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Alido's Island Flavor
Category: Restaurants Filipino Filipino [Edit]
3560 Callan BlvdSouth San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 869-4457
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 5 pm - 9 pm
Sat 10 am - 10 pm
Sun 10 am - 8 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
92 reviews for Alido's Island Flavor
Review Highlights
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"Best Chicken Adobo I have had to date." In 5 reviews -
"Halo -Halo there is excellent." In 6 reviews -
"Don't forget to try their bibingka." In 8 reviews
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92 reviews in English
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Review from Fred B.
Santa Clara, CA
Updated - 10/17/2011 8 photos
Sometimes I have to make sacrifices just for food. I'm a foodie, so I really don't care how long it takes for me to get that perfect bite. I've taken road trips to socal just to try the newest fooodtruck. So driving a few miles down 280 to South San Francisco to get some authentic Filipino food aint no thang!
Look, I know Filipino food is pretty hard to understand for most folks. Even pinoys have a hard time understanding the food. What I hate most is the fact that people say, "this is not like my mom's!" or "this is not adobo!" Well, who cares what your mom makes! Anyway...go to Filipino restaurants to enjoy food. Keep an open mind and palette.
So OK...my review. We started with the misua soup, which was plenty for the 4 of us. This simple soup was pretty tasty and definitely was a great way to start off the dinner. Since I am a sisig lover, we had to order their pork sisig. I really don;t like to add much to my sisig like pork rinds or eggs, because it really takes away from the texture and flavor that I enjoy. Alido's sisig had the perfect crunch from the grilled of the meat and provided a nice hint of sourness and tang that my taste buds require. Next we had the traditional pork binagoongan. Delish...don't be afraid of the shrimp paste here. Next we had the Ginataan Manok. I highly recommend this dish especially for you coconut lovers out there.
Well we didn't try everything on the menu because we got pretty full from the generous portions. But, I had to leave room for future visits. I'll be back again Alidos! thx1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/3/2010
All I have to say is if you are ever in the Daly City San Francisco area, stop by Alidos for some… Read more »
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Review from Doug And Ger S.
Castro Valley, CA
5/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Very disappointed with the outcome of our latest event held at Alido's.
Background: Just wanted to give some background so you understand that our recent review is fair & honest. We have had several family events either catered or held here. We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here and both we and our guests enjoyed the food & the service provided. Sadly our latest experience here has left a bad taste in our mouths, as well as our guests, that we will probably no longer patronize this establishment.
We recently held our son's baptism reception here. We had debated whether to have it here or at Hokkaido but because we enjoyed the food here and had experienced great service in the past with other events, Alido's won out. Unfortunately it will be our last.
Everything started out great. We were allowed to set up decorations beforehand. They were very accommodating with that. The food was set up & our guests started arriving. Mind you, this was to be a buffet style luncheon. 7 entrees, 1 dessert lemonade & water. Our guests lined up & before half of our guests got their food, a few of the dishes started running out so of course we requested more be brought out. Each time they brought out to refill the almost empty trays it wasn't a new tray. They only brought out small portions to refill the buffet trays AND it wasn't enough to fill them back up. They only brought out enough for maybe 2 or 3 people to get more food. Uhhhhmmm is that really a buffet? The trays should be filled so that everyone can get more food not just a few more people! That was the first mistake they made. The ginataan (sp?) was never even refilled and so many of our guests told us that they weren't even able to get any. Thank goodness we bought a cake so that our guests were able to at least have another dessert.
The second mistake was that we had 60 adult guest but somehow we were charged for 74! Hmmm ok we had 60 adult guests, charged for 74 and the "buffet" food was good for only about 40 people. If you do the math... it just doesn't add up. Charged for 14 additional adult guests!!! Unless we had uninvited guests show up we only invited 60 people. We went through our invitation list 5 times and there was no way..ABSOLUTELY NO WAY we had more than 60 adults. The additional 14 were children all under the age of 9 and under 4 feet. Supposedly, children over 4 feet are to be charged half price!! Ernie, the owner made it seem like he was doing us a favor by not charging us for the children. How can that be a deal when you ended up charging us for adult prices. Awful! Shame on you for doing that! We were so upset that we really wanted to give them a 1 star but in fairness, the food is good. We just wished that there was enough food served during our event. Our guests kept asking us, are they going to bring out more food? I'm sure our poor guests had to drive somewhere else afterwards to get more food. That's how limited the food was. Although the per head charge for lunch seems rather reasonable (lower than Hokkaido or Moon Star), please keep in mind that there is a service fee so it really ends up being just about the same price as those places. So you're really not saving. AND at least with those places you KNOW that the food which is buffet will continue to be refreshed with an entirely new tray! -
Review from Melody C.
