Isla Restaurant

This place truly stands out for authentic Filipino flavors. Every dish was perfectly prepared and packed with rich, comforting taste. The pancit was beautifully seasoned, the bisteg tender and flavorful, and the adobo absolutely unforgettable. An experience that genuinely impressed me.

Isla offers authentic Filipino cuisine featuring classic dishes crafted with traditional flavors. The sisig was expertly prepared, crispy around the edges, and bursting with savory goodness. The kare-kare pork was tender and flavorful, served with a rich peanut-based sauce and crispy vegetables. Servers are attentive, prompt, and knowledgeable about the menu. The ambiance was warm and inviting, with cozy decor and lively music creating a welcoming atmosphere—definitely the best place to gather with friends and families for an enjoyable Filipino dining experience.

Food was great. Menu had a huge selection. I wasn't impressed with their desserts. The halo-halo was served in a plastic cup. 12/06/25

I visited Isla for dinner on a weekend with 4 other friends. The place was quiet busy but we had a reservation so we got seated once our whole party was there. We opted for a family style feast and everything we tried was delicious including the sauces that they provided. The one thing that was really annoying and ruined the whole experience was the loud live music. The music was so loud that we couldn't hear each other. Thankfully it happend towards the end of our meal because I was ready to leave. That loud music was unbearable. The service was fine and our food came out really fast.

This was our first time dining at this restaurant. They were undergoing some construction during our visit, but that didn’t take away too much from the experience. The food overall was good—though the pork BBQ was a bit overcooked and charred for our taste. On the bright side, the halo-halo was excellent and definitely the highlight of the meal. We’re looking forward to coming back once the renovations are complete to try more dishes!

Friendly Staff but wait to order lunch took a little while. Sisig pork was ok, bbq pork my husband enjoyed but the food we ordered to go were a waste of my hard earned money. The worst sour soup/sinigang bangus I have ever had in my entire life and for $27.98 price, the veggies used were not good (green beans not long beans, etc). Extremely sour and salty...yuck!!! And barely any milk fish in it for $27.98. My daughters and grandson won't even touch it and I tried bcuz I don't like wasting food/$$, my throat and stomach felt messed up. The pork & bangus sisig I ordered to go, didn't taste good with fresh purple onions and the meat/bangus didn't taste good either. To not waste it, recooked it and drained all the fat/grease out for me to be able to eat them. Extremely disappointing and this place is definitely not a FILIPINO RESTAURANT. It is to a "SCAM" so I urged people to not waste your money on their sinigang bangus and pork&bangus sisig. Go to the San Mateo location as it seems, they are more authentic but this location for the sour soup boneless milk fish & pork sisig but DO NOT order their kare kare, not good at all.

Filipino food from the province of Pampanga. Great food and service. Our all time favorite for the past several years.

This was a fun trip! Packed with locals but there’s a lot of seating so no wait for a table for Saturday lunch. It’s an expansive menu - we went with two of the dishes listed under specialties. The sisig was flavorful but pretty heavy and oily - the good thing is it comes with a ton of rice which helps to balance things out. The pork belly dish we got was also flavorful and had a lot of veggies where the sisig did not. Next time we come I want to try the chicken adobo. Service was fast and nice.

Good Philippino Food I would recommend this restaurant to everyone. Food priceing is excellent!!!

Authentic Filipino dishes. Extensive menu. There are some really awesome Filipino food available in the Newark/Fremont area. It is one of the most unhealthy cuisines on the planet...but oh so good! When it comes to desserts, some of Asia's best desserts come from the Philippines. This restaurant's Original Sisig Kapampangan is very good. Moist, tender, and flavorful. Their crispy pata comes with 2 types of sauces. Very crispy. Yum! Their chicharon is freshly made. It still sizzles right out of the fryer when you dip it in vinegar. Can't wait to come back and try other dishes. If you're looking for value and you have several people in your party, don't overlook their package deals from their Sulit Ala Carte menu options. Very affordable for larger parties. Wait staff are friendly. Lots of parking. Spacious interior.

