Filipino food near Palo Alto

The Bay Area has one of the largest Filipino American communities in the country, but most of it lives in Daly City, South San Francisco, Union City, Milpitas and parts of San Jose. Palo Alto has no Filipino restaurant that we could confirm in late 2026. For Filipino food you cross the bay to Union City or head southeast to Milpitas, both of which have Filipino shopping centers and bakeries.

This guide uses a radius of about 15 miles from downtown Palo Alto. The four places below sit roughly 12 to 16 miles away in a straight line, or 17 to 20 miles by road. They come from two Filipino chains whose own websites list the locations, hours and menus in 2026. Other Filipino businesses operate near them, but we only name places we could confirm.

What Filipino food is

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands and its food reflects centuries of trade and rule. Malay cooking gave it rice, coconut and fish sauce. Chinese traders brought noodles, spring rolls and steamed buns. More than 300 years of Spanish rule added stews, sausages, custards and bread. Nearly 50 years of American rule left a lasting love of fried chicken, spaghetti and canned meats.

The flavors lean sour, salty and sweet, often in the same meal. Vinegar is the backbone of many dishes. A few names help:

• Adobo. Chicken or pork braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf and black pepper. Often called the national dish.
• Sinigang. A sour tamarind soup with pork, shrimp or fish and vegetables.
• Pancit. Stir-fried noodles. Pancit palabok is rice noodles in a shrimp and garlic sauce with egg and crushed pork rinds.
• Lumpia. Spring rolls. Lumpiang shanghai are thin fried rolls filled with ground pork.
• Lechon. Whole roast pig with crackling skin, the centerpiece of a celebration.
• Sisig. Chopped pork, often from the head, served sizzling with onion, chili and calamansi.
• Silog. Breakfast plates of garlic fried rice (sinangag), a fried egg (itlog) and a meat such as longganisa sausage or tocino.
• Siopao. A steamed bun filled with sweet pork or chicken.
• Ube. A purple yam used in cakes, breads, ice cream and jam.
• Ensaymada. A soft, buttery brioche coil topped with sugar and cheese.

Jollibee, Milpitas and Union City

Jollibee is the Philippines' best-known fast food chain, with a smiling bee mascot and a menu built for Filipino tastes. For many Filipino Americans it is a taste of home. The company's US location pages list two restaurants within reach of Palo Alto.

447 Great Mall Drive, Milpitas

The Milpitas Jollibee is at 447 Great Mall Drive, Suite 100A, at the Great Mall. It is about 14 miles from downtown Palo Alto in a straight line. The location page lists dine-in, takeout, catering, online ordering and delivery. Business hours run 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday. On Friday and Saturday it stays open to 9 p.m.

32460 Dyer Street, Union City

The Union City Jollibee is at 32460 Dyer Street, across the Dumbarton Bridge. Our Union City guide covers the rest of the town. It lists a drive-thru as well as dine-in and delivery, with hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It is about 12 miles away in a straight line, but the drive is longer because you cross the bay.

What to order

The signature is Chickenjoy, bone-in fried chicken with a crisp skin, offered regular or spicy and usually served with rice and gravy. Jolly Spaghetti is the sweet-style Filipino spaghetti with a sweet tomato sauce and sliced hot dogs, a children's party favorite. Palabok Fiesta is rice noodles in a garlic sauce with sautéed pork, shrimp and egg. The menu also lists burger steak with mushroom gravy, chicken sandwiches and adobo rice, seasoned with garlic and green onions. This is fast food, so prices are budget level. Check the chain's site for current deals.

Goldilocks, Milpitas and Union City

Goldilocks is a Filipino bakeshop that says it has spent 60 years as the Philippines' best-loved bakery. Its press page announces the opening of its 1,000th store. Its Northern California stores also sell ready-to-eat Filipino food from a counter it calls the Pinoy Deli. The Goldilocks location list includes two stores within this guide's radius.

• Union City, 4126 Dyer Street. Open 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, according to the store list.
• Milpitas, 1535 Landess Avenue. Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. It is about 16 miles from downtown Palo Alto in a straight line, in a shopping center known for its cluster of Filipino businesses.

The bakeshop side is the main draw. Goldilocks sells ensaymada, mamon sponge cakes, polvoron shortbread, butter macaroons, cake rolls and whole celebration cakes. Its Pinoy Deli list includes lumpiang shanghai, siopao, siomai dumplings, chicken empanadas, puto and kutsinta rice cakes, bibingka malagkit, egg pie, buko pie with young coconut and leche flan. Drinks include halo-halo, sago't gulaman and calamansi and mango slushies. Most items are priced as bakery snacks and grab-and-go meals, so it is an inexpensive stop.

At a glance

Planning a Filipino food run

Because the trip is long, it helps to combine stops. Two easy plans:

1. Union City loop. Cross the Dumbarton Bridge on Highway 84. Eat at Jollibee on Dyer Street, then pick up ensaymada and a cake roll at Goldilocks a short drive away on the same street. The bridge toll is collected westbound, on the way home. Our bridges and tolls guide explains payment.
2. Milpitas loop. Take Highway 237 east. Have lunch at Jollibee by the Great Mall, then visit Goldilocks on Landess Avenue before it closes at 6 p.m. Our Milpitas guide covers the Great Mall and the city's other food.

Weekday mid-afternoons avoid most of the traffic on 237 and the bridge. Both trips take 25 to 40 minutes each way from Palo Alto depending on the hour.

Eating Filipino style

Filipino meals are built around rice. Dishes are placed in the middle of the table and everyone takes a bit of each. At a party you may see a kamayan feast, where food is laid out on banana leaves and eaten by hand. Merienda is the afternoon snack, often a pastry or a bowl of pancit with coffee or soda. If you buy for a gathering, pancit is a must: noodles stand for long life and are served at birthdays.

Sweet and savory often meet. Filipino spaghetti is sweet, tocino is sweet cured pork and many breads are glazed or sugared. Vinegar dips with garlic and chili cut through fried food. Calamansi, a small sour citrus, is squeezed over noodles and soups.

Closer to home

Inside Palo Alto, the nearest equivalents are in other Asian kitchens. Fried chicken fans can compare Chickenjoy with the options in our fried chicken guide. Asian grocery stores near Palo Alto stock ube, calamansi juice and frozen lumpia from time to time. See our Asian markets guide. For a wider look at Asian restaurants in town, see our Asian food guide.

Frequently asked questions