Elaine W.

Amazing restaurant all around! Food is excellent. Environment is cute and clean. Price is reasonable. Staff is super friendly. We got their Adobo pork, beef noodle soup, and Halo Halo. The Halo halo was best in town, simply amazing and well-made. Lots of ingredients, well worth the price. The pork was initially too salty for us, but they re-made it for us and it was perfect. The pork is super tender and well flavored, no way to make this at home. They also braise their meat freshly, which is good to know. The noodle soup dish is very unique with super tender meat. Overall highly recommend and would return.

Jann D.

I've had almost all the food on the menu and I love it! My family has ordered food and dined in. My personal favorite is the Lechon Kawali and of course the beautiful Halo Halo! The food is always yummy and authentic.

Phil S.

If you are considering Filipino food, this is seriously the best Filipino food I have ever tasted in that even even coming from my own family. The pork adobo I ate was so well marinated and so tender that I did not want each bite to end. This also goes for the halo halo which every ingredient was fresh. Even the bowl that it sits in is in a young coconut, which then you can scrape out and mix with the rest of the ingredients to eat. The service is wonderful, but it does take some time to make the food so be prepared to wait however it is worth the wait! Overall, ambience is very family, friendly and oriented. Very clean. Space you will not be disappointed. This is a must try!

JoAnne R.

We drove from Lansing to Sterling Heights for the Isla experience. The ambience is fantastic, and the space is Instagram-friendly. The owners are super friendly, and the service is great. They even surprised my mom with an ube dessert for her birthday. That was such a nice touch.

Amanda L.

Isla is genuinely one of my absolute favorite places in all of metro Detroit, as a more or less lifelong resident of metro Detroit! It is also one of those places that I can't believe I haven't written a review yet for, so I am making up for the error of my ways today, once and for all! I first discovered Isla half a decade ago when they were one of the restaurants that operated out of Fort Street Galley in downtown Detroit. I had just started a job in downtown Detroit and within that same week, discovered Isla. Ever since, I have never looked back! I would go to get lunch at least once a week (if not more!) from Isla basically every week before the pandemic hit and we started working from home. And then, for a few years while the pandemic was raging, I sort of lost all concept of time and space and realized quite belatedly that Fort Street Galley had closed during the pandemic, so by the time I went back to work in Detroit, Isla was no longer there. But no matter because from the ashes of the pandemic and from Fort Street Galley, Isla rose again and this time in metro Detroit! They are kiddy corner from H Mart in Sterling Heights on Big Beaver/Metro Parkway, so it is always the perfect place to go before or after a proper grocery shop there - it's truly the perfect afternoon! Everything on Isla's menu is so delicious! For those who don't know, Isla is a Filipino-owned restaurant comprised of truly the best Filipino food EVER! It's a husband and wife duo, with the husband being the chef and the wife being the pastry chef, so you definitely want to make sure to get a meal including dessert here - you won't regret it! They are so lovely and personable, always making sure that you're enjoying your food. Isla sometimes has odd hours or limited times where they'll accept phone call aheads, so it's best to check their websites and social media (which they are good about updating) if you can't get through one way or another. But trust that it's worth a trip, regardless of where you're coming from! They have a ton of indoor seating for you to dine in. I oftentimes will take my food to go and even though I'm located about 30 minutes away, it all holds up beautifully once I get home and reheats really well for the next day or following days too! My favorite items on the menu are their Lechon Kawali (crispy slices of pork belly over a massive bed of rice, which you can pour their dinuguan sauce all over) and the Pancit Palabok (SO much shrimp and crab over a soupy bed of rice noodles with crispy chicharron bits on top for some added texture!). The flavors in both of these dishes, and every dish on their menu, are TO DIE FOR! Their Adobo Rice is also absolutely divine and I have so many friends of mine who always will get their adobo rice meals because it's the best they've ever had as well! Isla is always coming out with limited time specials, both for their meals and desserts, so it's always worth a try because everything they've ever made is so delicious! I love trying new things each time, but I am also so tempted to return to my favorites as well (and often do) because they are some of my favorite things I've ever eaten in the area and I crave them all the time! As for desserts, again...every single dessert is DELICIOUS! A fan favorite is the ube cheesecake, which I love, but my personal favorite is the cashew sans rival! If you love meringue, you will LOVE this! The texture and flavors of the cashew sans rival is out of this world!! I truly could go on for 156 more paragraphs, but I'll try to wrap things up! Bottom line, do not sleep on Isla! You will love anything and everything you order here! I almost don't even want to publish this review because what if you all start selling out of my favorite things haha! Something to note, that I've been really wanting to try, is their Sunday brunch! The menu looks so delicious, but I haven't been able to get out there on a Sunday during their brunch hours quite yet! Hopefully SOON! In the meantime, go any time you are available and make it a priority! And tell them Amanda sent you! You won't regret it!! See you soon, Isla!!!!!!!!

Christal P.