Came here a few Saturdays ago with a large party. This Newark location compared to Isla Grand in Pleasant Hill depicts a stark difference in terms of quality. I went to the latter a week before this visit with a different party and ordered many of the same dishes. This makes for an easy comparison between my two dining experiences. However, the food here didn't quite live up to my expectations. It didn't look or taste as appetizing as the dishes at Isla Grand. To make matters worse, I found a dead fly in the adobo rice (pictured). I thought it was a peppercorn at first glance, but quickly realized it wasn't round and there weren't any other black specks throughout the rice. Yeah, yeah "it's extra protein" yada yada.. When it was brought to the server's attention, she apologized and asked if we wanted them to remake the adobo rice. Would have preferred that they removed it from the bill, but the rest of the party just said yes. Didn't matter to me though since I lost my appetite for the remainder of the meal :/

I love this this place. The food are delicious!! When we have people over or meeting friends, I always recommend Isla as a meet up place. This place is huge so perfect for family gathering. We ordered more food than the pictures I took and feed 8 of us. Very little left over. That's a great sign that the food is delicious

This review is only based on their lumpia's. They were hot and made fresh to order however, the taste was a bit off. Not sure why but they tasted real porky. Their sweet and sour sauce is very garlic forward. The staff were nice and the restaurant is pretty spacious. I'd gave the lumpia's a 4/10.

Isla is pretty good for when I'm missing Filipino dishes and too lazy to learn myself. Plenty of parking. They recently renovated and made their restaurant more open. They got rid of that huge wall that you see right when you walk in, thank goodness because it looks way better and more open. They also changed one area where they used to seat me and our large family, and it's now become a stage area because they have live music in the evenings. I wouldn't be surprised if they host karaoke nights. They have a monitor now that shows their upcoming events and promotes the bands coming up. Great for larger groups, but they do have some tables for when you've got a smaller group. Service is always so great when we go. They have a bell you can ring if you've had great service. Food is good. They're served as family style. I've done pick-up orders just for their jeprox when I'm craving it. I prefer their dishes over Jerry's Grill.

We ordered the grilled squid, lechon, kare kare, and prawn crackers. The grilled squid was perfectly cooked, tender, and had a nice smoky flavor that paired really well with the dipping sauce. The lechon was crispy on the outside and juicy inside which definitely was one of the highlights. The kare kare was made with a rich peanut sauce with tender meat and vegetables, and it tasted super yummy. The prawn crackers were light and crunchy, perfect for snacking while waiting for the main dishes. The presentation was great too and mostly everything was served beautifully on banana leaves. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere had a cozy, family-style feel.

The food here is pricey but at least the flavors are intense. They serve traditional Filipino food; however, it is not for the faint of heart, as most dishes may be too complex and pungent for the unadventurous. Chicharon: one simple appetizer that is mildly flavored dish, but it is freshly fried pork rinds with a sprinkle of salt. I've dipped this in vinegar with garlic or sweet and sour sauce (that was included with the lumpia) for elevated taste, 4/5 stars. Lumpia Shanghai: these are generally the best "eggrolls", as they have seasoned ground pork mixed with minced carrots and onions for more depth than typical eggrolls that only have vegetables, 5/5 stars. Pork sisig: this was traditionally prepared with pork belly, cheek, and ear that were all tender; but enhanced with the combination of flavors of savory, salty, sour, and a hint of spice, 4/5 stars. This would have been a 5/5 stars rating if it were just all pork belly, because bacon is the best! Pork bbq on the stick: the pork was tender, juicy and had a nice grilled char. The sauce flavors were garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, calamansi juice, and sweetness from the banana ketchup and the pork may have been marinated in pineapple juice, 5/5 stars! Chicken inasal: the chicken was also tender, juicy and had a nice grilled char. The sauce flavors were calamansi juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, annatto oil, and a hint of vinegar, 5/5 stars! Kare-Kare: creamy peanut butter sauce that mimicks curry and is complemented with the tender beef and veggies, 4/5 stars. Crispy Pata (deep-fried pork knuckles): truly a guilty pleasure dish, as this is deep fried pork but it creates delicious crispy skin. The pork meat was tender and savory with some fat pieces that added richness, 5/5 stars! The service was efficient despite that the restaurant was almost at full capacity. Regardless of the high food price, I'd return here when in the bay area, as the food was delightful.

