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Tribu is ma-sarap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Need I say more........LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH NOoooooooooo!
Prior to eating here, I would always talk about how good their food looked on their website. I was really impressed from all the hype this place has received from all my friends.
I ordered the Bagoong rice, Pork adobo and Sisig. It was OK. I'm not sure if it was an off day for the cooks or if my taste buds were not working, but the Bagoong (shrimp paste) in the Adobo rice was over powering! And believe me I love me some BAGOONG!
Despite this setback, I'm still in support of this place! So I'll try and give this place a second chance. But until then, Im not too impressed. =(
The hardest part of reviewing any filipino restaurant is being filipino. Different parts of the philippines have different ways of cooking the same dish, so opinions are varied and bias!
Im used to my adobo cooked with potatoes and onions, but others like it without. Its hard to explain, but its like comparing Chicago, New York and California Pizza, its the same dish, but different technique and ingredients.
I'll be BACK to Tribu Grill........to be continued!
To be short & brief---maybe one of the better Filipino places I've been in. The Chicken Inasal I had was great. The sisig---although not as on point as that of those back in the muthaland, is still better than those I've had so far.
Oh, & the frozen brazo de mercedes is an absolute must when you visit.
One thing I find that takes away a lot from this place is the seating & space.
This place is bomb, dude. The Binagoongan Fried Rice, Chocolate Meat and Puto Bumbong is super. How could I not come back for more?
My boyfriend was raving about their BBQ so I had to try it. I have to admit it's pretty damn good. Their tuna sisig is a SKIP. It tasted unseasoned and really mayo-ish. The chicken inasal is good. Most of their drinks are pretty tasty but the lychee is too sweet for my liking. I'm not a fan of adobo so I can't say whether or not I like it because I've never tried it! The pinakbet is good and the kabocha squash was cooked really well so it pretty much made the dish. Although garlic rice is tempting, beware that it has a pool of oil at the bottom so just scoop from the top! About 10% of it sits in a pool of disgusting oil, but everything on top is pretty dry. I always find myself craving their chicken, so come for their lunch plate it's a good deal plus you get a lot of chiggggen.
Lame review I know, straight to the point, that's how it should be right.
this was the very last time I will ever go here..it was horrible-the customer service is very poor. this place doesn't even deserve the one star rating..
started off on a good note,was seated and then our waitress took our order n brought out our drinks.
30 minutes later we were still waiting for our food.other parties who had came in long after us had already got their food and basically were done with their meals.
our waitress never came back within this time and other employees there kept on looking at our table not even approaching to ask or tell our party what was wrong.
our order was not difficult, an order of sinigang,fried chicken wings and steam rice for three.
so this ime we've been waiting 45 minutes, finally another waitress brings out an order of chop suey to our table..we did not order this..she takes it back to the kitchen..
then the waitress comes back and tells our party that our original waitress put in the incorrect order and she had left for the afternoon..
I informed her that we have een sittig there for 45 minutes..and not one single employee could of had the courtesey tolet us know that our waitress had left or even put in the incorrect order. to mr that is very poor customer service. then the waitress kept on saying "it's he wrong order that wa put in-what did you order"...I told her "to me it just plain sounds like the order was not placed at all" she couldn't say anything else or even apologize. she then walked back into the kitchen.
next the day manager (mark) came out to our table. he apologized and aske what our order was. I informed him why our order was and while I was tryigto explain to him how this was an inconvenience and still talking to him, he turns his back on me and walks away. customer service skills: always hear your customer out! he was the manage and did not even provide any service.
then another third waitress came out to ask what our order was. I informed er that the second waitress as well as her manger already know of it. then I had to explain that my aunt who is with us is a diabetic and she took her medicine and needed to eat and thts why we came to their restaurant but now she's feeling sick and our party is beigg fed all this bullshit,all we want was a nice lunch!
she came back and brought some sort of ube dessert for my aunt since her sugar was low.
