JT Restaurant

If you're a fan of Filipino food, this restaurant is a must-visit. The service is impeccable, with a team that goes above and beyond to ensure your dining experience is memorable. The food is a culinary journey through the Philippines, with the kare-kare and halo-halo standing out as my favorites. The ambiance is warm and charming, reflecting the rich culture of the Philippines. An absolute delight!

Lovely, humble spot for homestyle Filipino cuisine. Let Tita Tess, the owner and chef, make you a plate of her favorite specialities and you won’t be disappointed! I especially loved her pancit and munggo beans, both of which are vegetarian. Cash only!

Nice hidden gem inside a commercial building. The owner is the sweetest. I walked in with $20 and asked her to give me whatever she thought was best. Left with pork adobo, lumpia, beef stew, and a sausage. The pork adobo was fall apart tender, and the best I’ve ever had. Would highly recommend

This cute little spot led by Ate Tess is a Filipino restaurant that I highly recommend to anyone to visit. The food here reminds me of home and my Filipino roots (at a reasonable price for a spot in the city). Ate Tess sets the hospitable atmosphere and has a lot to say (with her constant smiles) when you take the time to "talk story" with her. Not only does she take care of you through food, but she also takes care of you through her words of wisdom. Ate Tess, I will never forget to smile! See you soon! :)

I attached photos of the owner Tita Tess, I just want to say that she's the nicest restaurant owner I've ever encountered and to find out that she's Filipino makes me even more proud of these people. She makes classic Filipino cuisine and dessert. All her food are fresh everyday and she has soda and snacks for people who are missing the Philippines. The place is very clean and the food is Affordable. I can even stress enough how nice and accommodating this place is. I can't contest that this restaurant is dubbed to be the best Filipino restaurant in San Francisco because it really is. Hope to bring my SO here soon!

Someone brought me dinuguan from this restaurant, but it was disappointing. It was dry, resembled shredded pork, and was overly sour. I had high hopes that this would become my new favorite spot for Filipino cuisine, but it certainly won’t be.

I always liked to support filipino businesses pero di ko talaga bit food nila dito. All the food is very sour. My first time I had adobo and its so sour I end up throwing away , ang sayang cause I had convo and it’s expensive for a convo $20 . Even though I did not liked the first time I went again and get dinuguan and caldereta and it’s still very sour. They over power everything with venigar. They need better cook.

JT has always been my comfort place whenever I’m homesick in d city. Ate Tess is always there to greet u with a smile & story to tell. Her food is prepared with such home-cook feel & presentation that makes u always come back for more. Trust that it’s always fresh & delicious.

Rly nice experience! We had no idea what anything was since we hadn't had Filipino food much before, so the owner kindly and enthusiastically explained what all the options were, it was very cute And we chose our dishes and she gave us heaping portions, filling the bowls with the entree and then also plates full of rice The food itself was really good and well flavored! Wish there were more veggies but the pairing of the rice meat and sauce was great Small little restaurant tucked inside a building, a mini cafeteria vibe with lots of character A really solid meal!

Our co worker recommended this Filipino restaurant which is close to our office. We tried kare -kare, adobo and lumpia. Simple and good food. Owner/server was so nice and considerate. We also ordered to-go for dinner. We'll come back.

5 stars for tita. Anyway, i had to stop by to get filipino food. Close to eating homemade Got kare kare with peanut based gravy. 3 big chunks of beef. Delicious. I'm saving the sauce for another meal! Loved the tiny lumpia. Haven't had it for so long. It's downtown.

Great Filipino food, good service. Owner was the food server and cashier. A one person establishment.

Authentic Filipino food right here! I love that it taste like home sweet home! Tried the pork and chicken adobo and the lumpia Shanghai! I definitely recommend the fried bangus - it was cooked to perfection and the size was big like half of the to go box! Rice is life and the serving was generous enough! I will definitely come back to this restaurant! I was greeted by the friendly owner!

When I'm having a rough day at work, I go straight to JT's! Tess has this warm and welcoming ora about her that makes it feel like you are going home for lunch or dropping by your tita's (aunt) placd for a quick bite. Her sinigang is my FAVORITE! If you are looking for a home-cooked, authentic Filipino meal, look no further! Watching TV Patrol was the Cherry on the top for me!

