In Filipino culture, tables are for sharing. Meals are a way of connecting, honoring, and nurturing others, and food is a way to show love and care. Bag of Beans in Eastlake is a Filipino restaurant steeped in each of these values that brings with it a heritage of rich family history and the quintessential hospitality of Filipino families.
Bag of Beans has six locations, each of them fully family owned and operated. Their most recent location opened right here in Eastlake in 2025, and is their first restaurant stateside. We sat down with company CEO and Eastlake Branch Operator, Anthony Jose, to learn about the history of the restaurant and his family ties, the delicious and creative food and drinks they serve, and the heart and soul of the Filipino community here in Chula Vista.
Roots from Across the Ocean
The restaurant’s humble beginnings began in Tagaytay, Philippines in 1998. In the early days, Bag of Beans was a small corner cafe, serving coffees and baked goods in a small room about the size of a broom closet. Today, that original location still stands, though now it is widely known and seats over 500 people. Over time, the family grew the company to 6 brick and mortar locations in the Philippines and now, their 7th, right here in Chula Vista.
What’s special about Bag of Beans is not just that they serve a wide variety of delicious, traditional Filipino flavors, that they import their coffee beans straight from the Philippines, or even that their fresh baked bread or creative Filipino inspired cocktails bring people back again and again. The most special thing about Bag of Beans is family. Their rich history and commitment to creating environments for people to celebrate in, connect in, and gather in, shines through in the energy of the space. The restaurant sits right in between fine dining and casual fare, offering an elevated environment to bring your family for a special event, your sports team for an end-of-season celebration, your grandparent for a 90th birthday, your colleagues for a work lunch, or your partner for a regular old weeknight dinner. It’s a place intended for everyone to feel welcome, always.
A Family Restaurant That Cares
There are many businesses that focus solely on their financial success. At Bag of Beans, their success is also marked by the ways they give back to the community. “Having grown up in the area,” says Anthony, “I feel a sense of responsibility to not only put out a good product but to give back and to represent Filipino culture well. My hope is that we are a place that other Filipinos feel proud of.”
Having grown up in Eastlake, it is especially important to Anthony to be rooted in the community. “My connection to Eastlake is everything. This place shaped me. Giving back to this community is actually very important to me.”
In this spirit, the Bag of Beans team offers all sorts of ways for neighbors to come together. For example, the restaurant partners with Eastlake and Otay Ranch High Schools special education programs, bringing students in to learn about the industry and get hands-on experience. They also regularly host special events for local teams and families, host a weekly Sunday brunch, and schedule Karaoke and live music on the weekends. They offer catering for in-house events and delivery for off-site events—anything they can do to continue to offer hospitality.
Filipino Fare to Fill You Up
With a vast menu containing a wide variety of dishes, there are a few that stand out. Their origins as a bakery mean their fresh baked goods are always a staple. The popular raisin bread, a must-have at their Philippines locations, tastes a little bit different here. “My background is as a scientist, so I tried to figure it out. I figure it must be the pH of the water or something. I even sent my baker to the Philippines to try to duplicate it perfectly. It’s not quite there, but we’re getting closer.”
When it comes to lunch and dinner meals, Kare Kare, a very popular Filipino stew with a peanut butter base, is a staple. Lechon Kawali — or crispy pork belly — is another go-to.
Some of the dishes served at Bag of Beans are inspired by Filipino flavors, but pull away slightly from the traditional presentation. For example, sisig pizza takes classic sisig, or a Filipino style pork, and tosses it on a classic American pizza. When the dish was originally suggested by a team member, Anthony was hesitant…he couldn’t imagine people wanting to order it. The response from guests surprised him. It was quickly a hit and now, he says, it’s ordered almost every day.
The fun part about curating a menu inspired by a long history of delicious family recipes lies in the opportunity for experimentation—continuing to find new ways to feed people delicious meals, even when they’re least expected.
That sense of creativity really shines when it comes to their specially curated cocktail menu. The Bag of Beans team often takes traditional cocktails and sprinkles in a Filipino twist. An adobo old fashioned, for example, takes a classic old fashioned and infuses it with adobo marinade—the same they use to flavor their meat. For some cocktails they add real ube milk (not fake flavoring) or calamansi, a citrus fruit from the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Infusing their drinks with a taste of paradise increases exposure to traditional Filipino flavors in a fun and inviting experience.
A Bar? A Bakery? A Restaurant?
The answer is yes! Whether you want to make a quick stop in for a pandan latte and a delicious pandesal (Filipino sweet bread) or stay for a lingering dinner turned into evening cocktails, Bag of Beans has something for you, your family, and your friends, all day long.
“Having grown up in the area, I feel a sense of responsibility to not only put out a good product but to give back and to represent Filipino culture well. My hope is that we are a place that other Filipinos feel proud of.”