Order Manila Grill Express Takeout or Delivery
Manila Grill Express Photos
Manila Grill Express Popular Dishes
MANILA GRILL EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE
You might also consider
More like Manila Grill Express
Recommended Reviews - Manila Grill Express
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
This is a nice, casual little restaurant to grab some Filipino food. I was impressed with the menu. They have a comprehensive selection of traditional dishes to choose from. To be honest, it was a bit tricky to decide. Coming from a Filipino background myself, I opted for my favorites. My parents sometimes make these at home but I wanted to try this restaurant's take on these dishes. I noticed the servers were eager to help us. One lady had already taken our order, when another lady came to ask us again. It seemed a little disorganized to me. But in the end, our food was served in a relatively short amount of time. Our first dish was Sizzling Sisig (savory minced pork served on a sizzling plate) for $14.95. This dish was in the "Pulutan" section of the menu, meaning "a dish that you can eat if you're out drinking with your friends." Consider it an appetizer. The Sisig was served on a sizzling plate. The meat was super tender and very easy to eat. I enjoyed this! This dish went well with an order of garlic fried rice for $8.95. The bowl of rice was quite big. Definitely large enough to share. I also ordered the Crispy Kare Kare (crispy pork belly, peanut sauce and mixed vegetables) for $15.95. I was curious because my parents don't make this dish with crispy meat. I was impressed with the nicely deconstructed presentation. Usually the meat, vegetables and sauce are all mixed together. This dish was served on a long plate. The vegetables, sauce and meat were all nicely separated. This way the crispy meat doesn't get soggy from the sauce! Makes sense! Overall, I found the dishes a bit on the pricey side. My boyfriend and I had 2 dishes, one bowl of rice and one Coke (interestingly served in a disposable cup even though we dined in). The total cost was about $48. They automatically include a 10% tip for 2-4 people. Despite my opinion on the prices, I plan to come back here. They really serve quality authentic Filipino food. The menu selection was great. The portion sizes were fair. We were full from our meal and still had some leftovers to take home. I recommend this place if you want to try some Filipino food.
Manilla Grill Express, located in a strip mall near large grocery stores, a Tim Hortons and lots of other express food places. I mentioned this because Manilla Grill seems to holding it's own and thriving in the midst of chain fast food places. That should tell you something about how good it is... While I'm not an aficionado of Filipino cuisine, I'm also not a complete newbie. We were stopping in for a mid afternoon snack so it wasn't really lunch or dinner. That being the case we ordered 2 dishes and shared. All was delicious and good. The service is extremely friendly. Sometimes one can feel like an outsider at restaurants that have a lot of regulars. Not so here. Although it was our first time, several staff made a point of welcoming and inviting us back. It's just a nice feeling. I hear they are opening a new, bigger place in the west end soon. We will check that out. Lots of parking and shopping nearby.
Located in the same parking lot as Lucky Supermarket and directly across from Golden Bee BBQ HK Cafe, it's a little hidden from the streets. I didn't even know it was there and I live relatively close by! It's a pretty small restaurant, seating maybe 40 or so seats, and a long counter suggests that take-out is common for Manila Grill Express. First dish to come out was the Bicol Express, a dish highly recommended by our server. Bicol is one of seventeen regions in the Phillipines, and unlike the other regions, they enjoy a little spice in their dishes! Named after a passenger train from Manila, capital of the Phillipines, to Bicol, the idea is that you'll run like a train to find some water! Obviously there are variants, and this might have been one of them as I didn't find it too spicy at all! The sauce was coconut milk based, which was really reminiscent of Thai food. Eggplants and green beans served as the mainstay of the dish, but pieces of lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly) made the dish hearty and dangerously addictive. Yum! Two more dishes rolled out as we munched away on the Bicol Express and side orders of rice. The chicken adobo is what I would call the Phillipine's signature dish as it's the only dish that I could distinguish as Filipino. Spaniards gave this Filipino sauce the name, and coincidentally, it also uses vinegar as its European predecessor even though it was independent of its influence. In combination with soy sauce and garlic, it's a marinade used with a pork or chicken. I was a little underwhelmed by the dish and wasn't quite sure if that's Manila Grill