Roy M.

Tried Malaya Eats at the farmers market and went with the tapsilog ($18+). Let's start with the positives: the tapa portion was actually pretty solid, and both the rice and egg were cooked well. Flavor-wise, it hits the basics you'd expect. That said, the value just isn't quite there. For the price, the portion felt a bit underwhelming overall. The atchara was especially skimpy, which is a miss since it helps balance the richness of the dish. I also wish it came with two eggs, pretty standard for tapsilog and would've made it feel more complete. Biggest letdown: no vinegar available. That tangy contrast is kind of essential with tapa, so not having it really took away from the experience. Not a bad plate by any means, but for $18+, I expected a bit more attention to the details that make tapsilog shine. Solid effort, but definitely room to improve.

Kirby D.

Being Indonesian and married into a Filipino family, I think I know Filipino cuisine. Malaya is a great option if you want authentic dishes but don't want to wait for your Mom or your Auntie to cook for you. Lechon, or roast pork, is defined by the balance of crispiness of the skin, the tenderness of the meat and just the right amount of fat. I must say the lechon at Malaya is one of the consistently great Lechons I have ever had. Top shelf. Pork Adobo, a perrenial in any Filipino feast, requires a balance of flavor and tenderness. One without the other and the dish quickly becomes a "meh". For me, the pork Adobo at Malaya was a meh. The flavor was there but the meat could have been simmered longer to really pull out the tenderness. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't great. The Caldereta was quite good as well. The blend of flavors was on point. The potatoes and carrots were cooked perfectly and the beef was tender and rich with flavor. For my taste, I would preferred the "gravy" to be a bit thicker, but that is probably just a personal preference. Set in Reno's Mid-Town, Malaya has a great location, with great indoor seating but a magical outdoor patio seating area. Can't wait to come back to enjoy the patio in Reno's warm summer evenings. If you are looking for authentic Filipino dishes, Malaya is a solid option.

Lori H.

This place is wonderful! My husband and I came here because we love Filipino food. We are so pleased with this place and can't wait to go back. We didn't have reservations so we sat at the bar, which was really nice. This used to be Von Bismarck so the inside pretty much the same. It's modern, industrial vibe to it. Our waitress, Joye was also the bartender. Which was handy so we could talk with her and ask questions about everything. We ordered drinks and an appetizer and then our food which came out quickly. My husband got the pork adobo and I got sizzling pork sisig. I wanted to finish but I was getting full and I wanted to save room for their halo halo for dessert. We ordered it and I finished that... We met Arron who I'm not sure but I believe he's the owner. He was very excited about the restaurant and what's coming. Very friendly people! I highly recommend this place.

Kit A.

We loved our first visit to Malaya Eats! This restaurant is a great addition to the short list of places I frequent in town. The chicken lumpias were my favorite. The drinks are delicious--like refreshing mini trips to paradise that instantly transported me to an island vacation. The atmosphere strikes a perfect balance: relaxed island vibes with a modern, classy touch. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, even though they were very busy. The only two small things that could have made our experience even better: smaller meat bites (or a steak knife) would have helped, and I wish the shrimp paste had already been mixed into the beef kare-kare rather than having to do it ourselves. Nonetheless, we'll definitely be back soon to try more dishes and drinks!

Jim W.

Newer Filipino restaurant on Wells serving a soft opening menu of elevated Filipino-American cuisine. We tried specialty mocktails, cocktails, appetizers and two main dishes. Both the Bayabas Fizz and Olipop soda were fresh and very tasty. The chicken lumpia were quite good and the dipping sauce was sweet and spicy. Beef Kara Kara is cooked with bok choy, eggplant and green beans in a peanut sauce plus a shrimp paste on the side. The shrimp paste added a depth of flavor to the dish that it needed. Pork Adobo was mild and needed salt to make it to my liking. Being a Filipino dish I don't know if this is what should have expected or not. I chose a side of rice as the dish would be incomplete without it. For a nice portion of rice it was expensive in my opinion. Considering the soft opening the service and speed of orders should get better. It should for their sake and customers. As we sat at the bar a woman was training on mixing drinks, a good sign of things to come. The former home of Von Bismarck the space is beautiful and as weather improves outside seating will be comfortable for larger groups.

