FIESTA PHILIPPINES — Restaurant in Rancho Cordova

On January 25, 2025, we visited Fiesta Philippines with high hopes, eager to celebrate my mom's birthday at a Filipino restaurant. However, I feel compelled to write this review as a warning to others—what should have been a joyful occasion turned into one of the most frustrating and disappointing dining experiences we’ve ever had. Arriving at 11 AM as one of the first customers, we placed our order at 11:10 AM. The restaurant had been open since 10:30 AM and only had two other tables occupied. Yet, over an hour and 30 minutes later—yes, a full 90 minutes after placing our order—we were still waiting for our food. This wasn’t a complicated order: just two dishes and white rice for three people.

We ordered fried spring rolls as an appetizer and crispy lechon kare kare with white rice. After waiting a staggering 90 minutes, we still had not received our food. Eventually, we were informed that the crispy lechon kare kare was unavailable, forcing us to change our order to regular kare kare. This level of delay and lack of basic communication was beyond unacceptable, especially since they should have notified us far earlier if the dish wasn’t available.

The servers eventually admitted the kitchen was overwhelmed, prioritizing party tray takeout orders over dine-in guests. They also mentioned the kitchen only had seven burners to accommodate all orders. Despite this, there were about six servers standing around, seemingly doing nothing, and three people in the kitchen who had no idea how disastrous the dining area was becoming.

When I pressed for an explanation, the servers were visibly embarrassed. They confessed this chaos is a regular, ongoing issue and even revealed that management is fully aware but has done nothing to address the situation. Hearing this was infuriating—it became painfully obvious the owners don’t care about their reputation, their staff, or the customers who choose to dine here. To make matters worse, there was no manager or supervisor present to address any of this. The staff were left unsupported, while diners, like us, were left frustrated and completely neglected.

As a Type 1 diabetic, I explained to the servers that I needed something to manage my sugar levels while waiting. I asked if there was anything I could order from the dessert menu, only to discover that nearly everything was unavailable—except for ice cream. Desperate, I asked if there was anything else in the kitchen that was already made, and the server said, “We only have white rice.” At this point, I was completely baffled.

I told the servers how upsetting it was to see them working under such conditions. They admitted they were ashamed and embarrassed, agreeing that the situation was terrible. I even asked if they liked working there, and they simply shrugged, looking defeated. I did my best to remain kind, letting them know I didn’t blame them personally, but I urged them to speak up and inform the owners that this level of service is utterly unacceptable.

It’s shocking how a restaurant can fail so thoroughly at the basics of customer service. At the very least, they could have served appetizers or drinks promptly to help ease the wait. But instead, we experienced a complete breakdown in communication, service, and management. This experience was especially disheartening because it was my mom’s birthday celebration, and had driven two hours to try this restaurant. The complimentary ice cream at the end did little to make up for the long wait, poor communication, and lack of accountability.

It’s unacceptable for a business to remain so clueless about the fundamentals of service. This restaurant doesn’t deserve even half a star. It’s a shame that this is one of the only Filipino restaurants in the area, as it reflects poorly on the Filipino dining experience. I’m never going back, and I’ve warned my family and friends to avoid it as well. I hope whoever reads this takes note, and that management or the owners finally realize the disservice they are doing to...

I saw my friend post about a visit here. I asked how she liked it, and she said the food was just ok and was a bit expensive. Still, I wanted to try it for myself and support a fellow Filipino. So my husband and I decided to try it for lunch. I really wanted to love the food, but was disappointed that I didn't, as well. Here is my honest opinion, because I'm hoping that the owners may consider my input to improve some of the dishes. I really hope this restaurant does well and have success. I love supporting Filipino businesses. I will consider giving them another try.

My husband and I had a date here. At first, I was enamored by the delicious smells and the beautiful Ph memorabilia. Owner, Joey, and the staff were very welcoming. Joey was friendly, even offering to take our picture in front of the flower wall. That in itself, I'll give 4 stars. But I'm giving 3 stars because of the food.

We ordered a few dishes and drinks. We both loved the sisig and garlic fried rice, those were the favorites of everything we ordered. I ordered palabok as I've been craving it for weeks. I was very disappointed because it was very bland and had hardly any sahog/toppings other than ground pork. At over $17 for the dish, I expected to have the normal sahog, such as shrimp (I think I bit into only 1 or 2, and they were small pieces and rubbery), grounded pork rinds, etc. The menu indicated fish flakes. I was assuming that they may have been tinapa, but I didn't see or taste any. I had to request fish sauce to make it palatable. My husband didn't care for it. We also ordered the shrimp appetizer. Conversely, this dish was a little too salty and the shrimps overcooked. As for drinks, my husband ordered mango shake. It didn't have the distinct mango taste I'm accustomed to, but hubby liked it. I got sago gulaman. The sago was a bit undercooked so it was not soft. The taste was too concentrated, as it was served in a small glass and not enough ice. I kept pouring some of my ice water in it to blend the syrup a bit. I would suggest serving it in a taller glass with more ice. At almost $5 per glass, I probably won't order that again.

All in all, I liked the nostalgic atmosphere and friendly staff. The food, especially since it's priced on the high side (our bill for lunch came to over $70 excluding tip), was a bit disappointing. I would love to give it another shot. Perhaps it was an off day. Maybe my next visit...

Many friends have highly recommended this place to check out and I figure it was time to finally make the trek out to check out Fiesta Philippines.

When it comes to Filipino food, the focus is always on the food and this place does really hit the mark in the quality of the food and the portions. I really enjoyed the Lechon Kawali and along Adobo is one of my go-to items. The Adobo was a bit different then what I am used to but that is the thing about Filipino cooking, the variety even on a national dish. With more than 7000 islands, you are bound to see some differences in how some food is cooked. In this case while not my favorite, I would still finish a bowl (or two) of Adobo with a side of rice. The garlic rice was also quite nice and no overly seasoned. I only picked a few items on this visit but next time I will bring some friends and really try to sample a lot more dishes.

The only issue I had with this place was the staff was not very welcoming when we came in. While the staff was quite nice once we actually were brought to our table it was a bit weird coming in. The staff ignored us for a few minutes. Various staff members would look at us but then walk past us. There was a number of staff members that seemed to be standing around doing various tasks but was surprised that there wasn't a warm greeting or acknowledgement of our presence. The restaurant was probably about half full with staff so It didn't seem to be very busy. Once we were actually helped, the service was great and food came out really quick.

Regarding the location and interior, this place is great! I love the wall adorned with flowers and Mabuhay sign. The various decorations on the walls felt great and not tacky or overly done. There was a lot of seating and the tables are spaced well apart. They have a a lot of room and what almost looks like second back room for seating as well.

I would definitely visit this place again. The small service issue, I really enjoyed this place and look forward to visiting with friends and trying...