Manila Sunset

Manila Sunset is a Filipino Fast Food restaurant located in National City area of San Diego. According to San Diego’s Best Restaurants 2016 (
), Manila Sunset is the runner up for Best Filipino. Tita’s Kitchenette comes in first both for the Critic’s Pick and Reader’s Pick.
For me personally, I really enjoy Manila Sunset. The restaurant is clean. Food can be ordered in fast and efficient manner.
We ordered:
— Manila Pork BBQ
— Longganiza and Fried Egg
YUM! ENJOY!

I’ve been going to this place since college years. This is a family owned business and through the years have gotten to know a few of them. It’s my version of «Cheers» since they know my family and I haha!
My go to orders usually consists of lumpia Shanghai (You can order ones that aren’t cooked. I usually freeze them and cook them as I crave it:), beef tapa, Korean BBQ, and chicken skewer plate. It comes with a side of rice and a bowl of tamarind soup. The order takes a while, but the product is consistent.
This place gets extremely packed during holidays. This is my family’s go to for pancit malabon (hands down the best in SD) and bibingka (also hands down the best in SD).

Bibingka, beef bbq, grilled tilapia, halo halo, puto bumbong, arroz caldo, diniguan. All tasty, inexpensive, and worth going to a second time!

Great place for your Filipino food cravings. I always order food for pick-​up. When eating there, prepare to wait. They take long but then again, food is fresh.
They have very good halo-​halo and chicken bbq plate.

Discovered Manila last year when I was craving pancit malabon. Now it’s my go to place for good philipino food. The dishes are really healthy if you stick with the BBQ plates. They also have Halo Halo and my favorite, bibinkas which is a spongy, steamed cake with sweet & salty butter topped with shaved coconut. Hmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it – yummo!

Do not come here. I FOUND A HAIR COOKED INSIDE THE FOOD! My parents visited recently on a to go order. They ordered the Puto bumbong and found hair cooked inside of it. Please do not come here. As much as I love Filipino food, I will not visit this disgusting place.

Bibingka, pork and chicken bbq, Arroz Caldo, Lumping Shanghai, daing na Bangus, Lumping Sariwa, Embutido… Need I say more. Definitely hits the spot. Consistent flavor. Points syst gets you something free from the menu.
Manila, Manila… I keep coming back to Manila
Oh and daughter’s fave spot too.

The food is so awesome! The service is also good! The tapsilog is so good, I think they only need to tenderize the meat so that it’s not that tough to chew. But the taste is so good, it’s like steak ala pobre.lol. This will be the food I’ll miss going back to St Louis.

Manila Sunset is not a bad place to grab some Filipino food when you’re in this part of San Diego! I like the nice layout of the store and the food is tasty. For some reason though, I tend to keep going to the same places – Tita’s and Zarlito’s for their great taste/​price/​hours. I wouldn’t mind coming back to Manila Sunset though.

Good food but the food takes a while to come out. You can tell this place is good when the locals come here too. This place was quite busy when we came here. We got an order of Fried Lumpia and Manila Pork Barbecue. The portions, though small, were great for us to sample a little bit of everything. The pork had a great char to it and was very sweet.
I found this place because I searched «Best Lumpia» and it came up first. I would say it was pretty good for my first time trying it!

It’s hard for me to call myself a true Filipino since I barely know any recipes from the homeland but at the very least I know I appreciate the flavors and enjoy the foods. This place is great and I remember making hommage to Manila Sunset from Mira Mesa many moons ago when I was a young child.
Recently I stopped by after Sunday church because I was missing my favorite Filipino sweets: taho, sago and bibingka. All together it cost $ 10. The wait wasn’t too long and I thought it was nice that the cashier called me, «Ate.» Which is a prefix for older sister or female cousin. It’s so great to be a part of the SD Filipino community.

We came in to do a pick up order for a potluck and the place wasn’t really that during the lunch time. I will agree with other Unilocalers about the parking being tricky and can be a bit scarce.
Our order (pancit) was made and ready by the time that we were supposed to pick it up (we were a bit late, but thankfully we got our order quickly and were in and out).
The pancit wasn’t bad and the people at the potluck enjoyed it.

In the area for lunch, I ordered their flan, lumpia shanghai, and the arroz caldo (chicken porridge).
Parking can be challenging here.
They use Five Stars rewards, and $ 5 minimum for credit card.
The lumpia is fried well, the filling however was just mediocre. It comes in 6 of these finger sized egg rolls, and a sweet/​sour sauce dip. I probably won’t get this again, since I didn’t like the filling that much.
The flan is really overcooked. It tasted more like cooked yolks, velvety, not silky and smooth. Not getting this again.
However, I was really impressed with their chicken porridge, it’s not over seasoned, I had 2 – 3 pieces of steamed chicken, the porridge is the fluffy/​thick kind, for about $ 3.5 it is decent for its portion.
Will try other items there in the future!

Favorite Filipino restaurant. This is the place I go when craving for Filipino food. Bibingka or Rice cake is the specialty. pancit malabon is also popular. Now they have rewards program the more you eat there the more you get free food!