Was craving Filipino food where I work and found this little gem just a walking distance to my job site. I'm the type of person where when I crave something, I will go after it. The lady/owner was really friendly. She told me the story of her business how it start, how long has it been established. I really like her. The food was good too. What really gave the 3 stars is the condition of the establishment. Super crowded/cluttered with things that she uses for cooking. Then she had the plants. I looks more like her home that needs a housekeeper to work their magic.. That's All.

They've been in business since before I was born. Huge part of the community offering shipping services and catering options. Great food

Filipino food is critiqued so heavily, especially by other Filipinos. I promise you this place serves food made from the soul. My fiancé and I wanted to try this place after a long flight. The vibe of the place reminded me of home; house plants, cantina style dining, balikbayan boxes, Filipino goods. Owner/manager were super duper nice and reminded me of my own lola. We both had the combination plate. My fiancé had the pork adobo and chicken affritada. I had the Bangus and pork adobo. Pork adobo was a 9/10. Definitely on the saltier side, but I didn't mind at all. More vinegar taste and it would be 10000/10 Bangus was a 10/10 and complimented the adobo Affritada was pretty good, just never been a fan of it in general. My fiancé just randomly ordered it. Like I said, Filipino food is heavily critiqued. If it's not your Lola's cooking, it never feels or tastes the same, but JT's is a Filipino restaurant that definitely meets those standards. Maraming salamat po! Til next time! We will be back!

Friendly service and a setting that makes you feel like you're at your grandmas house. The food is SO good probably the best Filipino food you can find in SF. Got my usual favorite of the chicken adobo but the beef stew blew me away, so flavorful and fatty

Simple and cozy Filipino restaurant. Friendly workers. The dishes are quite tasty. I like their adobo and bbq. Will be coming back here. I thank my friend for this recommendation

Probably the only Filipino restaurant near the mission and soma. It has most of the tradition Filipino dishes. Great for catering. Tess is a sweetheart as well!

Love this simple no frills filipino food in San Francisco. Came in on a whim in search of filipino food and we loved it. Nice, friendly hospitality... good food. The space is crowded with supplies from the catering business and beautiful house plants, but honestly, the clutter is SO filipino!! hahaha. Come for the food. Salamat po!

This cute little spot led by Ate Tess is a Filipino restaurant that I highly recommend to anyone to visit. The food here reminds me of home and my Filipino roots (at a reasonable price for a spot in the city). Ate Tess sets the hospitable atmosphere and has a lot to say (with her constant smiles) when you take the time to "talk story" with her. Not only does she take care of you through food, but she also takes care of you through her words of wisdom. Ate Tess, I will never forget to smile! See you soon! :)

Look at the picture! Oh my gosh in the heart of down town San Francisco. What an absolute gem in a wasteland surrounded by overpriced instagramable chipotle knock offs with kiosk ordering. This place has soul.

Felt like i was in the philippiness food is delicious and the lady that cooks is really sweet was talking to her the whole time i was there reminded me of my grandma. Salamat po!

Best authentic Phillipino food ever. I live in the east bay and nothing is as fresh and honestly made. Tess Guzman is talented with food and very personable. Each customer gets treated with care. She even remembers you and how you like your food served. Support this San Francisco treasure. Small businesses are closing and leaving. Her entrepreneurial talents keep her there. She also has a small market of specialty foods. I'm her neighbor and she brings a sense of family to 953 Mission St. THE MINT MALL....see you there!!! Cone see us!!!!

Like eating at home. Tita was welcoming, food was comforting, filling, and just delicious.

Love Tess and her home cooking. Come and enjoy and she will make you feel like family!

