The Filipino Table is opening at 9625 Elk Grove Florin Road in Elk Grove, with owner Lee Ann Torrecarion hoping to begin full operation in mid-November. The restaurant is open now on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. under a temporary permit, and takeout only for the time being.
It’s a hybrid concept. The space has a prep kitchen, but the cooking happens on a food cart and food truck behind the building, with a commissary supporting both. Customers order inside and eat at the tables once the food is ready.
The timing depends on the city. A public hearing is expected in the first or second week of November, and it will decide whether the restaurant can operate six days a week, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. In the meantime, Torrecarion has approval from the county health department to cater and join pop-up events.
“I’m praying for that,” Torrecarion confirmed to What Now Sacramento about the mid-November target. “The City of Elk Grove is very strict, and I want to make sure that I’m very compliant.’”
The menu centers on Filipino classics such as chicken, pancit, lumpia and adobo, with lechon coming soon. It also includes street foods like kwek-kwek, fried quail eggs. Many of those dishes take real effort, which is part of the appeal. “Even a simple quail egg, we have to make a batter, we have to make the sauce, and you have to deep fry it, and it’s not easy,” Torrecarion said. “If you’re going to do it alone in your home, you’re not going to do it because it takes a lot of work. But we’re doing it at The Filipino Table. So you just go there and enjoy.”
Torrecarion has worked on the project since the end of May. She said city officials told her it will be the first Filipino restaurant in Elk Grove. “There’s a lot of tears, sweat and money,” she said.
She also runs Kuya’s Inasal Express, a stand at pop-up markets. The space is about 1,116 square feet and can seat around 40 people. It was once home to Legacy Toys and Games. Torrecarion hopes to host a Filipino Christmas dinner there before the holiday.
For her, the restaurant is also a way to feel closer to home. She moved to the U.S. about five years ago and hasn’t been back to the Philippines since. “I miss the Philippines. I miss home,” she said. “So when they go there, the ambiance, the taste of the food, they will feel at home. I want it to be a place where friends, family or even an individual can just go and relax and enjoy the food.”
Her neighbors have already made her feel welcome. “They really go out of their way to support us,” Torrecarion told What Now Sacramento. “Even when I say we only have limited hours and can only do takeout, they say, ‘Please keep us posted. We want to support you.’ Some of our dishes are cooked on the spot, so it can take more than 25 minutes, and they’re very patient with us. I really appreciate that, and I’m thanking the Filipinos of Elk Grove and my fellow Filipinos. They’re very supportive as well.”
