Why You Need to Go: 10/10 Approachable Authenticity: The…read moremenu feels like a genius, can't-miss collaboration. It does a brilliant job of bringing true cultural authenticity to the table in a way that is incredibly welcoming and accessible. Flawless Recommendations: Trust the staff! Every single server recommendation we tried was an absolute HIT. Immaculate Vibes: We chose to sit at the bar high tops and highly recommend it. The energy was buzzing, the service was seamless, and even the music playlist was amazing. KAYU didn't just meet the high expectations we had from social media--it completely exceeded them. We already can't wait to go back just to soak in the atmosphere again. Do yourself a favor and move this to the very top of your list! *sorry... best photos are on my wife's phone. : /

Kayu is a creative and tasty place to eat.  We love how they added a splash…read moreof color to both the cocktail menu with their ube drink and the hot chicken bao bun appetizer.    The purple bun was very appealing and the chicken was nice and juicy.  The sauce was good and we would have enjoyed even more of it and a little more heat.  The second playful dish was the kinilaw which was a mix of ceviche tuna and watermelon.  It was a trompe l'oiel as you tried to tell which cube was which.  The tuna was tasty and the watermelon nice and crisp.  In this dish, the sauce had a bit more zing and spice.  We also enjoyed the curry angnolotti but our favorite dish was the cashew kare kare   The meat was well cooked and the eggplant and the peas added to the tasty sauce.  We only wished for some rice to soak up more of the sauce. For dessert we ordered the  tsokolate which was a wonderful dark chocolate with a great smooth texture.  The space itself is playfully decorated as well and showcases some important mementos of the chefs' careers.  We look forward to finding out what other creative culinary treats await us on our next visit.

Loved our dinner here! We did everything family style. The lumpia were hot, crispy, and delicious…read more I could've eaten a whole plate! I loved the spice on the crab fat lechon- wish the portion was a tad bigger tho! The fried rice, pancit, sisig, short rib, ube pancakes, and garlic rice were also fabulous. But the star for me was the fried adobo chicken. It was flavorful, crispy, and paired perfectly with the pickled veg. The pineapple ube tres leche ended the meal on a sweet note. My mistake not realizing it didn't come à la mode only downside was that the AC wasn't running well in the downstairs seating so it was quite warm. But overall, a great place to have a great meal!

I came here for a conference. We had two big tables on the top floor in a little room just for us…read more We also had two personalized menus, one for food and one for drinks. So cute! On to the food. Absolutely delicious! Our tables had 4 big plates to share of each dish - Singkamas salad, ginataang karute, red snapper relleno, Spicy Adobo Fried Chicken, vegetarian pancit mahal, white rice, vegetarian lumpia, Brussels sprouts, short rib adobo. My favorite dish was the red snapper relleno 10/10 SO flavorful! Singkamas salad - 9/10 I loved how refreshing it tasted Ginataang karute - 5/10 I normally love mushrooms but I think the coconut flavor threw me off Spicy Adobo Fried Chicken - 10/10 So warm and crunchy and a little spicy kick Vegetarian pancit mahal - 8/10 It was good! White rice - What can I say, it was fluffy? Vegetarian lumpia - 10/10 - Crunchy and full of flavor and the accompanying sauce was perfect Brussels sprouts - 6/10 A little too cooked for my liking it tasted a little burnt. Short rib adobo - 6/10 It was so soft and tender I loved coming here and trying so many different dishes. It was also my first time trying Filipino food. Definitely recommend for big groups. Will come again next time I'm in DC!

Ok, so the girls have been following Toni on the gram for a while. So we couldn't conceivably leave…read moreMD and go back to OH without eating at Manila Mart. One thing that REALLY irritated me when we went on Monday is that they were closed ... bad on me for not checking their hours So we came back today. Briefly saw Toni come in for literally a minute as we were placing our orders, but she rushed back out. The mart is on the right side, while the cafe is on the left side with casual seating/tables. Order your food at the counter and they bring it to your table when ready. We ordered caldereta, sisig, dinuguan, BBQ pork skewers, fresh lumpia and for the sweets: Milo iskrambol, mango float, ube buchi, and because we spent over $40, I got a FREE mais con yelo! Heck yeah!! Of course, the kids loved all the sweets! They couldn't pick a favorite between all the frozen drinks: "all were sooo good!" Food was all good also! Their dinuguan was ON POINT... almost as good as mine! Will definitely be back next time we're in the area!

