Sbrocco: Ever wonder where Bay Area celebs grab a bite to unwind?

From Filipino comforts... Savage: Every bite is some new wonder.

Sbrocco: ...to handmade pupusas... Washington: These were some good plantains.

Sbrocco: ...to seasonal Italian prix fixe plates... Ibarra: It felt like home.

It felt like community.

Sbrocco: ...they're ready to dish just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Washington: Boom!

Sbrocco: Hi.

I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Bay Area," the show where Bay Area residents review and talk about their favorite restaurants.

Today we're joined at the "Check, Please!"

table by three highly creative Bay Area locals.

Adam Savage is the former co-host and executive producer of the "MythBusters" TV series, a New York Times best-selling author of "Every Tool Is a Hammer," and editor-in-chief of "Tested" on YouTube.

Ruby Ibarra is a rapper, songwriter, and director whose work has appeared in hit TV shows and popular video games.

Ibarra: ♪ Shoot you down like the moon ♪ ♪ Wear the crown, I resume ♪ Sbrocco: But NPR fans may know her best as the winner of the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest.

Congratulations there.

And Glynn Washington is the co-creator and host of the "Snap Judgment" radio show and podcast... Washington: Downtown Oakland near City Hall, it's deserted.

Sbrocco: ...as well as its spinoff podcast, "Spooked."

Welcome, everyone.

You ready?

Savage: We are so ready.

Sbrocco: Ready for a party.

Washington: Let's do it.

Sbrocco: Ruby's up first with a buzzy little eatery that's redefining what Filipino food can be without sacrificing taste.

It's a colorful spot where the chef's plant-based options shine just as brightly as the classics.

Located in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood, it's The Sarap Shop.

Kristen: Alright, tofu sisig carb, mild, lechon sisig carb in a to-go bag.

Sarap Shop is a café, catering, and creative food studio, and we specialize in plant-forward Filipino American comfort food.

James: That's the tofu.

I love working with my family.

My mouth always waters when I make this dish.

[ Chuckles ] Each of the characters behind me are a representation of each of us.

I am the garlic god.

Kristen is the fried egg.

And then JP is the garlic rice bowl.

So, sarap is a Tagalog word to describe something that feels good or it tastes good.

When we were growing up, our lola used to describe our hugs as sarap.

So, when we were coming up with the name Sarap Shop, our food tasted good, and it also made you feel good at the same time.

Reyes: A dish that we're super proud of is our tofu sisig.

It was a creative challenge for myself where I was like, "I enjoy these foods.

How do I make this vegan or vegetarian?"

And almost a game of, like, tricking people to see if they can tell if it's vegan or not.

Woman: Oh, it's really good.

Kristen: A lot of the parties we go to, it's like potlucks, and all of the food touches on your plate.

That was our experience growing up.

And so one of the dishes we have is our sisig carbonara.

My godmother, she would make this carbonara and then my uncle would make a sisig and they would touch and I would be like -- I would be the one that would combine it.

And so I told JP about that dish, and he's like, "I'm gonna make it."

James: Mm.

So, adobo is my number-one favorite dish.

Kristen: If my brother could tattoo "adobo" on his body, he would totally do it.

James: Thick cuts of pork belly with a very sweet, garlicky, soy-forward sauce.

It's addictive.

Kristen: I love adobo, too, but then I also really love fried okra.

And there was just randomly a day where I was like, "Let's try to put this on there."

So, it's just like remixing some of, like, our childhood memories.

Reyes: We're actually inside the Filipino cultural district of San Francisco.

Kristen: We love being in the district, and we love having, like, the garage open when we can 'cause people can just drop by.

Things like identity and culture, they're meant to be shared and experimented with.

And so the more that we can have, like, food be a vehicle for that, we feel very blessed and lucky to get to do it.

All: Hope you like it!

[ Indistinct conversations, laughter ] Sbrocco: Now, Ruby, you're originally from the Philippines, but certainly have been in the Bay Area for a while.

And what's been your inspiration in your music career?

Ibarra: I think a lot of the inspiration that I've had in my music is definitely my own experiences.

I love to be able to showcase people who I am and where I come from and also give people some light into the stories from my community.

Sbrocco: Well, I think your music showcases diversity, as you said, and I think The Sarap Shop does, too, right?

Ibarra: They absolutely do.