within two minutes next comes out the sinigang and rice..then within another eightinutes came the fried chicken wings with fries..then they come out and put the chop suey on the table (yet this was not what we had ordered)..
we began to eat..the two waitresses who were there includingthe manager was trying to avoid our table.. we basically had to yell out "excuse me.. may we have water and ketchup"... then it took another five minutes to get water when the pitchers of water just sit on the counter.. it was not busy as we were the last table to be served and basically only party in the restaurant..
then m aunt and I finish eating, the food just taste horrible..of course it's because of the customer service, we were unsatisfied and it effects on how the food tastes. since my aunt and were finished eating the waitress came over to take our plates.. she also asked my cousin who still had a chicken wing in his hand and food on his plate if ge was finished eating as well...(hhhmmm didn't she just see him take a bite from the chicken)... my cousin said "no I'm still eating"...
at this point we felt like we were being rushed out.. we couldn't enjoy our meal. my cousin didn't e en want to finish his food..and he pushed his plate aside..
then we wanted our bill.. no one would
look towards us or come near the table.. finally all three of us started making hand gestures for wanting the bill..theanager (mark) came out and gave us the bill and informed us that he did not charge for the fried chicken wings (ghee thanks).. so my aunt gave her credit card to him with the bill...while he was processing that,one of the two waitresses came and brought out another bill.. we looked at her like "what is this" she said "thank you here is your bill", we then stated we just paid ours..
we got the credit card back.. even left more than a well deserved tip and walked out.. while walking out all the employees yelled out while smiling "thank you have a good day"...
due to the lack of customer service especially in the food industry.. this tribu restaurant is horrible! this was he very last tome me or any of my family members will ever go here again!!!!
Oh Tribu, I wanted to like you...
Unfortunately, I was not impressed. Lunch take out in the San Bruno area is the topic of a highly scientific testing being conducted by myself and the girls in my office. Our hypothesis "There is affordable, tasty take out in San Bruno" was disproven yesterday. Results of this ongoing study still pending.
I started at their website, which is pretty user friendly and decent, minus the cheesy music, no thank you! When I called to order, the woman on the phone with the thick accent appeared to not know the menu. She kept saying, "hold on," while she asked someone else if they could do this, do that, if they have this, that. Umm, lady, its not that lengthy of a menu.
Learn it, live it, love it.
They would not honor the lunch specials listed on their website. As in, "no, we dont have that." "But its on your website!" "No, we dont have!"
Minus one for the outdated website and minus another for being rude.
We got two kinds of rice dishes - pork adobo rice, bagoong rice.
Everyone on yelp rants and raves about the bagoong rice, and I gotta say, uhm, what? I dont get it. I love fish sauce and sweet-sour flavors as much as the next girl, but really, this was just... ok. Unique in a not pleasant but not offensive way. Its like that green potato chip you find at the bottom of the bag. It doesnt taste bad, but something just dont feel right about it anyway. I liked that it had the toppings, pork, scrambled egg, tomato, mango. That sorta helped the flavor of the rice, which was somehow salty yet needing more salt.
The bagoong rice was a big head-scratcher for me. I ate it, but I can safely say I'll never order that again.
My coworker tried the adobo pork rice, which was tastier, but hella greasy. and when I say greasy, I mean wipe-your-mouth-after-every-bite never-wear-lipgloss-again GREAZZZZY. Yeah. Seriously.
Its vinegar-y rice topped with sliced hard-cooked egg, tomatoes, and chucks of greasy adobo pork. I liked this dish, after a couple tastes. If the girls were ever going back, I might consider ordering this.... and splitting it with someone else. Its a LOT of food.
A few months ago, I got a bite or two of someone else's take out order of the bbq chicken & rice plate. The bbq chicken was ok, not unlike japanese teriyaki, but less sticky sauce, or the chicken found at the food court in Tanforan. Not bad, but nothign to write home about.
Overall, its ok.. But I've had better filipino food, in homes, at Patio Filipino, and even in the philippines itself. Don't expect me to come back, unless coerced.
