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.

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 :)

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)

TLDR: Filipino restaurant. Pretty much the only one in Orleans. Halo Halo was good, as was the…read moreturon. My mom and I came here to get some dessert to go. I got a Halo Halo ($9.99). She got a Taho ($5.99) and we shared a Turon ($2.50). Halo Halo is a Filipino dessert that is made of shaved ice, sweet beans, jelly, poha (flattened rice), milk and ice cream. It also sometimes has flan in it, but the one at Divisoria didn't :( It was still good, but the bottom was way too sweet (I think they put syrup in it and it all sank to the bottom.) I also would have liked more jelly and more ice cream, lol. The Taho (soft tofu with syrup and sago) was ok. My mom said she liked my Halo Halo better. The sago were all clumped together. The Turon was excellent. The pastry was so crispy. The filling was banana and jackfruit. It was really good. Although we got takeout, it's a full service restaurant with lots of seating inside. No outdoor seating. Staff were courteous and friendly. We would love to return to try their main dishes. Free parking available on-site, shared with neighbouring businesses. (101)

5 out of 5 stars for: - family friendly atmosphere…read more- friendly staff - home cooking - generous portions

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!

A very unique food experience where you eat with your hands (cutlery is available if needed) and…read morethe food is on a banana leaf instead ofna plate. The platter is served on a wood board with rice, pickled cucumber and onion, plantains, and your choice of 4 items from the menu. Choices are from beef, chicken, seafood, and vegetarian (mostly tofu choices). Our server pointed out what's most popular. Excellent service, and cozy ambiance.

After months of waiting and ensuring my friends are on the same page, I finally had the chance to…read morevisit Lola's Kitchen! It was well worth the wait. Since opening their doors in Ottawa's Chinatown, Lola's Kitchen feels like home with homemade classic Filipino dishes and of course their legendary kamayan feasts to share with family and friends. Whether it's for date night or to catch up with longtime friends, the Kamayan Feast is a fun meal to enjoy since you get to eat with your hands! Served on banana leaves as your plate, you can enjoy meat and seafood dishes with garlic rice, plantains, and vegetables! The grilled stuffed fish is packed with lots of flavour and is best enjoyed with the vinegar sauce! The butter fish has a nice crisp which is accentuated with the sweetened soy sauce. The plantains are tender with enough sweetness to act as a palate cleanser alongside the carrot salad. The garlic rice has the right amount of garlic to enjoy the extra sauces and natural juices from the shrimp and meats. The service was friendly and kind during our meal which made the experience more pleasant! Be sure to make reservations ahead of time as word does spread quickly of their amazing food and experience!

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.

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 $$

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)

AMAZING EXPERIENCE EACH TIME the service is absolutly very…read moregood even they not speak english or french

T&T Supermarket is a Canadian branded Asian grocery store chain that is very similar to 99 Ranch…read moreMarket back home in the states when I am from. T&T stands for Tina & Tiffany, after the founder's 2 daughters. T&T are also the initials of 2 early investors as well. You can find this market in the same plaza as Mary Brown's Chicken & Taters with plenty of parking. I love shopping at T&T Supermarket with such a vast selection of fresh produce, seafood/ meat, dried and fresh noodles, bakery goods, teas, premade foods/ meals, etc (there is also a hot food bar you can pick from and serve yourself and pay by the weight). My husband and I stopped by this particular location this afternoon. It was pretty busy, but that was expected on a Saturday. We got our cart (requires $1 to use but you will get it back after you return it) and then went inside to shop. Coming from Montreal and shopping there earlier this week, I was surprised to find that some of the same items at this location actually cost a little more. For example, I was looking for this special Hong Kong Milk Tea bag that saw that it cost $1 more for the box than at the location in Montreal. I like that this market is clean and does not have that familiar smell that some Asian markets may have. Aisles are wide enough to navigate your cart through and each aisle is labeled accordingly to help shoppers find where they may want to shop in. During this shopping visit, my husband and I ended up purchasing a live lobster. He really wanted to get some seafood during our trip and also that the vacation rental we are staying in has a good size steamer in the kitchen and figured it would be good to cook it while we are here. For lobster and crabs, you pick the one you want and place it in one of the plastic baskets, then you can bring it up to the employee behind the seafood counter and they will weight it for you, bag it and place a price sticker on it for you. I like that there is a self check out area, as the line for that went by so much faster than the other lines. Overall, a positive experience and would frequent this location if I lived here.

I can't believe there aren't any reviews on Yelp yet for Manila Mart, as they have been around for…read moreat least 5 years, if not more. Although I think there has been a change in ownership since it first opened. They are a very small grocery store, specializing in Filipino items, but also carry other Asian groceries and within the last year or two they also started carrying African products. You can get ingredients for Filipino Buko Pandan and Nigerian Egusi soup in the same aisle, how cool is that? They have shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen items. To my chagrin, they don't carry baked goods like pandesal or any Filipino desserts like sapin-sapin :( I seem to remember that they used to, but my memory could be playing tricks on me. So they used to have a restaurant in the basement that sold Filipino food, but that restaurant has closed and the new restaurant in its place sells Caribbean food. It's called Pam Cuisine Caribbean Food (you can see my separate review for Pam Cuisine). Staff at Manila Mart are nice. I'm always greeted when I enter and I've seen them helping customers carry out their purchases to their car. For what it is, it serves its purpose, but it's really small, so can get crowded unless you go during non-peak hours. I like prepared foods and bakery items, so this place isn't for me, but if you're looking for ingredients to make your own Filipino, Asian or African foods from scratch, this place is for you. It has harder to find items that you won't find at mainstream grocery stores and while prices are a bit high, I guess that's the cost of imported goods. Free parking in the private parking lot to the side of the grocery store.