Isla is not nearly as good as it once was when it first opened. It was always overpriced but I was willing to pay to get quality Filipino cuisine that could not be found elsewhere. My favorites were the Lechon Kawali and the Pinoy Baked Spaghetti and Wings. The prices have slightly increased and the quality has gone noticeably down. The Lechon Kawali has a lot less meat than before and the lechon slices are thinner and drier. Not worth the price or, for me, the drive. The hours are also inconvenient and sometimes the restaurant is unexpectedly closed. I don't see myself returning anytime again soon.

Bella B.

Pictures share the story. Had to try because it is the ONLY Filipino restaurant in the Detroit metro area. Food. Interesting. Different. But good flavors and textures -- varied from cruchy lechon, savory diniguan, hot soup, to cold Halo-Halo dessert. Everything were in to-go containers with plastic ware. PRICEY. Service was counter service. Kind. Not "extra" Filipino hospitality. A bothered by the "RESPECT" signage on tables. So, tips may not be expected. Ambiance. They call your number when your order is ready. So, it is a little impersonal. Small restaurant. Seats less than 30? So, make a reservation or do takeout. Overall, I would come back for the lechon.

Alyssa S.

The food was all very good! The palabok was my favorite. The sauce was flavorful and it came with a lot of shrimp and chicharron on top for an added crunch. The calamansi juice is the cherry on top to make the palabok the best. Both the owners are very friendly and attentive.

Christopher T.

I was beyond ecstatic to find a Filipino restaurant here in Sterling Heights, Michigan! Being a Bay area native, I am no stranger to amazing Filipino restaurants and home cooked meals. There was so much on the menu that I wanted to try! I decided on getting the Pork Adobo and Cashew Sans Rival for something sweet. Both were amazing, the combination of soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and garlic was very well balanced. The portions were generous and the meat was very tender. PJ and Jacquilyn were very kind. It was nice learning that PJ had Bay area roots like myself. I can't wait to try the Lechon Kawali and Chicken Inasal next! Also, they do silogs (Filipino breakfast) on Sundays!

Sofia M.

The food here is so good! Great introduction to Filipino cuisine and I need to re-visit. I had the pork adobo, and it was so flavorful, and perfect with the rice. I couldn't stop eating it, but still had leftovers for a couple days. Read: prices are worth the portion sizes you get here. Halo halo was also amazing, and refreshing. The ube and other flavors are so interesting, and it's like exactly the dessert you'd want on a summer day. Main complaint, which the restaurant can't control, is when they're busy, the remaining seating for solo diners has a big window facing the sun, so you're really in the sun when you eat. Bring your sunglasses! If you don't have sunglasses this could be very annoying but wearing mine sort of added to the ambiance, like I was on a tropical beach eating. They also must not get a lot of solo diners, since the host seemed confused at first at me walking in to eat.

Amy B.

Every time I hear the name of this restaurant, I immediately think of the song "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna. Anyway, my friend wanted to come here and check the place out and has heard good things. I've never formally had Filipino food, so I thought, why not give it a try. Walking in, the place isn't very big and has limited seating. The menu's pretty simple, in regards to only having a few dishes to choose from. We studied the menu, and I went with the Chicken Adobo and my friend went with the Pork Belly. When the food came out, the portions were HUGE, and was more than enough for two separate meals. (I still have leftovers.) I didn't try my friends dish since I don't eat pork, but my dish was absolutely fantastic! Best food I've had in a while. I was hungry anyway, but I couldn't get enough! So why 4 stars instead of 5? First, everything's plastic here. Silverware, bowls, and cups are paper. No formal settings. Secondly, they don't have fountain pop, only small cans and a juice or two. Also, there was barely any napkins at the table and we had to ask for more. Small and minor? Yes, but still annoying. I will be back here when on this side of town. Foods excellent and well worth the money. It's not cheap, but it's easily two meals and done really really well.

Vy N.

Went in here for the first time around noon on a Sunday. Immediately noticed that the restaurant is pretty small. Had four tables and then a few seats at the countertops. Half the tables had a reserved sign when we got there. Might be good to make a reservation if you can since it's limited seating. Food was very good. Got the crispy pork and then ordered off the brunch menu the beef and egg with garlic rice. The desserts looked very good so would have to come back and try those out.

Saphace A.

It's interesting to find Filipino restaurants up in Metro Detroit. But love to see it! We came to only try dessert. We got halo halo, which is a mix of shaved ice, ice cream, lychee, other toppings. This version was in an open coconut. Really refreshing to scrape off the coconut meat! Usually, its served in a bowl or a sundae glass cup. We also tried ube cake which had some sort or gelatinous coconut flavored something on top. Really light and delicious! Overall, everything was good! The halo halo is beautifully presented but slightly messy to eat if it doesn't melt a bit. Otherwise, Everything falls off it. We didn't try the main menu, but my sister had had their pancit before and enjoyed it. My sister decided to try their calamansi juice. Really fantastic! It tasted like they must've made themselves! It's not a large space inside. A handful of tables. It can seat families and large parties. But I'm sure they get folks who like to do carry out! Plenty of parking out front as well.