Sbrocco: Let's talk about that.

Ibarra: So, I love The Sarap Shop.

I've been such a huge fan of their food, and I think they've become a staple actually in the Filipino American community.

They actually used to start as a food truck, and so seeing them grow just makes me very proud.

Sbrocco: And the word means, you know, to feel good or to taste good, right?

Ibarra: Yeah, sarap means delicious.

Sbrocco: Delicious, right?

Did you find it delicious?

Savage: I absolutely did.

It's amazing how it is in this little spot that is -- Like, I was 20 feet from the door, and I'm like, "I don't think it's anywhere near here."

[ Laughter ] And then you walk into this -- Sbrocco: They make you work for it, Adam.

Savage: Exactly!

Ibarra: It's kind of like a hidden gem.

Savage: It feels like a hidden gem.

It feels like a secret spot.

And, yeah, everything I had there was so comforting.

So, I ordered the pork belly adobo, which was phenomenal.

And the adobo can be served both as a sandwich and as a rice bowl.

And I looked up to the guy who was taking my order, and I was like, "I should get the rice bowl," and he was like, "Yes, you should get the rice bowl."

And I was like, "That's the guidance I want."

And then he's like, "Do you want an egg on it?"

And I'm like, "Am I a monster?

Of course I want an egg on this."

Stirring of all the fat into the rice.

And every bite is a little different.

You know, the gold standard is that it's just like every bite is some new wonder of a mix of the sweet and the savory and the fat and rice.

Sbrocco: All the good stuff.

Savage: And I think -- I'm pretty sure that they clocked that I was me, and they gave me some other things, as well.

Sbrocco: Oh, nice.

Savage: The -- Sbrocco: You got the VIP treatment.

Savage: I did.

They gave me an order of the little egg rolls.

Ibarra: Lumpia.

Savage: Lumpia, yes.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Did you like them?

Savage: Oh, my gosh.

Sbrocco: Crispy little sticks of like -- Savage: Crispy.

I've since looked them up, and the pastry that they're wrapped in is just -- it deep-fries to such a crispy, crispy -- Oh, my God, it was fantastic.

Sbrocco: Do you love the lumpias when you go?

Ibarra: I love lumpia.

It's pretty much -- It's one of those things where, in a Filipino household, you always have it stocked up in your freezer ready to fry, ready to go.

Washington: My experience was -- I felt like they must have thought I was Adam as well because I got a very much -- it was very personal experience.

They were excited to have me there.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Washington: They were like, "You coming here to try some food?

We got some food for you.

And I was like, Okay!"

I just wanted to get -- What do you recommend?"

The first one I had was sisig, the pork sisig dish on rice.

Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.

Washington: It was delicious.

And it was like -- The, like, pickled vegetables and stuff were all in this beautiful bowl.

Again, they came out and said -- Someone's throwing down something like, "What do you think about that there?"

I was like, "Yeah!"

Ibarra: They need your on-the-spot review.

Washington: Right, like, "What do you think?"

I'm like, " Yeah, I appreciate that."

And I also ordered a vegan one that was wrapped in, like, a flatbread.

Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.

Washington: And that -- Again, I'm not s-- I ate the pork one first.

I ate this up.

I literally was cleaning the plate, like, the whole thing.

I didn't want to do that 'cause I didn't want to clown, but I really did.

It was so delicious.

It was so flavorful.

It was really colorful.

The food was amazing to look at.

Sbrocco: Do you agree with his description of that?

Ibarra: I'm so happy to hear those descriptions and those words because I feel the exact same way.

I feel like, as Filipino food has entered the mainstream, a lot of the focus has been more so on, like, the meats.

And so with thinking about health in mind, too, as I get older, I typically order the vegan tofu sisig rice bowl.

So, it's garlic notes, soy sauce, citrusy, over a bed of white rice with a garnish of veggies.

And it's so good.

It's crispy.

I love how it has a very bold depth of flavors that just all seem to, like, work together really well.

Savage: Well, I think a lot of Bay Area restaurants will have -- if they serve vegan food primarily, they'll have a meat dish to satisfy.

Sbrocco: Right.

Savage: Or it's the other way.

This felt like every dish, whether meat or vegan, was delivered to be amazing.

Ibarra: Yeah.

Washington: I don't love a lot of vegan food sometimes.

I eat it because I'm supposed to and all that kind of stuff.