San Jose, CA
5/8/2012
More like 4 1/2 stars
Let me preface by saying that I am filipino food and even though people are complaining about waiting for filipino food, you either
a) don't know that cooking it takes time
b) should appreciate that it wasn't seating under a heating lamp getting stale - Hence the Goldilocks
My mom, matthew and I headed here on sunday for some good eatins'.
Truth be told my mom wanted to go to Manila Star, but alas they were closed. So we saw this on our route and decided to give it a try
We started off with Mango juice which they add crushed ice...
So refreshing :)
Lumpia Shanghai - minus 1/2 star because it was burnt. I think they wanted to make sure it wasn't raw, and that was fine except it was really really brown.
Nilaga - Wonderful...didn't need patis like you need at most filipino restaurants....sliced carrots, cabbage, potatoes, tender beef in well seasoned beef broth my god it was sooo delicious..just like my grandma used to make when i was a kid and was suffering from the cold.
tortang talong with pork - its like an egg omelete with tender whole eggplant and ground pork. The eggplant had a smoky flavor and my mom just loved it.
Mechado - My mom was raving about the fork tender beef with carrots, red sauce and she said it was soo mouthwatering and delicious
Steamed Rice
Bibinka - minus 1/2 star. My mom likes the Bibinka at Bread basket much better. I'm not really a bibinka fan, but if they had champorado it woulda been great.
the server - husband and wife had just finished a large party of 100, but they were fabulously sweet people and very welcoming.
We will be back :)
Restaurant is very clean! -
Review from Golda R.
1/15/2012
My first time here was for my two friends' pre-wedding reception party. They were throwing a party for their friends and family in the Bay who couldn't make it to their actual nuptials in Philly.
They rented out the whole restaurant for the night, and they had the place filled to its capacity. Seating was pretty tight and cozy since a lot of people showed up, and it took a while for us to get food at the buffet line.
Let me just say it was good Filipino food! The chicken, the rice, the fish, the pancit -- it was all awesome! I didn't care that I waited long or the fact that I was squished because of tight seating. The food was delicious and best of all, I got to see two good friends enjoying their wedding festivities.
It's a great place to throw a Filipino party! -
Review from Molly M.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2011
I had never had Filipino food before. The restaurant was rather empty when we went late on a Saturday night, but the chef and waitress were really nice and helpful. They asked us what we liked and made suggestions. I had a good fried fish dish and vegetable stir-fry. We also got a beef dish and squid that were both different from what we're use to and good.
I'll go again. -
Review from Phil L.
Fairfield, CA
4/30/2012
my friends and i went here to celebrate our friends 25th birthday, and we came out from fairfield which is a little bit more than an hour away. The food here really complimented the night. As a fellow filipino, i was impressed with the food.
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Review from Janice C.
7/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
If you're looking for a banquet space fit for a princess (in this case, a 1 year old princess!) look no more.
My bestie from college rented out half the restaurant to accommadate 40 people for her daughter's birthday. She made a good choice: easy on the wallet, no muss no fuss buffet-style party for family and friends.
We had a pretty decent selection of entrees, from the stand-by pansit and lumpia to more traditional Filipino dishes. Get the Kaldereta, this is beef stewed in tomatoes, spices, peppers and potatoes. The meat is done incredibly tender, like it's been simmering away on the stove for hours. On hand was my favorite vegetable dish called "Pinakbet", which is essentially veggies (string beans, squash, etc) cooked in shrimp paste and pork. The Ginaataang Mais is creamy and not too sweet; it's best served warm and just comforting on a foggy day! However, these are the dishes they can improve on: their lumpia and fried chicken were both lacking in seasoning. Sure, it was crisp to perfection and served hot, but needs some tweaking on the seasoning.
The location is easy to find, exit 280 and drive up to the top of Westborough Blvd and swing a right onto Callan Blvd. They take advantage of the sweeping views with big windows. It's really a 3.5 star joint, but being family friendly and having great service, I'm rounding it up to 4 stars. -
Review from Juleo R.