Sorry guys, I tried...
Tribu is my little piece of home. And my Pinoy relatives who've tried it swear some of the offerings are better than some you'd find in the motherland. That's not blasphemy, this place really is that good!
The generous helping of Rib Eye Salpicao, for instance, is a staple in our order when we make the schlep to San Bruno (and with it a mandatory mound of fluffy garlic rice). Their special ice tea shake or sago't gulaman instantly transports one to Boracay's pristine sands or a poolside in Manila in the shade of some well-placed coconut trees. And while not particularly Filipino, the fried chicken in Tribu's secret sauce has a unique and pretty darn addicting flavor.
Nuts, I'm making myself hungry typing this and I haven't even gotten to the buttery bibingka for dessert yet!
I like the decor of this restaurant. The times that I've been there the servers are really nice. I tried their chicken inasal and it's amazing. I also like their sago and gulaman drink. I have to come back and try the frozen brazo de mercedez.
I'm generally one that used to say that I absolutely disliked bagoong in anything...until I went to Tribu Grill, that is. I heard about their Bagoong Rice, and wondered why everyone was ranting and raving about it...then, I tried it. It's a fried rice dish covered in the shrimp paste, topped with scrambled eggs, diced tomatoes, mango, a sprinkle of chopped green onions, and a marinated adobo-like pork. Mix it all up...and you have a meal in itself! No wonder it's the most popular item on their menu. The mango helps to balance out the saltiness of the bagoong, and the meat adds more succulence to the dish. I'm a changed person...I can no longer say I hate bagoong.
We also tried the Chicharong Bulaklak, Calamari, the California Sisig, Tilapia Fiesta, and the Tribu Gill Barbeque - all which were very good.
Their Tribu Iced Tea is great. I've never tasted anything like it. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and has a really cool froth to it. I must find out what that's made out of!
I was unable to try any of the desserts when I was there, but I've heard a lot of good things about the Frozen Brazo de Mercedes. I guess I'll have a try it next time...
The service was great...everyone was totally friendly and made sure we were doing okay. I give this place a two thumbs up! I'll be back there real soon...
Have you wondered why there isn't a lot good filipino restaurants in Daly City? It's because they're all on the outskirts of Daly City: South San Francisco and Milbrae. Driving up the El Camino Real towards Daly City from Milbrae, you'll find a few Filipino restaurants. I happened to stumble upon Tribu due to it's eye-catching orange paint job.
My mom and I ordered the Tuna Sisig and Rib Eye Salpicao. The service was quick. The Tuna came out medium rare (the way it's served) on a sizzling plate. It was smoothered in a white cream sauce with onions. The tuna was good! It was a first to have tuna sizzling.
The Rib Eye Salpicao was reminiscent of mom's home cooking. It's comparable to Bistik (sliced beef and onions cooked in soy sauce), but except onions, Tribu uses garlic. That garlic taste sure added to my garlic fried rice. My mom snickered as she said that she can cook that at home. From my perspective, if a restaurant can create that "...just like mom makes it" feeling, it does the job!
Maybe because all the Filipino home cooking is Daly City, it's comforting to know that I can get that great taste as drive away from Daly City.
Tribu Grill was a huge letdown in terms of average food and bad service. I've seen it packed many times and have suggested it to friends, so I was excited to try it for myself last night with old friends visiting from out of town.
Since my friends' families are from the Phillipines and they grew up eating Filipino food, I let them order for us. Our group of 4 shared the lumpia, pancit bihon noodles, rib eye salpicao, pork sisig, and garlic fried rice. I enjoyed the lumpia and the garlic fried rice. The salpicao was tough and fatty; I enjoyed the flavors of Patio's salpicao more. This was my first time trying pork sisig and the pancit bihon. Pancit bihon was a bit too mushy for my taste. The sisig had too much fat and not enough meat; my friend said he's had it with less fat. I guess that's why they've added California sisig to their menu which is for more health-conscious eaters. We didn't really touch the sisig and decided to finish the meal with dessert.
