Good Taste celebrates foodmakers in the Bay Area. (RIP to generous local food legend Charles Phan.) Today, we’re celebrating the grand opening of the fourth location of Señor Sisig at Thrive City.
15 years after Señor Sisig began serving its self-described Filipino fusion food on a refurbished Chinese food truck purchased in Modesto, owners and high school friends Evan Kidera and Gil Payumo have a fleet of food trucks. Today, Kidera and Payumo have opened their fourth restaurant. The new spot is located at the Thrive City complex that surrounds the Chase Center, and the timing fortuitous: NBA will host its All-Star Weekend in the plaza, a newly-designated entertainment zone, in a few weeks.
It’s been a gift to write about this Señor Sisig since 2010, and to watch it grow and hit several business milestones. They began by bringing the truck to Off The Grid events, and have credited that company’s founder Matt Cohen for helping to streamline the local legislation for mobile food businesses in those early years.
Señor Sisig has done a lot to introduce people in the Bay Area and beyond who may not have been exposed to Filipino food to understand that there are some wonderful dishes and flavors to explore. Other brick and mortar locations are in the Mission District at 990 Valencia, which is the original restaurant; inside the San Francisco Ferry Building, in the Mission District, and in Oakland at 330 17th Street.
The food has only gotten better and more creative over time, with the significant addition of a vegan menu. (The namesake sisig is traditionally made with pork.) Good Taste was invited to the grand opening party last Friday. We happily devoured pandan iced tea, ube horchata, and mangonada frescas with a Tosilog burrito, made with sweet pork, fried egg, adobo garlic rice, and sliced tomatoes; lechon kawali, a crispy pork plate with tortillas that was previously exclusive to the Oakland location; and crispy sinigang wings with fresno chiles, a tamarind-forward marinade created in collaboration with local music star P-Lo, who has been a longtime friend and collaborator to Señor Sisig.
Members of the San Francisco Filipino Chamber of Commerce were on hand for the ribbon-cutting, expressing their pride in the success of this independent food business and what it has done for the visibility of Filipino excellence in the Bay Area.
“We’re pumped up!” Kidera said right before cutting the ribbon. “We’ve always been about bringing food, culture, connection to the community. And here we’re just really excited to bring that passion and the flavor of Filipino fusion to Thrive City and this iconic venue.”
Tamara publishes the California Eating website, newsletter, and zine.