San Francisco, CA
4/16/2012
Recently discovered this place amongst the many other Filipino restaurants in the area and I am so glad I did. This is a huge restaurant compared to the others. Staff are extremely friendly and attentive. Service may be a little slow since its family run. However, it is definitely worth waiting, the food that comes out is literally hot and fresh off the grill/stove/oven (whatever). I recommend the sisig and pancit palabok.
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Review from Johanna M.
San Francisco, CA
Another Filipino Restaurant that will never disappoint you. & they have FREE WiFi!!!
My BF and I got to this place like around 5pm, the place was real empty... I mean we came there right when they opened. The menu was typical, yet simply your type of traditional Filipino food.
We both ordered:
2 Fried Rice Binagoon
- Basically steam rice mixed with bagoong, pork, tomatoes, and I think there was sauteed garlic & onions. I know... sounds like a bite-away from getting diabetes or kidney stones, BUT trust me it was soooooooo GOOD!!!
BBQ Pork:
-I've ate quite a lot of BBQ Pork in my time and this caught my attention after just taking 1 bite. The meat was so tender, and it didn't taste burnt... if ya know what I mean. YOU GOTTA ORDER THIS & dip it in some vinegar!!!!
Sisig:
-This is one of the BEST Sisig I've had! Served on a sizzling hot plate, with just the right amount of onions and heat coming from the jalapenos! MAKE SURE YOU ORDER 2 OF THESE, one for you to eat now, and another to take home after.
I will definitely come back, and since all 3 of the dishes we ordered were ALL GOOD... I curious to order what else is surprisely good in their menu!
P.S.
If your wondering... WTH is Bagoong, well "'Bagoong' is a Philippine condiment made of partially or completely fermented fish or shrimps and salt. The fermentation process also results in fish sauce". -
Review from Angela May V.
Daly City, CA
8/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
2 words is all I need to describe this place. In 2 words I can probably save alot of people from coming to this place and wasting their hard earned money.
"Raw Lumpia"
They served me... RAW LUMPIA. I'm talkin' pink in the center, undercooked meat and fried wrapper on the outside. Which led me to believe 1) The lumpias aren't fresh and were frozen 2) The chef doesn't know what he's doing.
I wanted to like Alido! We even patiently waited 25 minutes for you to open and 55 minutes for our food and I STILL wanted to like you. Sadly, I will never return. Not EVEN for the $5 dolla make you holla breakfast silogs. -
Review from Anna S.
San Francisco, CA
3/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Pass.
Everything is really dry. But you do get a free app if you check in through yelp. -
Review from vito l.
Napa, CA
2/24/2011 2 photos
On one of those nights where I type in 'food' on yelp to see what turns up for south san francisco. This place was very easy to find after a short drive up the westborough hills. Contemplated whether to go in or not cause it was totally empty at 8pm on a rainy thursday night. From the outside I saw... sushi? Thought this was a filipino restaurant, was about to venture somewhere else but what the heck, am here, not going to go driving around in the rain so late.
Lights for half the place was turned off which made the emptiness even colder. Was greeted with very friendly service though. Went simple and just order a combo rice plate. Since all combo already comes with a quarter chicken leg, I had to liberty to order more veggies. Ordered the eggplant combo in the end. Not sure why eggplant combo costs more than any of the meat combos. $15 for the eggplant combo is a bit much in my opinion. The combo came with veggie lumpia. Looked up and down the menu and it seems they only have veggie lumpia.
The food took rather long to come out especially since I was the only customer. Can't imagine what would happen if the place was packed. A big plus though is that the food was fresh and hot! Not extraordinary in taste, but it will do.
While I was eating, someone came in for some take out and wanted to pay by credit card. This place was reluctant to let him use the credit card until the dude up'ed his order to $15. I end up paying in cash too.
Will come back and try out some of the other goodies if I am in the area. -
Review from Gina P.
San Francisco, CA
10/4/2010 1 Check-in Here
I've always been wanting to try this place, especially since it's so close to where I live. My friends and I decided to try it one night since we were crazy hungry and didn't know where else to go.
Right when you get in, the staff welcomes you and are friendly. Just a bit weird that half the restaurant was already blocked off at 7pm on a Saturday night. We ordered a bunch of food for everyone to share. The server was extremely nice and he didn't even need to write down our large order!
The problem was it took REALLY long for us to get our food. We waited at least 25mins and we were the only ones at the restaurant. I really liked the eggplant omelette and the pork sinigang. We also ordered sisig, but it was really dry.