Great place for filipino food and good vibes! My friends and I love coming here for celebrations; it's a huge restaurant and the ambience brings us closer together! Service is always extremely kind and helpful.

I've been here a couple of times already and it really reminds me of authentic Filipino restaurants back in the Philippines. The place has a warm, homey feel with lots of wood accents throughout plus framed photos and information on the walls that share the origins of Filipino dishes. The food is always good and consistent. The service is okay. Nothing over the top but decent. Overall, it's a nice spot if you're craving Filipino food with a truly authentic vibe.

If you're looking to eat Filipino family-style, this is the place to go. They offer huge platters loaded with a variety of classic dishes--perfect for sharing. We came here to celebrate my mom and aunt's birthdays, and it honestly felt like a buffet spread laid out right at our table. We ordered a feast: crispy pata, sisig, pork belly, fried fish, squid, lumpia, fried chicken, pancit palabok, kare kare, chicken and pork adobo, and more. There was more than enough food to feed our whole family (and then some). Everything came out fairly quickly, and the servers were warm, friendly, and attentive--especially when it came to keeping the rice refills coming (my family can definitely put away some rice!). My personal favorites were the grilled pork belly and the longanisa. I really appreciated that their longanisa wasn't overpowering with garlic--it had just the right balance of flavor. Overall, we had such a fun time celebrating together. Don't get me wrong, the food was great, but I always compare Filipino food to how my dad makes it--hard to beat that homemade touch. This isn't exactly a "mom-and-pop" vibe, but if I had a big group craving Filipino food, I'd definitely come back here. The dishes are flavorful, generous, and will absolutely hit the spot.

Really good and flavorful food. All the food came out really fast. For the cost, feels a bit pricey since the portions can seem small, but the quality of the food was really good and marinated really well. I think I would pass on the beef adobo because it was mostly fat, but I would gladly get the lechon, sisig, sinigang, and garlic rice again.

I let my best friend do all of the ordering since she was craving home cooked food without doing all the work and wow I loved everything! Talk about umami bomb with each dish, we got sisig, pancit canton, and bistek milkfish which all had generous portions. Their bbq pork skewers were sweet and yummy too! Cool spot for authentic Filipino eats!

I visited Isla for dinner on a weekend with 4 other friends. The place was quiet busy but we had a reservation so we got seated once our whole party was there. We opted for a family style feast and everything we tried was delicious including the sauces that they provided. The one thing that was really annoying and ruined the whole experience was the loud live music. The music was so loud that we couldn't hear each other. Thankfully it happend towards the end of our meal because I was ready to leave. That loud music was unbearable. The service was fine and our food came out really fast.

When I have that craving for Filipino food, I'm off to Isla. It's been around for years. Always delivering tasty Filipino dishes. Bring your fam, your titos and titas, your lolas and lolos, and all your kaibigan because this place is huge and they have the large round tables to accommodate all. My current favorites here are the tofu sisig with its delicious mayo-lemon sauce with a tiny tickle of spicy, the Isla Pinakbet with a smidgeon of lechon kawali, and the veggie Kari Kari. For breakfast, their silogs hit the spot. The garlic rice, sunny side up eggs and your choice of meat...how could it not be good? Our faves are the longsilog and tocilog. We can't get enough of the tofu sisig...so that is always in the order as well. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. Isla does not disappoint.

This has been on my list to try for years. Came in on a Friday night. Nice decor. Greeted and seated immediately. Menu was extensive with pictures. We ordered the Sulit Bilao # 1. The platter was huge and had a little bit of everything. We also ordered pork sisig topped with egg and chicharron, litsun kawali, and pancit palabuk. Everything was delicious and portions were generous. My son enjoyed ringing the bell at the end of the meal to show he was satisfied.

