Manila Sunset Grille

I used to work really close to this place and I would come often with my coworkers. The food is really good, very tasty, the only thing that keeps me from giving them full stars is the service that I’ve been given multiple times that I’ve been here. There are a lot of younger kids working or they appear to be younger simply because they would rather be joking around in the back and you can hear everything while you’re eating. I would give them three and a half stars but the staff could be a bit more professional.

I gave this place only 1 star, but the FOODS are so good, the bibingka, its number one, the foods was so good except the OWNER. We love eating here all the time, my friends, my family. But after I’ve seen a situation last friday afternoon… oh my god, the owner of the manila sunset was so mean to the employee, I’ve seen the way she talked to the oldwoman employee. She shouted too loud (while we are eating) yelling and yelling! Got angry to the oldwoman staff, while the oldwoman employee was eating beside of our table. If you want to talk to your staff just go inside. Maybe not coming back in this place. Not all the time good in sevice!

The Filipino food here is pretty basic, everything is good if you need to satisfy a craving, but it’s not comparable to your typical hole in the wall or nanay’s cooking. I’ve come a few times to have the pork BBQ undercooked, (which I think they found out about) and then began to overcook. The bibingka doesn’t really taste bibngka-​y, more like pancake. The service is friendly but slow for a casual dining experience – make sure to call ahead a time or prep for a line if you come in on Sundays after church!
PROS
— decent food, good selection
— food smells great from the outside
CONS
— not memorable, nanay/tita’s in national city and conchings can do better.
— no sabao based foods (adobo, menudo, mechado)

We come here all the time, and it’s definately MUCH better coming in lateeeeee afternoon. Less crowded and nobody standing over you trying to see if your done trying to take your table hehe.

This is my favorite Filipino Restaurant here in San Diego. The music, atmosphere, and not to forget the wonderful delicacies that takes you back as if you were again in the streets of Manila. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you feel homesick or just simply in the mood for some great Filipino food. Although, there was this cashier during my recent visit with a coconut looking hairstyle, at the Mira Mesa location who was extremely rude and impolite. But other than that, my trips to the restaurant are always ideal.

Not a fan. Sauces are where it’s at, and there’s were not good. Not very good portion sizes either. Won’t be back

Great little spot. Not too expensive. Food was good. Will come back here again.

I just want to preface this review by saying: Filipino food is not necessarily like other cuisines where there is one right way to cook everything. I think that Filipino food is unique and complex because everybody’s mama’s makes it just a little different than each other. So, if you’re trying to compare this place and their food to some other Filipino restaurant, you’re denying yourself the greatness that is enjoying family in a plate.
That said…
I’m a huge fan of their Pork BBQ plate. Similar to my lola’s BBQ, but just a little bit different. Three skewers of their tender, perfectly marinated pork, two scoops of warm fluffy rice, vinegar/​cucumber dipping sauce on the side, and a nice serving of sinigang sabaw. It’s the only thing I really ever order. Of course, we get the bibingka and puto bumbong when we want dessert too!
Sure you have to wait but it’s definitely worth the wait. (Or, you could call ahead.) The service is generally good. The place is clean. I love the décor inside. Easy to get to since it’s literally right off the freeway. It’s a great spot to hang out with the fam after church on Sunday. Feeds your soul, for sure. Definitely a fan of this spot.