[ Laughter ] This was great.

Savage: Yeah, I think the big mistake I made was going alone.

I need to go back with at least two people so I can try everything on the menu.

As I was leaving, they ran out to give me a drink.

[ Laughter ] Washington: I guess I didn't get the VIP treatment.

I didn't get any drinks, Adam.

I don't appreciate it.

Savage: I took it home.

Sbrocco: They might have recognized you.

Okay.

Savage: It was a little jar of some purple liquid that was like a smoothie with little chunks in it, which normally bothers me, but was absolutely delicious.

Ibarra: Oh, I love that one.

That's actually halo-halo.

Savage: That's what that's called.

Ibarra: So, it's a typical Filipino dessert, and they do it extremely well at Sarap Shop because it's also plant-based... Savage: Yeah.

Ibarra: ...but it's very refreshing, kind of creamy, too, on the creamy side.

Savage: Yeah, super creamy.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

And what about the pricing?

Did you feel that was fair?

Savage: Absolutely.

Actually, I think what you described about the accessibility of the spaces typifies all three of the restaurants we're talking about today.

They all feel very unassuming, but ludicrously welcoming.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Savage: And all three were incredibly reasonably priced.

And I don't know about you guys -- Sbrocco: Which is hard to find these days when you go out to eat.

Washington: Yes, it was a bargain.

I want to just -- They were -- That pride of ownership, you can't fake.

You can't fake it.

They were -- They just looked, and you're -- "You like that, don't you?

I bet you like that."

[ Laughter ] You can't fake that, right?

Sbrocco: Eagerly awaiting.

Right.

Eagerly awaiting.

I love it.

If you would like to try The Sarap Shop, it's located on Stillman Street in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood.

The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $30.

Glynn's pick takes us to a beloved family-run spot where the spirit of nonna's kitchen lives on.

Here, the vibe is just as important as the food -- warm, welcoming and rooted in community.

Located just steps from Lake Merritt, it's MAMA Oakland.

[ Indistinct conversations ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Stacionis: The name of the restaurant is MAMA Oakland 'cause it's based off of my grandmother, Maria Stacionis.

We call her Mama.

She was a feisty lady.

Przygocki: Okay, guys, this is MAMA's sugo, tossed with pappardelle, Parmesan cheese, and basil.

Stacionis: The goal for the service and the vibe at MAMA is to feel like you're walking into Mama's house, to feel like, "Oh, my gosh, I'm so glad you're here."

It feels convivial.

It feels warm.

It feels comfortable.

The entire restaurant is based around the idea of sugo, MAMA's sugo.

It's like the quintessential Italian American red sauce.

Josiah, my business partner and husband, and I had this idea like, "What if we made a restaurant and it just served sugo?

And then we were like, "Maybe we need a couple more things than just one dish."

Przygocki: The format of our menu is a three-course prix fixe menu.

It changes based off of seasonality.

So it's always gonna have five or six fruits and vegetables that are super prime and ready to go.

I am a basil freak.

I'm a fennel freak.

And anything that is, like, super fatty and delicious.

If it's gonna put me in a coma after I eat it, I want it.

Stacionis: The signature dish besides sugo is definitely meatballs.

Przygocki: The key to a really great meatball is don't over mix it and make sure that you have enough fat, so we do double pork to beef.

Stacionis: I remember Mama teaching me how to make meatballs because she's, like, borderline inappropriate.

There was a lot of talk about... manipulating the balls.

Przygocki: [ Laughs ] Woman: Mmm!

Stacionis: It's your first time here?

Woman: It's our first time here.

Stacionis: Oh, amazing.

Woman: Cheers.

Stacionis: You go back to your favorite restaurants because, like, oh, you want that one thing, you want that same feeling that you experienced.

Przygocki: There are so many people that walk up to me at the line and actually pass me and go directly into the kitchen, and they say, "You guys did a fantastic job.

We're so happy.

Stacionis: Mama is up there in heaven.

She is having a dance party, she's drinking wine, and she is stoked.

She is so grateful that people come in here and look like they're at our house having an amazing time.

Sbrocco: Now, Glynn, how did you find MAMA?

Washington: This is in my neighborhood, the Grand Lake neighborhood of Oakland.

Sbrocco: Right.

