To eat at Perla is to surrender yourself to an absolute feeding frenzy. This is one of those places that does a small number of things, does them all drool-inducingly well, and doesn't both with much else. You go to Perla and get the Perla meal, just like you would at, say, Marrakesh. But you get that because they know the kitchen knocks it out of the park. What is the Perla meal? Garlic rice, vegetables in a light, non-spicy "curry" sauce, lumpia, wonderfully tender roasted chicken leg/lechon manok, a massive hunk of bone-in pork, a whole fish, and desert. It's all laid out on the table in front of you, with the rice topped with the vegetables and then everything else laid on. And then you use your bare hands to just tear into it and gorge yourself. Obviously this isn't something to go to with people you've just met, given the utensil-less nature of the experience. But with close friends or a partner you're not trying to impress with decorum, this is a highly rewarding feast. I found that, as I went, I really was in something of a frenzy, reaching out and pulling back something delicious to stuff my mouth with with the aplomb of someone who'd just wandered in out of the desert not having eaten a real meal in a few days. Everything they brought out him for me, but if I'm assigning highlight status, I'd give it to the chicken, rice, vegetables, and fish. I was also pleasantly surprised that the desert was a chilled mousse and almond slivers, rather than popular Filipino desert standard halo halo, which I've never really developed much fondness for. read more

Set menu , Food was good but nothing memorable or anything worth coming back for in the future . Great experience with eating on a banana leaf table serving but the food lacks any wow factor . Good but not great . Table for 4 seating came to $200 before any tip . I think it's way way overpriced for what you're getting in a meal . If you want a corky experience and don't mind the food just being just ok , then come . read more

A gem! I came here in a group of six for the Kamayan experience, and it did not disappoint. The food was incredible, and I loved eating with my hands. I'm usually not a big fan of rice, and I loved the rice here. The chicken was my favorite, although the fish was great too. It's a whole fish, so beware of bones. My only complaint is that there was too much food, and I have no self control and ate too much. At $48/person, it's not a bad deal, but I'd rather pay less and eat less. Also, the food was a bit salty. Other than that, I highly recommend coming here with a large group to try the Kamayan menu. read more

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Authentic Kamayan Filipino food from Perla (eat with hands on banana leaves!) Reservation required, chef-designed fixed menu, ma changed seasonally. The chicken and fish are very fresh and juicy, the chicken juice was literalist dropping down while we tear the chicken thigh apart. The portion of it is huge, it looks not many but all of us were so full and had to ask for boxes as we can't finish them all. Totally worthy experience and its fun eating with your hands only! (You can also ask for forks if you want) Please let them know if you have any food restrictions. Around $48 per person before tips and taxes. The ingredients included in the meal when I visit: SINANGAG jasmine rice, garlic CHICKEN INASAL meyer lemon and soy marinade FRIED PORK lechon kawali or crispy pata LUMPIA ground pork, carrots, onions, ginger FISH whole fried Pompano PINAKBET eggplant, long beans, bokchoy DESSERT chocolate coconut budino read more

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It was my first time having Filipino cuisine. It was a great experience. The waiter was very detail oriented and explained the full menu. The dessert was underwhelming comparing to the whole meal. The interior was neat with nice furnishings. read more

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Oh my mouth watering gosh! This place is just out of this world amazing!! We got a reservation here for 6 people on a Friday night. I do suggest getting a reservation because it was really packed when we got there. Our group ordered the kamayan, and the way the put the food out was such a great experience. They first have banana leaves laid out. Next someone comes with cooked rice and place it on the middle of all the leaves in a long straight line. Next the curry and vegetables are served on top. Then the put fish, chicken, pork belly and lumpia. They also have three different types of sauces. The food was amazing!! Everyone was too busy eating to even have a proper conversation. Every bite was so flavorful and fulfilling. Everyone is our group ate with their hands but they do offer utensils. Also it is byob so you can have your favorite drink with your now favorite meal. I think this will be the new place I take all the people who come visit us in Philadelphia. read more

