Tamis has the best kamayan in Ottawa!…read more Along with their regular kamayan, they also have seafood, chicken, beef, and vegetarian kamayan options too! It's a huge spread across banana leaves. No forks or spoons necessary; the fun is eating it all with your hands! The regular kamayan includes crispy fried milk fish (bangus), juicy pork bbq, garlic buttered shrimp, crunchy pork spring rolls, sweet mangoes, and perfectly grilled eggplant. I recommend that you switch out the steamed rice for garlic-fried rice. They have the best garlic-fried rice (sinangag) we've ever had! The kamayan dinner is so generous that we had enough to pack up for a whole other meal, and we happily ate the leftovers the next day. Located on Bank Street, this place is family-owned and operated, and they are super community-minded. One of the owners even runs basketball programs for Filipino youth in Ottawa! It's a place that's welcoming to both Filipinos and to those who are trying Filipino food for the first time.

Decent food. The service is exceptionally slow. We had the kamayan feast and it was way smaller…read morethan expected for the price. On a different trip, I tried the chicken inasal which was delicious. Parking on Bank Street is difficult during business hours. The owner is very friendly. He stopped by our table a few times to chat. He seems like a tito (and he looks like he could have been in APO Hiking Society)

I love Filipino food, but for some reason there is a dearth of Filipino restaurants in Ottawa…read more I've had Meryenda on my radar ever since I had their Halo-Halo at the Asian Night Market at Lansdowne Park 3 years ago, but I'm rarely out by their location and I'm not the hugest fan of eating outside (UV radiation, pollution, bugs, yuck! Yeah, I'm a princess, lol.). Anyway, I finally decided to make a special trip out there and the food was fantastic! I got the Chicken Inasal ($11.25, plus taxes), I asked for no sesame seeds, and that wasn't a problem at all. The chicken was lean, which I really liked, and it was very flavourful. It came with garlic rice and a jicama slaw. The slaw was really creamy, maybe a tad too rich for my liking, but otherwise very good. You could taste the garlic in the garlic rice, but it wasn't overpowering, which is good because no one wants to walk around smelling like a garlic bulb. This dish was delicious, but my only complaint is that I found the portion size a bit small. I was still hungry afterwards and ended up getting a meat pie at Nasser Bakery across the street, and also a cannoli at Farmer's Pick, lol. I dunno, maybe I just have an unusually large appetite, haha. Service was friendly and relatively quick. They are in the parking lot of the plaza at the south west corner of Prince of Wales and Meadowlands. The same plaza as the Shoppers Drug Mart, McDonalds and Baskin Robbins. They are right in front of that garage called Oil Changers. There are 3 picnic tables with umbrellas where you can sit and eat. Free parking in the plaza parking lot. I would love to try other items on their menu and of course have some Halo-Halo again :)

There isn't a single thing on their menu that I have not liked. My favorite would have to be the…read moreBicol express. Can't go wrong with pork belly in a spicy sauce. Their sliders are also very good even though they are on the messy side with the sunny side up egg.