Sisig!!!! Food is super tasty. My whole family enjoyed!!! Live music. It is a bit loud lol but other than that, great experience and will be back!

Came here for Mother's Day because my mom had been wanting to try this place for a while. From the outside, it doesn't look too big, but once inside, the space opens up quite a bit. I really appreciated the live band, it added a festive touch, though it was a bit too loud. I literally had to type out our order to show the waiter because we couldn't hear each other. One thing I did like was the menu layout, every dish had a photo, which made ordering easier. They also offer a package deal, which is nice in theory, but it would be great if you could mix and match dishes instead of sticking to a preset selection. We ordered a few different dishes, and while they looked appealing, the flavor didn't quite match up. Honestly, most of it tasted like something I could've made at home, and with more seasoning. For the price we paid (around $200 for 5-6 dishes), I expected better. Service was another downside. We constantly had to flag our waiter down for refills and service , not ideal when you're trying to enjoy a special occasion. Overall, it was a decent first-time experience, and I'm glad we tried it for Mom's sake, but I wouldn't come back. The place has potential, but it fell short in a few key areas.

Huge restaurant. We came for a coworker's retirement. Ordered so much food. Service was great!! I really enjoy the tamarind soup with shrimp. There is plenty of rice. My fav was the fried fish. Lechon kawaii kare kare was ok. Wish they would serve more vinegar for dipping everything instead of charging for each small container of vinegar. Look at the pic. The food tray is huge and can feed 4-6 people. So they should have serving of vinegar for each person. Other than that, great experience.

The closest you can get to an authentic Filipino home-cooked meal. No frills. The service is quick, we ordered and got our food in less than 10 mins. The food came out hot. The food was overall very good. The staff were quick, attentive and made sure they checked in on us often. The portion size is large, true to the family style dining. We went home with plenty of leftovers to last us another meal, easy. If we are in the mood for Filipino food, we will be coming back! We enjoyed the unlimited refill drink fountain. Nice compliment to the meal.

Decided to try out some new, and saw this place was close by and had good reviews. I've had Filipino a few times before years ago (e.g. Gerry's Grill in Union Landing). We arrived and were immediately seated in what looks like newly remodeled expanded seating area to side of the door (not the main dining area). It got a bit warm due to heat so waiter came to turn on ceiling fan. The dining area had many Filipino families dining out so that's a good sign. Four of us shared A La Carte #2 set menu to try different things. Waiter said usually good for 3-5 people. Dishes arrived quickly. Started off with Misua soup - looks like Chinese egg drop soup, but not too salty for me. Unlimited white rice. Fried chicken wings and drummettes. String beans and shrimp in Coconut curry. Fish in sauce. Pork belly with potato and bell pepper. Noodle dish with sliced boiled egg. I don't remember the names but overall tasty, though quite salty. Fits those with heavier palates, but I'll need lighter options next time.

Previously ate at the restaurant twice. First time was Summer 2024 with family visiting from New Zealand who craved silog, halo-halo and leche flan. Then 3 months later with my public health education FilAm crew. A Filipino dish labeled "vegetables" almost always include some animal protein (eg, shrimp paste, egg, diced pork), so I was pleasantly surprised that they offered plant-based options such as fried tofu, sisig tofu & meatless kare-kare. Most recent dining experience was first time ordering TO-GO for an elder uncle's 88th birthday who wanted a casual meal at home with family. Ordered on site a buffet that included garlic butter shrimp, sinigang bangus, grilled chicken, adobo squid, long life bihon pancit guisado, garlic rice, and chop suey. We got a complimentary appetizer (we chose fried tofu) cause spent a certain $$$ amount. It took 20 min to prepare & packed very well to make trek back over Dumbarton Bridge. The food was still hot and the tofu still had some crispiness. They don't have technology for Visa tap pay, so they had to manually enter the info due to my Visa card's over-used strip & chip didn't register with their Point of Sale system. They are doing some renovation taking down walls to bring in more natural light and more seating space.

