This review is long overdue. Marc, Sonia, and the entire crew at Kalesa consistently make us feel genuinely welcome with their heartfelt hospitality. Dining here feels like going to your tita's house for a family party. It's cozy, comforting, and full of love: the epitome of Filipino culture. The portions are generous, the quality is consistently on point, and the ambiance is always inviting. If you are anywhere near Kalesa, consider yourself lucky. It is such a blessing to have it close by. I can pop in anytime a craving hits for their pork menudo, sizzling sisig, or pansit palabok. Must-try staples include Chicken or Pork Adobo (a rich savory stew), Lumpiang Shanghai (crispy spring rolls), and Pancit Bihon (classic Filipino noodles). Be sure to finish with halo-halo, a popular shaved ice dessert. My family literally drives up from SoCal just to eat here. It is THAT good. If you have never tried Filipino food, Kalesa is the perfect starting point for your Pinoy culinary adventure. read more

Kalesa - * my parents birthday celebration at Kalesa Milpitas * - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

Came with a lunch reservation on a Saturday and it was busy! This was my first time here and I was also bringing someone who had never been to a Filipino restaurant before, so we ordered several dishes to try. We were not disappointed! - Ukoy: 4/5, I wish it was crispier like other ukoy I've tried, but still really liked it - Lumpiang Shanghai: 5/5, can't go wrong - Pancit Bihon: 3/5, I think it could've been more flavorful - Chicken Inasal: 5/5, really tasty and tender with a well balanced sweet lemongrass flavor - Sizzling Bangus Sisig: 5/5, my favorite! - Crispy Pata: 5/5, this was perfectly crispy - Chop Suey: 4/5, pretty standard - Halo Halo Espesyal and Turon ala Mode: 5/5, amazing sweet treats that were a highlight We didn't have to wait too long for our food to arrive thankfully and the waiters were very helpful. Prices are fair. The inside is a great space for birthdays or other celebrations, and can confirm that the staff dances/sings for the celebrant which was fun to witness from the tables near us. I'd definitely return! read more

Kalesa - turon ala mode and halo halo espesyal - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

I ordered several food for my grandson 1st bday for delivery, they are on time! Food is good, typical filipino dish such as pancit, lumpia shanghai, garlic rice, reg rice, chopsuey, pancit, spaghetti, mechado and cebu lechon. Our visitors love and enjoy the food only thing is the mechado little disappointed due the meat is hard to chew, (chewy and rubbery) lots of left over. The rest all gone, except the mechado. read more

Kalesa - Cebu litson from kalesa - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

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Finally had dinner here with my bf on a rainy day. The bulalo hit the spot as we both wanted soup. We ate all. For dessert we had the coco cha cha. A good alternative to the halo halo. Definitely worth having. Service was good and when we went there was plenty of seating and parking spaces. Would definitely come back to eat other dishes. read more

Kalesa - Bulalo - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

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forgot to take many pictures as i was engulfed in conversations but i highly recommend coming with a group so you can try a bunch of different things family style! the food was very flavourful and staff was great, very kind and also very funny (it was a birthday and they do it up!) read more

Kalesa - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

Pork Sinigang was a hit! Extremely large and tender pork belly chunks. The soup was perfectly sour and the vegetables were generously portioned. Eggplants and green beans were NOT soggy! Loved the daikon. Very delicious. The Tokwa't Baboy was a miss for me. The Lechon Kawali was very fatty, but a little too crunchy in my opinion. Lacked flavor too. Very little seasoning. Tofu especially was bland. Definitely dunk everything in the vinegar! Sizzling Pork Sisig... I had mixed feelings. There was a lot of flavor going on, to the point it was growing too salty. Some fattier pieces were tender and great with rice! Other pieces were really dry and tough in texture. I imagine the fish sisig would be more enjoyable for my preferences! read more

