The tocino at FOB Kitchen is only available during their daily brunch, so use that as an excuse to spend a morning at this Temescal spot. The pork steak is caramelized around the edges like a sticky halo, and even better mixed around with a sunny-side-up egg, punchy garlic rice, and the house hot sauce. You’re also coming to the Filipino restaurant for golden brown lumpia, solid fried chicken, and cocktails with names like “Fresh Off The Boat” with pandan and red bean and “Feelin’ Myself” (mezcal, grapefruit, and guava).

Tucked along a strip mall in Temescal, the outside of FOB Kitchen is unassuming, while on the inside, the restaurant bursts with color and flavor. After operating as a pop-up, owners Janice and Brandi Dulce started serving their delicious Filipino food out of this brick-and-mortar location, which features bold wallpaper, colorful decor, an open kitchen, and an overall warm party vibe. Stand-outs include lumpia and fork-tender pork adobo and vibrant side dishes ranging from salads to noodles.

Serving customers since it began as a pop-up in 2015, this lush and leafy Filipino spot moved into its current location down the street from Kingfish Pub & Café in the Temescal neighborhood in 2018. The restaurant is led by chef-owner Janice Dulce, and its name is an effort to reclaim the often insulting phrase “fresh off the boat” and challenge the demand to fit in with a dominant white culture. I always order the daing na bangus, milkfish fried to perfection and complemented by an acidic cherry tomato salad; the ensalada talong, a wonderfully cooked eggplant salad brought to life by soy vinaigrette, jicama, and pieces of rice cracker; and, of course, pancit, a comforting salad of rice noodles and vegetables.

FOB Kitchen is a new data point in the current wave of restaurants opened by third culture kids — people raised in countries different than their parents were. Luckily for us, FOB Kitchen weaves all of that memory and angst into a powerfully resonant restaurant. The menu of from-scratch Filipino homestyle cooking, from belly-filling silog rice plates to fried chicken skins, is a fresh take on the cuisine, especially when taken alongside its robust cocktail program, which marries Filipino flavors like red bean and calamansi with diverse liquors.

This Bay Area favorite was started by award-winning chef and owner Janice Dulce using recipes from her mom and grandmother; FOB (short for Fresh Off the Boat) celebrates her family's Filipino island heritage. Nestled in the back of a tiny strip mall, FOB is known for its crisp yet tender lumpia, savory pancit noodles and thrice-cooked pork belly. The housemade hot sauce is fiery, but the chill island theme, with palm tree wallpaper and an oceanic blue-tiled bar, cools things down.

FOB Kitchen started as a pop-up in 2015 and opened a brick-and-mortar three years later in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood. Try the wonderful, crackling chicken skins ($9) with a vinegar-forward hot sauce, or velvety pork adobo ($18) thickened slightly with coconut milk. The kitchen also excels at brunch, as seen with the deliciously fluffy tortang talong ($16), a flattened eggplant omelet, or the lechon kawali silog ($16) with fatty, crisp pork belly, garlic rice and a runny egg.

5179 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609 Flavorful Filipino breakfast classics are served daily at this Temescal eatery from 11am-3pm, with brilliant brunch silogs (garlic rice, a fried egg, and other proteins) that include everything from veggie fried rice to perfectly prepared steak and eggs. Diners also enjoy the hip, turquoise-&-tropics-inspired decor.

Nestled in Temescal, FOB Kitchen has become a go-to destination for Filipino flavors in Oakland. Known for chicken adobo and crispy lumpia Shanghai, this spot brings traditional flavors with a modern California twist. With cozy outdoor seating and an inviting vibe, it’s perfect for those new to Filipino food and longtime fans alike.

In an unassuming, odd-shaped building in the middle of a busy shopping center in bustling Temescal, this spot is a hidden gem!. Casual but hip, FOB Kitchen has gorgeous cocktails and TASTY eats with so many plant-based choices. To start, they offer veggie lumpia, which I had never had before since they always have pork!

FOB Kitchen is one of the few Filipino restaurants near Berkeley and Oakland and the only Filipino restaurant I’ve been to. The service here is super friendly!. They don’t have many gluten-free options, but they were able to make the pancit gluten-free for me.

FOB Kitchen offers three-day-a-week brunch hours, which means you can snag one of their silogs (garlic rice breakfast plates) — try the one with tocino or a Filipino eggplant omelette — on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings.

For a taste of Filipino brunch, FOB Kitchen is your go-to spot. Brunch here is offered Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.