Washington: I go there a lot, and so they give me the Adam treatment, which is, if I have to wait even a moment, they'll come out and hand a glass of wine while I'm waiting, which is fabulous.

It feels so continental and delicious.

Sbrocco: And you feel so special.

Washington: I feel so special.

I was like, "Did I do 'MythBusters'?"

[ Laughter ] I really -- It's really, really great.

You want to know the move.

This is the move.

Sbrocco: Okay, attention.

Pro tip.

Pro tip.

Ibarra: Take notes.

Savage: Yeah.

Washington: This is what you do at MAMA's.

MAMA's is a prix fixe menu.

Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.

Washington: They're gonna have two different things.

They have a soup and a salad.

They're gonna have a pasta dish, and they're gonna have dessert.

You and your companion should get one, and you get the other.

Savage: We did the move.

We ordered everything on the menu.

Washington: Right, right.

Savage: And then we split it all.

The soup was a gazpacho, which they brought out with some of the ingredients on and then they poured the gazpacho over it.

I'm a soup guy.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Savage: I love any kind of soup.

The gazpacho was cold.

It was crisp.

It was fantastic.

Ibarra: I also did the Glynn method.

I went with my husband, and we decided to just do one of each so we can try everything on the menu.

I really remember the crostata.

It was just so refreshing.

It was just incredible to start off the three-course meal.

And then afterwards we had the campanelle pasta.

And I loved how that tomato sauce wasn't very strong.

It was nice and light.

It's unique.

I don't think I've had a pasta sauce that tasted exactly like that.

Savage: The other thing that I particularly loved was the pappardelle.

I love just the widest noodle I could possibly get.

Sbrocco: Me too.

Savage: And the pappardelle was fantastic.

Sbrocco: And again, these rotate and they change, so you -- Washington: You never know.

You never know.

Ibarra: That's why you got to keep going.

Sbrocco: That's right.

Savage: There's something I really loved about the add-ons which was unique.

Sbrocco: So you can order the prix fixe, but then do the add-ons, like $10 more for meatballs and things like.

Savage: The add-ons were where the savory arrived.

Like, the dishes themselves were a little more on the sweet and vegetable side.

Sbrocco: Interesting.

Savage: And then the add-ons delivered this wonderful savory note for all the other dishes.

Sbrocco: Right.

Washington: I'll say this.

You got to get the meatballs.

Savage: Bingo.

You have to get the meatballs.

Sbrocco: I was waiting for that.

Washington: The meatballs are like -- The meatballs are not an add-on.

You have to order -- Savage: It's true.

Washington: They're meatballs.

Sbrocco: Again, pro tip.

Washington: The meatballs are part of the meal, and the focaccia and the sauce of whatever pasta dish you do, you've got to do one of these numbers a lot.

You got to do that, yeah.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Okay, what about dessert?

Savage: Wait, wait, wait.

Before we get to dessert, there was a palate cleanser.

Sbrocco: Oh!

Savage: They brought us some little ball of lemon granitas in some cherry syrup.

Sbrocco: Did you guys get that treatment?!

Washington: I don't know what happened.

Ibarra: I was not informed.

Washington: Again.

It keeps happening, and I'm against the whole thing.

I don't appreciate what is going down here.

I do not appreciate it.

No lemon granitas in cherry syrup.

Sbrocco: "It's Adam Savage!

We got to bring him something!"

Washington: It's outrageous.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: Okay, go ahead, VIP.

[ Laughter ] Ibarra: Tell us what else we don't know.

Savage: Well, I thought the foot rub was a great ending to the meal.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: Ooh.

So?

Savage: The desserts were spectacular.

Sbrocco: Okay, which one did you have?

Savage: There was a chocolate and a cheesecake.

I ate most of the cheesecake.

My wife ate most of the chocolate.

Sbrocco: There you go.

That sounds fair.

Ibarra: I had both as well, and what I really appreciated about the cheesecake is -- I'm typically not a cheesecake fan.

To me, most of the time, it's just too rich and just too much.

Like, one bite, that's good enough for me.

But I almost finished the entire plate and then took it away from my husband.

And it was just so good.

I felt like the berries that they added on top gave it a nice touch to kind of balance the flavor so it wasn't, like, kind of too much.

And then the chocolate -- I don't know if it was, like, a mousse.

That was also rich and creamy and very delicious.

And the portions are perfect.

