Kalsada

Although not serving authentic Filipino food, Kalsada manages to provide a slightly upscale experience of modern Filipino food with some fusion elements, which I, as a non-Filipino, am in support of because it provides me with a relatively exquisite dining experience. I have been here a total of three times, twice for brunch and once for dinner. From an atmosphere standpoint, the restaurant definitely seeks to provide a modern feel with its decorations and ways of placing their chairs and tables, and I think it has worked. Having outdoor dining is a plus and works in the restaurant's favor during weekend brunches. From a service standpoint, it can be a hit or miss depending on the day and on the person, and what I mean is not necessarily anyone giving bad service, but rather that sometimes it can seem slightly disorganized. At times I have seen certain servers initially not knowing which tables are theirs, and other times I have seen a server having to greet customers when the front desk person is temporarily missing. With all that said, I need to emphasize that I received great service from my servers, which is most definitely a plus. The highlight is the food, both flavor and presentation. During weekend brunches, the ube pancakes are always go-to dishes. The juxtaposition of various kinds of sweetness creates a new flavor that elevates the traditional definition of a pancake. Ube ice cream, bananas, condensed milk, etc. all just work perfectly together to create that new flavor. The longanisa burger buns are also made partially from ube, causing it to look purple, with savory taste from the pork complemented by the egg yolk (yes you need to add the egg). I also had the truffled chicken adobo once as a dinner dish, and of course, there are so many ways of cooking chicken adobo so it's hard to mess it up, and naturally it tasted very good. Other dishes that I have tried included tortang talong, kare-kare short rib, lumpia shanghai, and the crab omelet, all of which are great as well! They all provide distinct flavor and are all worth a try depending on what one's savory buds are feeling at the time. There are still many dishes on the menu that I have not tried yet but am very interested, so I am sure I will be returning in no time! Overall I think this will be a place that I will be bringing my friends to when going out, especially the ones that come from out of town!

The restaurant is always packed for good reason. Their menu is pretty stable with only one item change that I have noticed across five visits in the last nine months. Excellent brunch, my party got ube pancakes and calamansi mimosas and I enjoyed the crab fat fried rice. The fried rice is perfectly made, but I’ll admit the crab fat didn’t add much and I probably won’t order it again. I never skip the sizzling sisig appetizer, it’s the perfect size for splitting two or three ways and will be an instant hit with anyone who enjoys traditional american breakfast fare. The truffle chicken adobo is well balanced and tender, and they have a wonderfully crispy pork belly lechon. While I haven’t seen it on the menu in a few months, don’t miss the kare-kare short-ribs if they’re in.

We really enjoyed our meal. Everything was prepared with attention to detail and tastefully. Never had Filipino food before, so we had to ask a lot of questions about the menu. We really enjoyed the spring rolls. The calamari had some nice heat. We'll be back to try more on the menu.

Everything was amazing! Rich Filipino flavors at a $$$$ taste, but a $$ cost. Started with the Leah’s Happy Place latte and the ube cinnamon roll. Probably the best latte I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time. Both entrees were well portioned and had fantastic flavors (chicken adobo & crispy egg plant/tofu). Definitely can’t wait to come here again!

The lamb was good but oily. The pork belly was also oily and didn't have much flavor and a bit overpriced especially since it only came with one side. Rice on the side for both dish would be nice to absorb the oil but i had to order that separately. I was expecting a bit more for what I paid. They also charge you a non-tip employee wage fee. I've never seen that before but overall the staff was friendly and the atmosphere was nice.

I have read a lot about this restaurant. I will start by saying you should go! The food was delicious and different, but our waitress helped make the dinner quite wonderful. She described the food well, and was just delightful! This is a large airy restaurant, with old wood tables, large windows, and a tin ceiling. They have a short but excellent cocktail list. I started with the Calamansi mojito. It is made with a Filipino rum infused with lemongrass, Calamansi fruit, and mint. A tad sweet but actually very good. The blackberry caipirinha was also great. We started with the lumpia, which are small egg rolls essentially, filled with crispy pork and water chestnut. Very nice. We also had the tortang talong. It was a delicious mix of flavors. It was a perfectly cooked crispy fried eggplant, topped with shredded fresh green papaya, and marinated tomatoes on a citrus flavored (Calamansi ) Filipino mayo. It was a really unique blend of crispy, savory, sweet, and rich. Another table got a huge fried ball! We asked our fabulous waitress, and she said it was called Ukoy. So ...we ordered one. It was tempura fried vegetables and shrimp. It was served with a soy vinegar dipping sauce and patis mayo. It was AMAZING!!! Crispy. Perfectly cooked shrimp,...and absolutely crazy looking. We ordered way too much food. My husband got the steak and kamote que. The marinated steak was tender and absolutely scrumptious. It was served with yummy sweet potato rounds, onion, and charred shishito peppers. Next time I am going to get this! I ordered the crispy pork belly lechon and laing, which is swiss chard and kale simmered in coconut milk. Amazing flavors, and quite different also. The pork belly was more like a pork roast but with crispy skin. It was huge! Huge! We decided to get the flan and a scoop of ube ice cream for dessert Good, but I don't know way, because really we were way too full! Kalsada will give you great food and stretch your taste buds. This is a good thing. I will be coming back and bringing friends. Kalsada is in St. Paul on Selby, just 2 blocks west of Snelling. There is easy street parking.

Enjoyed an early dinner on the patio. The main star of the show was the mango and passion fruit salad. It was fresh, crisp and full of flavor! The egg rolls were also great— no issues finishing the whole plate! The ukoy (fried veggies and shrimp) was a bit of a let down. No distinct flavor due to the frying, only had two shrimp throughout. Drinks were aesthetically pretty, however tasted a bit strong and overwhelming. Will head back to try breakfast and get another salad!

A modern and atmosphere. The staff is always on key. I haven't had much Filipinos food before. To my understanding, the ingredients are fusion based. We enjoyed the crispy calamari appetizer. I had the steak bistek steak and my wife had the chicken sisig. I enjoyed the steak. However, the vinaigrette was a bit too sweet. The chicken didn't came with an egg as it has on the menu. Still rather tasty.