Morena, Kayu, where to begin? I had the most delicious rice bowls and ube lattes at Morena's grand…read moreopening (Kayu's cafe). I liked that the drinks were simple yet distinct. They were all $5.50, except the bilo bilo matcha ($6). There were five options: *ube horchata latte *bibingka latte (salted egg caramel) *sampaguita latte (jasmine) *buko pandan latte (coconut pandan) *bilo bilo matcha They also have teas, cocktails, and two mocktails. I tried the burnt coconut chicken and BBQ beef rice bowls. The meat tasted as if it came right off the grill, with great marination. Both dishes also come with papaya atsara, which adds a bold pickled flavor to the mix. I'm excited to do some work here this weekend. Kayu also has great food, and becomes Morena on Saturday and Sunday (9 am-3 pm).

My friend and I tried the Kayu's "Salo Salo" 3-course dining experience for 65 per person last…read moreSaturday evening. When we arrived, there weren't many other diners, but it got busy pretty quickly. Our server wasn't the most available (given how crowded it was) and our food came out slower than we'd like (~25 minutes between courses). SOURDOUGH BOMBOLINI This was a small sourdough roll topped with a thin slice of prosciutto, finely-shredded manchego, and black truffle cream. This was quite good with the earthy truffle flavors, fatty and savoriness from the prosciutto. This felt more of an Italian appetizer than Filipino, but still enjoyable. TUNA & WATERMELON Is it tuna or watermelon? It was hard to tell at first glance since both are deep bright red and cut in a similar shape. The sauce surrounding it was a coconut vinaigrette paired with some herb oil. Overall, found it a bit too sweet, especially the watermelon pieces. I thought it was okay, but my friend really enjoyed this appetizer. CRAB NOODLES I think this is supposed to be pancit-inspired, but it tasted more like a an Asian-inspired pasta since it didn't have that smoky stir-fry flavor I was expecting. This was prepared with crab and peas and topped generously with salmon roe(?) with slightly spicy chili(?) sauce. Overall, a bit bland and felt like it was missing an oomph. LA BELLE FARM CHICKEN The potato gratin was my favorite, perfect potato texture with a good amount of cream and garlic. The roasted asparagus were meh, almost like it was there to fill up the plate. The chicken was roasted and seasoned simply -- juicy for the most part, but again, nothing unique. The pastel sauce on the side was savory and a nutty, which elevated the dish a bit. GRANITA This was more of a frozen dessert fruit cup with cantaloupe granita, jackfruit, strawberries, and mangos. The mangos were definitely not in season, as they were really hard. The jackfruit tasted like it was from a can. The fruity syrup tasted artificial and strange. Unfortunately, we both did not enjoy this dessert. UBE HALAYA CHOCOLATE This dessert was more unique with an ube mousse (shaped like an egg) with dry, thin vermicelli-like noodles wrapped around like a birds nest and adorned with edible flower petals. The presentation was beautiful. The ube flavor was pretty strong and the mousse was smooth. Overall, this was quite good and definitely one of the stronger dishes of the night. While there was nothing wrong or particularly bad about the food, I did find the flavors underwhelming and unimpressive. I wasn't feeling a lot of excitement throughout the meal. My friend enjoyed the food, so it's probably more of a personal preference. Overall, it was expensive (~$85 after tax and tip) for the quantity of food received, so I'm unlikely to return.

Really enjoyed the Filipino restaurant, Purple Patch, in DC! Sign is very small so could miss…read moreeasily. Cute interior decor. Excellent service. Pinoy Cold Front No. 5 was a delicious version of an ube espresso martini! Enjoyed all the foods ordered: - ube waffle & fried chicken - ube pancakes & lechon kawali - sinagag & itlog (fried egg) & tapcilog (beef) - lumpia - fried eggplant Definitely want to dine here again when I'm back in DC!

I've been to Purple Patch in DC each time I've been here and it NEVER disappoints…read more Ube treats are a must-try here. I love the sweet breakfast options (I've had Ube French Toast and Pancakes in the past) and the savory egg platters that taste great without swimming in oil. I've also had crab torta(?) in the past, which I really enjoyed but haven't seen again since I first came like four years ago. Purple Patch is super popular, so if you don't have a reservation I'd recommend getting there right when it opens. Even about an hour after is okay. The earlier the better, though. I always have gone on a Saturday or Sunday and called beforehand to check if they had room. Parking isn't too difficult to find, but it WILL be street parking and you may need to walk 5-10 minutes to the restaurant.

This is a fantastic Filipino market with a variety of goods. Frozen Siopao, pan de sal, noodles,…read moresnacks, sauces, everything! The best part is their restaurant and drink bar. I enjoyed the sinigang, yummy. Try the ube drink with boba, super awesome.