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I came here for a friends birthday. It was a pretty big party, 11 girls and we were the last tables there. We didn't feel rushed or anything. The service was ok. Some of the food was pretty good, seasoned well. We had the Kamayan set dinner. The reason for my three star was the chicken. It was seasoned well, not going to lie but it was raw We maybe had like 5 pieces of chicken and all five was raw. I ate almost half of my chicken and then saw that it was pink. My sister also ate half of hers and towards the center we saw that it was completely raw. I was so disappointed. I was more disappointed at how the server just acted like it was no big deal and collected all of our chicken to cooked it some more. No apologies or anything. BUT I will give it to them the food was good. Hopefully you don't get raw chicken =\ read more

Perla - Raw chicken - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Service was excellent. The way everything runs including the pre fixed menu and where the restroom was located was explained in detail. Ambiance was great. I like being able to look into the kitchen. Of all the Filipino food I have ever had, I would say it was average. The garlic rice is not the best I have ever had. Could have had more flavor. It was also cooked too dry. The pork was near the ankles. I think they could have picked a meatier section that could still be less fatty than the belly. The fish was not my favorite type of fish I have had in other Filipino restaurants. The vegetables were cooked great. Though I love the way Filipinos cook Kang Kong, which is water spinach. The best meat was the chicken. It was super moist, flavored perfectly, and skin crispy roasted. The chicken was by far the best item on the table. Next to that the pandesal (bread). Everything comes out super hot, but also cools kind of fast especially the lumpia which could have also been rolled tighter with more flavor. The experience was awesome. Never had an experience like that before eating off of the table. The dessert was also good. $50 is a good price. The price on the reservation site needs to be updated - still says $45. A couple steps to go up into the restaurant, so not totally accessible. There is one single unisex restroom, which seems accessible. I would come back for the table experience, but would rather just order the chicken. read more

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EVERYONE HAS TO COME AND TRY! Perla doesn't just serve amazing food, they offer an experience of bringing people together to fellowship. Everyone from our party was amazed and at awe by both the presentation and the taste of the food. Make sure you make a reservation on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night for the Kamayan feast. (A bit of history, the Kamayan feast is actually a feast that only happens during special occasions like the new year). It's really cool that the owner is not only sharing great food but also his traditions with his guests. Everything is served on banana leaves (not plates) and guests are recommended to eat with their hands (utensils are offered upon request). The bread was so warm and fluffy. A great starter. Then the garlic fried rice was poured onto the banana leaves. Then the coconut curry vegetables in all it's sweet creamy coconut goodness was layered on top of the rice. Which was then topped with the fish, chicken, pork, and spring rolls. By the time you dig in, the garlic rice already soaked up the creamy coconut curry goodness. Everything was good by itself but even better together. We even had leftovers so we can continue enjoying the food later. I can't wait to go back! read more

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I've been here a couple times and it does not disappoint. The food pictured is meant to be for 2 people for an idea of portion size. Each time I've come away with a hefty amount of left overs so it's well worth the price. The flavors really compliment each other and are so well balanced, this is one of my favorite places. I would recommend a reservation if you're going on the weekend it did get rather packed, but for good reason! read more

Perla - Lumpia, Pandesal, Garlic Fried Rice, Lechon Kawali, Chicken Inasal, Pinakbet, Fish, - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Perla is not just good food, but it's a dining experience. The menu is prix fixe with rice, pork belly, fish, chicken, veggies and more, all to be eaten with your hands on a giant banana leaf that serves as both a table cloth and plate. The restaurant is on the smaller side and pretty standard looking, but the food really brings the place to life. And not only is the food exceptional, but it's BYOB. Can't wait to return! read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Such an interesting and fun place to go for a date, special occasion, or just for a fun experience!! The food was incredible, but the experience of this restaurant is equally exciting. Dinner ended up being $60 for both myself and my friend (including the tip). And it was well worth it. We were served some warm bread to start our meal while we waited. They have a bathroom just off the dining area that appeared very clean and was perfect for preparing to eat. While the style of this meal is to eat with your hands, they do offer utensils if you would like. But Id say my favorite part was being able to eat with my hands lol. This place serves a set menu each night, so be sure to make them aware of any allergies so any adjustments can be made for you. They also provide a variety of sauces for you to try with everything. All the meats were cooked very well, and each item was seasoned perfectly. The chocolate dessert was very interesting. It was not overly sweet, but I felt like it topped off the meal very well. What I appreciated a lot was that the dining area was quite small, but they keep the music volume low so it actually wasnt hard to converse with my friend across from me. Pictured is a before and after of us eating read more

