From lumpia to barbecue, Filipino food stars at local eateries
CONCORD, CA (Mar. 6, 2025) — On Super Bowl Sunday morning, customers lined up to place orders at Mama’s Lumpia in Pacheco. Although the numbers were not comparable to what might be found at Honey Baked Ham around Easter, business was “brisk.”
Inside this modest facility at 5868 Pacheco Blvd., the Delos Santos family has all hands on deck serving eager patrons their famous lumpia rolls, chicken wings, pork adobo and other Filipino dishes. These snack items have proven to be popular for large gatherings.
Migrating from the Philippines to Concord in 2006, dad Romano earned a green card working as a math teacher. He currently is a long-tenured faculty member at Oak Park Middle School. Raising their two children Simon and Celina, mom Haydee served Filipino food at social functions. Eventually, this led to selling the delicacies at Mama’s Lumpia.
Simon, who serves as general manager, finds himself busy even though the business is only open Thursday to Saturday and occasionally Sunday.
“Our operations are limited,” he notes. “Preparing lumpia rolls by hand is a very time-consuming process taking several days.”
Lumpia is in the same family as Chinese egg and Vietnamese imperial rolls. At Mama’s, chicken and pork are their most popular varieties. They combine the ground meat with onion, carrots, vinegar and spices. They fry the final product in canola oil and serve it with a tangy sweet and sour sauce.
Simon, a graduate of Northgate High, says “low overhead” along with large volume allows Mama’s Lumpia to “remain in the black.”
Yet, he would like to see Mama’s offer a higher service level someday. “This is not easy as our culture does not lend itself to white tablecloth dining. For now, we will need to rely on our take-out and catering business.”
Seafood City
For a sit-down dining experience, opt for the Seafood City complex at 2030 Diamond Blvd. in Concord. Customers of Ima’s Kusina, Grill City and Goldilocks can purchase food from buffet lines and enjoy their meals in a separate dining area.
Together, these restaurants provide a diverse selection of Filipino dishes with flavors in common with American, Chinese, Spanish and Mexican cuisine. The results don’t merit Michelin Stars, but many families find it a quality dining experience.
Grill City features a large number of barbecued foods. They are best known for chicken and pork skewers and fried pompano fish from a menu of more than 50 items.
Goldilocks is a chain from the Philippines that’s a combination food store, bakery and restaurant. If one desires to enjoy native foods from the island nation, this is a good destination.
Yolanda Teoxon, who manages the Concord restaurant, has worked 36 years for Goldilocks both in Manila and the United States. She credits “time-honored recipes and cleanliness as the keys for our success.”
I sampled a representative portion of their menu. Especially enjoyable were their fried pork belly and chicken empanada rolls dipped in a tangy orange-hued sauce. The mung bean pasta and Shanghai lumpia were also excellent.
Ima’s Kusina offers a large number of hot entrées, from pancit palabok to beef kaldereta. They are especially known for desserts including a delectable halo-halo. This Filipino version of a parfait or English trifle combines fruit, jello cubes, shaved ice, cake, purple sweet potato ice cream (ube), tapioca and various mix-ins. The 1,000-calorie treat is an excellent way to conclude a meal.
Seafood City also houses a huge Asian market, Jollibee (fried chicken), Red Ribbon Bakeshop, Valerie’s Tropical Bakeshop and other assorted businesses.
As they say in the Filipino language Tagalog: “Ito ay isang lugar para sa buong pamilya” – This is a place for the entire family.
Rich Eber
Rich Eber is a local journalist and long time resident of Concord. His diverse topics covered go from politics to gourmet food. He can be reached at richeber9@gmail.com