FOOD: I went to this restaurant 2X - the first time to try it, the second time I went along with the group. I have a preference for traditional flavors especially when it comes to Filipino food. I noticed that their sinigang has a sweetness to it which is more prominent than the usual sourness. Not only their sinigang but their other dishes i tried leaned towards the sweet side - it could be the spices they used or perhaps they want to put unique twist on their classic dishes. SERVICE: Both times I visited with a small group, we were seated right away and the servers were efficient. But also worth noting that both visits were during slower hours. AMBIANCE: Clean with Filipino decor.

The flavors are all there, but it just could not cut through how salty the dishes were.. We were chugging extra water but it was just not enough. I even felt sick after. I'd still come back, but refrain from heavy salty orders and I'll have to knock a star down for that. The decor is great and love the empowerment of kapangpangan culture. I appreciate how quick the service was, and the dining room has lots of seating for big parties.

Visiting Isla from afar when we have our special occasions. It does not disappoint on specific favorites. Unli rice to satisfy Pinoy tastebuds. Tends to be loud. Service is very fast. Love their small pots and pan as well as bilao as serving dishes.

I haven't had a chance to have Filipino food in long time! Finally got to come here to Isla, and honestly, when the food came out, I was excited and forgot to take the pics of the food! Either way, wifey got the sisig and I got the kare-kare! We split some lumpia! The lumpia was super hot and crispy'! Really good! Came with the standard sweet chili sauce! They give you so much I would of been happy with that and rice! The waiter was super nice, and so was everyone else that stopped by! Very friendly staff! The place is pretty large and decorated pretty nicely! Wifey said that the sisig is pretty solid! I got the Kare-kare. I'm accustomed to oxtail, they do a brisket. Would I get it again? Absolutely! The peanut butter sauce was creamy and flavorful! Their menu is pretty huge and they cater towards families and large parties! So just the 2 of us, we couldn't order a lot! But, it gives an excuse to go back! SO many more items to go try! If you haven't been there, go there!

This was my first time at the particular restaurant and it was for my son's friends birthday! He loves his cultural food, and it was new for us to eat this style, since we have only had filipino food at our family's house. I was very surprised how they set up their plates and how huge the dishes were!! True to the culture, the close mouth doesn't get fed! Lol so if you want somebody to serve you, you kind of have to flag the person down! Lol we made the young college graduate flag down the server, she majored in business so she knew what to do! Lol everything was delicious, fresh and tasty!! My sons best friend had an amazing birthday dinner with the whole family and there were 15 of us sitting at two tables between the adults and the college students! Lol two separate circular tables, but close enough where we could share food back-and-forth between the tables! I would definitely go back again!!

Finally! I've had this resto bookmarked and on a spur of a moment "let's go out to dinner" on a Wednesday night I made it out here. It was worth the drive from San Jose. A quiet night - it's a Wednesday - and service was on point. Easily ordered some of our favorite Pilipino dishes and they all came out in good time for us to enjoy. I have to say the Sinigang Brisket Ning Baka was on point with the just enough sour taste like it should be. And I love me some Sisig and this one was yummy too! I can't wait to come back to this family style, home feeling resto and try out their other dishes. Great staff, so friendly and attentive, and an open spaced restaurant. Look for another review from me at this establishment soon!

What a STELLAR PLACE! I, of course, expect really good and authentic Pinoy food from California, but WOOW! I would and could eat here every meal. This is located in a small shopping center across the Doubletree Newark/Fremont. A friend in the area recommend this place for us to try since it was very close by and we were hungry. Our party of 6 was seated right away near the kitchen. This place was packed and every table was a large table filled with people and food. Our server was nice and quick to get our order started. Our table ordered (not all pictured, because we were hungry!): sinigang, binagoogan rice, adobo, bistek, and pancit. The weather is chilly here, and the night we went, it was COLD. The sinigang with pork was much needed, a very sour and comforting blend. The binagoogan rice was something I had never had before, but also incredible: salty, cooked with pork belly, and the added touch of mango and tomato really complimented each other. I was impressed throughout our whole meal, but the adobo and bistek were phenomenal! We also had the pancit guisado - cooked perfectly, and man, my son LOVED it. I cannot recommend this place enough! You must try this!