Perla - garlic rice, egg rolls, half chicken, pork belly, Whole Fried Pompano, sauces. Not pictured: warm bread, Chocolate Coconut dessert - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Worth all the hype! I've been eyeing this place for awhile now and my friend who loves Filipino food was in town so ofcourse I made reservations! I made reservations a month in advance which I'm glad I did! When you first walk in the place is very small with only a few tables. We checked in and they had our table ready for us. The menu is a prefix menu for $48. We first got this salty and savory roll. Then the garlic fried rice, assorted vegetables in coconut milk and fried pork lumpia. Now to the meats! We got a whole fish to split between the two of us, chicken and fried pork belly. There are three different sauces that were given to us to make our proteins and vegetables taste even better! Traditionally the meal is eaten with your hands. So we dug right in! Garlic rice - delicious, fried fish - salty and crunchy, vegetables - great flavor and melt in your mouth, the fried pork belly - was crispy and alittle dry but with the sauces brought out flavor of the meat. Chicken was juicy and also had great flavor! For dessert we got this chocolate coconut mousse which was a nice and light finish to our meal. It was so much food my friend and I got to go boxes with plenty of food leftover! Overall great meal. Would def. Bring other friends here in the future read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

What an amazing experience! This was my first time trying Filipino food, and wow is this an underrated cuisine in America! I don't know why there aren't more Filipino Restaurants out there! We started off with a sweet piece of bread that was served to us, this was very delicious, but I would save it for during the meal. When the family style meal game out... I was in awe: garlic fried rice, vegetables cooked in coconut milk, lumpia, fish, pork belly, and chicken, all served with three different sauces on top of banana leaves that covered the table! Everything tasted so fragrant and fresh! The fish was nice and meaty, and paired well with their soy sauce sauce that they made with tomatoes and onion. The pork belly was nice and fatty and literally melted in your mouth, this paired best with the vinegar and Thai chili sauce that they had since the vinegar cut through the fat nicely. Lastly, the chicken was the star of the show! I don't know what they do to make it so juicy, but it was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating it! This paired best with the soy sauce sauce as well! The lumpia had a nice crisp to it, as it was lightly fried and filled with meat! This paired best with the ketchup they served! The night ended with a nice chocolate mousse-like dessert topped with almonds, which capped off the meal perfectly! Be ready for a once in a lifetime experience, there are very few restaurants that serve food in this style (and they don't give you silverware unless requested)! I love this place and highly recommend it to anyone who has never tried Filipino food before! read more

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This is an experience that you should have at least once in your life, especially since this isn't a meal that you'll find in very many places either (prior reservations are required though). I had heard about Perla a long time ago and only recently got the chance to go, and it did not disappoint. Service was amazing, and our waitress was very patient and explained what exactly the different foods were and how best to enjoy it all. The food was so delicious and nothing like the Filipino food I've tried before; it was a feast of massive proportion (we had a lot of leftovers) consisting of garlic fried rice, mixed veggies, 2 legs of chicken, 4 super juicy pork belly strips, 1 fried fish, and a lot of lumpia with a variety of different sauces like banana ketchup and chili vinegar. Dessert was a creamy chocolate almond mousse that wasn't too sweet and was surprisingly light. Every aspect of the meal was outstanding (more than worth the money ~$60 including tax and tip), and I would love the chance to go back. read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Id give a 4.5 stars but rounds up. Perla is different from most other restaurants- it's a set menu feast eaten on banana leaves. And you use your hands! It's a super fun experience you should come with your friends and byob. Food itself is also pretty good. My favorites were the lumpia, fish, and garlic rice. Overall, I'd say food is good but vibes are great and it's a fun experience. Would recommend trying it out! read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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The service is A1. The girl was very nice who sat us and waited on us. The food was ok, kinda bland if you asked me. But they did give us sauces to help that I guess. Overall, the experience was good and different. read more