Washington: When I was there, I guess they called it the end of the stone fruit season.

And so I had an apricot something or another deliciousness that they whipped up.

It was fantastic.

I think whenever you go there -- They're not gonna have that.

That's gonna be gone because they've moved on.

Sbrocco: But there'll be two other choices.

Washington: There'll be two other choices, and they're gonna be delicious as well.

It's like, I trust these people.

Savage: Yeah.

Washington: At least, I did before Adam got the special situation going on there.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: He's got this down.

I can't wait to hear about the next restaurant.

Alright, if you would like to try MAMA Oakland, it's located on Grand Avenue in Oakland's Lake Merritt neighborhood, and the average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $60.

Adam's pick is a cozy spot where the scent of masa and melting cheese has filled the air for more than 35 years.

It's a Salvadoran restaurant where handmade pupusas and other Latin American specialties keep generations of diners -- and Adam -- coming back for more.

Located in San Francisco's Mission District, it's Panchita's Pupuseria & Restaurant.

♪♪ Woman: Thank you.

Campos: El Salvador is the house of pupusas.

And the pupusa is fresh masa with any kind of meat or vegetable inside.

And we roll it and grill it.

The pupusa you can eat anytime, in the morning, in the afternoon, at night.

That's the good thing to pupusas.

My mother started Panchita's in 1976.

We started with nothing.

Every day we buy everything and we sell it and we buy again and we sell it and we buy again.

That's the way we started.

But in 1989, I opened my own Panchita's.

This is Panchita's #2.

Everybody asks me, "How do you make those so good pupusas?"

So, my mother showed me how to do those really good pupusas.

That's spinach.

That's cheese.

I always tell everybody this is my mother's recipe.

That's like my legado.

Here in Panchita's, we have our 30 kinds of pupusas.

I added every year one different kind.

These ones are good.

My favorite thing in the menu is the sopa de gallina.

Every day it's fresh, and the gallina is the mother of the chicken.

That's why the soup is so good.

[ Up-tempo guitar music plays ] I really like this place.

Always here for people who really need job, food.

People who are hungry, this is the place to come in.

My two daughters -- they are really working hard.

I want to see this next generation and still pupusas will be here.

Woman: Oh, my God!

Campos: I never be tired to eating pupusas.

I hope you, too.

[ Laughs ] Ooh!

[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: Alright, Adam, it sounds like you've been living in the Mission as long as the restaurant has been open, right?

Savage: Pretty much.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Savage: So, Panchita's has been a part of my entire Mission journey since 1990 in San Francisco.

I eat there maybe once a week.

I've taken heads of state and astronauts there.

I love that the interior is weirdly painted trompe l'oeil, almost like a favela, right?

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Savage: With, like, corrugated roofing and hurricane fencing, but it's all trompe l'oeil.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Savage: And the pupusas are just one of my main comfort-food dishes.

Sbrocco: And it's one of the best words to say, isn't it?

Everybody say it.

All: Pupusas.

Savage: Yes.

Sbrocco: It's a great word to say.

Savage: Totally.

Now, the main thing about a pupusa is that you want to eat it with the slaw and the red sauce.

And you got to dump the slaw on, and then you drown it in the red sauce, which is not super spicy.

And my favorite pupusa is the mixed, which is pork and vegetables with the cheese.

It's like a little bit of everything I want in my meal.

Sbrocco: And that lovely masa, yeah.

Savage: And then I always -- I love their plátanos, the plantains with the crema and the refried beans, right?

Sbrocco: Uh, over here.

I can feel -- I feel Glynn going, "This is it."

Washington: This is the move.

This is the move.

I don't know from pupusas.

I don't.

I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it.

But I do know from plantains, and these were some good plantains right here, just the crisp but sweet.

You've got the avocado, the sour cream right there.

You can kind of like get a little bit of it all in one bite.

Boom!

It was like -- That was my favorite aspect of the meal.

Savage: Yeah.

Sbrocco: What about you, Ruby?

Ibarra: I just fell in love with the pupusa.

So, I've only had a handful of pupusas so far in my life, but, hands down, the mushroom and garlic one that I had at Panchita's has to be for me, my personal opinion, the best pupusas I've ever had.

And it was just creamy, cheesy.

The mushrooms inside were seasoned very well.

I appreciate it also how there was a nice kind of char on the outside of the pupusas.