My friend likes puto bumbong (purple sticky rice with sugar on top) so we got that. She said it was made correctly so she was happy. I also love ube ice cream so she said I'll like the halo-halo and ordered it for me. It was huge and only came with a small spoon, so it took me a while to finish it. The ube ice cream on top was delicious, but I wished they used less ice.
My friend treated us and put down a nice tip, but then our other friend took a few of the bills back and said she'll tell us later. When we left the restaurant, we asked her what happened, and she said that the servers were speaking in Tagalog that we took too long and other derogatory things. That was not cool! There was no one waiting for a table, and the table for four behind us was empty, as well. The servers never came by to check on us although we sat next to the open kitchen. They never asked if we were done, and I had to flag down a server for the bill and a straw to finish the halo-halo. I don't understand why they would complain that we took too long.
Tribu I wish I could give you more stars, but for some reason you are always just coming up short. One way or another something is hit or miss about you.
I was there yesterday and we were seated fast, food was delivery within 5 minutes of ordering, but it took you 15 minutes to give me my bill.
Sigh...the other time you insulted my hunnie by saying he didn't look Philippino because of his eyebrows, another time we couldn't get a server because they were chit chatting and ignoring us, and anther time you took half an hour to get out three dishes to us.
At least you are consistently just ok. I guess I can deal with that.
The food is good, but not great. It's good if you want Philippino food on the fly and are too lazy to make it yourself.
My husband and I ate at this restaurant last weekend. We ordered about 5 dishes and I'm glad to report that everything tasted good.
I was most impressed with the honesty level of the employees. To be specific, one of their female employees was honest enough to return my bag to me when I absentmindedly left it in the restaurant. It had a very valuable diamond ring inside.
Thank you!
I have mixed feelings for Tribu Grill.
On one hand, the food is awesome! The binagoongan rice is like a meal in itself! It contains rice, meat, egg, mango bits, and other cut up veggies. Also, the grilled milkfish (bangus) is served sizzling and boneless. The menu has the typical Filipino dishes and they are all yummy! I love the open concept for the kitchen.
On the other hand, the service is average. I had hiccups waiting for my drink to be refilled. The staff is friendly, but not as efficient as can be. Also, I hate that the bathroom is right off of the dining area. It's very uncomfortable and awkward. You can literally wait in line while sitting at your table! Another negative is that their parking sucks. There are maybe 4 parking spaces, but El Camino makes up for it with street parking.
I recommend this place if you want a great Filipino meal. Just make sure you use the bathroom before or after your visit!
**The desserts are delightful! I love ending my meal with puto bong bong and a cup of coffee! Or halo-halo on a hot day.
I'm just saying that I can go to any of my relatives for a tasty dose of Pilipino food morning, day or night so you've probably got to be the "shit" in order for me to partake in the Pilipino outside dining experience.
I came here with a celebrant...my dad and a purpose for keepin' it real with the pilipino community. So what better way than to start it with a pilipino appetite =)
Check out our Father's Day Feast Menu:
Tuna Sisig
Bagoong Fried Rice
Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw
Crispy Pata
Daing Na Bangus
And for desert... Frozen Brazo De Mercedes
I was at awe for the succulent Bagoong Fried Rice...a hearty mix of fried rice, scrambled eggs, tomatoes,(grilled?)pork, and MANGO(anything with mango makes it all better). Watch yourself turn into a happy 4 yr. old when you mix it all together.
The Crispy Pata stood out among the other delicious items in the menu... for its crunch on the outside & inside meat that can easily be torn apart(and it's not the gummy skin that your molars take a beating for)
I generally skip desert in restaurants but not this time...wink, wink. The frozen brazo de Mercedes is heavenly and should be taken with some coffee to subdue the very sweet taste.