Russ M.

You know the minute walking in this is a family affair, staff are all friendly, caring about each patron's needs and it's obvious everything is prepared with love. Why then only 4 stars? The pork barbecue was overcooked making it tough & chewy. The Pancit Vegan was excellent! The pork sinigang broth was lacking depth and the pork had huge amounts of fat on it, the garlic fried rice & steamed rice were both cooked perfectly and finally for dessert the Ube and egg pies, both were delicious. Some of these issues may stem from having never tried Filipino food? Overall a very tasty experience! We will return especially once the menu expands from the limited "Soft Opening" selections.

Rae G.

So happy to finally have another Filipino restaurant in Reno! This has been sorely lacking in the community! I'm also glad to hear that this started as a food truck, so that's means they've been working their way up to have a brick and mortar location! The ambiance here is so chill and has an open air feel. They have ample space for outdoor events but their indoor dining space is on the smaller side so reservations are probably a must. However we were able to be seated at the bar area which was perfectly ok. I love how their decor has traditional Filipino touches but still has a modern feel. They're still in their soft opening era, so the menu is limited. But we were able to try a good chunk of their menu: Kare Kare, Tapsilog and Tofu Sisig. Kare Kare is a beef stew in peanut sauce, but it's not like Thai peanut, it is more creamy I think. The Tapsilog is more of a breakfast item since it is beef with egg and rice, but it still works for dinner. I would say that the Tapsilog meat is soft and tender, but more on the thinner side. But my favorite was the Tofu Sisig, which is basically a tofu skillet. I was shocked that this was my favorite because I usually order the pork version of this, but they had some creamy sauce on it that made me like it better! Of course we had to get dessert: egg pie, ube pie and ube gelato. The staff was able to inform us that they proudly partnered with other local businesses to provide us with these desserts. I believe it was Silver State Pie Co. who learned how to make the ube and egg pies and Bibo's supplied the gelato. And all were surprisingly good and nearly authentic! The pies were on the tougher side, but I suppose it could just be due to the need to refrigerate them. The ube gelato was verrry close to sorbetes, which is the ice cream in the Philippines. I also have to stop and talk about the friendly staff. This is a family owned business and everyone pitches in to help, including the children! Our food also came very quickly, so that just shows how hard working the staff is. We were welcomed with a smile and left with smiles, carrying a bit of knowledge about the new business that was blooming in front of us. I'm so excited to see how Malayà Eats grows

Sheena P.

For someone who is Filipino, I couldn't have been more excited that a place like this opened in Reno. The ambiance has the Filipino island touch to it! I tried the crispy tofu sisig (my favorite), beef caldereta, garlic rice and chicken lumpia. All were superb and a great value for what you pay!

Myrriah C.

This is a lovely spot to open a cozy restaurant and I'm very glad something is being done with this space. The decoration was beautiful and the staff so friendly. They made it a point to explain the lack of MSG and how each dish used organic sourced items. We were very excited to see Filipino food in a permanent location in Reno! To start we had the chicken lumpia and I will say the use of chicken instead of pork was an interesting choice that changed the flavor profile that you find in other spots outside of Nevada. I ordered the pork Sisig and we also ordered the beef Kare Kare The pork sisig was okay, it fell a little short of that umami flavor but was still good. What we really enjoyed was the beef Kare Kare. The sauce, stew, beef, everything about it brought a wow factor to the table that was delicious and enjoyable. There's a distinct nuttiness and sweetness that isn't overdone, complimenting the meat flavor and spices and recalling cremating a spotlight on the table for a dish we wished we had more of. I think where this spot does really well is in their cocktails and drink options. The Guava drink we ordered was amazing and I would love to explore this side of the menu further. I believe this spot has a lot of potential and I look forward to returning and trying something new. They had a set menu option that you need to order 3 days in advance and I am highly interested in trying that to get a real spread and taste of what Malaya has to offer.

Kristine C.

