Tita’s Pista

Yay! I’m a fan of this wonderful and delightful Filipino Food Cart! My first experience of Tita’s Pista’s food was at the Mississippi Street Fair. The lumpia and pancit was soo masarap (delicious in Tagalog) I chased down the person handing them out to find out WHERE the heck this place was!
I’m a Pinay always looking for what I call «fried goodness». The lumpia was hot, tasty, and the meat was nicely seasoned in a golden flaky wrapping then dipped in sweet chili sauce or vinegar! Mmm, makes my mouth water. This place hits the spot so I can get my fix for some Filipino Cooking Goodness. Don’t listen to the haters, we all should be promoting this wonderful effort to share our native cuisine with the people of Portland. My only wish would be for a longanisa, eggs, and garlic fried rice breakfast dish. :P
Judy, the owner ROCKS! She helped me out when I wanted to order a few trays of lumpia for a meeting. I kid you not, I didn’t need to worry about left overs — there were NONE! I only gave her a few days notice and she was able bust it out nicely, thank you!
Try it, you just might like it!
In the future I wish it would be open year round

I am a big fan of filipino fare. I had the chance to sample this Food Cart in the Fall. I had the Lumpia here. I have to say the food was as authentic as any I had had while in the Philippines. It was just the right blend of seasonings and flavors. I’m not sure what all the negative sentiments are about, but I have recommended my movie crew buddies to this food cart and they all have said the same. I do wish the business well and hope to see more of these businesses flourish in the Portland area. Good Luck.
–E.

I’m sorry to say that Tita’s Pista, while charming as all heck, disappointed in the authentic taste category. Amado L’s review really hit the nail on the head about how no one can measure up to mom. I don’t need to rehash that here, but I do want to recommend Tambayan, a better Filipino restaurant on SE Foster around 60^th. It’s a small shop with several tables and a couple rows of groceries. Very informal, kind of cafeteria style (but not turo turo). It’s a little stark inside, and way less charming than Tita’s Pista, but the staff is extremely nice and the food is so much more authentic. Their sinigang (sour pork stew) is pretty good. So is the binagoongan (pork and bagoong — salty shrimp paste (so good!)). The kalderetta (beef stew) is a hit with my non-​Filipino friends. I have also ordered damn good lumpia Shanghai from them. I think it’s around $ 25 for 50 pieces including a tub of sweet and sour sauce. Awesome to bring to a party. Give them a try. No one seems to know they’re there but it’s definitely the best Filipino food in town. Someone’s mom or auntie is actually making the food, and as all we pinoys know (even this half-​brother), that’s where it’s at.

I wanted to love this place. Heck, I wanted to even just ‘like’ the place. But, in the end, Tita’s Pista failed to meet this full-​blooded Filipino’s expectations. The food just isn’t geared to the true Filipino’s taste buds.
Part of it, I’m sure– and any Filipino national would probably say the same of their own– is that no one could ever measure up to my mother’s cooking, or especially those of my grandmother’s. The particular tastes associated with their cooking elicit fond memories deeply ingrained in my psyche that it would be tough for facsimiles to come close. Even the very popular Filipino restaurants in pockets of the Bay Area labeled as «Little Manila» offer delicacies that, although quite tasty in their own rights, are missing certain nuances that make them truly authentic. The selections at Tita Pista fall within that realm. Non-​Filipinos would eat them up, but true Filipinos would only reluctantly so.
Their «pancit» (pahn-​SIT) is borderline tasteless, the rice noodles seeming to have only been lightly tossed in fish sauce (a main ingredient in traditional recipes). Plus, in order to make true pancit, there’s a ton of other ingredients that obviously had to be excluded in order to keep the per unit price low. I also tried their «lumpia» (LOOM-​pee-​ah), which to the uninformed is the Filipino version of the eggroll. Although it definitely had a home-​made taste, it was nothing spectacular. I practically had to douse it with sweet chili sauce in order to down it.
It does help Tita’s Pista that they are the only outfit in P-​Town that serves Filipino cuisine outside of the home. That alone would help draw hungry Pinoys or Pinoyphiles to their «food cart.» I was, in fact, eyeing their «Chicken Adobo» and had decided I would try it on a subsequent visit. But, based on my first encounter, I am hesitant to make the trip.

I love that Tita’s Pista is right down the road from my place.
The food is good, but I can’t speak to Filipino authenticity. I can say that there’s a myriad of tasty flavors, including a delicious rice pudding and an assortment of yummy drinks.
The chairs are comfy, and the lawn gets a lot of sun. I can think of few places where I’d rather spend a weekday lunchtime than in front of Tita’s Pista, passing the time by commenting on people’s clothes as they walk by.
And then, of course, there’s Judy, the delightful owner/​chef. Time spent with her is always a joy.

I love Filipino food and now I’m a vegetarian, I love Tita’s Pista! Its run by this cool Filipino girl and a respect for vegans/​vegetarians. Its so good! The first thing I get is the Lumpia (pork or vegetarian/​vegan). SO GOOD! The second thing I get is the Pancit (vegan rice noodles with vegetables), which is very different from chow mein. Next time I wanna try the vege adobo. Traditionally Adobo is served with Chicken (a type of sauce). Delicious on rice. Thirsty? I would try the Guava juice, but the spicy cider sounds good too (lots of Cayenne). The hours are strange, so I would call before going. She’s also really nice. Once I got there just when she was cleaning up for closing. Super nice! She boiled the oil again and served me some Lumpia.
PS: My review is kinda base on a hunger excitement, read the detailed by marcel for more info.