Tipunan

Tipunan has earned recognition as the Bay Area's best authentic Filipino comfort food restaurant, operating from Oakland Food Hall's ghost kitchen facility while maintaining exceptional quality that rivals dine-in establishments. Founded by wife-and-wife team Jojo Cansino and Executive Chef Kai-Torres Cansino, this woman-owned restaurant emerged from a pandemic-era pivot when Chef Kai began sharing her home cooking commercially. The name "Tipunan" references the revolutionary organization that fought for Philippine independence, suggesting the restaurant's mission to bring authentic Filipino food to prominence. Chef Kai, who hails from Pampanga (the Philippines' culinary capital), brings generational cooking knowledge and a perfectionist's palate to every dish, earning comparisons to customers' own family recipes-the highest compliment in Filipino food culture. Their signature dishes include perfectly soured pork rib sinigang, crispy pork belly kare-kare with peanut sauce served separately to maintain crispiness, and pork sisig that captures authentic Filipino flavors without fusion compromises. The menu spans classic Filipino comfort foods from hearty nilaga beef soup to sweet Filipino spaghetti, chicken inasal, and breakfast silogs. Desserts like turon (caramelized banana lumpia) and bilo-bilo showcase traditional Filipino sweets. Featured by KQED as the best Filipino restaurant in the Bay Area, Tipunan earned this distinction through unwavering commitment to classic preparations that honor Filipino culinary traditions. Chef Kai stresses she's "not a fan of fusion," instead focusing on the authentic flavors that connect the Filipino diaspora to their heritage while introducing others to genuine Filipino home cooking at its finest.