As Filipina, representation matters! I'm always excited to support any filipino restaurants in Reno. Ive seen them when started with the food truck. As I say, Filipino's are hard critiques especially if we all specialities that bring to our table.. Malaya means "Free". They worked hard to outsource to have a clean, sustainable high quality food. As we many inflation is high, so prices go up drastically. Why did it elevate on me? The warmth and friendliness of the restaurant, the owners and the kids have sweetest smile ever. How can you not fall inlove with that? The restaurant is small and densed, owner are excited to open that patio and outdoors. Which is exciting! The tastes of the food is to introduce it to different cultures, as I say our food can be salty, sweet and super sour and greasy. We all have different preferences. That is why always ask for condiments to adjust to the tasting. We had the ff: Pork bbq with rice: This one they hit the flavor of what feels like home, but the meat seams too hard to bite. Overall this is 4/5. Pork Sisig: I like one paired with garlic, the pork has a nice of crunchiness and the popping of the flavor in your mouth. I would say just some kick or spice on it. This 5/5. Make sure when you order this mix it right away, its like a sizzling and squeze lemon. Pancit: not on the picture, cause we starving. But it's like pancit canton style, with two different noodles. The vegetables are enough and tofu has touch semi-crunch. Garlic fried rice: perfect pair to the things we ordered. We had some strawberry lemondade drinks, pretty expensive for non- alcoholic.. Overall it's still good, I would say 3/5. because of the portion and price. We had a dessert: Ube gelato with ube stick-o's! pretty nostalgic, I love that ube is not hiding is flavor and being a star of the night. 5/5 I did try their burger back then at the food truck, I would say tastes like " burger machine" rekindling some memory. The decorations are outrageously beautifully outsourced back home.. Just feels like I'm home. When we got there it's not busy yet, we got seated on high chairs, but we asked for table cause we know we will order more food. As the night goes by, it got busier. They have no choice to let the couple sit in front of us. Poor couple they could hear our not so rated PG girly stories.. haha!! The owners reached our in my IG account, listened to my suggestions and concerns.. Greatly appreciated with that. It was a great experience to showcase my food to my non- filiipino friend.. Come check them out, they are closed on Monday and Tuesday btw:

Molly M.

Came here for lunch with my family. Right now they have limited seating inside but are planning to open their large outdoor patio area sometime in March. Their Ube creamsicle specialty drink was really good and has a unique flavor but there was a lot of ice and it was gone in 5 sips. I enjoyed their bbq chicken skewers, those were everyone's favorite amongst us. Had good flavor. The pork adobo with their garlic rice was good. I do wish they added some green onions to the rice, That's how my mom made it so maybe it's just a me problem. We also tried the chicken lumpia, they were unfortunately small and bland:( The chicken curry was cooked well and it had a bright color but lacked flavor, I think more curry and a touch of salt would help it go along way. The pancit for me was just okay, they only gave us a spoon for the dish which is not ideal to scoop noodles. Although I enjoyed the cabbage and veggies in this dish the ratio of noodles was sparse once you get through the veggies. The flavor was good. I'd like to return to try some of their other dishes:)

Nina Z.

Although I'm fairly new to Filipino food, Malaya did seem very authentic! The staff were all very friendly, the ambience, decor, and overall family vibe was great. We had the beef Kare kare and the sizzling pork sisig. I thought the flavors of the beef dish were nice with the nuttiness and well cooked beef pieces. I felt the veggies were an afterthought a bit- not cooked the nicest (would have loved a quick saute or crispiness), and there wasn't much of them. Would have also liked some contrast with acid or fresh herbs somewhere. The pork sisig was unique and tasty but definitely a bit roudy with more fatty bits of the pork belly than maybe some would be used to. There were other parts of the menu I'd be interested in coming back to try. Their cocktails seemed tasty, but as someone not very big on sugary drinks a lot didn't appeal to me. Good beer selection. Would love to come back on a warm patio day! Overall a good experience!

Julie S.

Sit at the bar. (Always) The staff is friendly will make you feel like you're family (esp Angelo). We loved the food and drink, and even got to enjoy being guinea pigs as the bar tender was testing new concoctions in front of us. The menus would be better presented near the door rather than at the cashier, where you place an order first before choosing a table. Not a big deal but could reduce wait times and confusion. We loved the garlic rice and adobo. Ask for banana ketchup to amplify your meal. Great portion sizes. Attentive lolo and lola vibes in caring for the guests. We can't wait to return after their official opening, and look forward to the decor coming straight from the Philippines! Reno needs more spots like this and more people like Angelo.