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Had an excellent time here eating with a group of friends on a Saturday night around 7 pm! It's part of a plaza in Milpitas and it's the only Filipino restaurant there. There's lots of parking so you don't have to worry about that. It was so bright, lively, and decorated for the holidays. We were sat immediately and there was a 70 year old birthday so we got to see the restaurant in full spirit and cheer. The restaurant is great for family style celebrations with long tables and so much space. We ordered 4 dishes: - Rice of course to go with the meats! - Sinigang: the national soup of the Philippines! It was done so well, with a great sour taste that cleanses your palate after eating oily foods. Lots of veggies and good portions of meat. - Tofu and Fried Pork: so crunchy and great pairing with vinegar sauce. - Pork Sisig: my absolute favorite with a good portion of diced onion. Loved all of it from the food, the service, and the atmosphere! read more

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Food As always plenty of food that was top notch, we did family style for a family party and everything was good, very filling, well priced. We had everything from crispy pata, sinigang and more. Dessert serving of halo hall with ice cream was also a generous serving. Ambiance This place is usually busy and packed since it's popular. Service Standard wait staff as expected. read more

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Craving filipino food this past weekend, with not many places in the area open after 6pm on Sundays (many not open at all on Sundays), we ended up at Kalesa. This is a rare filipino fine dining establishment, with plenty of items to choose from on the menu. We got the beef bistek, pork bbq, chicken inasal, and some steamed rice for takeout. Staff provided very friendly service, and we were accurately quoted a reasonable 20-25 minute wait for our order to be ready. The chicken inasal was a bit dry but had good flavor, the beef bistek was saucy with tender pieces of meat and lots of onions which I love, and the pork bbq had a good amount of meat on the sticks, slightly charred, with a nice balance of sweet and smoky, though a tad salty. Overall, I was happy with the quality and taste. But with such a hefty price tag, you really gotta blow me away, and I didn't think the value was quite there. The fact that they don't offer individual sized portions or plates for anything but breakfast kinda sucks. And even the silog dishes are $20+ after tax. On the bright side, we ended up with lots of delicious leftovers to last us several days. read more

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I came here with some friends to try out filipino food as I have never ate it before. I had the lumpia shanghai which was just lumpia, so it was pretty good. However, I had the bistek and it was very salty. I think that day they put way too much soy sauce in the sauce because I couldn't taste the beef and all I tasted was the sauce. Every bite I took I had to reset my palate with water. I'm hoping this was just a one time thing. Also had the garlic rice and it was pretty good. The server was also pretty chill. In the end, I'm hoping to come back one day to have a better experience as I don't think it was suppose to be that salty. read more

Whenever we're in Milpitas, Kalesa is our go-to place for Filipino food. We came on a Saturday and noticed a big Birthday celebration; the place was reserved for almost 50 people. We're only a few who were able to get a table right away. If you're planning on dining here, call or make a reservation so that you won't be surprised by a waiting time especially if there's a big celebration they are hosting. We ordered the daing na bangus and Kare Kare. The Kare Kare is generous in serving. They have a lot of oxtail and they are tender. The bangus is fresh and cooked right. We always enjoy Filipino food whenever we come to Kalesa. The service is also fast and excellent. read more

Kalesa - Kare Kare - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

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Really so famished so this hit the spot!! Very elegant looking spacious dining area. Tables covered with dainty cream linen and place setting of white ceramic dinner plate and utensils kept inside a small brown bag on top of paper white disposable table napkins. Amiable server gave a stellar service! Ordered TOCILOG breakfast served with pieces of pork tocino , 2 fried eggs and a cup shaped garlic fried rice ! Meat was tender and savory ! Gotta have veggies so the SITAW and Squash with shrimps in the coconut milk gravy was very creamy and delicious!! Now can't skip the LECHON KAWALI...pork belly slap with crunchy skin !! For 3 people with the large servings there were still leftovers to go!! Will definitely be back to try other dishes like SISIG, KARE KARE and DINUGUAN ! read more

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Tried Filipino food for the first time--not really my thing. Sizzling Sisig (2/5): First impression? Salty. Second impression? Dry and tough. Some fatty bits were a little better in texture, but overall it was just too salty and dry for me. Crispy Pata (3/5): The portion was huge--two giant pork knuckles. The skin was crispy, but in a super hard way that made it tough to bite into. Not the kind of crispy I was expecting. Sizzling Bangus Sisig (3/5): The fish was minced and cooked with onions and chili, and the crispy skin was laid on the bottom. The seasoning was quite sour--okay at first, but it got overwhelming after a few bites. There was also a half-cooked egg on the side... not really sure how I was supposed to eat it. Overall, the food wasn't really my style, but the vibe in the restaurant was great. A few tables were celebrating birthdays while we were there, and the staff really brought the energy and made it fun. If you're into rich, meaty, and bold flavors, it might be worth a try! read more