It was our first time trying Filipino dishes and we enjoyed them. We started with lumpiang which had ground chicken, they were delicious with the sauce. Then we got the seafood Pancit, it was okay. There wasn't as much seafood for the price. I don't like the Bistis Bangas, the fish was very tangy and flavors dint work with me. My favorite was the Tinolang Manuk, chicken stew with ginger and spinach. It was hearty and perfect for winter weather. Lastly we had the dessert Halo Halo with ube ice cream and red beans and corn and some tropical fruits. It was interesting and a great one time try. I will be back for the soup and lumpiang. The service was quick and welcoming.

The food was absolutely amazing. My friends were coming into town for my wedding and they never had filipino food before. What better way to experience Filipino food other than having the Ultimate Boodle Fight. There was an abundance of food with my friends loving the tocino, lechon kawali, crispy Pata and the shrimp chips. Absolutely banger! Fair warning tho, call ahead as it does take 10-15 mins for them to set up your table.

Filipino food was really good and authentic. I got lumpia, pancit, and soup with chicken and mussels. The soup was really good with lots of lemongrass and ginger. The lumpia were nice and hot. The pancit was good with quail eggs. Service was good. The restaurant is huge so shouldn't have issues getting a table for a large group. Lots of parking.

Came here on a Monday evening and there was a children's birthday going on outside, as well as a few family parties inside! Have been craving Filipino food and found this online. Food was really good! Was able to try the Bangus, Pork Sisig, and sinigang. They also have deals throughout the week which is nice. Everything came out in a timely manner. I'd say the only down fault is I feel like it is priced higher than some other Filipino restaurants I have been to in the Bay. The service was not the best.. but not the worst. They don't tend much to you so you might just have to flag people down, but I really didn't mind that. The overall ambiance has a balance of party but comfortable home vibes. They had lights going on and several tv screens! Would still highly recommend this place!

LENT 2025: FOURTH FRIDAY (JEPROXSILOG) & FIFTH FRIDAY (IMA LITA'S TINTA RICE) How do you not keep eating the same thing all over again? Part of the adventure of eating is trying something you never had before. However growing up in a Filipino Catholic household the only two types of fish I had to ate during Lent Fridays were tilapia or bangus. The previous Friday I ate bangus so I didn't want to eat that same fish again. The following Friday on the last minute I ate at Isla Restaurant. I've eaten at this restaurant before once about more than ten years ago. When I entered the restaurant I noticed one of the specials is jeprox, which is deep fried crispy sole fish. As I looked at the menu I noticed one item that looked enticing - Ima Lita's Tinta Rice. This item consisted of rice cooked in squid ink topped with fried calamari. At the end I decided to order the jeproxsilog. One appetizer I ordered was popcorn shrimp mainly because I was hungry as I didn't eat anything in the morning. I liked the light, crispy breading with the shrimp moist, but nothing really outstanding about the popcorn shrimp. When I saw the jeproxsilog the appearance of the fried fish reminded me of the small crispy fried smelt fish. I've had that dish before and I didn't like it as the fish were dry, salty, and bitter. The bitterness left an aftertaste. Those were my concerns about the jeproxsilog. I was more than wrong. At Isla the jeprox wasn't bitter yet had a light crispy texture. One thing I liked about was the fried egg. Even though the eggs were over easy the yolk was still runny. I enjoyed my late lunch that Lent Friday. After my first visit I didn't think about coming back to Isla soon. Yet when I saw Ima Lita's Tinta Rice on the menu I felt that dish might bring me back to Isla. The following Friday I came back to Isla for that dish. I thought also about get dessert. When I saw the sizzing tofu sisig I decided to order it for appetizer. People don't like tofu because of the texture, but I prefer it over than the dry rice cakes in the supermarket. The sisig sauces match well with the tofu. The sizzling tofu sisig is a filling dish. Growing up I've eaten squid cooked in its own ink. However the ink tasted murky. I didn't know what to expect from the Ima Lita's Tinta Rice. From appearance the dish looks like paella. With the fork the rice felt like risotto. When I took a bite of the ink-saturated rice it didn't taste murky. Also the rice kernels wasn't soggy like arroz caldo. If I could have the squid ink rice with the jeprox that would have been a fitting dish. After two Lent Friday visits for lunch at Isla I was surprised by jeprox and squid ink rice - both items I enjoyed eating. Maybe when I come back to eat at Isla Restaurant I will get dessert.