This was my first time here and the service was good & smooth! They even offered a great solution…read moreto a mistake I made while ordering! I ordered the sisig bowl & it was a 7/10. I will say that it was spicy. I found it hard to eat the whole bowl all at once. Note that it's also a grocery store but there are tables for you to dine in if you wanted to. Overall, I will be back :)

Eaten here so many times and don't have any pics to prove it. But if you're looking for delicious…read morelumpia for a great price then this is your spot. Love the staff always nice and welcoming. They even do catering.

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.

This time my experience here wasnt as great as my last visits. My caldereta was very dry and so was…read moremy bistek. The flavor was good it was just dry. The lumpia was very meh.

Just found this place and apparently they just opened 4 mos ago. It is an indoor seating only…read morerestaurant and has this mini store inside that has variety of Philippine products. And the star of the restaurant is the way how you can order where you can either choose from the menu or point what you like on the available options. The service was great, the staff were very personable and knowledgeable of all the things they could offer. The food was good, love their caldereta and sisig (and apparently you can ask them to make it crispy or toast). Their leche flan was creamy and right hint of sweetness. They also offer catering or pre order. Portion size feels a little small compared to other Filipino Restaurants who's doing the same combo option. Overall experience was good and we are excited to go back again.

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!

The food, service and ambiance are all amazing! Chef Maria…read morecurates delicious Filipino favorites and it is a beloved staple in Howard County and the DMV area!

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.

We got here right when it opened on a Saturday morning and tried their chicken lumpia, ahi tuna…read moremusubi and Kalua Pork Sisig rice. All were delicious and believe they were made to order because they were all so fresh! I particularly loved the ahi tuna musubi - it was a good ratio of rice to tuna. Some places pack more rice than filling and thankfully Small Kine is not one of those places. Andy was one of the team members preparing our food and was incredibly friendly. We also got to meet the owners, Vanessa and Elaine, who both clearly took a lot of pride in their food and were so kind as well. Can't wait to come back and try their Pulehu Chicken rice dish next time!

I always end up ordering the same thing whenever I come to Union Market, but today I decided to try…read moreSmall Kine, and I'm so glad I did! Everything was fresh, flavorful, and made to order. I ordered the sushi bake and lumpia, and both were absolutely delicious. The sushi bake had the perfect balance of creamy, savory, and crunchy with just the right amount of sauce, and the lumpia was hot, crispy, and packed with flavor. The sweet chili dipping sauce was the perfect finishing touch. The food came out quickly, the portions were generous, and you could tell everything was made with care. I'll definitely be adding Small Kine to my regular Union Market rotation. If you're looking to try something different, I highly recommend stopping by!

Great food Great service…read moreNice atmosphere My wife and I had dinner here at this cozy restaurant shortly after we moved here and loved this restaurant.

I loved Pacci's. We got a reservation and sat downstairs, which had a really interesting dark…read morefeeling. One thing I really appreciate is a waiter who can walk you through the menu. Our waiter did that. I asked for recommendations and he explained everything on the menu to us. Then I asked a specific question about a dish and he knew the answer immediately. He also gave us specials. I got the Orecchiette e Salsiccia -- Rapini shells with sausage. I loved it. Someone else my table got the special -- pasta with steak. The steak was cooked PERFECTLY and was wonderful. Overall, I loved Pacci's. It has a laid back family vibe yet the food is fantastic. One more thing: the neighborhood Pacci's is in is beautiful. Pacci's itself is in a very rustic nice building, right across from many beautifully painted rowhomes and brownstones.