The food was okay. I think I'd rather drive a bit further and go to Ongpin. -
Review from SCoo B.
Tracy, CA
8/5/2010
Two weeks ago on a Saturday (around 7pm) my family and i were at Frisco the original filipino restaurant that we were suppose to go to was closing early.. So out of nowhere my wonderful girlfriend texts me and found this restaurant on http://Yelp.com That had great reviews and was Clean and even had called to confirm the closing hours. THANKS babe=)
The place was really easy to find its after all right across from Goldilocks. WARNING:: Don't go through the FRONT DOOR go through the Side (haha) Save yourself the embarrassment.
The place was REALLY CLEAN...on a Saturday i was surprised it wasnt Packed. There was just one other small family that was there and that was it. The Bar was nice, we were seated by the Piano area against the wall by the rock n roll painting. That whole area itself could be a nice place to throw a dinner party, i should have done it for my 21st birthday. *snaps*
THE FOOD was great, we ordered pancit was really good, but the sinigang was EXTREMELY sour , it was intense. I guess im just use to how my dad cooks it. We also ordered the Nilagang Baka which was delicious since its always cold in Frisco. We ordered the Crispy pata and the lechon was crunchy exactly perfect. The service was great the people were very friendly, i would definatly consider coming back here when im in frisco. -
Review from Ari C.
Daly City, CA
5/12/2008 4 photos
It seems like whenever I consume a fair amount of alcohol, I end up eating at a Filipino or pho restaurant the next day. Today was no exception. After getting buzzed on jaeger shots last night, I decided I wanted a plateful of greasy garlic rice with whatever else was available. So we decided to try Alido's, based on the number of good reviews on Yelp. Yes, I do use yelp to look for restaurants and not just to hang around on yelp talk.
We've attempted to visit Alido's once before, but it was closed. Apparently, it's closed every monday. Also there's a sign out front with their hours posted but it's incomplete for whatever reason. The business hour posted on their door is more accurate.
The inside is pretty nice. Clean, spacious, and bright, due to the large windows. A lot of the tables are combined together to cater to big groups, so this place is definitely good for groups.
I had a little bit of trouble with the menu because I'm not filipina. I'm still trying to learn the dishes' names. When learning a new language, it's always good to start with the food. I learned a new word from the menu today, by the way: daing. Yay! I know Bay Area has a large population of Filipinos, but it would be nice to have menus with pictures for non-filipinos like myself, or even for my "coconut" fiance. He's filipino, but every time I ask him about a dish, his answer is usually "I dunno, I just remember eating it as a kid and it's good". Great. That doesn't help much :-\
Anyway, I decided to get the "calbee ribs".
.... yes, I know it's Korean. I have this weird habit of going to an ethnic restaurant and ordering dish that's from a different country altogether. But seriously, I got my favorite "korean bbq plate" from a vietnamese pho restaurant. For reals.
Unfortunately, they don't have the calbee anymore. The menu's outdated, according to the waitress. So I settled on adobosilog. My fiance got the sisig. Both dishes were just okay. My fiance said House of Sisig's sisig is better, which makes sense since it IS the house of sisig. Their silog tastes really good though. Better than other filipino restaurants' silog.
The worst part of the visit was the service. The people were very nice, but s-l-o-o-o-o-w. Ve-e-e-ry slow. Excruciatingly slow. The Slowsky's slow. Dial-up slow. You get the point. The waitress was apologetic, but I still don't get how a service could be that slow, especially when it's not super busy.
Note: they have wi-fi. I don't know why a family restaurant would need to provide wi-fi. I mean, really, have you seen anyone eating palabok while checking the stock market? It's just weird. Or maybe it's provided so people can kill time while they wait for their food?
Conclusion: Alido's is a good choice for filipino food, but strictly call-in/take-out only. I don't want to spend more time waiting for my food than actually eating it. -
Review from Michael J.
San Francisco, CA
I came here with some friends for just an adventure to see what filipino food tastes like. The only filipino food I've had in the past were lumpia, chicken adobo, and those yummy sponge cakes w/ cheese at Goldilocks.
So anyhow, we came and ordered several dishes. To my liking I very much liked all the dishes, to me it's a little bit on the pricier side for the quantity that they provide, but the taste I suppose justifies it (not really hehe) So we came on a night where we were the only customers, and another couple showed up, we must have waited a while for the food to arrive. I was starved so the key issue with me is promptness. Luckily I had friends to keep me occupied for a while, but had waited more than 30mins for food to arrive.
