Toto's Grill Isawan sa San Diego — Restaurant in National City

Ok I'm going to try to be as objective as possible. Getting there was fun (NOT!!!) thanks to Goo(fy)gle Maps. Not the restaurant's fault I'm sure but it still set the tone for my trip. Then I get there and while it's Filipino street fare for someone who's never been it can be an"uuhhhhh" moment. You're presented with a bunch of different meats/seafood on skewers. About half are labeled and the others are anyone's guess in addition to other things that were unidentifiable nor labeled. No menu avaiable. Everything is self serve. The skewers are $1.25 a piece cash or $1.35 a piece with credit/debit card. I'm all for recouping your costs but given what little meat/seafood is on a skewer which looks like 80 - 85% of what's offered, the burden on those paying with something other than cash makes it very uneven given how many skewers would need to be purchased to be at least satisfied. On top of that you are held to a $10 minimum on top of the per skewer surcharge when paying with something other than cash. The melon drink was good but offered in what looks like a 8-10oz cup. The skewers were flavorful.

The décor is nothing to write home about but it was clean. 2 flat screens were offering sports on one and YouTube Filipino video view of musical guests at a radio station on the other.

Again, I'm no expert on Filipino street fare but this place is geared towards people familiar with it and not very welcoming to those who are not. Even the most ethnic of places I've been to make it a point to at least identify the fare presented for those who may not be familiar with it. In this day and age in the U.S., there is no reason for it to be otherwise.

In closing, anyone who knows me knows that cheap is not part of my vernacular. I'm used to per transaction surcharges for using debit/credit cards. However the practice of a per item surcharge for some reason gets under my skin. I had/have the choice of not patronizing this place but I can't comment if I don't try it...

This is one legit Filipino skewer joint! It is a bit far down in the south bay though it is worth the drive if you don't trek down south too often.

Everything is self-serve so you just walk up and grab all the skewers, buffet-style. There is everything that'll cater to everyone's taste. You can choose from beef liver to gizzards, fish balls, corn, you name it. Everything is just $1 (though I think they're increasing prices to $1.25 starting Jan. 1st, 2017).

The skewers are all pre-cooked though they have half a dozen grills in the outdoor patio area so you can warm them back up and give it that extra char!

Service is great! The place is owned by a husband and wife and the husband was very courteous and gave awesome hospitality during our time there.

There is a $10 minimum to for cards but this wouldn't be hard to reach as you'll be loading up that tray with heaps of...

This place is a hole in the wall, but amazing nonetheless! I came for the balut and chicken feet because I like to try items that most Americans don’t eat! This was our last stop for our exotic eating adventure today, and we had so many options. We ended up getting pig blood, pig ears, chicken tail, and chicken feet along with the balut. This was our first time trying all the items and nothing disappointed. (The pig blood wasn’t bad, I just wasn’t a personal fan of it) They had a few vinegar selections for the balut. We went with sweet cucumber and spicy vinegar. For us having balut for the first time it was not bad. For those that don’t know balut is a fertilized duck egg ranging from about 12-21 days fertilized. Definitely check it out if you’re...