Manila Sunset Grille has been in Mira Mesa for some time now. Their location went through a nice exterior renovation recently. I’m not sure how we ended up finally trying Manila Sunset Grille last year but it’s been my go to grilled skewers place since then. Each item is made to order so there’s usually a wait time to get your dishes. I have no issue with this as hot off the grill items need time to prep so it’s understandable. Parking has never been an issue even on busy days so friend and I have visited Manila Sunset Grille restaurant several times already.
I immediately noticed the grill bbq that you can see towards the left of the cashier. Look at all the beautiful meat skewers.
Ordering is easy — you walk up to the cashier, place your order, pay, get a ticket, and they bring the food to you when it’s ready.
We’ve ordered:
Lumpiang Shanghai (6 pieces) $ 2.65:
— We couldn’t understand how six lumpias (that’s how we read it on menu) cost only $ 2.65. The eggrolls were cutely (my description) mini as evidenced in the pic. It’s smaller than his pinkie finger. There wasn’t much filling in the mini eggroll but there was a nice crunch factor when eating these things.
Korean And Egg Plate $ 8.25:
— We liked how the Korean short ribs were grilled to order and appreciated this piping hot plate that arrived at the table. There’s probably six pieces of marinaded ribs. The short ribs were fatty and a bit too gristly for me. The meat was tender though.
Lechon Kawali $ 6.35:
— The lechon seems to take the longest to come out for some reason. The belly tasted freshly fried and it’s a decent portion for $ 6.35. Some parts of the fried skin were harder to chew than others. Friend said the belly was too fatty for him. The lechon sauce is a sweet sauce that I liked quite a bit. I’m used to being offered liver sauce for the lechon but not sure if I tasted any type of liver in this particular sauce?
Chicken skewers $ 2.05/each:
— I ordered two of the chicken for us to try. The chicken tasted fine but perhaps a bit too ‘stringy’ for me. There’s a nice sweet marinade to it and they do a nice job grilling the skewers (although certain parts of the meat were more charred than others).
Pork skewer $ 2.05/each:
— This is my absolutely favorite item here at Manila Sunset Grille in Mira Mesa. The pork skewers are tender and certain pieces have the extra fat that I love in meat skewers. The marinade wasn’t too sweet and you can’t go wrong when a skewer is grilled to order here. Again, though, certain parts of the meat were more charred than others (the extra ash-​y char isn’t always that great).
** Note: it’s best to order the skewer plate for $ 6.45 because you get THREE skewers, steamed rice, AND soup. This is a better deal than ordering the meat skewers a la carte. **
Garlic Pork Chop:
— This was their special of the day that was about $ 8+ or so. The pork chop was deep fried and coated with garlic. The order came with two scoops of steamed rice and homemade ketchup (?) sauce. The pork chop was fried too long resulting in drier meat. The flavor was nice despite the garlic being a bit too bitter (over frying does that to garlic).
The restaurant always seems to be busy during lunch. Ordering is quick and most customers seem patient knowing the food takes time to be made. I look forward to the pork skewers every time I’m here as it’s hard to find a freshly grilled stick of meat these days for lunch. Manila Sunset Grille is worth a visit if you’re in the area.

One of my favorite spots to get Filipino food. Filipino food takes up a lot of preparation so when I’m craving it, this is my place to go.
I’ve come here a few times and the food quality is different sometimes. Meaning that some days the food taste better than other days.
I’m giving them ⁴⁄₅ because some days it’s bland.
I honestly order everything on their menu. Just depends what I’m craving.
The food is made to order so it does take a while to come out, but it is worth the wait.
In the plaza there is a lot of parking, the restaurants itself has a lot of available seating. Also in the back corner there is a space for large parties.

So after about almost a year of being here, I finally made it to Manila Sunset Grille which was literally 5 – 10 minutes away from me. I went with one of my girlfriends, I’ll call her, W (her first letter in her name) as she never had filipino food before. We carpooled from her place and went in to order before take a seat.
I got a order of the pork inihaw and she got the pork tapa. I made sure to order some Lumpiang Shanghai too! It was not too long a wait for us — guessing as we went during a rather odd hour on a Sunday night. Lumpia was delicious! If a place got that wrong — there’s something not right there…
Pork inihaw was yummy and I polished everything off. She ate all her pork tapa too and she enjoyed the lumpia. As a topping to the dinner I made sure she got to have the halo halo — the staple to get for dessert. She enjoyed her first time having filipino food while I enjoyed my reunion with it. We would both come back if we had a craving for filipino food.

We had the chicken skewer plate, fried pork belly, and veggie lumpia and we’re pleasantly surprised at how good everything was. The veggie lumpia was huge 4 times the size if meat lumpia, but not as good. The prices are pretty reasonable too. Will definitely come back. Service was fast and friendly, and felt like a family run place, like eating at your Aunties place.

We come here often for some Filipino food. The Bibingka is what makes us come back often. I even have requests for this bibingka from friends in the Bay Area. The bibingka is always perfect and made fresh. I also like getting the pork and chicken sticks. Delicious. I love the arroz caldo here as well. One of my favorite places to get it besides my moms version.
The service is always slow and there’s always a bunch of people waiting for their food and taking up all the tables. Ordering online is easy. Finally tried it today since I learned my lesson with the long wait.