Despite the long wait for food the server was friendly and polite and we conversed. I went home happy, although a bit disappointed in having to wait so long for the food to arrive. One thing I would like to be different if things could change is promptness of food and larger portions. I say this because I'm a big guy.
***I have some photos that might peek your interests***
Recommended Dishes:
-Crispy Chicken
-Chicken Bar-b-que
-Mechado
-Beef Tapa (only if it's cooked medium rare, overcooked = rubbery meat) -
Review from Earl G.
3/25/2009
Went here the other day for a friends daughter's two year old birthday. Lol did I say that right? Anyways, our party had about 20-25 people and all the food was set up at the table in time for the reservation. Nice, especially because I know Filipino's and being on time are hardly used in the same sentence.
The food over here has the traditional Filipino flavors. I know how there's a bunch of fusion Filipino restaurants (Palencia, Patio Filipino, Bistro Luneta, Intramuros, etc) and that may not sit well with the older generation's palette. Especially if you're having a family party that my include grandparents.
Anyways, good food. Better than Goldilocks down the street but still behind Kuya's in San Bruno IMO.
Oh, as far as my barometer dish (kare kare - braised oxtail in peanut butter sauce). This is what I use to gauge to see how good a restaurant's Flip food is. It was ok. The oxtail was cooked long enough and tender, but the tripe wasn't. Ehh, I guess nothing ever compares to Gramma's old cooking.Listed in: Filipino food - I am what I…
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Review from Angel S.
Long Island, NY
4/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
I've never fallen in love with the food in Alido's, though I like taking friends and guests there due to their big space, friendly service, and, of course, Karaoke!
I'm curious as to why some reviewers feel that their portions are big, that has not been my experience. In fact, we had to give two orders of a dish for a group of 5. The food is just okay, for the most part. I like their adobo and their assortment of pastries. If I compare Alidos to competitors, I'd probably place it in the middle - below Sinugba and Kuya's but above Ongpin and Ling Nam.
Still, Alido's has the best location of them all and the ambiance adds to the festive experience. The space is fairly open and big and the restaurant is situated on top of Westborough, overlooking a nice view of SSF hill.
I think you'll enjoy the visit, even if you find the meal to be just okay. -
Review from Aimee H.
San Francisco, CA
1/26/2007
This happens to be mine & my family's favorite restaurant. We took my boyfriend there recently, and now, this his favorite Filipino restaurant. There's parking, tons of restaurant space, and an excellent view. The family that owns the restaurant are some of the nicest people I've ever met and they go out of their way to make us feel like we're part of their family... just as if I was eating at an aunt or uncle's house in the Philippines.
We always order a la carte, since we eat there in groups. My favorites include their kare kare and their milkfish. YUM. Their cantelope juice is sweet too! Goes excellent with the meal.
If you're hungry for a Filipino dish, I suggest you head over to Alido's!Listed in: Yum. Yum. Yum.
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Review from Derwin V.
West Covina, CA
9/16/2009
All about the bibingka! I heard about their bibingka being great and they are; the best I've had.
About the food: If you like filipino food without the glam then Alido's is the place to eat. It's what home-cooked filipino food should be. The only reason I'm not giving a higher rating is that there's nothing special about the taste - good but not great.
Interior is clean with a nice view. Atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. -
Review from Rina L.
San Jose, CA
12/9/2010
BEST BIBINGKA EVER! we always order from them and they are so nice!! not to mention the best bibingka ever!
if i want authentic bibingka i always come here no matter what!
high recommended! -
Review from Simoun S.
Daly City, CA
7/14/2009
I was the party planner for our family reunion last June and found Alidos. We had a banquet of about 60 people. Prior to the event, I've only eaten here twice within the last 10 years so I was pretty skeptical at first. I called in to inquire their current rates for banquets and spoke to Jeff (the owner). The rate per person was really good and not to mention it was buffet style.
Service was outstanding! Jeff was very accommodating and hospitable. He answered all our questions and even helped us setup our PC, sound and video equipment. Food service was also good as they kept the food coming and the tables cleaned as the event was happening.