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Big dinning area. Can accommodate about 70 people. This place do catering. Ok reception. Great service. Good flavorful grand ma kitchen food. Lechon kawali was super crispy yet not burned. Squash/string beans with coconut milk was my favorite. Tocino/sunny side up egg and garlic rice (Tapsilog breakfast plate) was good.,Came in at 11:00 am when they opened and still served. Sago (tapioca) on the gulaman drink was hard and not fully cooked. Colorful presentation but disappointing taste. Not sweet enough. Overall, it's still worth coming back. read more

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Great food and nice environment, good for groups of families or friends. The kare kare was really really good. read more

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We came out on a busy Sunday evening for dinner. We were calling to see how long the wait was but nobody answered . By the time we got there, they said it would be a 35 minute wait . I'm sure we got seated even quicker than that, maybe only about 15 minutes of waiting . It's situated in a little strip plaza so parking was kind of hard, there was plenty of it but it was a busy Sunday and there's a ton of other restaurants using the same lot, so we had to circle around a bit until we got lucky. Ambiance 4/5: Clean, spacious looking restaurant with large dining tables, evenly spaced out, perfect for dining with families or large crowds. Moderately noisey. Tableware was also already set out for family style serving. Service 3/5: It looked like there were several different parties going on at a time so I feel like we may have been forgotten because after about 15 minutes of waiting we did have to flag somebody down because other diners that had sat down after us were getting their orders in before us. Our waitress was very apologetic and she did seem flustered at how busy it was. After we got our food , our water never came so we had to get up and ask the hostess if we could have water. It was an entire battle the rest of the evening to try and flag somebody down for a container to go, the bill, where the restrooms were, LOL forget even asking for more water. Food 5/5: We ordered the garlic rice, fish sigsig, pork sisig, and pancit palabok. Everything was delicious! Portions were huge! Food reminded me of home style cooking like if it was prepared by my Mom or Tita. The pork sigsig was sizzling and had that unctuous bite. I loved all the flavor that went into the fish sigsig, it was tangy, savory and fresh! Overall, it was a good experience! We would love to come here again to try all the other items on the menu, perhaps at a different day or time of the week when it's not peak hours! read more

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The Bistek is soooo good here and the restaurant is super clean! I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu! Highly recommend this for big families and service was great too! Will drive from San Bruno to here anytime! read more

Kalesa - The Bistek is soooo flavorful here!! Best I've ever had! - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

I've been here many times and it's always a good experience. The place is small but cozy, clean, and has plenty of seating. The food is always delicious and consistent. Never had a bad meal here. The staff are super friendly and make you feel welcome every time. Definitely one of my go-to spots for good filipino food. read more

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It is located on the corner of a quiet parking plaza with ample parking and clean front area. The waiter greeted us and checked for a table right as soon as we arrived. Heres the verdict: Service (4/5) - we were seated and order quickly, moving tables to accommodate our order, but we waited a bit to pay and leave. Calamari (4/5)-flavor was good slightly hard to chew but still really good Crispy pata (5/5)- just wow and they serve two pieces, our order was amazing Tokwa't baboy (4/5)-this dish was amazing, also on happy hour, they did not miss Sisig (5/5)- my personal fave Beef nilaga (5/5)-flavor, texture portions, all yum Bangus sisig (5/5)-i havent had this dish before and we were pleasantly surprised with the flavor profile and happy with it Halo halo (4/5)-not pictured- really good and everything, plating could be a little better since the halo halo over flowed but could have been human error. Would highly recommend this place!!!! read more

