Mestiza

"A Mexican Filipino restaurant in San Francisco known for its vegan lumpia and group-sized kamayan feasts."

"After closing in 2020, Mestiza reemerged in another SoMa location, shedding its Filipino taqueria-esque menu to focus on vegan dishes. It’s a welcome addition to SF’s growing plant-based dining scene. Extra long lumpia filled with sweet potato, brussels sprouts, and water chestnut hold their own against tradition, and the mushroom sisig has enough umami to make you forget about the dish’s classic use of pork and offal. You’ll still find glimmers of the restaurant’s former self in dishes like delicious vinegary pork adobo and crispy lechon bites. The combo of vegan dishes and meaty options makes Mestiza especially useful when you’re planning a meal with a few friends who all have different dietary needs. If you happen to wrangle a group of four or more, Mestiza also offers a kamayan option with the requisite banana leaves draped over a picnic table. The restaurant may not be entirely vegan, but it is entirely outdoors. Take a quick, pineapple-lined stroll straight back through a narrow hallway right next to the open-air kitchen—while spying on what’s on the grill—and you’ll arrive at the renovated back patio. Reservations are usually easy to come by, so remember Mestiza as a reliable last-minute pick for a date night or large group dinner (you can make a reservation for up to 12 people). Sure, the patio doesn't have any blankets, but there’s no shortage of heat lamps and toasty champorado with berries to keep you warm. Food Rundown photo credit: Patrick Wong Mestiza Lumpia Looks are deceiving with these. They’re about nine inches long, but the filling—which is excellent—only covers the center, leaving the ends hollow. The accompanying “island sauce” thankfully makes even shards of empty lumpia wrapper tasty. Worth ordering, just remember size isn’t everything. photo credit: Patrick Wong Inisal Skewers That island sauce we were just talking about? There’s no shortage of it on these barbecued shrimps on a stick. Charred, spicy, and tangy, we’d order this app as an entree. Sometimes these come with chicken rather than shrimp. photo credit: Patrick Wong Mushroom Sisig These mushrooms have seemingly taken acting lessons from pork, because we didn’t miss the meat at all. The hefty bowl of fungus is so savory and rich that we were digging around just to make sure pork hadn’t snuck its way in. Order a side of atchara to balance the heaviness. photo credit: Patrick Wong Braised Pork Adobo Sour and pungent, just how we like adobo, and served with potatoes that are soft rather than mealy. The cook on the pork shoulder can be a bit inconsistent, though, with some tender chunks mixed in with tougher ones. Eat this with plenty of rice on the side to dull any overly salty punch. photo credit: Patrick Wong Champorado The only dessert on the menu, this chocolatey bowl of rice porridge makes us feel like a kid eating breakfast cereal. We could skip the macerated berries on top, but we’d order this again regardless. One portion is easily shareable among two to three people." - Patrick Wong

"Head over to this small takeout-friendly SoMa restaurant for plant-based riffs on Filipino classics and stunning kamayan spreads — though there are meaty dishes on the menu too. It’s a comeback for Mestiza owner Deanna Sison who closed the first iteration of her restaurant in 2020 and now returns in a new space with chef Syl Mislang at her side. Order sweet potato-stuffed lumpia, calabasa coconut curry with aji verde, and a vegan version of sisig made with mushroom tempeh." - Dianne de Guzman, Lauren Saria

"A restaurant closure story is, unfortunately, a common one. Especially at the start of the pandemic and the ensuing shutdowns of 2020, Filipino-Mexican street food spot Mestiza closed temporarily — then made that closure permanent in April 2020. But now owner Deanna Sison is on the verge of a comeback that bucks the restaurant closure narrative, reopening Mestiza in a new home in SoMa with chef Syl Mislang at the helm. Together, they’re serving a Filipino menu in San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural District, just a block from Oracle Park, starting Thursday, April 18. Mestiza is launching as a fast-casual restaurant in the former Primo Patio space, catering to the neighborhood with a grab-and-go case and takeout window ready for neighbors and Giants fans on the way to a game. The menu consists of a mix of convenient small plates, bowls, and wraps, highlighting Mislang’s way of cooking Filipino food and placing vegetables at its center. Mislang is formerly of vegan pop-up the Roaming Spoon, but here at Mestiza there will be some meat in the mix, such as in the restaurant’s chicken inasal, a grilled chicken dish served with green papaya achara, a pickled relish side or the braised pork adobo wrap. Mislang’s dishes will continue to display her prowess at vegetarian and vegan items, such as the lumpia, which eschews the typical pork or beef, and instead incorporates sweet potato as its filling, served with pineapple chile jam; or the calabasa coconut curry with aji verde, which highlights squash as the central ingredient, and is a play on flavors from Mislang’s Filipino and Mexican background. The ever-popular Filipino dish sisig is typically made with pork jowl but Mislang subs in mushroom tempeh for the protein with chile garlic crisp layered in and pickled red onions on the side. Locals can also expect salads, such as a colorful rainbow salad with sesame-miso dressing. The food is conveniently prepped for takeout, but should diners opt to stick around for their meal, they’ll be rewarded with a lush patio highlighting a brightly-colored mural from artist Cheyenne Randall titled “Vanilla Sky.” Depicting Filipina singer Grace Nono, it’s a loving tribute to both the entertainer and Mislang and Sison’s Filipino heritage, and the patio features plants spread throughout. It’s also the scene of the ultimate Mestiza experience: A reservation-only kamayan feast starting in May will feature Filipino foods served family-style on a table lined with banana leaves; guests are encouraged to eat with their hands. Think bites of pork belly, whole shrimp, chicken skewers, garlic rice, and more. Kamayan dining is a rarity among Filipino restaurants, due to the involved nature of the dining style, which typically requires everyone at the table to participate. But Mislang’s kamayan dinner also stands out in continuing that focus on vegetables with the aforementioned sweet potato lumpia, grilled rounds of eggplant, pickled cucumbers, baby bok choy, and sweet bites of sliced pineapple. Oat milk soft serve will round out the menu’s sweet side, served with a rotating list of toppings, including pinipig, or toasted rice, and ube brownies. Drink offerings include a selection of craft beer, local wine, plus soju cocktails, as well as nonalcoholic drink options such as a pineapple-ginger shrub and a cold brew made with Barako coffee. Mestiza (214 Townsend Street) debuts on Thursday, April 18, and is open 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday." - Dianne de Guzman

"After closing its doors at 595 Bryant Street in 2020, Mestiza will return this spring to a new location in South Beach." - Lauren Saria