Did I mention the food was also very good?? It was very nice to find out that the food was your good old school "home style" Filipino cooking. They served about 6 or 7 entrees for the banquet and all of them were very very good. I had a lot of family members from out of state that mentioned they loved the food too. From what I can remember, I especially liked the seafood combo and the Beef Stew dish, not to mention the ginatang mais!
Overall, we are very satisfied with both the food and the service here at Alidos. We will definitely come back for our next gathering and food craving! Thanks, Jeff!Comment from jeff a. of Alido's Island Flavor 7/14/2009
Right on SImoun! Glad you and your family liked the event &… More » -
Review from Roo M.
7/13/2007
When I want to get non-filipinos hooked on Filipino food, this is the spot I take them to to get their proverbial cherries popped.
I'm Filipino, so yeah, I try out every Filipino restaurant that I run into, so that translates to a freakin Brazillian (How many are in a Brazilian?") Filipino restaurants and this one is my absolute favorite. Starting from the comfy and cozy layout of the place, the nice view, and finishing up with the friendly folks and of course the momma-quality food this place will always have a special place in my heart even though I'm now 9 hours away.
If you're ever in the San Francisco/Daly City/South City area and craving for some down-home Filipino food, you've definitely got to hit this place up. -
Review from Alexis W.
Arcadia, CA
7/8/2010
Found this place on Yelp when visiting the Bay area. Was not disappointed!
Ordered the bbq chicken combo, a LOT of food for the price ($10). Sister got the beef stew and she really liked it. The bbq chicken was really good, the grainy/vinegary sauce it came with was an excellent complement to the chicken. The stew was also really good, tomato based and the beef in it was tender.
I also ordered the pineapple juice which was surprisingly really authentic. Most of the time, I expect Dole type pineapple juice, fluorescent yellow and super sweet. But this pineapple juice was tart and delicious.
Overall, this place was good but I feel like I could get the same dish I ordered anywhere else with an Asian flair. I guess I should of ordered something more authentic to the Filipino culture. I would definitely try this place again though. The guy (I'm not sure if he was the owner) was really really nice and friendly.
Got the bibingka to go and it was really good!! -
Review from Rick V.
South San Francisco, CA
8/17/2008
Now this is a pleasant place to eat. Reasonably priced with a large menu. Generous portions and friendly staff means this is a place I will frequent very often. The breakfasts are better at Onping, but the tortantalong can't be touched here. Presentation is good here as well. Now if you're lucky enough to get a table by the windows overlooking the view to the east... and it isn't overcast. On a clear night, this is some spectacular dining experience. I just hope they don't run out of ampalaya or kare-kare. Shut down Goldilocks! Treat your mom to dinner HERE!
Alido's is COOL! -
Review from Cecile Q.
Daly City, CA
11/26/2008
AAAAHHH-LIDO'S! For the longest time, the fiance has requested I review their scrumptious fare. And what better way to start Yelping, by reviewing AAAAHHH-LIDO'S?!? Tucked away on a random street in South SF, I like to think of Alido's as a little Pilipino cafe(the food takes a while to come out), w/a couple of flat screens, friendly staff, and if weather permitting the best restaurant view of the (drum roll please) SFO airport! It really is a nice view.
I did mention the food was scrumptious. Adore their beef nilaga, random mac salad, and ultimately their monggo! Living in close proximity to more than 5 Pilipino restaurants in the area, not one have I stumbled upon that even makes monggo! So you can only imagine my delight, when I can put that over a bed of rice and have some bistek on the side either dine-in or pick up at my leisure. And they make silogs too making for a satisfied belly especially w/the side order of random mac salad.
AAAHH-LIDO'S thanks for putting monggo on the menu! -
Review from Leia K.
San Francisco, CA
10/9/2008
My parents were visiting the Bay Area, and I seem to crave Filipino food the most when they are here visiting (for obvious reasons). My husband and I never ever go seek out Flip food.
Anyway, I spent nearly an hour on Yelp/Yahoo Local trying to find a good Filipino restaurant. I know Daly City has their fair share; thinking it would be suuuper easy to find a good place. Incredibly, we drove around and around and either places were closed or looked incredibly disappointing.
Alido's was not one the places that had come up on our search, but it was located across the street from another that did. With four cranky hungry people and now dark outside - we headed over to Alido's and were more than pleasantly surprised. The food was really tasty, and really cheap. Perhaps because we were the only people there and it was close to closing, but the staff came out and hung out with us - they talked to us about the meal and were very social. My parents, my husband and I had a really good time and a really good meal.