Large nice Filipino restaurant serving fresh comfort food . Had this taro leaves? creamy dish that was great. Had the pork belly dish and liked that too. Kinda expensive but would come back.

Updating my post after 11 years. Food was delicious this time around but we stayed away from most of the fried foods. The staff is awesome and very helpful. Only reason for one less star is the portion. But I'm glad I gave it another shot. After 11 years lol

The crispy pata here is one of the best I ever had. Pair that with vinegar and garlic rice and it's delicious! Even a take out the food was still hot and fresh and the food was prepared fairly quickly. The service was a bit rushed and they neglected to give utensils when asked but all in all was good food

This was a fun trip! Packed with locals but there's a lot of seating so no wait for a table for Saturday lunch. It's an expansive menu - we went with two of the dishes listed under specialties. The sisig was flavorful but pretty heavy and oily - the good thing is it comes with a ton of rice which helps to balance things out. The pork belly dish we got was also flavorful and had a lot of veggies where the sisig did not. Next time we come I want to try the chicken adobo. Service was fast and nice.

This review is for our server named "Nay". He is an attentive and friendly server we had today. He ensure that all our requests are accommodated right away. He gave us a great recommendation for me and my mom since it was her first time here. The pancit was freshly cooked. The lechon kawali was crispy and we separated the kare kare sauce. We ordered the bilao # 1 which all items are cooked fresh and delicious. My mom got the sago and gulaman which is balanced sweet and good amount of sagot, gulaman and ice. They provided the condiments on the side such as vinegar, sweet and sour, fish sauce, sili and mang tomas sauces.. We will definitely go back here and will request for Nay again.

Good here very expensive and little portions to be honest but soo good because its kapampangan cuisine love that

Manager was asking the ID of our service dog which according to ADA guidelines business are not ask proof of disability of the owner and service animal. We have been in hospitals. hotels, fine dine restaurants and this is the first time the MANAGER ASK for ID. He did discriminate a person with disability and our service dog. EDUCATE yourself manager about ADA GUIDELINES. We will let the authorities know how you discriminate our service dog. Update: Decided to go KALESA. They had us be with our service dog without asking proof of certification. For sure they are aware of what business owners can ask based on ADA guidelines. Isla discriminates ... disappointing. Will definitely inform my friends and family not to eat at your restaurant

I wanted to love this place so badly, but unfortunately the experience I had last Saturday were just underwhelmingly disappointing. My friends and I ordered the Pork Sisig, Bangus Sisig, Lechon, and Tocino. The Pork Sisig was the best of the four, having stronger notes of pepper, soy sauce, and acidity. Some pieces however, were just pure fat, and the overall dish felt very heavy and fatty. The Bangus Sisig tasted like canned tuna tossed with some onions, soy, and vinegar. The fish was dry and for the price and portion, underwhelming. The Lechon looked amazing when brought out; however, the meat was beyond dry. At least it was crispy and the lechon sauce was good. The Tocino was juicy and tender, but it was just drowned in an overly sweet sauce. 6.2/10 Service was fast, and we did get the food somehow within only 5 minutes of ordering, so that was appreciated. That night there was live music playing and it felt too loud. I had to scream just for my friends to hear what I was saying. With such a large menu, there are other dishes that are "must gets" that I didn't try. But from this experience, it's hard to see myself coming back just to try the rest of the menu.

This place is packed on a Friday night. Taste We had lechon kawali and topsilog. Both were good. They didn't come back though to give tea/water we asked for. Service We oddly had to wait a while when there were lots of tables open which was odd.

