SAN ANTONIO — From a food truck to a brick and mortar, one Filipino restaurant gained so many loyal followers, they had to take things to the next level. On Neighborhood Eats, a KENS 5 original series, we visited Kain Na at 9323 Perrin Beitel.
They're known for many items like their barbecue, noodles and desserts. But, they're mostly known for their lumpia.
"Every time that you go to a Filipino party, the first greeting that you're going to hear is, ‘Kain na?’ or 'Have you eaten?'" said owner and operator Angelica Guzman.
"When you go to a Filipino restaurant, it has to have lumpia. The lumpia is Filipino pork spring rolls. It's our version of an egg roll or spring roll," said Guzman.
She told us they have 50 cent lumpia every Tuesday.
But the Filipino barbecue is sweet and savory at the same time. And it’s not the Texas style many think of down here.
"It's pork. We put it on a skewer. We marinate it at least 24 hours with our own kind of barbecue sauce. It's homemade Filipino barbecue sauce. And then we grill it and then we base it with the same barbecue sauce that we used," said Guzman.
And the pancit, or rice noodles, is popular as a side or a meal.
For dessert, they took lumpia to a new level; they put a ripe saba banana inside.
"It's like the family of plantain...we wrap it like an egg roll and then we deep fry it," said Guzman.
To think they started as a pop-up at farmers market, eventually advancing to the food truck, and now the building, open at 11 a.m. every day but Monday, is truly inspirational as a small, local operation.
The food truck still serves the community, but this restaurant is their true passion.
"We've put so much hours, you know, six, sometimes seven days a week," said Guzman. "We don't feel it because we enjoy it."
For more information about Kain Na, like their hours and full menu, click here. They also do karaoke every Friday.
Do you have a restaurant or food truck you want Lexi to visit? Send an email to eats@kens5.com with all the details. You can also contact her through social media:
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