I highly recommend this place. -
Review from lady k.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2009
I STEAK, ME STEAK, we all scream for BISTEK!
i frequent this place just for the bistek n mechado. mmmmmechado...mekka lekka mmmechado.
i tried the recommended fried calamari--didnt like. i dont know but the whole squid was just a bit scary to me. -
Review from Marce J.
Alameda, CA
2/13/2008
I have been married my husband for nearly 10 years who has had one bad Filipino food experience after another in the past. As a result, it has been an uphill battle convincing him that Filipinos besides my grandma and father can actually make kick ass food. His experience has been limited to adobo, pancit and lumpia, which he thinks are all too greasy.
I woke up one day with a jones for Filipino food and my fellow Yelpers pointed me to this place, which I sadly, had never been to before this year, despite being a Native San Franciscan.
Thanks Everyone! I forced my husband to go with me and we had a pleasantly delicious meal at Alido's. Since I don't speak Tagalog and can't pronounce too many things on the menu, I merely pointed my choices to the very nice Filipina waitress. Everything was awesome and I especially liked having calamansi juice, the one thing I remember from a short childhood visit to the Philippines. I especially loved their ginataan gulay with the coconut milk. I ordered it for takeout once and they were so considerate at Alido's that they actually called me back after placing my order to ask if I wanted it with taro leaves as they had some in season and in stock. What service! I highly recommend Alido's and will try some of the suggestions some of the yelpers have made! -
Review from N A.
San Bruno, CA
3/15/2008
I was just at Alido's last night and after reading the comments at yelp, I had a certain level of expectation. Sadly, my wife and I are completely disappointed. First of all, the are known for their bibingka and when we got there, they told us they ran out. If that's their speciality, shouldn't they make enough to last them the whole day? Mind you we were there at 6pm, so it was not late and I'm sure there were plenty of customers after us who would have a bibingka.
We ordered BBQ chicken, bistek, and shrimp sinigang. The BBQ chicken was not impressive at all. It was mostly charred and I think Ongpin's and Tribu's are much tastier than Alido's. The bistek was too salty, so much so that my wife couldn't even take a second bite. Can we say High Blood Pressure? The shrimp sinigang was okay. It was a bit on the bland side, but after having the BBQ chicken and the toyo-soaked bistek, it was the closest thing to good food.
I gave them 2 stars because the service was good - the staff are really nice and the Halo-Halo was good - it's not as much as most Halo-Halo, which I like. I was really excited to come and really wanted to like Alido's, but unfortunately, with this experience, we won't be coming back. -
Review from Thanh C.
San Francisco, CA
9/14/2008
This was the first time I'd ever been to this restaurant and actually the first time I've had Filipino food that didn't come out of of a Filipino Grandma's kitchen, but it definitely tasted like it! The food was great, I felt welcomed by the staff even though there was a wedding reception going on in the front room. We were asked immediately if we wanted to sit in the backroom where it was quieter and we agreed right away that it was the best idea. My biggest fears of backroom seating is always not having enough attention paid to us, but they were quickly ushered away as the staff continuously checked on us and asked us if we wanted more water (big points for me since I drink lots of water!).
For four of us to eat - it came to grand total of $50 before tip! AND we still had enough food left over for another meal of four! It was a great place for some great Filipino comfort food on a regular foggy South San Francisco night. -
Review from Vivian E.
San Francisco, CA
5/21/2010
Alidos restaurant. Long time fan of Alido's. Been going there since I was a teenybopper. Best Filipino food in the Bay, hands down.
But wait! Alido's SWITCHED it up and now they are serving SUSHI!!! I know, like what?
So, I HAD to check it out and we couldn't just order sushi so we ordered sushi AND Filipino food. What a concept!
The sushi menu is extensive. Lots of "special" rolls to choose from. We decided to stick with some basics.
We had the scallop roll (cali roll topped with baked spicy scallop and tobiko) a lion king roll (cali roll topped with baked salmon) and a tempura roll.
They were all fabulously DELICIOUS! The presentation of all the dishes were extraordinary! Flawless and innovative. Good tasting and portion size toppings on the rolls.
We devoured them in seconds.
And of course we had the sisig (a must order) and the lumpia shanghai, you just CANT go there without ordering that. DELICIOUS! AS usual.
Service is always superb. The place is clean and remodeled, refreshed with some cool art on the walls.