TL;DR/The Short Version: Great little Filipino shop selling…read moreprepared foods, pastries and snacks. Friendly service. The Long Version: My husband and I had some errands to run in Gatineau so I pulled up Google Maps to see what good eats could be picked up on the way home and La Cuisine PH popped up as a strong contender. The serve Filipino takeout where they have several premade options and you choose what you want and they scoop it into a container. The selection changes daily. They also have Halo-Halo, which is made to order. They have baked goods as well. And a small selection of grocery items like sauces. I got the three-item combo for $18.99, which comes with rice and three items. The menu said it came with 2 pork spring rolls and a can of soda, but we got a coconut macaroon and a can of soda. Maybe they ran out of spring rolls. I also got a Halo-Halo ($10.99). The owner (I think she was the owner) gave us some Ube Pandesal to try. It was so soft and fluffy and had a bit of cream cheese filling. It was delicious, but unfortunately only came in a bag of 6, which was too many for us. They should consider selling them individually. The combo was tasty. I got the chicken curry, BBQ pork skewer and a beef stew (I think it was beef mechado). The chicken curry sauce had a potent coconut milk flavour, which I loved. The sauce was a bit too greasy for my liking, but it was tasty nonetheless. The chicken in the curry still had bones and skin and I only got dark meat pieces (not sure if it was my bad luck or they only made it with dark meat). I prefer skinless boneless chicken breast meat. However, I still felt it was good (after I removed the bones and skin, lol). The beef stew was also a bit greasy, but the beef cubes were boneless and on the most part lean, so I appreciated that. It came with carrots, red peppers and green peas. The BBQ pork skewer had a delicious sweet glaze to it. The pork was a bit fattier than I liked but was still good. The white rice was good. I wasn't a fan of the coconut macaroon. It was too moist, oily and too sweet for me. I think I would have preferred to get 2 pork spring rolls, as per the menu, lol. I loved the Halo-Halo. It had lots of ube ice cream and some ube cream/paste pipped on top. It had a slice of flan too, whipped cream and corn flakes. And the usual coco de Nata, macapuno strings, and beans. I didn't notice any palm seeds though. However, it was really tasty and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was easily one of the best Halo-Halo I've ever had. The store is small, but bright and clean. There are some seats along the window where you can sit and eat, but it's mostly a takeout place. Service was so warm and welcoming. Street parking only. If you like Filipino food or want to discover it, I definitely recommend checking out La Cuisine PH. I was thinking they were somehow affiliated with Grab n' Eat by H&B (on Carling Ave in Ottawa) because they had some signs up from that store. I went on the Facebook page and saw that La Cuisine PH is the Gatineau branch of Grab n' Eat by H&B and it just opened July 8, 2024. I might need to go back to Grab n' Eat because it's closer to me. I tried it when it first opened back in 2020 and thought it was just ok. I imagine they've improved since then because I enjoyed La Cuisine PH much more. I'm glad to see they're doing well and opened a second location only 4 years after opening their original location. (172)

I was really excited to see something open up where Anna Thai used to be, since the spot was vacant…read morefor a couple of years. I was even more excited when I discovered that a Filipino restaurant had opened up in the space! They opened December 2023. My husband and I got takeout at Sanduk for lunch, about a week or so after they opened. Overall the food was ok, but the noodle dish was a bit too salty and the packaging was not ideal as the spring rolls got very soggy. The rice was clumpy and tasted old, but the BBQ chicken leg was great. We ordered from their lunch menu and got the Pancit Guisadu ($15.99) which came with 3 spring rolls, and the BBQ Chicken ($18.99) which the menu said came with greens and fried rice, but it only came with rice (unless they consider the sprinkling of peas, carrots and corn on top of the rice, "greens."). The spring rolls came in a plastic container with the Pancit Guisadu, sitting on top of the noodles, so they were quite soggy when I got home. I would recommend that the restaurant package them separately, in a paper bag to keep them crispy. Despite being soggy, the spring rolls had good flavour and they were filled with ground meat, carrots and onions. They would have been much tastier had they been crispy. The Pancit Guisadu was vermicelli noodles stir fried with chicken, sliced fish balls, cabbage, onions, carrots and snow peas. It was tasty, but too salty for my liking. The container was lined with banana leaves, which I thought was kind of cool. The BBQ chicken was a drumstick and a thigh and came with rice topped with peas, carrots and corn kernels. I was expecting a salad as well since the menu said it came with "greens" but maybe that was my misinterpretation. The vegetables were a bit cold, so I think they are from a frozen mix. The rice was a bit clumpy and didn't taste freshly made to me. I was expecting garlic fried rice, so was disappointed with the rice. The BBQ chicken though was delicious. The flavour was a bit sweet, but mostly savoury. The chicken was tender and moist. The accompanying dipping sauce was good as well and added additional flavour. Service was friendly and welcoming. I called my order in and went to pick it up. My order was done 10 minutes before they quoted, so they called me and I gladly headed over. The restaurant is beautiful inside. They have regular tables and chairs, but also have some tables at the front that are low to the ground and you sit on cushions on the floor. They also have a private room upstairs for parties. I am so happy to see more culinary diversity in Westboro/Wellington West/Hintonburg. Realizing that they are a new restaurant, I might give them another try after a few months. Hopefully, by then they've ironed out some of the wrinkles. Street parking only. (7)

