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Kain Tayo

4.6 (26 reviews)
Updated over 3 months ago

Kain Tayo Filipino Restaurant Photos

KAIN TAYO ATMOSPHERE

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Brian S.

Uber friendly family owned and operated Filipino Restaurant in quaint Trenton, Illinois. Kain Tayo means "Let's Eat!", and they make sure you don't go away hungry. It's squeaky clean and has a nice inviting atmosphere in an old building on the main street in Trenton. Expect Randy, one of the owners, to greet you and his Mom to bring the food to your table. I confessed to Randy that I wasn't familiar with Filipino food, so to just bring me something as a newbie to their cuisine. He brought the Adobo Chicken, which is chicken braised in garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorn and bay leaves along with steamed rice and Lumpiang. The chicken was a very generous portion and silly me, I asked for a knife. I didn't need one as it was as tender as could be. My only wish was that it came with something green, a veggie or something, but there were lots of other dishes that had some green, so it was obviously just the recipe. The rice was also a generous portion and done perfectly. The Lumpiang were very tasty and the chili dipping sauce accented them nicely. While not crowded on a Tuesday at lunchtime, Randy told me they often sell out on weekends, so plan accordingly. This is the kind of place where you go when you want to try something different, but either don't know what, or are afraid to venture out. But do give them a try, and I think you'll go back. I know I will.

Danielle W.

I can't even begin to explain the incredibly random circumstances that led us to find this incredibly small, incredibly local gem! In what is my first official Filipino experience, we made the pilgrimage from St. Louis proper roughly 45 minutes east to a small town in Illinois. What is it worth the drive? YES A family run business, you are greeted with smiles from every member of the staff as soon as you walk in. The chef is hard at work in the back, so the younger staff run back-and-forth asking how you're doing and what you need. We were fortunate enough to go with are very good Filipino friends, so we followed their lead when it came to ordering. It felt like we got one of everything on the menu, and not a single dish disappointed! From smoked pork belly, to garlic fried rice, to bigol, to glass noodles, to egg rolls - I should have worn my stretchy pants to eat it all. And THEN came the massive dessert! The halo halo was " everything and the kitchen sink" :) it wasn't wrong. We should've skipped lunch to be able to finish it, but already looking forward to the next trip!

Gregg T.

After a year of not eating out due to COVID, my first in restaurant meal was at Kain Tayo in Trenton, IL. While it was 40 minutes from St Louis City, the drive was worth it! My Filipino wife and I give Kain Tayo 5 Stars and we are very picky! The Staff is sweet and hospitable and the food is authentic and cooked to order. I ordered dinuguan and was blown away by how good it was. They have a very extensive menu and you can order ahead and pick up if you like. I suggest you get there!

Lechon Kawali
Dejori S.

For me not being a Filipino, I felt so welcomed. The workers were so kind and diligent and the food was AMAZING! Such a family oriented environment filled with delicious food and great vibes! Will be coming back!

Excellent Food and Family !
lee c.

This hidden little gem is a must try ! The food was full of wonderful flavors and textures. We tried a good amount of selections from the menu everything was tasty and well presented. Randy and Rosalee were awesome host's. Going back for Saturday BBQ ! Can't wait.

Filipino pork skewer barbecue, Java rice, pancit bihon, macaroni salad, lumpia
Daniel S.

Saturday Specials = did not disappoint! Also, the staff satisfied my sweet craving with their exceptional HALO HALO! Topped of course, with Magnolia Ube Ice cream... in order to absolutely TASTE this Filipino dessert, YOU MUST MIX IT UP; and thus, halo-halo - (pronounced Ha lou-ha lou)

Paolo B.

Kain tayo or Let's eat in english is the first authentic Filipino restaurant in the St Louis/ Southern Illinois region. The chef makes sure that each dish is prepared with care. They don't modify the dish to make it "Americanized" so to speak. They want you taste it like how it's cooked in Manila. This is a good way to introduce your palate to the taste of the Far East. Dishes like Adobo and Pancit brings back memories when I was in Subic. I would also recommend their native desserts.

Krish K.

I was able to try this place out when i went on leave to visit home on 4/28/19. Ended up it eating here every day my whole trip ! Service was awesome and the owners were super friendly & accommodating to customer needs. If you want to try authentic filipino food this place is where's it at! They have a revolving menu with different options everyday so be sure to get there early as choices do sell out . I definitely would recommend the chicken and pork adobo.

Crispy Kare-Kare

Wonderful multigenerational family restaurant. Kain Tayo is mere 7 miles outside of Lebanon on old RTE 50. Food is made to order by the owner/chef. She happily modifies a meal according to one's wishes. My friend ordered Sisig which is usually served spicy hot. She requested a milder version which was no problem. I had the crispy Kare-Kare --- wonderful. Every one there was lovely. We tried the Pilipino juice which tastes like lemon with a lime lingering taste. We liked that, too. We will definitely be back. We want to try the bbq meals on a Saturday. If you do not go, you are missing a treat.

Chicken afritada and chicken bbq

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

Business is closed they mover somewhere in St. Louis. When open it was good just not fast.

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

Amazing food and such a great addition to the area. Will be back again for sure! Hope you give this place a try..

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

Everything was Great!! The foods Delicious n Everyone is so Warm n Friendly!! I'll be back soon and often!!

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7 years ago

OMG this place is AMAZING! Fresh Filipino food made to order. Had the chicken curry and lumpia. I will be coming back ASAP.