First time at Manila Mart after having heard about it so many times and let's just say I'm…read morepleasantly surprised! I will say prepare a budget cause there's a lot to get, I ended up spending around $40 for everything I got. Let's start with the beef lumpia. It was crispy and tasted pretty good. I'm a sucker for spice so I would've loved it to be a little spicier or maybe offer some chili oil on the side. Next is the star of the show, the lechon kawaii bowl. The pork is so tender and perfectly crispy! I added garlic rice instead of the usual which was a great addition. I asked to try their vinegar sauce which comes with garlic and jalapeño in it which I found to be amazing. Lastly, the taro milk tea is heavenly, I'm still thinking about it!!! The service was friendly and because it was my first time they even offered me a coupon for the next time I come back and I will definitely be back! Plenty of indoor seating as well with a whole market inside where you can find an assortment of Filipino food, snacks, drinks, and desserts.

4.4 Stars - Overall, I am very satisfied with the clean ambience , the festive & native decor &…read moreinterior of Kababayan, the generous amount of some of the food ordered, and the friendly professional staff. It was difficult for me to give a fair rating for the food. Even though the last time I had Filipino food was 5 years ago, I have been spoiled in the past with the finest Filipino food in the world cooked by some of the finest & most humble chefs I ever met. The food at Kababayan was so so or good for my first experience in tasting their food despite being rated as the best Filipino food in the area in some reviews. Everything was well seasoned, and I was only disappointed in one entree. I was hoping to try the traditional roasted succulent lechon or Laing. Laing, is a Filipino dish of shredded or whole taro leaves with meat or seafood cooked in thick coconut milk spiced with labuyo chili, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, ginger, and shrimp paste. They both were unavailable. The food is displayed like a buffet style arrangement. You select the entrees and side when you order a combination of entrees & side dish. It would have helped to have a sign describing each entree with its name. The lady helping me in selecting entrees was very kind and went into detail of each entree. I ordered two entrees with rice and two entrees with pancit noodles. The price for two entrees with rice or noodles was $15. A fair and good price for the amount of food provided. The traditional pancit noodles & dinuguan tasted the best and were the most generous portions served to me, and were the closest to my past food experiences with these traditional Filipino foods. I would have loved some calamansi, the citrus Philippine lemon, to season my pancit. That is how I prefer my pancit. They instead provided me lemon wedges to season my pancit as an option for the calamansi though. The pancit was good and like the pancit I would eat at Filipino parties & gatherings. The dinuguan was delicious & is always an acquired taste. I like to eat it once in a blue moon. It was the first food I ate completely. The pork adobo and sweet & sour pork entrees tasted good yet I was unfamiliar with them. They didn't taste like the traditional roasted lechon pig I was accustomed to in the past. I stashed them away in glass containers in the fridge to eat later along with the pancit & chicken adobo. The most disappointing was the chicken adobo. The taste of chicken adobo was good but it was annoying to pick out the broken & chopped bone pieces out of the chicken adobo to prevent accidentally swallowing them. This restaurant is worth checking out. The entrees are always changing there. I will probably come back here again to try different foods I haven't tried.

We usually always come for lunch and food is delicious and fresh…read more Today we made a mistake of going there for dinner at 4:30. Big mistake. Everything was old, dry and cold. Event he rice was dry :( Do not come here after lunch. Only come for lunch for fresh food.

Really cozy vibes, huge variety of Filipino comfort dishes with large portions. There's also a…read morenostalgic wall of snacks and condiments for sale! The worker was super helpful and hospitable, making sure we got exactly what we want and going the extra length to bringing our food to us. Definitely stop by here if you're interested in trying Filipino cuisines, there's plenty of options to pick from!

Thank you for the meal! Great service and overall space was welcoming…read more We tried the pancit, pork adobo, lechon, and honestly everything we ordered today was AMAZING. The flavors were rich, authentic, and cooked perfectly -- you can really taste the love in every dish. The lechon was crispy and flavorful, the adobo was tender and savory, and the pancit was seasoned just right. Definitely one of our new favorite Filipino spots! We'll absolutely be back -- especially to order trays for parties and family gatherings. Highly recommend!

Ligaya's is a sleeper spot for tasty Filipino food in Wheaton. I think it is underrated and…read moredifficult to see from the street. I came here with a friend whose parents are from the Philippines to sample the halo-halo. The employee was helpful and gave me an overview of all the dishes they had on offer that day. We started out with some pork lumpia, which were crispy and delightful. I had never tried dinuguan, but was pleased to discover this pork delicacy with tender meat and a rich sauce. The pancit was another highlight. We took home a box of buko pandan for dessert. Yum! The atmosphere is comfortably casual with tables and chairs near a counter with trays of ready to eat food. There are packaged imported goods for sale at the edge of the dining area.