Simple. Homey. Affordable. Everything I look for when trying to feed my hunger. I've tried a couple of different filipino joint and this one is one of my fave. Actually it's the first place I went to when I was in the city trying to find an apt. Luckily my new apt is just a couple of minute walk from this place. Let talk value, since it's something that's very important to me (I'm self-proclaim poor). For $10 you get a 2 item combo or $7 for 1 item. It seem to be cheaper in the past so that price might not be the same if you're reading this in the future. Anyways it's pretty good. Kusina Ni Tess may be cheaper depend on what you get but otherwise it's plenty affordable and you get a lot of rice and food. I usually get the combo and share it with my bf. Today I got my paycheck so I went a little crazy and got a 1 item and a combo and we did not finish that. Still have it sitting in my fridge for a snack later. Food I've tried so far: Kare kare: I've had prior kare kare homemade by my friends' mamas (mfm) so I'd say I've actually had better. This is a little bit more mild and drier that what I've like but it's not bad. Adobo chicken: standard, good taste but mfm made it a bit better. The sauce is nice to drench on your rice though Porkchop: the true star, really addicting, really delicious. Sinigang: I love this one, sour tanginess at just the perfect amount. My only complain is I want more veggies in there. They gave me too much meat, (lol yes) wait do they have a vegetarian version? I mean the meat is good but I prefer just having all the delicious veggies and the broth. It is now a staple must have in my combo Fried bangus: you get two and they're so cute and yummy. Lightly salted nicely crunchy. One is enough for my meal. Nice portion. Cassava cake: holy moley, so delicious. HUGE. I think the slice was $3, most place would probably just give you a sliver but I got a giant slab. It's so perfect and they have little chunk of I think young coconut in it elevating the dish to a whole nother level. Service is quick and straight forward. You can use your card and they don't have a space to add tip. You sit yourself, clean up after yourself. I actually prefer this sort of dining. If you eat there you get a small cup for water and there's water pitcher on some tables. Usually not very busy, people just come in and out. They do a lot of catering it seem though. It's in a small plaza so you can ask for the key to use the bathroom if you need. Overall when I'm not in Daly City, this is my go to filipino food joint. I'll try to come back to try more dishes!

It was ok. The lady was very nice. But I had better Kare Kare. I will.come back and try something else next time.

Delicious pork adobo and longanisa! Will definitely come back for that. The owner is very sweet and accommodating too.

On the first floor of an unassuming mini mall on Mission St. is a surprisingly good Filipino place that turns out delicious food for affordable prices. Can you imagine paying just $7 for lunch in SoMa? I can now after going here. They have a set menu for their steam trays, which is not vegetarian-friendly, accompanied by plenty of white rice and pancit to help you carbo-load for your post-lunch nap. The gist of it is that you pay $7 for one item and a side of white rice, which comes out blazing hot on a paper plate and plastic tray. You get a paper cup for water, which is available on all the tables in the cramped room. I went for a pork adobo and white rice combo, while my co-workers decided to try their lumpia along with the adobo. Their adobo is certainly on the sour side, but they don't skimp on the meat. From the looks of the other items on the steam table, that seems to be a common characteristic of all the other dishes that they serve. The lumpia was nice and crisp. Tess and her family are very sweet and helpful, and take the time to get to know everyone who passes through the line. They've been here for years, serving up good homestyle Filipino food. If you, like me, are hit with a midday adobo craving, this is where you should go.

My friend wanted to try this location for lunch so we came here. Upon facing the building we were a little confused, then entered the building and found the location. Next we walked in and it was a super market with food for purchase and a bunch of pre made food in trays. I was a little iffy with the food, but we ordered it to go. They didn't have pancit so I ordered some lumpia 3 per order, and some fried chicken. When we opened it and ate it right after, everything was cold, and the fried chicken was fried in the same oil as the fried fish so there was a fishy scent and taste. Didn't like the quality of the food here, however the person working here was super nice so I'll give it a 2/5.

Wasn't sure it it was open since all the reviews were at or over 1 year ago, but it was! First time here and I got my filipino food craving fix today here! Got my favs chicken adobo and pork sinigang. The chicken adobo sauce was kind of thick which was interesting but very tasty and as close as I can find in flavor to homemade ones my friends make. The sinigang flavor was really good as sour as I like, but the pork was not tender like I'm used to (which is my only complaint). I ended up being a fattie and eating all of the food

everything served here is worth every penny. some people say it's expensive but who cares when the food is great ?! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is feeling under the weather, hung over, or simply just want to eat some flavorful bites.