I'm laughing at you NOT with you if you were to go here while on a diet....heehee
two words: chicharong bulaklak!
i'm so gross, i know! i never in my 23 years of existence would have ever imagined liking this so much. i wasn't even trying to order this but (thankfully) my friend decided to order it. WOW. it was SO good or maybe they just did it right that night? who knows but i've been trying SO hard not to go to the tribu (in union city) to order it, just in case they screw it up. you know how that feels, right?
we also ordered the tribu grill bbq, tilpaia fiesta and for dessert we had brazo de mercedes (of course!)
their BBQ is so good, i'd go here just for their bbq. the tilapia fiesta was not so good, the fish had a slight "taste" and who doesn't love the brazo de mercedes!? ugh, so good, esepcially with the whipped cream.
their service was great, our waiter was such a good sport because my friend (bless her soul) really didn't think that LECHON and PORK was part of the pig. they had a debate going on for what seemed like an hour (5 minutes) and even the nanay sitting beside us got in on it.
great bbq, excellent service & i didn't care if their special tea was too sweet...i'll definitely come back.
Enjoy this place quite a lot. Do be careful in ordering; some ethnic items are not for everyone's taste! One suggestion: get a liquor license!
Ehh...Tribu Grill is not what others hyped it to be. I only tried this place once, so the day I went may have been their off day (or maybe I'm just trying to be nice & make excuses).
I had the Kare-Kare & it did not taste good. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but let's just say I've had better Kare-Kare in the same area (like at Ihaw-Ihaw or Patio Filipino).
There was nothing memorable about this place. The staff were nice from what I remember, but nothing stands out.
Usually go to Daly City for Filipino food, but this place was great! Had the Calamari, Lumpia Shanghai, Ginataang Kalabasa, Crispy Pata (MMmmm!) Grilled Pampano and the Yummy Bagoong Rice with Mango and Tomatoes in it.... and fast and friendly service too!
Hands down one of the best I've tasted by far. I've been here twice and was very satisfied both times. We've ordered adobo fried rice, lechon kawali, tilapia, sinigang, pampano and of course the brazo de mercedes. My son is super picky and has his dad's foodie palate so for him to ask for seconds tells me alot. I can't wait to go here again. Great service too!
I went here last week because my mom said I would like it, and yes I did like it! Mother knows best. This place is a Filipino restaurant, not so traditional, but more...fusion-y, modern-ish. We had that Bagoong Rice...DROOL. Highly reccomended! We also had the Sizzling Bangus Belly, Ginataang Kalabasa, and Chicken Inasal. For dessert, we ordered the Frozen Brazo De Mercedes. Do not try to share this between 5 people.
All in all, this place made me proud to be Filipino. I am going back!
The first time i came here was with my gf and she told me that this place was SOOO GOOD. i was wondering what makes it so good since its just a filipino restuarant. well, the filipino places around this side of the bay area arent' that great.
when i first walked in, this place was so CLEAN and the decor was pretty nice. the place is a BIT small but there seems to be a lot of family that goes here. the CON is that theres only 3 spots for parking but most likely you'll find parking off El Camino. anyways, their menu isn't too big but it's big enough for you to decide what you want to eat. I have yet to try too much since it's more of a family style place but I had their fried rice with the mangos meat tomatos and eggs and that sure hit the spot. i had some of this soup and the TLC too which wasnt bad at all.
overall, i'd come back here more often, but i think lunch would be better.
oh yeah, they sell t-shirts. i kinda want one now
After a failed attempt at a Monday night happy hour at The Intramuros down the street in South City, my boss opted to introduce me to the legendary Tribu.