I’ve come to this location a few times.
They typically grill your food when you order, so be prepared to wait. I’ve come during lunch and sometimes it takes 15 –20 mins, depending on how busy they are.
IMO the pork bbq is better then the chicken. The BBQ plate comes with 3 skewers. I actually ordered chicken and traded one with a co-​worker to try the pork. The pork had more flavor, possibly because they were thinner pieces. Additional skewers can be added.
The combination plate also comes with a small side of sinigang soup.
Lumpia Shanghai is a good appetizer to order and share. They’re small pieces, but taste good. An order comes with 6 small pieces.
Halo-​Halo is a dessert I like getting especially when it’s hot outside. Ice cream flavors vary depending on what they have. One order is a decent size, so it can be shared.
There are a few other filipino places in Mira Mesa/​Scripps area to eat, but I prefer Manila Sunset over some as they do cook your food when it’s ordered, and have a decent variety.

Typical Filipino food that I love to get every once in awhile. They serve up popular Filipino dishes like Lechon Kawali, Pork BBQ, Chicken BBQ, Fried Bangus with egg, and many more.
If you are not familiar with Filipino food, the Lumpia would be a good choice. I usually order a dozen bibingkas for Christmas. Be sure to order ahead for holidays or you’ll leave disappointed and with nothing. They have other great Filipino desserts like Halo-​Halo and Leche Flan.
This restaurant is spacious and clean. Located in the shopping center across from Denny’s. Plenty of parking as well. The times I have dined in, it wasn’t too packed so there’s good seating, but I have seen the line out the door before. They offer large plentiful party trays to bring to those special occasions.

I’m surprised that this place is only rated at 3 stars.
I love eating here! So much that I grab food to go from this place about 3 times a week .
I love the location, easy parking and in my opinion, one of the best Filipino cuisines in the northern SD area.
Just make sure you call ahead of time, it does take awhile to get your food, only because it’s made to order and its fresh.
Also, don’t forget to sign up for their rewards program! Especially if you come here as often as I do.

Heard a lot of hype about Manila Sunset from the national city location. Everyone was so excited that they were opening one up in Mira Mesa. Honestly, the food here is just okay, nothing special. Lots of Filipino food that are grilled and deep fried. Not very healthy, keep the high-​blood dads and grandpas away!
The spaghetti is your typical Filipino spaghetti with the sweet sauce. Lechon kawali is pretty good, but so bad for you. The Embutido I had was pretty dry, not too good. The Aroz Caldo was just okay, definitely could’ve been better.
You won’t miss out on anything if you don’t try this place. It’s safe to say it didn’t live up to the hype, for me at least.

I always passed by the this place but never was drawn to try it out until my bf and I were craving bbq skewers. It’s a good place to grab some filipino food if you’re lazy to cook. I feel like I can make a of what they serve here. I think their plates are over priced for what it is.
Besides the food being over priced, it was pretty good. We ordered the luchon kawali which was crispy. The pusit was actually pretty good with a fair protion. The bbq pork wasn’t too good. It’s something you can make and grill at home.
I think I’ll only come here when I’m super lazy to cook or hunger and craving filipino breakfast. Other than that, homemade is better.

3.5 stars
Never was interested in coming to this place but it was a coworkers birthday and she wanted Filipino food. If I want Filipino food I either go to my moms or to national city. The shopping center was recently reminded so the exterior was really nice. Inside was clean and comfortable. I played it safe and had the pork bbq skewers, shanghai lumpur, rice and sinigang.
Bbq pork skewers– 5 stars! Super tender, moist, crispy and fresh!
Shanghai Lumpia– 2 stars didn’t like the taste, they tasted like frozen lumpia you buy at seafood city. Edible though.
Sinigang-​3 stars it’s just broth (no meat or veggies) but tastes ok and is nice side dish.
The price was ok, a little high but I will definitely be coming back for just the bbq pork skewers.

I really enjoyed my first time dining at Manila Sunset! I like how the menu at the cashier counter shows photos of dishes and the open window «hut» to watch the grilling is super clever/​cute.
The grilled to order BBQ chicken skewers were absolutely scrumptious. I also like the cucumber/​vinegar dipping sauce (I take mine home to enjoy with more cucumber slices… hey waste not, want not!). And the bibingka was wonderful! Perfectly done, spongy and yet still satisfyingly dense. My little tyke has actually asked when we can go back.
I haven’t had a lot of their other dishes and do think think the menu needs more available vegetable sides. The lumpia is a little small in my opinion, though my tyke devoured it just fine. In fact he refused to share, so it must have been yummy. Overall, I can’t wait to come back to this casual order at the counter family restaurant.