A very no frills steam table joint scooping a variety of reasonably priced Filipino fare. The FiDi/SoMa area is a bit short on Filipino options, so its presence is definitely appreciated. However, I still gotta give it a 3-star, which isn't a bad thing since it means "A-OK" on Yelp. Basically a place to go if you have a very strong craving and the Filipino Food Trucks haven't parked near you. Chicken Adobo: Tangy and umami. The sauce/gravy is on the thicker side, but it works. The chicken was super tender. The chicken seemed haphazardly cut so there were bone pieces everywhere and you needed to proceeded carefully, especially with those skinny toothpick shaped bones. I mean, why not leave the drumsticks in one piece? Longaniza: Sticky, sweet and fatty. Could have been grilled a little longer since there wasn't much char. Seemed like I got a lot more chicken adobo compared to these three longanizas. Lumpia: A lot of little fried rolls with mostly meat filling. Seemed like it was deep fried a bit earlier so wasn't as crunchy/flaky as fried-to-order lumpia. Pancit: Meh. I was pleased to see strips of pork since it seemed meatier than most pancit, but that pork was pretty tough.

As authentic as it gets. Both the chicken and pork adobo were a little bit on the saltier side, but I may be biased because my mom's cooking tends to be sweeter. The caldereta was perfect.

Prior to checking into my room across the way at the Hampton Inn, I had to get some grub in me. Fortunately, handy dandy Yelp pointed me in this direction for some comforting Filipino food. This spot is definitely the definition of a hole in the wall spot, but that is what makes it even more authentic. Since I arrived a little bit before closing, they were out of a lot of the items. However, I was fortunate that they still had some pork adobo. I ended up ordering a plate of that with some white rice and it was fire! The portion was huge and the flavor was super tasty. Overall, if you're in the area and need tons of delicious Filipino food for a good price then definitely check this spot out.

First time trying this place and I would definitely come back here, i had the kare kare and palabok and it was good $12 for 2 items not bad for downtown. If you are here in the city come check it out Ate tess JT restaurant n catering. Lets support our own!!! They do caterings too just give them a call and they will cook your favorite filipino cuisine for you.

Good food for the low made with love from the chef/owner in a hidden hole in the wall location. Its hidden in some random office building and half the store is random canned foods and stuff for sale but man is it good. You pick from a ton of items buffet style all of which looked good. I picked a potato, leek, and corned beef soup, a pork vegie stew over rice, and chicken lumpias with the chefs helpful advice and everything tasted great. I was the most hyped for lumpias going in but my favorites turned out to be the amazing soup and stew. You get a several course feast for under 10 bucks you cant go wrong with this hidden gem.

Came here for the first time and it was so yummy plus she was so nice! Still reminiscing about the Pork sinigang.

Nice Lady Her & I are always talking about my grandmother since we live upstairs from her restaurant I've known her for yrs. her food & style of cooking never fails me. I highly recommended this place! Reasonable Prices too She's a good person to have a great conversation with about anything

NOTE: CASH ONLY! Ever since I moved out of my family's house, I have been eating Filipino food less. I was walking around the area checking to see what restaurants were open and found that there was a Filipino restaurant. It might be a bit hard finding this place because I was walking with my GPS out. This restaurant is located inside a small "mall". The entrance is by a barber shop if I remember correctly. I walked in and was greeted by a friendly employee with a genuine smile. She asked me what I would like and browsed through the menu fast and knew exactly what I wanted: sinigang with rice. I started speaking to her in Filipino just because I haven't been able to speak to someone in my native language in such a long time. I could not believe that they also sold yema here! Yema is a Filipino candy that's made out of egg yolk and milk and it kind of tastes like peanut butter. I made sure I bought some because these were my favorite candy ever since I was a kid! The sinigang and rice tasted like how my family made it (of course, I don't think it's that difficult to replicate). The price was reasonable and my whole experience here was positive. I would love to come back here again!

