) decided to come here for a Friday night dinner around 6:30 pm. I guess the timing worked in our favor that night people had maybe already eaten beforehand or something because we got a table right on the spot. Our server suggested their most popular items, which we ended up getting 4 things: 1) pork sizzling sisig 2) chicken katsu combo with mac and rice 3) pork adobo combo with mac and rice 4) palabok chow fun pancit with shrimp I'm just going to say right now having rice is a nice to have because the pork sizzling sisig and pork adobo can be saltier for some. Having the rice absorb some of that is key to lighten the savory taste to liking and plus who doesn't like rice! The pork sizzling sisig was my personal favorite having that strong savory pork taste 5/5. Next we got the chicken katsu and as always it's hard to mess up katsu. It didn't come with sauce, but I guess we could have asked for something 5/5. The pork adobo came out thereafter and the meat just comes right off the bone 5/5. I was most excited for the palabok chow fun pancit with shrimp and surprisingly saw udon noodles used for it! It was an interesting flavor but for me it was a bit bland although my standard for flavor is szechuan food so it's not fair to them. I think at this point all of us were really full and didn't finish the noodles. We did get dessert (forgot the name but is pictured) but it was very icy inside to the point it was just a block of ice so maybe you dessert lovers could just go to a new place to get dessert or try something on the menu as I didn't try every dessert!

BAD SERVICE!! Avoid this place at all cost! Highly unorganized. I have never been this eager to write a review from a place who has no business being in a customer service field. We did not get to try their food but there was no system to their madness. There was a lot of group of people standing outside. Not a single line because they did not have a waiting list. I went inside to inquire where to put my name on the waiting list, they just said to wait outside and hope for the best basically. Then someone came out and mind you, this was at 12pm, she said they're not taking anymore people. Wtf. I'm actually glad we didn't get to try their food. I saw the whole mess of dining room they had and it was dark and dingy inside. Nobody knows what's going on. Avoid this place at all cost!

The menu selections were excellent and we chose the Kari Kari, Sisig, Lechon, Garlic rice and some Sushi. The service was fast and the food excellent. There was no crowd so the restaurant was quiet and we could visit while eating. Definitely coming back when we're in town.