I have always wanted to come here! My boyfriend and I were visiting Philly and I was eager to try this place and the sister restaurant. At first we were unable to get a reservation but a spot opened up last minute so we were so excited! We walked in with all the tables were lined up with banana leaves (and paper under the banana leaves in case food slips through). There is no physical menu; you are presented with the courses the restaurant chooses for the day. We were told that we would be eating with our hands and were offered the option to eat with utensils if we decided otherwise. We had so much fun eating with our hands! We did decide to request for utensils throughout our meal to cut through the pork belly. Perla truly did not disappoint. It was a delicious meal!! We enjoyed every bit of it. As per our photo, unfortunately, we were unable to finish everything because it was incredibly filling. The staff were super sweet and kind. My partner just graduated so I asked the waitress if she could add something when serving his dessert, she added a candle and congratulated him. I love the vibes that this restaurant had. Another table had a birthday gal, the whole restaurant, including us, sang a happy birthday to her - it was so lively! We hope to return soon and try the sister restaurant one day. Definitely recommend trying! read more

Perla - Menu of the day :) - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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We came for Kamayan dinner -- it was a cool experience to be eating off banana leaves, not something I've done much in Philadelphia. It's wonderful to have all the food piled up in the middle of the table! The food was good & service was great. Here's a food breakdown -- I use ^ to indicate a half-star and * for a full star. So, ***^ means 3.5 stars: ****^ Sinangag: good, rice was fried with garlic, very fragrant ****Pinakbet vegetables: there was eggplant, beans, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, maybe some radish. All of it was nicely cooked, in a flavourful sauce & I wished there was more of it! ***^ Lumpia, ground pork fried up, like in a spring roll: tasty, good with the liver sauce *** Lechon kawali, fried pork belly cubes: ok, skin was crispy, but the meat was much too dry since it was fried to a crisp **^ Chicken inasal: not bad, but overcooked & too dry for my taste, unfortunately only the thigh was good, the rest of the meat was dry, especially the drumstick which seemed dried out & crispy ** Whole Fish: ok, not very flavourful & overcooked All the overcooked meats would've tasted better if more sauce had been provided, but only small dollops of sauce were provided -- not enough sauce to counter the dryness of the meat. We asked for more sauce when we finished ours, but we were only given an even smaller dollop. Unfortunately, they seemed rather stingy with the sauce. *** Dessert: Chocolate coconut pudding was okay. It was nice that they provided something else for those celebrating a special occasion Maybe it was a bad day for the kitchen. Maybe it'd be better to dine a la carte. read more

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Great BYO spot - make sure to come hungry! Came here with two friends when they only offered the kamayan feast ($45 per person option) which is also what we wanted as we had seen many photos of it. It was SO good and tasted even better than it looked. It was also A LOT of food, and we brought back almost half for leftovers. Everything in the Kamayan feast: - Sinangag: jasmine rice, garlic (surprised at how good this rice tasted!) - Chicken Inasal - Crispy Pata: crispy pig leg with bone - Lumpia: pork spring rolls (one of the highlights I couldn't stop eating this!) - Fish: whole fried pompano - Pinakbet: eggplants, string beans, bokchoy The Kamayan also comes with a small circular piece of bread before the meal (forgot what it was called but it was so good) and dessert at the end. Would definitely come back! Great for special occasions too. read more

Perla - Kamayan: Rice, Fish, Chicken, Crispy Pata (Fried Pork), Lumpia (Pork Spring Rolls), Vegetables (ig: @hangryduo.eats) - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Came here to do the Kamayan after seeing so many friends rave about it! This is a really cute and small restaurant, and the food was pretty great. The amount of is good as all 4 of us were stuffed to the brim and we didn't even finish. The food is definitely visually stunning, and I liked that they put everything out in front of us by hand. I loved the chicken, veggies/rice, and sweet bread; the pork belly was quite dry, fish was so crispy but a bit bland, and some of the food was a little bit cold when it reached our table which was sad. I think the price point is a bit steep but it's a nice experience if you've never tried it! Making a reservation was really easy, and the staff was wonderful! read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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AMAZING Kamayan feast. Can't say enough good things about this place. The meal was delicious and inexpensive. Extremely fast service. Loved that it was byob. And the experience of eating with your hands was so fun. My family and I will definitely be back. My favorite was the fish and rice with veggies. But from start the finish the meal was incredible. read more