Although I do appreciate the efforts of establishments, such as Intramuros and Alimango, to "gentrify" traditional Filipino cuisine, sometimes you just want to eat!!! One major downfall, in my opion, is the lack of beer offerings on the menu, probably because it's more of a family establishment. We were definitely the only three guys there, right out of the office, laughing obnoxiously at tasteless jokes. The ambiance is quite basic, the bathroom downright nasty, but somehow the dark wooden tables and chairs gave me a feeling of deja vu. As if I were back in my Mom's kitchen waiting to stuff my face with Filipino food so amazing, I could care less about the nearly irreparable damage to my blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
First of all, the food definitely lived up to the hype. We ordered the Bagoong Fried Rice, Longanisa, Inihaw, and Tilapia. With the fried rice being the most deathly delicious of them all, we proceeded to destroy asll remnants of this thoughtfully prepared comfort food. The service was also up to par, as our waitress was extremely friendly and offered suggestions when asked. Some liquor sales would've definitely boosted her sales, though, as well as her tip!
I would definitely return to develop another food baby. At least next time I know it's BYOB. =/
Very good Filipino food. We had this fish dish and it was nice and flakey. I believe they have one of the best Halo Halo's in the Bay. They are $6 but they are tall and full of delightfulness! Service was ok and I would recommend coming here.
Good filipino food. Decent price.
You have to try their bagoong rice, it's a must! They have really good Filipino BBQ here. Aside from their beef bbq I really like the squid bbq. Although stay away from the sisig, it's has chewy pieces that I thought was gross.
Great place. Cheaper than Intramuros, Mana, and Patio Filipino. Frozen Brazo here is the BEST! The one at Patio is like an expensive marshmallow with berries on the top. Totally disappointing. The TFC, ask for it to be spicy and its great! Their grilled squid is awesome! I had that at least 10 times in my life. The BR (Bagoong Rice), the best rice in the Bay Area. Ginataang Kalabasa is great. (Pumpkin with string beans and shrimp paste stir fried in coconut milk topped with juicy shrimp). Halo Halo is the best of the Bay Area. TRIPLE FUDGE BROWNIE! OMG! Huge and filling. Hot fudgy chocolate brownie surrounded by whipped cream and 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream with oreo crumb sprinkled on top of the chocolate syrup drizzled dessert. ohhhh yeaaaaaaaaaa...
Puto Bumbong, warm and fluffy purple rice cake coated in coconut shavings over a bed of melted butter and topped with sugar!
WAITERS - good service. young, around their 20's. Some are kinda hot. My female friends totally were into the guy waiters.
Catering - dude, the catering portions are so huge for the price. They have catering deals too for huge parties too.
Go here for filipino food and order the tribu iced tea or melon shake (canteloupe shake made from fresh canteloupe. No milk in it, i asked.)
It's okay for a Filipino restaurant. Not too expensive, just right, very family friendly and friendly staff and clean. All the entree's were up to par, nothing to really rave about but not bad either. Just another place to stop by and eat if craving Filipino food
Love it here! I've been here many time before when I first moved to Burlingame and their food is on point and definitely authentic Filipino Food at its best.
We went here last night to take our parents and they truly enjoyed it. My mom is really hard to please and the best Filipino cook I know, so her opinion really matters.
+It is a diservice to this restaurant if you don't order their Bagaoong Fried Rice. I don't even like Bagaoong and this stuff is the best.
+I hear the TFC (Tribu Fried Chicken) is almost a replica of San Tungs Wings so I definitely gotta try that next time.
+The iced tea is really good. It's typical Nestea but frothy at the top and nice and sweet.
+The Calimansi is more of a slushie but it's a big cup and not canned like other places.
+California Sisig is for the more health conscious sisig lovers. They don't add pork ear or the fatty pieces of the animal, so it's leaner.
+Get the Bibingka! I don't even like Bibingka either, but this was soft, buttery and oh, so delicious. The owner said sometimes people just come here to order Iced Tea and Bibingka for mirienda.
Portions are freaken HUGE. I don't know how someone on here gave a 2 star rating for having oversized portions... hello?! And the dishes range between $8-10 for huge bowls and lots of left overs.
Service was great. Everyone kept checking in on us and the food came out really fast.
And Congrats to them for winning SF Gate's Best Asian Restaurant. This should publish soon, but the owner told us they won. Well deserved!