We randomly stopped by Ligaya, and i could not have been more happy with our results…read more Although I am not Filipino, I've had Filipino food in the past, and I thought Ligaya was pretty comparable to other Turo-Turo style places that I've visited. Ligaya offers a special of 2 entrees and a side for about $13. I'll say that the amount of food that they give probably is enough for two meals. If you are starving, Ligaya's is the place to be. The restaurant has plenty of varieties of dishes that you can try out. To be perfectly honest, it was hard for me to settle on my two entrees, but I went with the Chicken Adobo and some pork thingy (apologies for not remembering the name). While it's about a 7 minute wait, I appreciate that they freshly fry the lumpia for each order rather than frying a batch and leaving it out for hours. Tip: If you know that you are going to be in a rush, you should pre order your food. While most folks tend to do take out orders, Ligaya's does have a few small tables if you would like to dine in. Since this is the only Filipino spot that I've visited in this area, I thought the prices were pretty good compared to other local lunch take-out places. The only downside (which is not Ligaya's fault, IMO): Ligaya's is in a busy shopping center so parking can be a bit limiting...like most places in this area.

The food is SO good! I've loved everything I've tried, from the rice to the lumpia to the pork…read morebelly. Delicious, flavorful, and friendly service. The only downside is the last 3 times we've gone out to get their food from the place posted online, they've cancelled last minute. Understandable that things happen, but 3 times in a row we've had to pivot to something else on the fly. Twice they didn't post that they cancelled, we found out in the comments because people were wondering. Overall, great food when you can find them!

summary: awesome Filipino bbq spot (well it's moving because it's a food truck). Generous portion…read moresizes for the protein. Definite try! The food truck itself seems to move quite a bit. I think one of the ways to track where it'll be is to follow its social media. The food is tasty and seems to be cooked on the spot. It sometimes takes ~20 minutes for the food to come out, but it's well worth it. The meat is very tasty and tender and the portion sizes are solid (price ranges from ~15-23 dollars for the main entrees) There's not too many options in the area that serve this type of barbeque, so it's awesome to see some variety. Definitely check it out if you haven't.

The service in Kusina Pilipino is GREAT! They have a good selection of groceries, and this without…read moreany doubt is the strong point. I wouldn't worry about Ambiance because this is really a grocery store with some hot food options. The pansit is really good. Buuutttt the chicken adobo is not good at all...so disappointed. My recommendations you can get your groceries here the food is touch and go. This place earns 3 stars overall but really I would say a 4 for the groceries in stock and a 2 for the food...averages out to be a 3.

I've been to Kusina Pilipino 4 times now for lunch, and always the food is lami kaayo delicious,…read moreand I have leftovers for dinner because the portions are big. The usual staple items are there (kaldereta, adobo, menudo etc.), you can get them with rice or noodles, and it tastes just like it does in Philippines. Service is always friendly and prompt. If you ask what something is, staff will be delighted to explain what is in the dish. So, if you are new to food from the Philippines, ask. The hot food bar at the back of the grocery store is a pretty typical setup in Philippines where there is often a fooda shop next to or behind a mini-store.

Apparently the food is so good, I have forgotten to take pictures of the musubi before eating it!!…read more The salmon and spam musubi are absolutely delicious!! The extra chili sauce is a must! The service is quick and the staff are always nice and welcoming!! Located inside of Union market so sometimes it does get really busy but it's always a great option for multiple food choices!

After seeing Hiraya closed down, I was happy to see that another AAPI business opened within Union…read moreMarket. It's a mix of Filipino and Hawaiian cuisines. I decided to try the garlic shrimp musubi and pork sisig. Although the price is a bit steep for the portion size, I genuinely enjoyed my food and am interested to try more of their foods. The garlic shrimp had enough flavor where it paired nicely with the shrimp. The pork sisig and atchara were also a nice combo that made the food memorable. The business owners were nice and very encouraging for me to try all of their dishes. It felt great to support a local AAPI business near me, and I would definitely come back soon.

Somewhat upscale Italian restaurant with a large menu of fantastic dishes that come in substantial…read moreportions Both a downstairs and an upstairs for seating I came here for dinner with my family, and we tried a variety of the dishes here, all of which were fantastic. Our waitress was very friendly as well, and the food came out very quickly. It does get a little loud inside, but nothing too crazy

Came here for dinner tonight and shared a beet salad (antipasti), El padrino (pizza), and pistachio…read moregnocchi (pasta), and tiramisu + one scoop of pistachio gelato (dessert). The beet salad was amazing although a little light on beets. The buffalo mozzarella on top was delicious and we spread it over the salad like a poached egg which had a nice contrast to the bitterness of the fresh arugula base. The pizza was our favorite dish. The crust was amazing and the fresh basil really put it over the top. The gnocchi pasta was great in itself), I would have liked something to cut the cheesy/pistachio sauce/flavor a bit. Maybe a touch of tomato sauce. The tiramisu was certainly made fresh in-house (as confirmed by the server) but we actually thought the pistachio gelato (also made in the house) was the better of the two desserts. Will definitely come back here to try more items on the menu.