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A lot of my filo friends come to Kalesa so I was excited to dine here! My friend made a reservation for the four of us but we were running late, however they were super accommodating! The atmosphere itself was inviting and bustling, expect a lot of conversations! We ordered Sisig, Lumpiang Shanghai, Chicken Inasal, Pancit Bihon, & Shrimp Sinigang! The Sisig and Sinigang for me in particular was memorably delicious, I loved the tenderness of the meat and pairing the sour soup with rice was amazing. The Pancit fell a little flat for me, it tasted a bit bland and not as flavorful. Chicken Inasal and Lumpia you can never go wrong with ordering! We absolutely ADORED getting the Turon ala mode for dessert, the fried banana rolls just compliments the mango and ube ice cream so well! Personally it was the perfect dessert to share after a hearty meal. read more

Kalesa - Chicken Inasal, Pancit Bihon, Sisig, Lumpiang Shanghai, & Shrimp Sinigang - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

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When I go to Filipino restaurants I really only care about the crispy pata (4/5) and kalesa makes them really well! For sure will come back here just for that alone :) The pancit bihon (2.5/5) in my opinion wasn't very good but it depends on the person. I thought it lacked flavor. Halo-halo (4/5) was very good though. So my recs would be crispy pata and halo-halo :) read more

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The food is great no matter when you go. The people are amazing and treat each guest as they the person is the only person in the restaurant. I will take my family there to celebrate my birthday in July. read more

This place is good if you're looking to try Filipino food for the first time and if you want the milder Filipino cuisine flavor. Good fried lumpiang Shanghai (mini egg rolls) and lechon kawali (fried pork belly). They don't have the Lomi on the menu but they can make it if you ask. Very tasty broth with lots of garlic flavor. Their pancit (noodles) are ok. I'd recommend the bihon over the moki bihon. Somehow the bihon has more flavor. Kare Kare was ok. The gravy needs the shrimp paste for flavor. They cook the really well; was pretty tender. They use green beans instead of the traditional long string beans. Sisig was good but the meat was a bit hard. Tocino was good, without too much fat. Best of paired with the garlic rice which was also good. They were generous with the Halo halo. It has both mango and ube ice cream and a big chunk of yummy leche flan. Similar price with other Filipino restaurants in the area. Good place for celebrations as they make the food pretty fast. read more

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Love Kalesa!! First the customer service is exceptional yes, you might have to wait to be seated, but that says a lot and worth it! I will wait to eat the food because it's so fresh and delicious. Can't wait to go back with my family again!! read more

Came here to celebrate my birthday with 10 guests on a Saturday for lunch. Foods were amazing and plenty to share, from starter to main dishes & delicious desserts (halo-halo, maiz con yellow). It's a fun place to celebrate birthdays. Wonderful service & friendly staff. read more

Kalesa - Kalesa Milpitas, California - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

What stands out: 1. Mandatory 5% Tariff: wondering if they remit this to the US federal treasury fund, or does Kalesa keep this 5% - needs to explain if they import materials and pass on to consumer. 2. Mandatory Gratuity/Service Charge: 1-5 guests: 15% 6 and above: 20% 3. Tip is required. 4. Tax is required. Expect to add around 30-35% on actual cost of dining at Kalesa. Btw, they also increased the price of all items in the menu by minimum of 30% (pork sisig used to be $19, now about $25.) Food - salty, lukewarm, and tastes ordinary (nothing special). Service - so so, nothing that stands out... Ambiance - nothing to see... cleanliness is okay. Clean silverware, dishes, table... NOT COMING BACK. THERE ARE SEVERAL RESTAURANTS in the area THAT ARE BETTER (Like the famous filipino chicken restaurant at Landes). read more

Kalesa - Mandatory Tariff and Gratuity - Filipino Near Me - Milpitas, California

We visited on a Saturday night and found parking quickly in the plaza parking. We ordered the sagot gulaman and it was too sweet. The calamari was good as always with vinegar-y soy sauce and a creamy tartar sauce. We ordered the pata, crispy pork, which was good with the sauce, the squid was good really chewy and I liked the char flavor, bangus sisig was really good very flavorful definitely recommend. I also really like the Chop suey vegetable mix and the grilled chicken both flavorful as well! The staff was helpful and the food came out fast. The ambiance was aesthetic. read more