I am no expert on Filipino food.. lemme just say that first off so I don't give people the wrong idea... the experience and the food in my opinion is based solely on what I thought was good.....so.. with that in mind... I begin my review:
I've been here three times and each time I was satisfied. The food is by no means AMAZING.. but it's very good.
I've had the following:
Tribu Fried Chicken- tasty
Ginataang Sinaw- (shrimp and squash in coconut) the sauce was good.. the squash was a little tough.. not really soft and smooth like i'm use to.
Bagoong Rice (rice, egg, mangos, tomatoes, etc) my favorite.. it's super filling, tasty and has lots of variety
I love the drink.. it starts with a C and it's a slushy drink that makes me thing of a lemon/orange concoction with an Orangina feel to it. :)
The lumpia's not bad.. but you can hardly ever go wrong with that...
Also had the adobo and that's decent...
The fried pork thing was a bit too fried for my liking....
and I had a bunch of other dishes....
I'll definitely come again... but it's not all that... (just being honest)
Went to Tribu during my lunch break with two great work friends. We went family style and shared the following: Chicken Insanal (Grilled chicken), Ginataang Sinaw (Shrimp and Squash in coconut sauce), Pancit Palabok (noodles dish topped with shrimp, pork, ground fried pork rinds) and Frozen Brazo (Brazo de Mercedes - ice cream version of a meringue dish)!
Dayum good and Tribu served it up well too. It was just as good as Mom's cooking and I had blast savoring my food over the great conversation. The wait staff was nice but they didn't have calamansi juice! One of my good friends said, aloud, "Oh my God! Serious. No Calamansi juice. That's like saying you have no rice!" We were cracking up!
Overall, the selection of food is perfect, even for those not very familiar with Filipino food. It's one of those places where you can visit many-o-times and enjoy some great Filipino food! Highly recommend Tribu!
Not bad, not amazing either. Because I'm Filipino, I seem to never crave restaurant style or fast food style Filipino food. If I want some goood cooking, I just go home instead.
With that said, Tribu still has a special place in my heart for its Bagoong rice. It's the perfect platter to take to a potluck and it always hits the spot. Their other dishes (ie Kare kare, Pancit, Bangus, Sinigang) are all pretty good, but again, nothing I can't get at home.
They're prices are decent, service is decent. A solid three stars.
This is my bad luck restaurant.
The first time I went, I ordered some eggplant omelette dish. When I received it, the center was still uncooked. I asked if they could take it back and cook it more and I got the worst reaction. It's raw eggs! I don't know about you but I like my eggs cooked, thanks. I don't see how I was in the wrong here. I got it back super well done and I'm sure they spat in it just in case. Haha. It came with the smallest container of some sweet ketchup. Perfect. The dessert was ok. I had the fried banana and ice cream but you can't really go wrong with such a basic dish.
The second time was for my best friend's surprise birthday dinner. Apparently this place does not exist on my gps or something. My friend had the same problem with his TomTom gps but he was able to find it. I ended up driving in the biggest circles and used up half a tank of gas trying to find this place. Mind you, this was when gas was $4 a gallon. I was so irritated when I got there that I didn't even end up ordering anything. The guy I was dating at the time ordered some rice dish that looked disgusting. I just ate the tomatoes off of it since he didn't want them.
Never again, never again.
My Mom was craving filipino food and she didn't feel like cooking it herself..so we ended up here with the bf on sat afternoon...
what we ordered:
binagoong fried rice w/ mango - omg
lechon kawali - eh...i've had better elsewhere (and so has my mom, she likes manila star's better)
tfc - tribu fried chicken - why did these taste just like san tung's dry fried chicken?!?! Yum!
pork sisig- sizzlingly delicious!!
try their iced tea, which is already sweetened and comes out all frothy on top....it was sooooo good!! my mom said she tasted calamansi...but not sure if that was in it......
i'd def come back again for their bagoong mango fried rice alone!
fyi, there's only like 3 parking spaces in front..but plenty of street parking..