Express' fault or just the overall cuisine. It tasted quite simple to me, even with the vinegar as a prominent flavor. The meat platter was a better success, a combination of grilled chicken, pork and beef. Our favorite was the pork, nice and tender, and very similar to Vietnamese grilled meats found in vermicelli bowls. The side of spinach that came along with the meats were I think more for decor, as the salsa was overly seasoned, even for my salty palate. The pièce de résistance arrived last, a whole deep-fried pork leg, "crispy pata". Oh boy. We were so perplexed on how to tackle it that our server took it to the back to cut it for us. We must have been really obvious! Delicious! Not one bit of this was healthy at all, but mmm, you can't go wrong with a deep-fried pork leg! Similar seasoning as the deep-fried pork belly of the Bicol Express, but clearly less fat. While my friend Jody and I were humming and hawing away through dinner, the restaurant filled up just as quickly as it emptied thereafter. Most were Filipinos, which is always a good sign. I've read that as a culture they don't dine out as much, preferring to have homecooked meals and hosting big family dinners instead. Lots of take-out orders as well. Seemed like almost every table ordered the crispy pata, a family favorite! I'd like to think we ate at least half of what we ordered but that's an exaggeration. There was a lot of leftovers for the both of us! That didn't stop Jody from wanting to try the Halo-Halo though, a dessert of shaved ice, evaporated milk, green beans, sweet potato, and taro ice cream. There's a good reason why the direct translation means "mix-mix". Not entirely new to me, as Vietnamese desserts are quite similar with a mix of ice, evaporated mix, a jello or tapioca of sorts, and green bean, but the sweet potato really threw me for a loop. It looked beautiful though, served in a to go cup, probably a hint to us that we ordered too much! The dessert was not overly sweet, creamy, and bits of perfectly cooked sweet potato actually turned out really well! The taro ice cream was a great top off and this was a great way to end our meal. Good call Jody. We were so engrossed with the dessert and chatting that by the time we were done, we realized we were the last table there. They close at 8pm, and we were there well pass the time and nobody had told us! Our server was so kind and super helpful. Service was excellent as she regular checked up on our table. An open kitchen showed us their clean up for the night. Thank you for the great hospitality Manila Grill Express! Overall impression? Filipino cuisine is quite simple, they like meat, it's not spicy like Thai food, and they do not use chopsticks. You learn so much from eating new things! Would I return? Most definitely. That Bicol Express was delicious and the grilled pork easily rivals their Vietnamese counterparts. And you can't forget the deep-fried pork, although the leg should probably be saved for tables more than 2. I will definitely be back, with either Joe or my family in tow. I've got a long way to go before I can say I know what Filipino food is, but at least I got a good start at Manila Grill Express!
staff: family run business. Servers are friendly and helpful with suggestions. service: it was not busy - we might have come after the lunch rush. Server checked in often, she took our orders quickly and food came out relatively quick. establishment: nice open space with bright light. Lots of tables. Lots of parking outside. food: I have never had Filipino food other than the food made by friends. I was pleasantly surprised. Great portions - we had left overs! Good flavour. The dishes we ordered were not spicy but did have good flavours. read more
Wow. What an amazing experience! The service was great and the food was outstanding. The restaurant itself is a little hole-in-the-wall place located in a strip-mall just off 127th. The interior isn't bad, but it seems like take-out is more of a priority than dine-in. It was kinda middle-of-the-road when it came to dining atmosphere. The food, however, was fantastic. I ordered the peanut pork Kare Kare. The pork was golden crispy on the outside, but melted in your mouth in the inside. While it wasn't lean by any stretch of the imagination, the discerning food lover will know that fat=flavour. The sauce was a sweet and savoury peanut sauce mixed with vegetables. It went well with both the pork and the massive "side" of rice I ordered. My son ordered the coconut pork Bicol Express served with beans and eggplant. It had a flavour similar to a very mild Thai green curry, though the Filipino coconut was pink in colour. The vegetables and the sauce were incredible and also went very well with the rice. The pork was lean and crispy and highlighted the dish. There is so much more on the menu that I would like to explore and I'll definitely be back. read more
4 years ago
