Karilagan - South San Francisco

Karilagan is one of our favorite places for Filipino food in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is located in South San Francisco. It's been a while since we were here. This special Friday, the place was not packed and it was great that we were able to find street parking. Our three party was sitting right away.

I ordered Tinola and Caldereta. The whole thing started spilling into the plastic bags and on my car floor. Their containers were placed in paper containers. Hot soup in paper containers? When I called, they told me to bring my own containers and they'll make the food for me again. They were rude and not interested. I had to return the wet and soaking containers to them. Then they said what we're doing with the food. I said they eat it. Just give me a refund. Terrible service. I never go back here. Not worth the money. Quality is terrible.

Karilagan is Filipino food like your Nanay would do. The portions are HUGE, and everything is family style (like Filipino food should be). We tried the crispy fish/bandgel, crispy binangonan, fried Calamari and (my fave) sinigang or Tamarind soup. Yeah, pretty much everything is deep-fried, but this is also Filipino food for you. Everything was delicious to me, especially the sine (extra sour as I like it). The place looks a little forward and it's bare bones inside. It is a hole in the wall, which means that food is authentic.

In all of Northern California, the Mechado, Afritada, and especially the Krispy Pata here are the best! The Turon (dessert), whether with or without ice cream, is absolutely delicious and unique! This restaurant is truly underrated. You have to give it a try!

The food was average, and honestly, any Filipino restaurant could serve the same dishes. The service was quite disappointing and slow, and the staff were rude when I called. When our food finally arrived, they charged us for double what we ordered, but refused to correct the mistake and insisted we pay. I wouldn’t recommend this place and definitely won’t be coming back. I can get similar food from many other places. They clearly don’t care and don’t listen to their customers.