Definitely get the bagoong rice. The barbeque pork was also nice and juicy, but it's really hard to go wrong with this unless you really can't cook Filipino food. I also like the ginataang kalabasa at sitaw (squash and long beans) but I'm a pumpkin fan, but I've had better pumpkin at other Asian restaurants. The chicken inasal was very tender. I'd opt out of the tuna sisig - it's like eating cooked tuna salad.
JONASAPPROVED!
Abby A.'s mind speaking:
This place is kinda small.
Are they gonna seat us or what?
Kinda pricey for a neighborhood joint, though.
Ooh...Pinakbet. What the heck is California Sisig? Alright, Adobo rice!
Can't go wrong with lumpia.
I'm starving! (food comes pretty fast) Yes!
Adobo rice is good, one-of-a-kind, with diced mangos? That's new.
Pinakbet...always a veggie-fave!
Sisig is a bit fatty, but today, so am I!
Lumpia never fails.
I'll be back for their $8 Lunch Specials!
I'm been to Tribu Grill hundreds to times since it first opened with my husband's family. Must haves include the bagoong fried rice the frozen brazo. We also tried the TFC (Tribu Fried Chicken). Great! It had enough kick in it for me (although my husband would have preferred that it was spicier).
My only complaints about Tribu is the very small parking lot (you need to park on the street) and no changing table in the bathroom. Also, I noticed that other tables were given complimentary "shrimp chips" while our table did not receive any. I think my 2 year old son would have liked some.
Ate there a while ago and finally got around to writing my review. I'm giving this place 4 stars on the following:
- The food is pretty good. I wouldn't say life changing or amazing, but as a filipino, when I eat filipino food I want food that simply touches that "comfort food " nerve. It's simply the best kind of good.
- Everyone is so friendly! I have never been to a filipino place were the staff treated me and my wife as nice as they do the older filipino folks. Usually I get a bit of attitude from most places because it feels like they can't be brought to "serve" a filipino customer that's younger than them. But not Tribu, they were very friendly and attentive, which is a first for me. I don't know if this is the same experience for younger filipinos at a filipino restaurant, but this made all the difference in the world for me.
I'll leave the granular food reviews to the others, but if you're looking for simply good filipino food served by a friendly staff, this is the place to go.
Great place for some good filipino food! Parking can be tough at times...you'll have to just park on the street. And there is sometimes a wait for dinner. But for the most part, you can get seated pretty quickly if your party is small (2-4). I've been here several times already and the 1 thing that I ALWAYS order here is the Tribu Iced Tea. Still trying to figure out what other ingredients they add to this to make it taste so damn good! I think it may be calamansi juice.... My hubby is also a big fan of the melon shake...
OK, so here's what I've tried so far...
Calamari - Light and crispy with a flavorful dipping sauce!
California Sisig - LOVE this! Very savory! Although our server said that the regular Pork Sisig is better. I may have to just try that next time. I should mention that it's hard to pick out the pieces of fat in sisig (which I always try to do) but I did notice that this one was not too fatty.
Beef Sinigang - The hubby's favorite (besides my auntie's)! We like it super sour...which this one is. But I'm sure, for those of you who don't like it made this way, you can request a milder version.
Kare-Kare - We've only ordered this once. It was just OK. Still have yet to find a place with really good Kare-Kare..other than our parents'.
BBQ Grilled Chicken - This chicken with the sauce is sooo yummy!
Binagoongan Fried Rice - My favorite! I've never had fried rice like this before but it's sooo good! It's a pretty big portion. 4 people can probably share this.
I still have yet to try one of their desserts. They look delicious. But I'm always so stuffed that I always pass on it.
Prices are reasonable. We typically spend approx. $30 for 2 people.
Two thumbs up for me!
San Bruno, CA
Category: Filipino
South San Francisco, CA
Category: Filipino
San Bruno, CA
Category: Filipino
South San Francisco, CA
Category: Filipino
San Bruno, CA
Category: Filipino
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