4 stars out of five for: - feels like home ambiance with…read morethe earthy decor and plenty of live plants - the adobong puti with white rice tasty (it's inside a palayok ) - the pancit canton was on the salty side - the bbq pork chop with garlic fried rice is ok would prefer different side sauces for options - there was complimentary soup of the day (mungo with ampalaya & bagoong alamang - friendly & welcoming staff - dishes are on the mid-range pricey side $$

i am from out of town and our group had wanted to eat at lola's. they had tried to call for a few…read moredays prior to see about seating because they knew it was limited. they never answered the phone for the several days they tried to call. when we go there they asked if we had a reservation, which we didn't, and with the place we would be able to. which understand that we didn't have a reservation, but that we had tried to call and the lady told us they don't answer the phone and we have to used the website. how are we supposed to know if you don't answer the phone? however, the lady told us that she would see what she could do. we then proceeded to stand around for another 10 minutes later so then she told we could come back in four hours... i had already been traveling to ottawa on a seven hour plane ride and multiple hours driving to airports. we had told the lady no thanks and left. we didn't eat the food so can't speak on that but with how the service was even if they had told us we could come back in an hour, we wouldn't have. so be prepared to use only their website because they won't answer the phone.

Amazing Food prepared by a Creative chef = Great experience overall. Looking forward to visiting…read moreagain next time i am on town.

This review has been posted after about 5 visits to Divisoria (2 of them were in one day - one for…read morefood and later in the evening for Halo Halo) So, I have to say..... they may have taken the Yelp review to heart because they have significantly stepped up their game. On the days that I went it was all around noon and they have been able to pile the hot bar up with food. The prices aren't as steep as I expected BUT the purple desert soup thing is a little on the expensive side. A meal with a Turon (plantain fried in a crispy wrapper and drizzled with molasses) would run you about $12 and you will be FULL. They have all the usual Filipino fare but I was quite surprised to see that they never had any adobo pork or chicken on the days that I went. They have the rice and pancit everyday and occasionally put out the palabok. Now for the HaloHalo .....yes yes and YES. It missing the leche flan but is really REALLY good and certainly hits the spot. If you're craving some Filipino and are in the carling area ....give this place a try. Parking is a little scarce but is available at the back.

5 stars for: -…read morewanting to support a family-run small business - the owners are very friendly; they know the importance of being close to the community and how to serve the masses; they often share their space with community-based not-for-profit organizations like Migrante - Ottawa who run workshops on rights and welfare for FREE - don't feel like cooking? YOU can pick up cooked food here (from appetizer to entree to dessert) - need to send money to family outside of Canada? You can remit money here. - newcomer to Ottawa? Stop here to get help with your questions on navigating the city and the Filipino Community in Ottawa - OR just come by to hang out, they are open for that too! - shelves - clean & well stacked; don't forget to check out their freezers - they may just have what you are looking for - the desserts (kakanin) - many are made in store so they get to you fresh!

TLDR: Food truck selling Filipino -inspired crepes and drinks. Their pulled chicken crepe was so…read moredelicious and their Gulaman Cooler was refreshing on a hot day. This food truck recently set up shop in my neighbourhood (summer of 2024). I first saw it while driving to work and made a mental note to check it out. They don't have their own website and are exclusively on Instagram and Facebook. Initially they weren't even on Google Maps, but now they are. But really, they had me at crepes and Filipino-inspired sealed the deal, lol. I love creative fusion cuisine! The Husbster and I walked over on a Sunday afternoon and the owner (I think she was the owner) was all smiles and very welcoming. I got the Walker Crepe ($16) which was pulled chicken, rutabaga, pickles and a spinach/arugula mix. It usually comes with cilantro, but my husband hates cilantro, so I asked to have it omitted, so he could try some (even though he wasn't in the mood for crepes and we knew I would be the one eating most of it, lol). I also got the Gulaman Cooler ($4.50) which is a drink made of brown sugar syrup and banana extract with jellies. I love jellies, so I asked for extra and got lots of jellies ;) I was also pleasantly surprised that the crepe came with a small quinoa salad. The crepe was delicious. The pulled chicken was dark meat and so moist, tender and flavourful. The shredded rutabaga added a nice texture, as did the pickles and leafy greens. It was a little wet towards the bottom though with liquid pooling and it eventually leaked out the bottom of the paper cone holding the crepe. Luckily I was given lots of napkins, lol. The crepe was crispy around the edges and soft with a nice amount of chew on the inside. A very tasty crepe. The quinoa salad was ok, but nothing too remarkable. It had a lot of cilantro in it, to my husband's chagrin, haha. I loved the Gulaman Cooler, especially with all the jelly I was given ;) It was sweet and refreshing on a hot summer's day. The jellies were cut very small, so they fit in the narrow straw. I had a lovely chat with the lady who I believe is the owner while she prepared my items. She was very friendly. There are picnic tables in front of the food truck for you to eat at. And since the food truck is parked in an empty parking lot, there is parking available if you drive there. Looking forward to trying their other items, like maybe their sweet crepes :) (100)