PLEASE DO NOT BELIEVE IT WHEN YELP SAYS "THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED" IT IS NOT CLOSED! Stopped in last Saturday (when Yelp's posted hours state that it is not ordinarily open. It did close early that afternoon). As numerous other reviewers have stated the owner, Tess, was very warm, friendly, and welcoming. I settled on 2 orders. Paksiw na Pata (Pigs Feet in Rich, Sweet Sauce) balanced by Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in a Light, Tart, Savory Tamarind Laced Broth with lots of Vegetables). Both were delicious and complemented each other very well. A Filipino version of the Sicilian AgroDolce (Matamis Asim). Once my Pinay girlfriend and I tasted it we instantly knew that it was made with care and love. A huge plus: neither dish was too salty, a big pet peeve of mine. Prices are now $15 for 1 item or $20 for 2 items. The quantity was big enough to satisfy and feed both of us. We were "busug with contentment". Highly recommend you check this place out and help support a longtime, local, woman owned small business. Restaurants, especially the family kind, are having a hard enough time already, let alone having one of the most widely read food review websites erroneously stating that they are "closed". At that point going out of business seems like a self fulfilling prophecy. Please YELP, if you are reading this, correct this damaging misinformation ASAP.

As an update, this place is still great and I bring new people here regularly since it's easy to miss it from the street. Bonus: Now accepts credit cards!

First Filipino food I had in SF. My mom was craving some sinigang so we went here cause it was convenience from our hotel. Got there and didn't have much choices but the it was OK not great it ok. Would I go back.... I'll try this other place first and ill compare next time I come back to SF. But try it out and see for yourself not over price at all.

Recently went here to check out some Filipino food. The restaurant is located on mission, between 5th and 6th, so it was a nice, long walk from my office I got the chicken adobo and pork sinigang, mainly because I wanted to try something new and still have something I was familiar with. The order came with a plate of rice to eat the dishes with and the two combo order came out to be 10 dollars. The chicken adobo was pretty good. I got several large chunks of chicken and the soup went well with the rice. The meat of the pork sinigang was also pretty good, although I got less meat in that dish. The thing I didn't like quite as much (and this might just be because I'm not super familiar with Filipino food) was how sour the sinigang soup tasted. To me, it tasted like there was a lot of banana peppers that went into making the dish. Overall, the meal tasted very homey, and was pretty cheap given SF food prices, though one order didn't feel quite filling enough for my voracious appetite. Be aware that they are cash only and that they are located within the mint mall. Tl;Dr cheap Filipino food provided a very homey experience, though you might want to get more than just one combo order

Yummy food. Had the sinigang - it is meaty so if you want more veggies, just ask Tess to put more veggies. Tried the pinakbet, meat was very tender, I like that she uses mustard greens. She lets us taste her homemade chili sauce and it was delicious and not salty. We also tried the giniling with potatoes & carrots and the paksiw na pata. It's $8 for an entree with rice & $10 for two entrees with rice. We weren't able to finish all our food but was happy with it. Is it as good as mom? Nope, no restaurant has ever made food better than my mom but this was good enough. It's a little hole in the wall and totally had the vibe of a small cafe in the Philippines. Next time I'll have to try the bibingkang malagkit

Contrary to the first review and in fairness, J T restaurant and Catering, this is not the former New Filipinas Restaurant which was owned and operated by another entity. J T Restaurant and Catering is now under a totally new owners, husband and wife team Juan and Tess, thus the letter J T stands for. Food is presented fast food style or in Filipino, 'Turo turo ( all dishes are cooked fresh daily in the morning and afrernoons) with no short order dishes on demand unless requested in advance. J T Restaurant and catering offers an array of authentic Filipino cuisine, the way it is prepared in the Tagalog region of the islands. The cost of a combo meal is fairly and easonably priced for the amount of food that is being served compared to most competitors. They also cater food for banquets and special occasion as well as office lunches.. In fairness to the establishment in reference to the comment made for the 'adobo 'dish was not fairly discribed . Traditionally, the skin is cooked to add flavor to the stewed dish., all chicken parts are usually used. The customer may have gone at a time when certain parts were left at the time. Adobo is among the most popular among Filipino fares next to 'Lumpia; There are various iterations on how the dish is prepared based on what region of the islands one hails from. All dishes are prepared based on recipes from the Manila and Northern Southern Tagalog regions of Luzon ( The main island of the Philippine archipelago. Aside from lunch and dinner fares, other Filipino delicacies for 'merienda' (A (afternoon snacks) such as Bibingka (Sticky Rice cake baked in caramelized sugar qith coconut milk) Turon, ( Fried bananas in egg roll wrapper and caramelized with brown sugar) and 'Palabok' a noodle dish with achuete sauce(, an alternative to the traditional noddle dish 'Pancit' )and of course l vegetable lumpia and Lumpiang Shanghai (cocktail sized pork lumpia with sweet and sour sauce dip). Each day two specialty measl are offered aside from the regular dishes such offered such as adobo ( Pork stewed in vinegar,soy sauce and a lot of garlic), sinigang ( pork with tamarind base flavor) fried marinated milk fish, and other standard dish popular among Filipinos. Located next to the S F Chronicle building to the left in a little mall strip. On 5th and MIssion walking distance from the Westfield Shopping Center. I am a regular customer and have nothing but the satisfaction of having a taste of 'Mom's home cooked Filipino Food. I recommend you try it while shopping or visting the SOMA area.