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We came here for the Kamayan feast for 7 and it was honestly a crazy amount of food. We had leftover meals for days - you definitely won't go hungry here! The food itself was also really good. The garlic rice was great and honestly could be eaten just by itself. The lumpia was really tasty - I had them for the first time and they reminded me of (better) versions of egg rolls. But the best part was definitely the meat, which was really tender. The chicken skin was very flavorful and was my favorite meat there, but the pork was also fatty and juicy. The only downside is that I would say it leans on the pricier side, but with the amount of food we were given, we were totally ok with that. read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Definitely worth visiting on a wednesday or sunday just for the family style experience. Come with people you are close to so you won't be bothered by eating with your hands....yes you read that right. We ate with our hands...and it was delicious....no fork, spoons or knives! The flavors and everything was just great. My favorite part of the meal was the Filipino fried rice with the curry veggies. Yummy! The chicken, pork belly, fried fish, and lumpia were all tasty too but I just loved the rice and curry together!! Lovely experience....would've given them 5 star but my friend who booked the reservations....told me they called last minute and tried to bump up our reservation by 30 minutes because they needed us to finish earlier for a larger group that booked for later...she didn't want to tell me about it but I could pried it out of her. It's understandable but we did book the reservation weeks in advance for my bday...so I understand why she was annoyed they tried to bump us earlier the day of an hour before we were suppose to be there. My party of 3 did enjoy the overall experience. The food and the service we received was great. Table Service A Food A- Price $$$ (pricey but worth trying) Space: small and cozy My final rating is 4 out of 5 stars.... read more

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Punishingly great! The meal advertized as a 'Kamayan' which is a Filipino-style feast, was truly so without question. I was completely stuffed well after the meal into the next day. This feast which is that is meant to be eaten with your hands, with the food served on banana leaves laid out on a table, had everything I needed. There was a perfectly roasted chicken, fried pork belly, fried lumpia rolls, curry veggies including okra, eggplant, bok choy, string beans and a fragrant fried rice. Sauces accompanied the meal to augment the strong flavors, one of which was a chicken liver pate. The chicken was moist and a perfect texture. It was not one second overdone. The sauce on the side was there in augment the flavor profile but it really wasn't necessary. The remaining items in the feast were really satisfying, the pork belly and lumpia were super crunchy. The sauteed veggies were awesome. There pictures don't do justice to home much food was served. Great food in this never ending quantity, was definitely more than enough hence the review headline of punishingly great! If there was one slight disappointment, it would have been the fried rice. While the rice was super fragrant, the texture of the rice grains were a bit more al dente then I would have preferred, possibly because there were fried a bit longer. I do believe that there are some that prefer rice this way I guess. The finishing touch here, the chocolate coconut panna cotta, over the top gluttony! This meal was a fun way to enjoy company and eat a ton. Leftovers were polished off a few days later with the same degree of satisfaction. Definitely recommended! read more

Perla - Feast - Chicken, Lumpia, Fried Pork Belly, Curry Veggies - okra, bok choy, string beans, eggplant over fried rice - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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100% recommend Perla if you're looking for an adventurous and delicious meal. Went with a friend and split the Kamayan (It's the only option on the menu and scaled up or down in portion depending on party size). Food did not disappoint! I can't speak to the authenticity because I'm not too familiar with Filipino food but eating with my hands was fun!! They provide a few dipping sauces for extra flavor. The spread on its own isn't vegetarian friendly but I did see someone at the table next to me get a separate bowl with just veg+rice when requested. BYO and I suggest making a reservation. Would be great as a group or just with two people! read more

Perla - Kamayan for two. - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great spot for some Filipino food in the area and they also have a sister restaurant in fishtown called Sarvida. We got the fish meal and it was definitely enough food for 2 people. The garlic fried rice was delicious and the fish had tons of meat on it with few bones. My favorite part was the Pinakbet (veggies cooked in coconut broth) and I'd go back just to get that alone. The halo halo was huge for the price but I definitely preferred the bibingka Bundt cake (must try this!). It tasted similar to a butter mochi cake. Both locations have dine in Kamayan on the weekends for $45 a person and I def wanna come back to try that! read more