I think there was also some excess cheese, which gave it a nice crisp, so when you bit into it, I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, this is so good."

Sbrocco: Is there really excess cheese, though?

Ibarra: You can never have too much cheese.

Sbrocco: You can never have too much cheese.

Washington: I got the pupusa you mentioned, the mushroom, and I got a pork and beef one.

This was not sitting in the back somewhere.

They made that for me like 30 seconds before they put it on the plate, which was really, really wonderful.

And I just loved it.

Ibarra: And this was another restaurant, I think, out of the three that we've had where, again, it felt like home.

It felt like community.

And for me growing up, me and my family didn't eat a lot of restaurants.

We usually ate at home.

So when I go to restaurants like Panchita's and it gives you a sense of home, that sense of, like, home-cooked meals... Sbrocco: Right.

Ibarra: ...I just love that.

And it has that nostalgic feel to it.

Savage: I've eaten at a lot of great restaurants where I felt just like a customer.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Savage: And in all three of the places that we ate, I felt like I was being fed by people whose joy was feeding.

Washington: Wow.

Savage: Right?

Just giving you that succor.

Sbrocco: He says that because he gets the VIP treatment.

Washington: Well, again -- [ Laughter ] Savage: I'm never gonna live that down.

Washington: This place -- I don't know from the VIP treatment, Adam, but I felt like I got it with the dessert empanada.

This empanada had some sort of leche cream in it, maybe some more plantain stuff.

It was crispy and hot, but delicious.

You stick your finger in there, and you lick that leche stuff off of it.

It was just -- It was really I don't -- I don't know that I've ever had something quite like that before.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Washington: It was really wonderful.

Savage: I usually have their Mexican wedding cookies as a dessert.

I've never tried that.

I'm gonna have to.

Sbrocco: You've never tried it in all the years you've been there?

Washington: They only brought it out for me.

It's not available in stores because... Sbrocco: The win goes to Glynn.

Washington: Right, right.

In the end, yes.

Savage: I did want to mention their horchata.

They have agua frescas and they revolve and they're seasonal.

I'm particularly addicted to horchata.

I love -- And theirs has -- Sbrocco: Talk about texture.

It's really about texture.

Savage: It is texture, and their horchata has a little grit to it, which I want.

That's what I like out of my horchata, yeah.

Ibarra: I wish I had tried the horchata, but I did have, like, the Jarritos that they had.

And they have a wide selection of beverages, so I'm gonna have to go back next time and try a little bit more.

Yeah, I felt like the price was really fair, too, especially for the amount of food that you get.

That was a sizable plate, and it's completely filled.

And I would say though, that the -- I mean, 'cause it is in a busy part of the city where parking was a little bit challenging, but it's well worth it.

Savage: There is a parking garage half a block away on Hoff Street.

Sbrocco: There we go.

See?

Another inside tip right there when you go back.

If you would like to try Panchita's Pupuseria & Restaurant, it's located on 16th Street in San Francisco's Mission District.

The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $30.

Looking for more Bay Area bites you've just got to try?

Phillips: [ Laughs ] Sbrocco: Check out "Cecilia Tries It" online at kqed.org/checkplease.

I have to thank my fabulous guests on this week's show -- Adam Savage, who practically nosedives into the red sauce at Panchita's Pupuseria & Restaurant in San Francisco, Ruby Ibarra, who loves the vegan twist on Filipino favorites at the Sarap Shop in San Francisco, and Glynn Washington, whose home away from home just might be MAMA Oakland.

Join us next time when three more guests will recommend their favorite spots right here on “Check, Please!

Bay Area."

I'm Leslie Sbrocco, and I'll see you then.

Cheers.

And cheers to you.

Ibarra: Cheers.

Sbrocco: What do you think of the places we featured today?

Join the conversation on Instagram and Facebook at @kqedfood.

Reyes: We started as a pop up.

We were dating and explored getting married.

Kristen: We started talking about it, and when I saw the price of a wedding, I was like, "It's the same price as a food truck.

Do you want to just buy that instead?"

Reyes: Go into a business contract and stuff?

Kristen: Yeah.

James: When we first started our business, our parents were our honorary interns.

My dad was like, "You can roll this many lumpia in this amount of time because your mom and I did it.

So, if you're not doing it that way, you need to work faster."

[ Laughs ]