GO FOR GOOD OL' FASHION FILIPINO FOOD OR SOME CUTTING EDGE YUMMY SUSHI!
We'll be back Jeff, were going back for Sake bombs next time round. -
Review from Neil R.
Los Angeles, CA
9/6/2008
This is the second time I've been here, and I got to say that it was awesome. The food was excellent: the chicken adobo was flavorful, bangus was just right, and the pancit was just like how my mom makes it. Not to mention, the service is the way Filipino restaurants should be: fast and extremely friendly. Despite the restaurant hosting a wedding reception, they were still able to greet us with open arms and treat us as if no one else was around. One gripe I had was this: hook up the pork adobo!
Check this place out when you can! -
Review from Kevin W.
San Francisco, CA
10/17/2008
Large space that is good for large parties, and as you walk in you feel as if you are in someone's home with the simple dining furniture and the comfy couch positioned in the back of the dining room. The food's flavor reminds me of going to a Filipino friend's house for a homemade feast as the authentic flavors really come through. I had to order the Lechon Kewali, slow cooked pork belly with a top layer of crispy skin, creamy fat underneath, and tender meat in every bite. I paired that with a couple of scoops of Garlic Fried Rice and was very satisfied with the results. You definitely need to work off the calories afterward, but it is surely worth the trouble.
Jeff took care of me with his relaxed yet attentive service as he made me and my girlfriend feel like family. He shared about the restaurant's history and was more than happy to let us enjoy a long and relaxing dinner. Reasonably priced, casual yet comfortable atmosphere, good home cooking, personable service, and easy to find parking are what Alido's represents. -
Review from Calvin C.
Millbrae, CA
11/17/2008
Food was excellent- we ordered about 7 different dishes and I honestly couldn't find a bone to pick with any of them. I highly recommend the beef stew and the BBQ beef.
We were just about to order the BBQ chicken and the server was honest and warned us that night might not be good for that- and instead recommended the BBQ beef. I have to give service props on that.
The wait for the food was just a bit longer than usual but I can understand we ordered a bunch of different things and they brought everything out at the same time so that might be their style. Besides which when we got started on the food, I found the wait was well worth it.
The server was polite and down to earth, the conversations were real and we had some good laughs. I will definitely eat here again. -
Review from Basim Z.
San Francisco, CA
5/1/2010
All I can say is damn, the food here is really good. The place is clean and the workers were really friendly. I had the beef pata which was ridiculously good. The rice was soft and fluffy and the mac salad that came with it was good a well.
I also had the mechado (beef stew). Very impressive. I'll definitely be coming back here again, especially since one of the guys there told me that they're about to open a sushi bar this month.
The only problem is sometimes the food tastes a little too salty. -
Review from Marshall P.
Eugene, OR
6/21/2011
My daughter and I had a delicious meal here. Portions were generous and very reasonably priced. Especially recommended are Chicken Barbecue and Beef Tapa. Pork Shanghai Lumpia were tasty if unremarkable. We were treated like visiting royalty by the owner's daughter who was quite delightful.
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Review from Nita C.
San Francisco, CA
4/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
mmm mmm yumm! when it comes to Filipino food; Alido's Island Flavor is the restaurant to go! my personal favorite is the topsilog. just thinking about it makes my mouth watery! the restaurant is very clean, the service is great, the food is fresh off the grill/pot/oven depends what you get.
I highly recommend it! -
Review from GJ O.
Pacifica, CA
6/29/2008
So I've been here 3 times. Actually, I've been here 3 times in the same week!
That's how good it is. This place is the next best thing when your Mom is not in town to cook for you. Well... Even if your Mom is town, you might as well treat her to this restaurant. I plan to.
I didn't try every dish but each dish that I have tried were delicious.
K. Who's hungry? -
Review from Marie H.
San Francisco, CA
7/10/2008
No complaints, just good, wholesome Filipino food!
Not fast food tasting like Goldilocks, NOT froo froo over priced and tasteless like Palencia's in SF, just Bomb Filipino FOOD!
Their food is rich in flavor, juicy, tender meats, generous portions at very reasonable prices. A plate of one of the best Adobo you'll ever taste is $7.50 and it can feed 3 people. Sinigang broth is very tangy with a hint of spice, YUMM. Add patis and jalepeno and its a wrap! The meat in their Sinigang is plenty and tender! Sisig is good and their bistek is another winner!
Go to Alido's folks, you wont regret it and you'll be craving for more.