This is a nice, casual little restaurant to grab some Filipino food. I was impressed with the menu. They have a comprehensive selection of traditional dishes to choose from. To be honest, it was a bit tricky to decide. Coming from a Filipino background myself, I opted for my favorites. My parents sometimes make these at home but I wanted to try this restaurant's take on these dishes. I noticed the servers were eager to help us. One lady had already taken our order, when another lady came to ask us again. It seemed a little disorganized to me. But in the end, our food was served in a relatively short amount of time. Our first dish was Sizzling Sisig (savory minced pork served on a sizzling plate) for $14.95. This dish was in the "Pulutan" section of the menu, meaning "a dish that you can eat if you're out drinking with your friends." Consider it an appetizer. The Sisig was served on a sizzling plate. The meat was super tender and very easy to eat. I enjoyed this! This dish went well with an order of garlic fried rice for $8.95. The bowl of rice was quite big. Definitely large enough to share. I also ordered the Crispy Kare Kare (crispy pork belly, peanut sauce and mixed vegetables) for $15.95. I was curious because my parents don't make this dish with crispy meat. I was impressed with the nicely deconstructed presentation. Usually the meat, vegetables and sauce are all mixed together. This dish was served on a long plate. The vegetables, sauce and meat were all nicely separated. This way the crispy meat doesn't get soggy from the sauce! Makes sense! Overall, I found the dishes a bit on the pricey side. My boyfriend and I had 2 dishes, one bowl of rice and one Coke (interestingly served in a disposable cup even though we dined in). The total cost was about $48. They automatically include a 10% tip for 2-4 people. Despite my opinion on the prices, I plan to come back here. They really serve quality authentic Filipino food. The menu selection was great. The portion sizes were fair. We were full from our meal and still had some leftovers to take home. I recommend this place if you want to try some Filipino food. read more
Manilla Grill Express, located in a strip mall near large grocery stores, a Tim Hortons and lots of other express food places. I mentioned this because Manilla Grill seems to holding it's own and thriving in the midst of chain fast food places. That should tell you something about how good it is... While I'm not an aficionado of Filipino cuisine, I'm also not a complete newbie. We were stopping in for a mid afternoon snack so it wasn't really lunch or dinner. That being the case we ordered 2 dishes and shared. All was delicious and good. The service is extremely friendly. Sometimes one can feel like an outsider at restaurants that have a lot of regulars. Not so here. Although it was our first time, several staff made a point of welcoming and inviting us back. It's just a nice feeling. I hear they are opening a new, bigger place in the west end soon. We will check that out. Lots of parking and shopping nearby. read more
7 years ago
Located in the same parking lot as Lucky Supermarket and directly across from Golden Bee BBQ HK Cafe, it's a little hidden from the streets. I didn't even know it was there and I live relatively close by! It's a pretty small restaurant, seating maybe 40 or so seats, and a long counter suggests that take-out is common for Manila Grill Express. First dish to come out was the Bicol Express, a dish highly recommended by our server. Bicol is one of seventeen regions in the Phillipines, and unlike the other regions, they enjoy a little spice in their dishes! Named after a passenger train from Manila, capital of the Phillipines, to Bicol, the idea is that you'll run like a train to find some water! Obviously there are variants, and this might have been one of them as I didn't find it too spicy at all! The sauce was coconut milk based, which was really reminiscent of Thai food. Eggplants and green beans served as the mainstay of the dish, but pieces of lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly) made the dish hearty and dangerously addictive. Yum! Two more dishes rolled out as we munched away on the Bicol Express and side orders of rice. The chicken adobo is what I would call the Phillipine's signature dish as it's the only dish that I could distinguish as Filipino. Spaniards gave this Filipino sauce the name, and coincidentally, it also uses vinegar as its European predecessor even though it was independent of its influence. In combination with soy sauce and garlic, it's a marinade used with a pork or chicken. I was a little underwhelmed by the dish and wasn't quite sure if that's Manila Grill Express' fault or just the overall cuisine. It tasted quite simple to me, even with the vinegar as a prominent flavor. The meat platter was a better success, a combination of grilled chicken, pork and beef. Our favorite was the pork, nice and tender, and very similar to Vietnamese grilled meats found in vermicelli bowls. The side of spinach that came along with the meats were I think more for decor, as the