Fil-Am Cuisine

Fil-Am Cuisine sits at 66 School Street in Daly City, the Peninsula city that holds one of the densest Filipino communities in the United States. Richard and Venus Alvarado-Guevarra reopened and took over the business in fall 2002 from relatives who moved to Las Vegas; the family still runs the counter with help from parents and siblings. The house is famous for charcoal-leaning BBQ skewers and a rotating steam-table of Filipino standards: spicy beef kaldereta, beefsteak Tagalog, chicken and pork adobo, menudo, lumpia Shanghai, sisig, pancit, and sweets such as kutchinta, puto, bibingka, ube, and biko. KQED and Infatuation treat it as a Daly City muscle-memory stop for after-school trays and catering trays alike. Hours typically run daily from morning into early evening; confirm before a late visit.

The format is turo-turo (“point-point”) and counter takeout more than white-tablecloth dinner. Point at trays, add skewers, pay, and go. Infatuation’s 2025 note frames it as cash-forward grab-and-go with huge portions and little or no sit-down room; older Chronicle coverage called the space bare-bones. Catering for parties and organizations is a big part of the business. Expect lines at lunch, sold-out lumpia on busy days, and prices that sit far under SF chef-driven Filipino checks.

Come when you want everyday Daly City Filipino food and can handle a counter queue. Pair with Abacá or Naides when the night calls for hotel dining-room plating or a Michelin tasting instead of School Street trays.

Locals talk about charred skewers, peanutty kare-kare with bagoong, huge portions, and the relief of a cash-and-carry tray when you do not want a reservation. Regulars send newcomers for BBQ plus one stew tray and warn that lunch sells down fast.

Caveats are limited or no seating depending on the day, cash-first habits, a bare room, and parking friction near School Street. People wanting cocktails and plated lumpia usually drive to Abacá. Fil-Am is the Daly City everyday counter.