The setting of this restaurant is bright and spacious, more on the simple side with just a bit of art/decor and a casual vibe. The place was quite packed on a Monday evening, but there were still plenty of seats available, with tables both inside and outdoors. I just ordered for pickup and the process was easy online through DoorDash. The staff here was super friendly and welcoming, and worked efficiently to get my order out (as I arrived early, before the 20 minute quoted ready time). My food was packed nicely and served to me with a smile. I ordered plenty, enough for at least two meals, as I wanted to try a couple different items on their menu. The isla pork barbeque and original sisig kapampangan were outstanding, and I enjoyed these dishes with some steamed rice (the half order is A LOT, more than enough to feed two hungry adults). The sisig dish was delicious and not really spicy (except that jalapeno), the minced pork tender and well-seasoned, combined with those chopped grilled onions, yum. The pork barbeque was even better, maybe the best I've had. It's like the bbq skewers you get at other filipino eateries, but its not served on a stick, which works for me cuz it's more convenient and easier to eat with utensils. Omg, it tasted amazing... whatever they put in that sauce, bravo! A special recipe indeed. And the meat cooked perfectly with just enough fat to enhance the flavor and a nice char off the grill. This was my first time trying Isla Restaurant, but it won't be my last.

I haven't tried many Filipino restaurants - aside from homemade preparations from friends during potlucks. Family in town interested so we chose Isla over Patio Filipino. We went on a Thursday afternoon following the lunch time rush. Dishes we tried were: Tinolang Manuk (Chicken Tinola) - very salty to the point that any flavor from the ingredients were hard to decipher. We brought leftovers home and added some water - even then it was still salty. 1/5 Isla Pork Barbeque - best of the items we ordered, but a few pieces were more fat than meat 5/5 Litsun Kawali (Lechon Kawali) - Crispy & tender deep fried pork belly served with spiced vinegar & lechon sauce; had a crunchy texture - ate the meat and left the fat. solid 4/5 Pritung Bangus (Fried Boneless Milkfish) - interesting to try but didn't have a lot of flavor without dipping into the vinegar sauce or eating with the Ensaladang Kapampangan (diced manggoes & tomatoes topped with salted egg) 3/5 Staff was attentive though was hard to get a sense of what were there most popular/recommended dishes, separate from their combination options. Will need to try Patio Filipino whenever our next Filipino craving strikes, before can compare. Nice to try though wouldn't say this place will be part of our regular rotation.

Just want to send our special thanks to Alex who took care of our group tonight; she made sure our party of 12 got seated together and allowed us to choose our tables; she explained the birthday deals and explained the various bilao options and appetizers; she didn't mind taking our videos and pictures. Another special thanks to our server Rainier and their team; they delivered our food and desserts on time; Rainier carefully listened and made sure he got all our orders correctly; although I wasn't able to mention every staff members names who assisted us; I just want to say thank you very much for making our mom's 78th birthday a very happy one; thanks for playing the birthday song as well; food was delish and the excellent customer service is truly appreciated!

Had a sudden craving for "chicharon bulaklak" aka crispy, fried pork intestines so I decided to try their version out. The verdict: it was ok! It wasn't as crispy as I wanted it to be and for $20 you get 10 pieces! That's $2 a piece, which is crazy if you ask me! We do love their lumpia Shanghai but haven't actually dined in so well probably give it a try when we're craving Filipino food!

Very spacious restaurant with plenty of parking. The staff were good. The food was great and fulfilling. Ordered the tocilog, longsilog, sisig, and chicharron. They also give complimentary soup to start off. The food itself was great. Especially loved the sisig couldn't stop eating it. The restaurant looks like it would be good to catch a sporting event as they have a bunch of TVs. There are plenty of items on the menu that I would like to come back and try.

Best Filipino food Ive had in the Bay Area!! Our server, Alex was Awesome! His knowledge of all the food and its preparation was exemplary!!! I thought he was the owner because of his welcoming smile and professional mannerisms! Kudos Alex! Thank you for a unforgettable experience