Perla - Fish meal - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Amazing food and restaurant experience; they place the food all onto the table in front of you and it is delicious! We went as a group of four and could not finish all the food, great sizable portions as well. It's also BYO so would highly recommend bringing drinks on the side to add to the fun. They also gave dessert and sweet bread (my favorite!) along with the dinner. Highly recommend and a very unique, one of a kind restaurant experience overall! read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Foodie adventure time! Brought friends and family to expand their taste horizons and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We each started with pandesal, a traditional sweet bread roll. Then we dug in with our fingers to the feast spread out in front of us. I loved the garlic fried rice, crunchy pork belly and the fresh brightness of the fried fish and crisp yet moist roast chicken. My friend had never tried any other Filipino dishes except the lumpia egg rolls so she was willing and ready to try it all and came away impressed and full to the brim. Service was quick and friendly. The ambiance was cozy since the room is so small and seating is tight. Be prepared for the high noise level if you come on a busy night. I would come again for a special occasion. read more

Perla - Kamayan dinner - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Come hungry. The portions were huge. Pork belly was my favorite the fish was also beautifully crispy read more

Perla - Chicken, pork belly, fish - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I am still waiting to try Kamayan style with my friends but as of now - I ordered a la carte with my fiancé. I'm a little concern when I do come with a large party since it's a very tiny restaurant.. The food we ordered came out super fast and it was great. From the presentation to flavor, can't complain. My favorite(s) were the salmon, bone marrow, and Ube mousse dessert. Make sure you save room for dessert, I ate the whole mousse by myself, I almost wanted to lick the plate clean. read more

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We came here for Restaurant Week and let me tell you, this is the most bang for the buck I've ever experienced for Restaurant Week! Everyone else saying it is a feast is not exaggerating - the amount of food is extremely generous. Service was excellent! The servers came by frequently to check up on us, they ask if you are comfortable eating with your hands and offer utensils if you want, made sure there were no food allergies, and they explain the food when they're serving it. As for the food, like I mentioned earlier, there's a lot! They started us off with pandesal - a very soft and delicious bun that is very addicting. Also addicting, the garlic rice! The garlic rice is so good and forms the base upon which the rest of the meal rests on, which are the spring rolls, vegetables, chicken, fish, and pork belly. The spring rolls have a nice savory and sweetness to them - very tasty! The vegetables help to balance the meal against the very fried meats and was very welcome. The meats were very delicious, but unfortunately were a little over-fried at times. For example, the pork belly had a very soft and delicious inside, but the outside for most of the pieces were very tough and occasionally would hurt to bite down on. It's the only complaint we had about the meal, which is otherwise fantastic. To top things off, we had the chocolate coconut budino for dessert. Just a tad too salty, but the chocolate taste is very nice. Overall, it was a very good experience and I highly recommend it! read more

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If you want to venture outside of your comfort zone and have an adventure of a dining experience, you gotta check out this joint. We went with the Kamayan Style Family Menu, and this was truly an AMAZING & unforgettable experience. They plop a ton of food right on your table (already covered in banana leaves). It is huge servings, full with rice, vegetables & proteins. You eat with your hands (inner child at heart jumping for joy,) and they were super accommodating for vegetarian. It was all delicious. Servers were really engaging and explained the culture which was greatly appreciated, and made the meal feel that much more authentic. read more

Perla - Kamayan Style Family Menu - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Love this place. We've gone twice in a month for the pile of delicious food. love eating with my hands. Love that it's BYOB. Wanted to rub the pork belly all over my body after I got stuffed but wife said no. read more

I lnever seen filipino food around south Philly, and wanted to try Perla for the first time because I was craving Filipino Food so we ordered online and got it for pick up. LET ME TELL YOU!!!! PERLA IS AMAAAAZINGGGGG, FOOD WAS SUPER TASTYYYYY. I love how they're not greedy with their portions as well and price was not expensive. I would definitely go back!!! read more

Perla - Pancit Bihon Lumpia Garlic Fried Rice Pandesal Halo Halo - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Good experience with very attentive staff. A lot of food is given and it was super fun eating with our hands! You get messy eating kamayan style. My favorite part of the meal is the curry rice which was very flavorful. However the meats were a bit dry and took a bit to chew. The fish was very tender and flakey. I came with a friend, and we barely made a dent. I'd definitely recommend coming with a few friends or you'll be leaving with lots of leftovers read more

