Kain Na-Filipino Cuisine — Restaurant in San Antonio

To set the scene: I was an inpatient at the nearby Army hospital and told my family, "The hospital food is going to be worse than anything you guys can run out and pick up." The hospital gods cursed me for thinking so poorly of them. No pictures because of my being in the hospital and not wanting to do a whole photoshoot. In all sincerity, the visuals weren't much better than the taste. I hate giving bad reviews, but I also hate when I read glowing reviews of a place only to be heartily disappointed, so here it goes... Kain Na was speedy in preparing our to-go order, and the pricing was on par with the current climate (read: expensive for what you're getting, but they've got to make a living). The location was also close to where I was. And they had drinks. My family of four each got their plate specials, which come with two sides and five lumpia. The prices ranged from $15-17—again, not horribly bad, but not worth the price after tasting. I can't speak to the place's cleanliness firsthand because I didn't pick up the food, but everything was neatly packaged, the food was still hot, and nothing stood out as unhygienic. Two of us ordered the lechon kawali (fried pork belly) with sides of garlic rice (an additional $1) and mac salad. The lechon was underwhelming in seasoning/flavor but well-fried and still crispy. The garlic rice wasn't even coated in garlic/soy sauce but had a good garlicky flavor. The mac salad shouldn't be sold. It shouldn't even exist. There were huge chunks of canned pineapple and minuscule elbow macaroni. The ratio of pineapple to macaroni was laughable. All of it was covered in mayo. I tasted nothing else but sweet pineapple and mayo and literally hunted for the macaroni. We also ordered the beef short ribs plate, which consisted of pieces of flanken short ribs cut up. If I had to guess, you get 2 or 3 short ribs per order, not obscenely expensive but after tasting them, they were not worth the $17 price tag. They weren't marinated but instead tossed in a "signature" BBQ sauce and grilled. That treatment left them tough, chewy, and flavorless. The pancit we ordered with them was good, although it had an undefinable taste that was somewhat astringent. The stir-fried veggies ordered with this plate were suitable, though the carrots appeared old. The final plate was the leimpo plate, which had under-seasoned pork belly marinated in the same sauce as the short ribs. The meat had a texture that felt like you were eating raw pork, which was extremely off-putting. The lumpia that came with each plate was the only saving grace. They had a good amount of flavor and were generally crispy. With four bottled drinks and a tip, we spent $80 for...

referring to feedback from owner More poor customer service. A simple apology would have sufficed, instead of making excuses. If you notice, had you actually read and comprehended my comment, I was not at the register. That's why i said when she finished taking orders, she CAME TO ME, which means I was in a different place than the register. Plus yall don't make food at the register lol. So, where else could I have been standing? Wait for it... at the delivery pick up part of the counter lol!

Was standing at the counter waiting for an Uber order and two different women literally came right to the counter where I was standing and didn't even acknowledge my existence! One started putting some green leaf stuff in some pans(without gloves) and the other came and put silverware up and went back to wherever she came from. Didn't speak, make eye contact or anything. The first one took the pans to counter behind her and started filling up the pans with some purple stuff. Her back was to me at this point, but before she turned to the other counter she still didn't ask me had I been helped or anything! She even went to the register to help the young lady with another customer, then went back to her pans and started filling them! Still no acknowledgement or anything to me. The young lady at the register finished taking two customers orders, then came to ask me who I was picking up for. AFTER the young lady asked me who I was picking up for and goes to the back to get the order, the first lady FINALLY asked me had I been helped🤦🏾‍♀️! My response was "you didn't help me." She says, I thought she had already helped you. My response was "yet you didn't even bother to ask." How could she have thought the other young lady helped me when I was standing there the whole time she was right there and the young lady was taking other orders!! The customer service thing to do would have been to ask me if I had been helped, when she first walked up to the counter where I was...

Kain Na just opened. We took the entire family for dinner. This is Filipino fare, which is a bit more difficult to find within San Antonio.

Kain Na is a nice sized establishment. Cashual atmosphere. Decorated by several wall hangings as well as a large hand painted mural depicting scenes of the Phillipines. Well lighted dining. Comfortable seats and good sized tables. Restrooms were clean, decent and well stocked with proper toiletries. Live entertainment also provided, today.

At about 7:00pm, Sunday, the dining room was packed. About 90% capacity, I'd say.

The menu offers many Filipino favorites. I ordered the pork kabobs plate. Two kabobs in bbq sauce, steamed rice, 5 or 6 Filipino style eggrolls and a little salad, on a plate. We waited about 10-15 minutes for our order. The food was tasty. I really enjoyed the eggrolls. Crispy on the outside and tender inside. The pork kabobs were very good. Thinly sliced skewered pork, cooked well, but still tender and succulent. Tasty sauce well brushed onto each kabob. My only grievance is they could have been served a little warmer. But, in their defense, they were very busy. The rest of the family ordered entrees including beef ribs, chicken kabobs, etc. My wife ordered a Halo-Halo. Everyone enjoyed their meals.

Prices are about $13 for a plate, depending on the protein. You also have a choice of ordering a bowl for a few dollars less.

I believe Kain Na offers take-out and curbside.

Beverages included bottled water and Pepsi products, in cans. No free refills.

Overall, our dining experience was positive. San Antonio features a rich variety of Asian cusine. Kain Na is a welcome newcomer, offering, yet another Asian taste. Variety is said to be the spice of life. So Give Kain Na a try 👍.

Highly...