More Than Meets the Eye
Colma's fame for cemeteries obscures a genuinely pleasant commercial strip. The El Camino Real restaurants serve the community that makes this city actually function — and the Filipino food, in particular, is outstanding.
Colma's year-round resident population is small (under 2,000) but the daytime commercial population is massive — the city's El Camino Real corridor is one of the Peninsula's major retail destinations, and the restaurants that serve this corridor's workers and shoppers are diverse and consistently good.
The Filipino community has a particularly strong presence in Colma and the adjacent Daly City area, and several excellent Filipino restaurants and bakeries serve workers who commute to the nearby car dealerships, restaurants, and commercial businesses.
Filipino Food Community
Colma's proximity to Daly City's massive Filipino community means excellent Filipino restaurants are never far — adobo, lechon, and halo-halo on the El Camino Real corridor.
Mexican & Latin American
The construction and service industry workers who maintain Colma's vast cemetery and commercial districts support excellent, affordable Mexican taquerias.
El Camino Real Dining
The Peninsula's great commercial strip runs through Colma, bringing a diverse range of casual dining options that serve a large daytime population.
Unique Character
Eating in Colma is a singular Bay Area experience — surrounded by the quiet hills of the cemetery lands, the restaurants on El Camino Real feel like an unlikely oasis.
Must-Try Dishes
Filipino chicken braised in vinegar and soy — the national dish, prepared by cooks who grew up making it.
Full-sized burrito from Colma's working-lunch taquerias — rice, beans, meat, and salsa for the construction crew.
Filipino shaved ice dessert from Colma's Filipino dessert spots — beans, jelly, ube, and evaporated milk.
Soft Filipino bread rolls from bakeries near the Daly City border — pillowy, slightly sweet, and essential.
No-frills American diner burger from Colma's original roadside eateries — honest beef on a soft bun.
Taiwanese bubble tea from boba shops on El Camino Real — the afternoon pick-me-up of Peninsula workers.
Neighborhoods & Food Districts
Every part of Colma has its own food character. Here's where to focus your eating:
The entire commercial and dining scene runs along this major Peninsula artery through Colma.