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I really wanted to give this a zero rating. The food quality has decreased immensely. I will not be eating here ever again. We ordered food to go. The bistek had so much oil in it. Couldn't enjoy the food. The kare kare was ok but for the price not enough meat or veggies just sauce. Lechon kawali was ok but had lots of oil as well. The bicol's pride was the better of all the food we ordered however it was more soupy, couldn't taste the shrimp paste or coconut milk. Oh and upon arriving no one was visible. The employees were hanging out in the back. Waited 5 min and still no one. Just took my food when an employee came out and rudely asked if she could help. Don't go here!! Spend money elsewhere! read more

I have a huge update! I came here yesterday for an early dinner with my wife and we had an amazing experience. This is my first time dining inside and the place is pretty spacious with lots of tables dripped in white linen and silverware. I automatically smelled the sizzling smoke from the fried fish and pork in the air which was welcoming. There were a lot of people eating inside as well as celebrating a special birthday or get together. It was pretty festive yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed their pork sinigang with white rice. The pork belly meat was cooked perfectly and soaked the soup. The vegetable are crisp and has it's vibrant color on them. At first glance, the sinigang looked bland with it's pale and half-cooked look to it. But after eating and sipping the soup, the balance of salt & pepper and seasoning was just right. The ukoy is thick and cakey with huge chunks of meaty shrimps. The texture was perfect with it's fried coating having a nice crisp. I love dipping it into vinegar and chowing down. This is a must with rice. Their pork sizzling sisig was so great tasting. The loud sizzle from the meat did it for me. The taste reminded me of thinly sliced Vietnamese lemongrass pork chop which by any means, is so delicious and worth it. There is a lot meat in this dish and works perfect with the blend of freshly diced jalapenos and onions. I do however, like my sisig with squeezed lemon juice to give it that kick. I also like my sisig a bit saucier BUT that's ok. For dessert, we shared a halo-halo which was served in this goblet glass cup, and topped with ice, condensed milk, ice cream, jellies and flan. This is also delicious and one of the best I've have. They serve large portions of food here which is all worth the while. I am a huge fan of this place and will love to come back again. To me, this is the best in the area for Filipino food. read more

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Kalesa is our go to Filipino eats. The food ate solid and tasty. My only gripe is the scarcity of vegetable selection. We ordered pinskbet, tokwat baboy and crispy dunuguan. read more

We recently had a luncheon here and staff were amazing. I placed a reservation earlier in the week and preordered two days before. The staff was also able to accommodate more people and additional orders of food. When we arrived, the lumpia were on the table. The entrees arrived before the rice. The pancit and bangus sisig came last. Everything was delicious and not too greasy. The pork sinigang had more fat than meat. The kare kare had subtle peanut flavor. Tables were set up nicely. There was a birthday celebrant for another customer. It was fun and lively. We didn't know they celebrated birthday celebrants. We also happened to have had two birthday celebrants and asked one of our servers if they can also do it for them. It was so fun and made our lunch even greater. read more

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I was invited by my uncle and his wife to this restaurant for my grandmother's 83rd birthday. This restaurant is quite fancy for a place that serves ordinary Filipino food. I love how most items from the menu are displayed to see how they look like though they won't exactly replicate them being served to us, which is why I decided to take pictures of them. The food is good though, but some food needs to be a bit warmed up like the pancit. Some tastes alright but they don't really stand out. Most of them taste like home since I grew up in a Filipino household. The portions of the entrees are appropriate for hosting a party. Desserts are amazing though! I recommend going to this restaurant for friends and family if you're willing to try Filipino food in the Bay Area. read more

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Dining area is clean. Tables are close to each other esp if you are sitting in the middle. Service was good, they were nice and friendly. Then came the food..... Sisig was hard and dry. We all got a small spoonful each when it came out and no one touched it again. Felt more like 1-2 day old reheated meat. Better to get beef jerky sticks. Pancit bihon was definitely all BIHON. Barely any meat or veggies. No taste, very bland. Bihon was pale. Kare kare pata had a good taste except for it should be called green beans kare kare. Half a pata and tons of green beans. The whole bottom of the bowl was filled with green beans, a few pieces of eggplant. Bistek, good soy lime flavor. Good portion of beef. This was probably the most enjoyable out of all the dish. The stars are for service and the place itself. Food was a let down. read more