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Ask the Community - Kain Tayo

Manileno - Upstairs dining room

Manileno

4.6(59 reviews)
30.3 mi•Tower Grove South

We got to try Manileno for Sunday brunch and it was delicious!…read more We had the Pan Demonyo and Shish Kabobs. The Ube bun for the Pan Demonyo was fresh and soft. The slightly sweet bun perfectly paired with the pork meat. The Shish Kabobs were perfectly seasoned and grilled. For drinks we had the Bunko Pandan latte and their strawberry cheesecake latte. Both the drinks were perfectly balanced and wasn't too sweet. We went for a late brunch and ended up missing out on their delicious pastries. Looking forward to being back and trying the rest of their menu. The service was prompt and this place is great for larger groups as well.

Finally, a Filipino restaurant in Saint Louis!…read more I read about this place, went to bed and the next day, we came for dinner because I was THAT excited and the reviews have been great. We've only tried the restaurant side but one of these days, I will try their cafe and the many offerings. They were busy when we came, had a huge party but they were able to seat us right away. The place was lovely with space to lounge around in the sofa. We started with some lumpiang Shanghai. While that didn't blow me away, the rest of our meal did. I had the pork adobo and my husband ordered the pancit. The serving is enough for 2 people but it was a great way to try different things and have some leftover for the next day. I had both leftovers. The pancit was really good. Not dry and not oily either, just right. Staff were friendly and pleasant. I can't wait to come back!

Photos
Manileno - Menu

Menu

Manileno - Menu

Menu

Manileno - Menu

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Menu

The Fattened Caf. - Ube banana pudding

The Fattened Caf.

4.9(152 reviews)
29.3 mi•Gravois Park

First time here! It's been in my list for a while and glad I finally got around to it. The staff…read morewas so helpful assisting me with recommendations. The ambiance was so cute too :) I LOVED my BBQ chicken. It was super flavorful. It paired well with the rice. I tried my partner's adobo chicken and it was good too. Much more on the umami side than the BBQ, which I would consider sweeter. The sausage was too spicy for me but it had a lot of great flavors.

I must say, walking inside does give a bit of a Filipino-style feel, especially when seeing the…read morepeacock and bamboo woven chairs + decor that reminded me of home. The owners are very approachable and could immediately recognize us as Filipinos when we were sitting and eating there. The restaurant reminds me of a "fancier" Filipino style like you see in big tourist spots in Boracay. I do admit, the wait is a bit long as we were waiting for almost 30 minutes for our food to arrive. However, I feel like the complaints about it from other reviews are ridiculous since this place isn't considered fast food, but cooked with love. I mean- when I was living in The Philippines, everyone has patience of a saint, especially when it comes to food so I do not see the wait time as an issue. It's not served immediately like karinderya style. I ordered the Filipino-style chicken BBQ and I'd like to say that it's so delicious and flavorful. However, it doesn't remind me of home. I do want to point out to definitely ask for tuyo kalamansi with chili for the dip if you're not a fan of vinegar. I was told it was homemade by the owner and it did not disappoint. The pork BBQ that my father ordered was a bit too hard for his liking, as Filipino meat tends to be on the softer side. The ube banana pudding is also yummy, however, it is way too sweet for our liking. I'd like to point out that Java rice is so good that I think that it isn't enough for a Filipino like me and I personally don't want to pay for another cup of Java rice. There were more sides than rice tbh. I was also a bit bummed that halo-halo isn't in the menu at all, With that being said, I feel like the food and desserts here are mostly catering the American palette, but it would be good for people who has never tried Filipino food.

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The Fattened Caf. - Upstair's Seating

Upstair's Seating

The Fattened Caf. - Collared Greens Laing

Collared Greens Laing

The Fattened Caf. - Menu

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Filipino Bakery Cafe & Market - The catering area

Filipino Bakery Cafe & Market

4.1(82 reviews)
40.9 mi

I was in town for a volleyball tournament and stopped to pick up a takeout order from a neighboring…read morespot when I stumbled upon this gem. As soon as I walked in, there was a one-man band playing guitar, freshly prepared food by the counter, and shelves filled with bakery items--it had such a welcoming atmosphere. The staff were incredibly friendly. I decided to order some lumpia to go, and while they were preparing it, I took some time to browse the bakery and market section. I ended up grabbing several bag of chips and a slice of cake as well. The lumpia were perfectly crispy with great flavor, and the cake was incredibly moist. Next time I'm back in town, I definitely want to try the ube bread!

I really wanted to love this place. We recently moved from SoCal, so having Filipino comfort food…read morenearby felt reassuring especially on a night when I didn't feel like cooking. I know it's hard to compare restaurant food to home-cooked meals, and I wasn't expecting to be wowed. "Mid" would've been fine, but unfortunately, this fell below that for us. We ordered the menudo, chicken adobo, bangus, and lechon. Both the menudo and chicken adobo were noticeably sweet and not in a subtle way. The bangus only came as half with the combo (I'm not sure if that's standard), which was a bit disappointing since I'm used to getting a whole bangus. The lechon had a slightly off taste possibly from the oil used. I ended up cutting it up and putting it in the air fryer, which helped a bit, especially with Mang Tomas. My kids were excited for the ube bread, but there was barely any ube. Thankfully, I had ube jam at home to add more. That said, I'm still glad this restaurant is here representing the Filipino community. It's wonderful that they host gatherings and bring people together. I do think there's room for improvement, especially when it comes to showcasing Filipino food well for those who may be trying it for the first time.

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Filipino Bakery Cafe & Market
Filipino Bakery Cafe & Market
Filipino Bakery Cafe & Market - Inside

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Inside

Kain Tayo - filipino - Updated May 2026

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