This is the new Divisoria Market at 943 Carling Ave that's in the same strip mall as Baltyk…read moreDelicatessen and Cyprus Garden Chinese food. It's where Solea Shoes used to be. The old Divisoria Market at 1743 Carling Ave closed down. I like this new location so much better. It's bigger, brighter and cleaner. When I went at the beginning of September 2023 they only had their grocery store and remittance service open. They didn't have prepared foods yet. They said maybe in October. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping to get some turon or Halo-Halo. Anyway, they had lots of shelf stable items and a few frozen products. Looking forward to trying their prepared foods when they have it set up and will update the review then. Free parking available in the strip mall parking lot.

They have foods I craved for. Friendly and accommodating…read morestaff. Neat and nice store.

TL;DR/The Short Version: Cafeteria-style Filipino restaurant in Bells Corners. Great prices, but…read morefood was too oily/fatty/greasy for my tastes. The Long Version: This Filipino restaurant opened up July 28, 2024 where LeeGa used to be. I dropped by for some takeout lunch. Their combo is a great value. For $10.99 you get noodles or rice with 2 main dishes. It's cafeteria style, so they have what's available in trays and you just tell them which items you want. The drawback is you are limited to the selection they have that day. Also, none of the items are labelled so if you don't know what it is, you have to ask. The day I went, (a Sunday) their selections were fried shrimp in shell with corn on the cob, squid, fried chicken wings, a beef with peppers dish in an oily broth, a pork belly dish and a vegetable dish. The noodle dish was Pancit Canton. I went with the noodles, chicken wings and the beef. I asked for no broth with the beef because I didn't want all the oiliness getting into the wings and noodles, so the lady actually put it in a separate container, which I thought was nice. She still gave me lots of the oily broth though, lol. The beef was full of fat and swimming in oil. I wasn't a fan, but at least it had actual lean pieces of meat in it, in addition to all the fat. I just had to do a lot of work cutting off all the fat, lol. The meat was tender and flavourful. The fried chicken wings were great though. Very flavourful and not any greasier than chicken wings at other places. I got 4 pieces, 2 drumlettes and 2 flats. The pancit Canton was good. It had vegetable in it like snow peas, carrots, cabbage and bell peppers. It also had pieces of pork belly in it, but the pieces were really fatty, so I didn't eat them. I got a huge portion of noodles! In terms of value for money, this place is awesome. Easily 2 meals can be had from the combo. The actual food, particularly the beef and pork belly in the noodles, was too oily/fatty/greasy for me. I realize this might be the style for this type of cuisine, but it wasn't to my liking. The flavours were good though. For me personally, since I like lean meats and food that's on the drier side, I would rate 3 stars, but I get that the dishes were likely by nature more fatty and honestly, if they had other selections like BBQ chicken, I would have gotten that instead. So I'm giving 4 stars because I think for what it is, it was good and I have a soft spot for independently owned local businesses. Service was neutral but efficient. There's seating to eat in. Ambiance is fast food-like. It's in a strip mall with free parking shared amongst the businesses in the strip mall. (160)

Food was GREAT. Enjoyed a Very tasty combo $10.99 noodles/beef/fried chicken. Generous servings…read moreand GREAT price. Will revisit.

First time here. I like the vibe of this place. It's kinda like your local bar meets....Orleans? I…read moredidn't know Orleans had a Barley Mow, so I was shocked that this place had major downtown party vibes. I was living for it!!! Maybe its not like that every night, but they were showing the basketball game on the "big screens" so the place was hopping! Definitely had a great time here, and the company I was with made it even more enjoyable. Service was great and attentive. I ordered a small poutine (cheapest thing on the menu $7), I was there to drink mostly, not to eat. I also ordered a moscow mule ($10) and a somersby cider ($8ish dollars). I might just be cheap, but the prices were pretty high for a pub. When I found out the moscow mules were 10 bucks, I switched to cider. I looked over the dinner menu and it was hard to find anything under 10 bucks. Sometimes its nice to get a couple of apps, but doing that would have cost a pretty penny. Having said that, I did enjoy myself, and I think the place is a great spot for the locals.

Amazing food, great service! Our waiter was very friendly and funny. The fireplaces kept us warm as…read moreit was a chilly day. We had the cauliflower bites, fish and chips, and burger and loved it! So much flavor. Will be back!