My coworker brought me to this spot and I'm forever grateful! I wouldn't call it a restaurant per se. It's more like some tables inside of a Filipino market. The auntie that works there just piles stuff on your plate and determines how much to charge you. Prices are relatively cheap and the food is super yummy. If you like Filipino food you definitely owe it to yourself to come check this hidden gem out!

This place is amazing. The pork adobo, the lumpia, the beef stew, the deserts. & the lady who makes everything is an absolute sweetheart! totally makes you feel at home when you walk in, great vibes, great food!

My co-worker just showed me this place and I have been working in the neighborhood for 5 years and passed by it many times....place has a homey feeling with colorful tables and tons of plants all around, you get the feeling that you are eating at your mom's kitchen. One side with rice is $6 and two sides with rice are $8.50. Home cooked pork, beef and veggies that are supper tasty. The woman at the counter is super sweet and friendly. Please, support this local business. http://local.sfgate.com/b17924280/JT-Restaurant-%26-Catering

my go-to place whenever I need my filipino food fix which is almost once every week. Auntie Tess is awesome and very nice. I usually get the kare-kare, adobo, dinuguan tinola and sinigang. If I'm lucky, I get to have veggies too. Majority of the dishes are on point--I like my chicken adobo differently but hers is pretty close to how I like. the dinuguan is one of the best ones Ive had. I specially love her bibingka malagkit... my grandma used to call it latik. it's the best one Ive hard besides my grandmas. highly recommended.

Had sweet and sour fish filet with vegetable lumpia and husband had chicken adobo (the unofficial most eaten Philippines dish I read!) These entrees are offered on the Wednesday special with about 6/7 other choices to chose from. The dishes are served with a lot of white rice (equivalent of 2-3 small rice bowls?). The food tasted fresh, I liked the crunchy veggies served with the fish. The bill for two was 10$! The owner was very sweet and smiley. Good option if you are in the neighborhood for a quick lunch!

Fast, yummy, and run by a really wonderful lady. It's a bit hard to find -- you have to go inside the main building first, and then it's on the right hand side as you enter.

I ordered dinuguan na baboy, monggo and fish!!! I had a delish lunch! Will come back for sure. They change their menu everyday. So when you're craving for a specific filipino food better check their menu first. The owner is so friendly (you can talk tagalog to her if you're a filipino.)

I love this place! The lady behind the counter could be anybody's Auntie, so nice. Since I found out about the place a month ago, I've been going there 1-2 times a week for weekday lunch. This must be a gem because it's one of the few places you can go for lunch during the workweek and find a place to sit down, (& that's during peek lunchtime!), because of the way it's kinda hidden in this little mini-mall. I'd love to write about everything they offer but I always get the same thing, 2 items over rice-longanisa which is a small, sweet pork sausage & pork adobo which has the perfect combo of pork cubes that's not dry, (read=good amount of fat), sour from the vinegar & salty from the soy sauce. I'm always surprised when I pick up the box how heavy it feels with a ton of rice on the bottom and each side on top. Yes, my place every week!

(Not so) awkward moment when your company's catered events led you to the discovery of this little gem. I've only had the lumpia and pancit but omg. I can practically see the authenticity coming off the food. Everything's cash only (even for catered trays) so be sure to have some with you. The restaurant itself is very homey and almost messy looking- literally like someone's kitchen. Love the friendliness and food!