I love this place! I’ve been coming here for years!
I love getting their arroz caldo ($ 2.95). It’s the Filipino porridge with chicken broth, ginger, green onion, toasted garlic and topped with boiled eggs. So simple but it has tons of flavor.
Pancit malabon ($ 3.75) — another favorite dish. It’s noodles with their special sauce, topped with eggs, shrimp and some veggies. I like adding some lemon juice go give it some kick.
Beef tapa ($ 6.45) marinated beef with 2 scoops of rice, 2 eggs, vinegar, and soup. Simple dish but really good. The beef is on the drier side but it has a lot of flavor. I love the soup that it comes with!
Chicken bbq ($ 5.95) marinated chicken with 2 scoops or rice, vinegar, and soup. The chicken are marinated really well! And cooked nicely. It’s flavorful and juicy!
Bibinkang ($ 2.95) this is what they are known for! It’s so yummy! It’s a Filipino pastry. A sponge cake with sugar and coconut shreds on top with a cheese in the middle. Personally I don’t like the cheese in the middle but I love everything else.
Service here is ok. Your here for the food. And parking can be horrible especially after church time. Also it’s seat yourself.

Can you believe Manila Sunset opened its first restaurant in 1985 on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA?! I thought this National City location was the very first one hahahha Boy, was I wrong! But you know what? I want to say that this location beats all the rest in California just because I’ve been coming here since I was little! (Honorary Dukedom Title PLEASE!) That’s many years, people! Many moons… many… «SUNSETS» :D LOL C’mon I know you’re grinning right now ;D I love the «about» description that their website has, because they simply explain that with loving detail they showcase Philippine culture through the overall atmosphere of the restaurants and, of course, their food! Manila Sunset was created to satisfy the homesick Filipino/​as craving for authentic Filipino cuisine as well as introduce new and exciting flavors to the masses!
If it’s your first time, and you wanna give it a go, then read on for my Favorite dishes as well as my step-​by-​step directions on being socially prepared going in!
Okay! You just parked in one of the tiny spaces near Manila Sunset. You’re about to walk in, but say this to yourself before going in: «Ignore the stares. Who cares if customers are looking at me because I’m gorgeous.» Just go in and head for the register! No fuss! Every worker there is friendly so if you have questions, just ask! BUT the customers in line may not be so friendly sooooooo try to look at the menu before even going in LOL Plan ahead! They use «Five Stars» reward system so have your phone number ready to get free soda OR EVEN free Bibingka once enough points are accumulated!
Alas, here are my Favorites:
–Pancit Malabon: thick rice noodles with a sauce to die for and lots of green onions (probably not good for a first date lol)
–Lumpiang Sariwa: fresh, burrito-​looking roll with veggies and a peanut sauce! YUM!
–Inihaw na Baboy: Pork BBQ that’s tasty and grilled to perfection!
–Bibingka: a steamed (also «esteemed» Hehhehe jk sorta), spongy dessert that has both salty and sweet components. Don’t eat the banana leaf! :P
OMG I WANNA ADD EVERYTHING ON THE MENU BUT IM SLEEPY! LOL oh well
Happy eating!

I was pretty certain I reviewed this place before, but I guess not? Long overdue then! I love Manila Sunset. My family goes here a lot, and we have been eating at this restaurant for years now. This is one of my favorite places to get Filipino food, aside from Zarlito’s and Pinoy Fiesta.
Their food is amazing. It is always cooked to perfection, and cooked fresh! You can see them cooking your food behind a glass, so that’s always a good sign. The workers are also nice! I like how they serve their food on paper plates with banana leaves… It Filipino-​izes the place, as well as makes for an easy clean up.
Someone in my family is bound to get all, if not, one of these items: goto, pancit malabon, beef tapa, chicken barbecue, and bibingka. Those are the best things to get! With the beef tapa and chicken barbecue, I add a fried egg every once in awhile. I don’t think it cost before, but now it’s $.95! Also, it comes with these two «sauces» (I don’t know the correct American way to say it) where you pour one of them on top of your rice, and dip your chicken/​beef in the other one. The one you dip it in is this cucumber concoction that is delicious! I have yet to try their spaghetti – I love Filipino spaghetti!
The reason why I deducted a star, which makes me sad, is because of the wait. They tend to get really busy, so you may have to wait for a table to clear up or wait a while for your food. For instance, today it took almost 30 minutes for mine and my dad’s food. A family of 4 even got their orders before us, which is the first time that has ever happened, so it was pretty upsetting. That was a one time thing out of YEARS though, so that won’t stop me from coming here.

National City is the best place to go to find a variety of Filipino Food. One of my all time favorites is this place here. I have been going here since i was a little kid and i never get tired of this place. It has expanded into a wonderful business. My parents always make it a point to eat here when we are in the National City area. If youre looking for authentic Filipino bbq and food this is the place to go.
If you go here you must try the BIBINGKA! A Filipino Pastry, its like a butter sponge cake with sugar and coconut on top. If youre not hungry, just come here for this! Its worth it!

Bibingka and Pancit Malabon are a go to when we have guests over.
Bibingka are really good! I personally like to toast mine in a toaster oven for about 10 minutes to get the top slightly crisp and the inside nice and warm. A little bit of coconut on the side is a good addition. Getting the box of bibingka always means there’s leftovers. They work well as an after meal snack or for breakfast.
We ordered the x-​large Pancit Malabon tray too. The tray is pretty big and everything is decoratively put together.
Manila Sunset has my favorite halo halo dessert. This has the perfect combination of sweet beans and fruit with ice cream and flan on top.
If this place were closer I’d definitely be coming more often.

Sad we drove 25 miles to come 20 minutes before they close and have to be told that our order has to be to-​go. Even though there are others in there sitting down enjoying their food and orders still going out to the tables.
Irked me big time, at least the food was delicious and very cheap. Impressed that we liked almost everything we ordered except for the Embutido which didn’t taste fresh and was kinda old.
Will definitely go back when back in SD and well before the time of closing.