salsa was overly seasoned, even for my salty palate. The pièce de résistance arrived last, a whole deep-fried pork leg, "crispy pata". Oh boy. We were so perplexed on how to tackle it that our server took it to the back to cut it for us. We must have been really obvious! Delicious! Not one bit of this was healthy at all, but mmm, you can't go wrong with a deep-fried pork leg! Similar seasoning as the deep-fried pork belly of the Bicol Express, but clearly less fat. While my friend Jody and I were humming and hawing away through dinner, the restaurant filled up just as quickly as it emptied thereafter. Most were Filipinos, which is always a good sign. I've read that as a culture they don't dine out as much, preferring to have homecooked meals and hosting big family dinners instead. Lots of take-out orders as well. Seemed like almost every table ordered the crispy pata, a family favorite! I'd like to think we ate at least half of what we ordered but that's an exaggeration. There was a lot of leftovers for the both of us! That didn't stop Jody from wanting to try the Halo-Halo though, a dessert of shaved ice, evaporated milk, green beans, sweet potato, and taro ice cream. There's a good reason why the direct translation means "mix-mix". Not entirely new to me, as Vietnamese desserts are quite similar with a mix of ice, evaporated mix, a jello or tapioca of sorts, and green bean, but the sweet potato really threw me for a loop. It looked beautiful though, served in a to go cup, probably a hint to us that we ordered too much! The dessert was not overly sweet, creamy, and bits of perfectly cooked sweet potato actually turned out really well! The taro ice cream was a great top off and this was a great way to end our meal. Good call Jody. We were so engrossed with the dessert and chatting that by the time we were done, we realized we were the last table there. They close at 8pm, and we were there well pass the time and nobody had told us! Our server was so kind and super helpful. Service was excellent as she regular checked up on our table. An open kitchen showed us their clean up for the night. Thank you for the great hospitality Manila Grill Express! Overall impression? Filipino cuisine is quite simple, they like meat, it's not spicy like Thai food, and they do not use chopsticks. You learn so much from eating new things! Would I return? Most definitely. That Bicol Express was delicious and the grilled pork easily rivals their Vietnamese counterparts. And you can't forget the deep-fried pork, although the leg should probably be saved for tables more than 2. I will definitely be back, with either Joe or my family in tow. I've got a long way to go before I can say I know what Filipino food is, but at least I got a good start at Manila Grill Express! read more
12 years ago
I love filipino food... The only time I get to eat it is when I visit my parents or go to family parties. I am kind of glad I only get to eat it once in awhile because it is very rich, rich in flavor, smell, texture, and fat. It's really good food trust me. I came here when they first open and since I moved to the south end I've always wanted to come back. I only come to the north end to visit my family so it defeats the purpose of going out for filipino food. Well I decided I was going to come today and I was hungry. O my were they busy. It's a small restaurant so there are limited tables and you are definitely going to have to wait till someone leaves to get seated. I waited I didn't care. They don't serve alcohol which is good because I bet ppl would over stay. I decided on an orange juice and my companion had a diet coke (they ran out of regular coke). Our server was an older filipino lady who was very kind and patient. I don't know how they are able to handle the rush, it was insane I felt bad so I didn't care about the slow service. We decided on bicol express, lechon kawali, a pork dish (I can't remember the name), and rice. It smells so good and I was sooo hungry. It took a bit for our food to come out but when it did omg it was yummy. The lechon kawali came out and it was crispy and the pork had just the right amount of saltiness. I always use the mang Tomas sauce but they provide soy/vinegar dip. The pork dish ( I think it's pinakbet) was okay, the last time I came it tasted alot better so I don't know whether it was just me or they changed the recipe. Then the bicol express .. yummy! The veggies were cooked perfectly and with the coconut milk mixed with bagoong (I can't spell, it's shrimp paste) made it sweet and salty with a light purple color. I love it! I love this stuff seriously, it reminds me of home that's it and that's all. I'll be back. read more
8 years ago
10 years ago
4 years ago
12 years ago
7 years ago
11 years ago
9 years ago
13 years ago
11 years ago
10 years ago
12 years ago
10 years ago
More info about Manila Grill Express
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
2 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
2 years ago
9 years ago