A great place to eat with the family. The interior feels homely and familiar. Staff are personable. We didn't know they were closing at 7 and we came in at 6:30 with a big party. They were still willing to serve us. The pork sisig was okay. It didn't have a fried egg, so it felt like something was missing from the dish. I did appreciate the portion size as it is one of the bigger portions I've seen of sisig from a restaurant. The pork and bangus sinigang was salty and sour. The meat was tender and the medley of vegetables were great. As a soup lover, I also loved how much soup the dish had. It paired so well with rice and the other fatty dishes we ordered. The lechon kawali was delightful. It was rich and had a light crunch. The crispy pata was hefty and the meat wasn't dry. The soy sauce based dipping sauce paired great with the fatty pork. The chopsuey was great assortment of vegetables and meat. They did not hold back on the shrimp and pork either. My favorite dish was the chicken inasaal. It was tender and cooked so well. Each piece had the perfect amount of char and the meat was flavored all the way through. It didn't need any sauces. I know good Filipino food and this was good Filipino food. Definitely bring your family and friends here if you have a big group. We ordered so much food and we paid around $30 per person, we were stuffed! read more

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Horrible good. Pancit had hard pieces of chicharrón, tiny shrimp from a can. and non-existing chicken. But it boasted the three of them. Yuck! Too expensive for a poor quality fish. read more

A great spot to have some good Filipino food. We like coming here with our family. The portions are good and deliciously made. The service is quick and the staff is kind. They do sweet things for birthdays. We ordered our favorites, pancit, Kare kare, crispy pata, bulalo, bulaklak and halo halo. The bulaklak is my all time favorite. Great crunch and flavor! Kare Kare is very creamy and has a lot of meat and veggies. We had to take some food Togo cause we couldn't finish it all since we saved room for halo halo. read more

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I ordered food for our Christmas dinner, paid almost 300, and I was really disappointed. I ordered crispy pata which was overcooked, bbq was burned, the only dish that my family enjoyed was dinakdakan. The rest was not up to par read more

I had a reservation 8 and we ordered quite a bit of food and shared family style. Everyone loved the kare kare with Crispy pata and the bagoong. The lumpia Shanghai and the pancit were delicious with fresh ingredients and veggies. The sinagang soup was so comforting. Most of us ordered the halo halo for dessert. The food came out super fast and service was ok. We had to ask for water multiple times tho. I will say the prices here are quite high compared to other restaurants in general. The kare kare was almost $30 and most of the items on the menu are $20 and above. Even the halo halo was $8+. It's a great place to go if you're craving good quality Filipino food but if you want a less expensive option go to another spot read more

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Kalesa occupies a commercial strip with 3 boba shops And a Taiwanese chicken shop. Inside dining area is vast. walls decorated with Xmas items, other pics. Not uber fancy, more upscale than most Filipino eateries. Was greeted by host upon entering, assigned a table. Got a menu. Ordered soon after. Offerings: drinks, desserts, sides, vegetables, noodles, soup, seafood, chicken, pork, beef, all day breakfast, appetizers, "what's good"...individual dishes are of different cooking styles... Eats: crispy pata (24.50)-deep fried pig trotters/knuckle -seldom see this, choose this over lechon kawaii -very crispy skin. Tender, juicy meat with thin layer of melted fat. Some Fats are monosaturated good fat. -pata doesn't taste marinated, natural flavor. All flavoring comes from the soy-vinegar dip. * decadently deliz. For health reasons, once a week is enough. Garlic rice (4) one scoop -had nuanced flavor like the others. Wouldn't re-order. Halo halo espesyal (7.50) -2 scoops of ice cream on top, shaved ice in middle. Beans, fruits, gelatin on bottom. Deliz. -ate it along with crispy pata. Didn't wait till after. -nice mix of rich creaminess with the rest. Shaved ice an annoyance. Should have scoop it out sooner. *prices dining in is lower than online ordering.. October is Filipino American History Month -commemorates the lst Filipino appearance (via Spanish Navy) in the U.S. on 10/18/1587 at what is now Morro Bay, Ca. read more

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The food there is good but theyre on the pricey side of thangs but its ok in this economy you know the service is good as well if you are craving for some filipino food go here read more