Caveat: I'm what my friends and family generously call a #FauxFilipina. A really fun night, good for those with adventurous taste buds and are good with stepping outside of their comfort zones. We specifically picked Wednesday to eat here to take advantage of the kamayan idea. Tonight, after we started with a small yeasty roll called pandesal, our table was layered first with a garlicky fried rice, pinkabet (eggplant, baby bok choy, green beans), lumpia (our version of a fried egg roll), fried pork belly, a delicious fried golden pompano fish (slightly citrusy in flavor) and roasted chicken inasal (a marinade of Meyer lemon and soy sauce). Several dipping sauces are provided. Everything was cooked well and they didn't say no when we asked for more lumpia. Is it like what my mom made at home? Erm, no. Her dishes were a bit more basic, so this was just a step above in complexity and flavors. Still, it didn't stray from the Filipino food profile. Nicely done, chef. Use your hands to eat, though typically in this kind of culture, you only use your RIGHT hand - the left hand is left for less sanitory purposes, ahem. You will not starve. It can get a bit noisy in here, but that's because people are enjoying the social atmosphere of eating together and trying this out. Price point: about $40 pp. read more

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Perla was on my to-go list for probably a year before I was finally able to try it out and WOW! I have never really had Filipino food, but some of the flavors very much paralleled other asian cuisines I am familiar with and love. The food was so flavorful and the presentation/assembly was immaculate. I love how it's family style and encouraged to eat with your hands, but utensils are provided if you want them! The chef started off by laying down a huge bed of fluffy garlicky jasmine rice. Next came the pinakbet, which is a combo of deliciously cooked eggplant, green beans, and bok choy. Then came the protein: the crispiest lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly), juicy chicken inasal marinated in a Meyer lemon and soy sauce, and one of my fav fishes -- pompano! I haven't had this fish since I've been home in Florida over half a year ago where its quite popular, and it was very well prepared (fried on the outside, but super tender on the inside). We also got lots of lumpia which didn't look like much but were packed with flavor. Also, we were given three different dipping sauces -- my favorite was this vinegar based one that went well with honestly everything, especially the fatty pork. Can't forget about the chocolate coconut budino in the cutest glass jars for dessert! I went with 3 friends, and it was plenty of food (we had a lot left over to take home). Perla is also BYOB, which is always a plus. The service was amazing and everyone was so nice. Make sure you make a reservation! 11/10 highly recommend :) read more

Perla - Kamayan feast - Whole Fried Pompano - Pinakbet - Garlic Fried Rice - Lechon Kawali - Chicken Inasal - Chocolate Coconut Budino - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

SO MUCH FOOD. My belly was very happy after this, also very full. I came here with 2 other friends and the amount of food they give you is ridiculous, we had enough to bring back for leftovers. First, the bread was so amazing. I touched it and I thought at first I was touching a cloud, so soft! It was steamy warm and had a nice crisp on the outside and melting quality on the inside. Honestly, it might have been the highlight of the meal. But the actual main course itself was impressive too. Atop a plentiful mountain of rice you get a variety of vegetables, fish, chicken, pork and spring rolls. Each item had wonderful bold flavors that immediately satisfy. It was also the first time I had such a hands on experience too with a meal so that added to the novelty of the meal. By the end, we ate till we could no longer, I could barely even try the dessert. The place is BYOB but bringing some alcohol definitely helps to cut through the oiliness of all the fried foods so I would recommend. Service was great, cheerful and attentive. I can't wait for the next time I come back! read more

Perla - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Perla is one of our fav restaurants on Passyunk Ave so we're trying to help save it during this pandemic! We miss getting together with friends for their Kamayan dinners. It was always our go to place for celebrating anything (small but cozy, BYOB, and super friendly staff). The takeout meals for 2 are the closest thing to the dinners and are just as tasty. We ordered the pork shank meal, which came with rice, vegetables, and lumpia but NOT pandesal, so we added a half dozen pandesal and an order of halo halo. The meal came in a small party tray and was surprisingly pretty heavy when I picked it up! The portions were huge so we had leftovers between the two of us. All the sauces you would get at their Kamayan dinners were individually packed, and there was even a banana leaf layer on the bottom of the tray so it was a nice touch and I guess you could recreate the dinners at your own house if you really wanted. The pork, rice, and vegetables were flavorful as always. The pandesal wasn't as soft as the other times we had it in the restaurant, but I toasted it in the oven and it was better. It also would have been nice if just two pieces of pandesal was included in the meal. The halo halo could use more ube. Overall, I would order everything again, but we look forward to when they can fully reopen their doors for in person dining! read more

Perla - Pork shank meal for 2, side of pandesal, and halo halo - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania