Pinoy sweet tooth: SUCCESS! If you're an ube lover, this spot is definitely worth a visit! The ube cheesecake was SO good, and the ube bread was just as delicious. Add in the solid desserts, refreshing non-alcoholic drinks, and good service, and you've got yourself a winning combination. Basically, a one-stop shop for all your ube cravings. I'll definitely be back for another round! Casual ambiance. read more

Plain & Simpol - Ube latte - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

I'd give it more like 3.5 stars. They are pricey for a place that serves some of your food on disposable plates. I'm not sure how they determine what dishes go on what, but my UBE PANCAKES were served on a plate and my LUMPIASILOG was served on a disposable paper plate. UBE PANCAKES $14 (but $12.99 on their website??) - 2 medium sized plain pancakes drizzled with ube sauce and topped with a ton berries. The price is kinda justifiable due to the amount of berries they top it with. But ube flavor was lacking (as I suspected) because ube extract was used. LUMPIASILOG- $11.99 - 9 pork lumpia with garlic rice and an over easy egg. Delicious lumpia. They tasted home made. This dish was satisfying. I just didn't appreciate the disposable plate. TURON LATTE - $5 - A well made latte, but tasted nothing like turon. It just tasted like caramel. BIBINGKA CHEESECAKE $8 - Tasted like a regular cheesecake. I thought maybe I was given the wrong item? There was nothing bibingka about it. But it was a good cheesecake. UBE CHEESECAKE $8 - Just a really purple cheesecake. Also, well baked, but not much flavor. I would come back just to get the cheesecake to- go. But I know not to expect it to taste like biningka or ube. If you're just craving a really good cheesecake that is not overly sweet and has the best texture, theirs is worth it. Service was lacking. I felt like the woman who took my order, im guessing the owner, had a bit of an attitude. She looked like she was busy and was juggling everything herself and seemed like she was inconvenienced when I walked in with my family to place a dine-in order. read more

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This is my go-to establishment to cater my events and whenever I have to bring a dish to a potluck. Although this is not encouraged, they had been very receptive to my last minute requests. The staff here are so kind and they remember their frequent customers. My go-to orders here are fried vegetable lumpia, crispy pork sisig, and lately they seem to have a stock of their ube cheese pandesal. I tried other things on their menu such as dinuguan, beef caldereta and their meat platters which I LOVE. All their food is amazing here so far and I look forward trying their benedicts. I also love their ube latte as it is one of the most "purple" and "authentic" tasting ube latte I've ever had. read more

We came in first thing in the morning for breakfast- of course we had to try the tapsilog, ube pancakes, and dulce de Leche coffee. I enjoyed the tapsilog but the beef was different than the usual but the rice was good too! The ube pancakes was overloaded with berries! So good! The restaurant is smaller than what I thought it would be but its cozy. The bathroom placement was just different, you have to go through the kitchen BUT the bathroom is so clean! The food was served in paper plates and plastic utensils, which i wish was not the case because the less waste the better for the environment but I get it though the manpower is lacking! I was not informed that there was an extra $1 charge for the whipped cream in my coffee. I wouldve opted out of the whipped cream. The people were nice all throughout but it was just those two things that can be improved on! BUT the Ube pandesal with cheese was sooooo good and unexpected. It seems like cream cheese was used as the filling and they were generous with it too. read more

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Came here for some dinner on Wednesday evening. I ordered the chicken inasal, chicken teriaki, veggie spring rolls, chicken lumpia, ube cookies, ube cheesecake, and the regular burnt cheesecake. Everything took about 40 min to prepare fresh. The food was good and flavorful. The ube cheesecake was the best thing. read more

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We visited them after a party nearby. They have a small parking lot so you may need to be lucky when you visit. Ordered a few items and drinks. Overall good food, ok service. Takes a long time from ordering to table. Music choice *thumbs up* Will give them a try but not anytime soon. CORRECTION: Please read owner's reply. 5% DISCOUNT when using cash over $30 read more

Plain & Simpol - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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Friendly service. Delicious food. Reasonably priced and decent sized portions. Just wish they had more seating.

Best Filipino food I've ever had. We were in town for just the weekend and found this place near by and got there only an hour before they closed on Saturday. I think the most upsetting thing was we'll be out of town before then open up again, because we wanted to try more. The sisig had amazing texture and seasoning. The Basque cheesecake was otherworldly even as someone who doesn't like ube 10/10. Not the best halo halo I've had, but still good. Everything was simply amazing. read more

Plain & Simpol - Sisig, ube cheese cake, and halo halo - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

Everything was delicious! I got the Crispy Pork Sisig and was a great portion and flavor! Should have taken a photo before eating haha read more

We ordered the crispy pork platter which is good for 4-6 people and got mangomansi. I loved the mangomansi it was very refreshing. Crispy pork platter came with 12 pcs of lumpia, pork sisig, lechon kawali, and garlic rice. The sisig was ok for me. It is small inside so not much seating inside. They had no bathroom as well. read more

Plain & Simpol - Crispy Pork Platter - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

When it takes awhile to get your food, that's because it's being cooked fresh! Never mind the time it takes, you can always chat with the friendly owner and the ever-smiling staff, this hole-in-the-wall Filipino restaurant is simply one of the best in homemade cooking! A good reminder from the owner, he recommends that we call in the orders even if we're still miles away to avoid the long wait time. It was so worth the wait anyway! Their dishes are simple, yet well thought of. Not salty, not too sweet, just a good balance of mouth-watering dishes! We keep coming back even if we're miles away Highly recommended - their tapas, longanizas served with hot rice and side salads, tasty noodles and yummy desserts make this one of the best food trips ever! read more

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This place lives up to its name sake.. Every time I come here it feels like I'm in a family's kitchen. The staff is very warm and friendly and the portions are very generous. I enjoyed the pork sisig and the halo halo. I've also ordered the dinuguan, which was good too! I wish it was spicier since the description said it was spicy (I added sriracha) but other than that no complaints. read more

Filipino food, decent sized menu with breakfast lunch and dinner options. We came for the longaniza with breakfast and the ube pancakes we heard about. This place is family owned, service was kind and on point. Simple little place we sat and ate inside. read more

One of my go-to Filipino food places is the Plain and Simpol in Metuchen. I love the cozy vibe of their small dining area, and the staff are always welcoming and friendly. We started with the hot ube latte and the iced leche flan latte. I preferred the ube latte since it wasn't too sweet, while the leche flan one was a bit on the sweeter side. For food, I got the Shanghai, salmon sisig, pork longanissa, and chicken teriyaki. You really can't go wrong with the Shanghai, longanissa, and chicken teriyaki as they were all flavorful and satisfying. I wasn't a big fan of the salmon sisig though; it wasn't as crispy as I expected. Overall, I'll definitely be coming back. The dine-in service is pretty good, and it's nice that they have a free parking lot too. read more

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This spot is quickly becoming one of my weekly go-to's. I have ordered from them three times and each time has been yum. My favorite dish is their chicken teriyaki, it's different than other restaurants, not too sweet with a nice char on the chicken. They also serve it on a bed of rice, with Cesar salad and a fried egg on the side. Both pictures are of the teriyaki chicken, one was eaten in house, one was take away. I'm looking forward to trying more of the dishes on the menu, I'm sure they'll also be good. read more

Plain & Simpol - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

Food - so good and quick order in advance via door dash. Love the salad side with rice and pork. It's a nice tasty ceasar salad with the rice and pork which makes it more healthy way. Service - quick especially around lunch time and ordering in advance at lunch helps. Ambiance- blends into the neighborhood so you might miss this and working limited. But there is a shopping center right across street just in case and walk across. It is worth it !! read more

Plain & Simpol - Pork Tocino Specialty Rice Bowl - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

I won't be able to rave enough about how good this place is. A small restaurant tucked away in Metuchen. Not much seating but don't let that discourage you. I have been here twice & plan to stop by many, MANY more times. Everything I've had so far is delicious, the pork adobo, the chicken Inasal, the ube cookie. Staff is super nice & will take the time to explain what their items are & what's in it. If you want authentic filipino food this is a place you have to try. read more

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The crispy pork sisig is my favorite to take to go. So crunchy and savory...Not greasy at all, and comes with a side of salad. I usually like to take it home and fry an egg to go with it :) I usually call in before I pick up, and the service is quick and friendly. One of my go-to lunch spots, especially on days I want carry-out! read more

The taste brought me back in Southeast Asia - Philippines. I am glad they had some tables in there for us to dine in. Portions were more than enough, clean and well lit place. Wanted to try each and every dish on their menu; i probably will when i come back this side of town. read more

I've ordered from Plain and Simpol several times and their food is always delicious. The Ooh Lam platter has great variety and has always been a hit among my friends and family for a take out option. There's minimal seating inside but when I've eaten there, it felt like I was eating at a neighbor's house - everyone was hospitable and it felt welcoming and like I was eating home-cooked food. Highly recommend if you're looking for great Filipino food in the area! read more

Plain & Simpol - Pork spring rolls - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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Oddly I've reviewed this place before but it begs for an update now that I've gone a number of times since the original 11/30/2021 review. Their growing list of sandwiches to adapt to customer demands brings them into a more solid sandwich category! The incessant mixing of food cultures is a welcome part of living & eating & Plain & Simpol's sandwiches' solid Filipino ingredients & dishes formed into the convenient sandwich format. The 2 I've had multiple times are the BBQ pork sandwich (thick marinated pork a-la-char siu, not the pate of Viet banh mi's or a dozen other pork formats) which is a hit with the kids & classic Philly sandwich which with their thorough marinating with special sauces and a unique taste makes for a special version of the beloved item. I've yet to try their 6 other types & cannot wait to. Happy to keep on eating here after many happy years which started in the doldrums of C19 days & has flourished into this very happy place. Cheers to the owners who had the courage to & vision to open this great business! read more

i'll let the pictures speak for itself! 10/10 would recommend, very authentic and delicious! read more

Plain & Simpol - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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I drove past this restaurant a million times and never new it was there. Its located in a small plaza with a one way entrance. Luckily someone gave it a review on Instagram and I had to try it for myself. The food here is really good! I visited here three days in a row to try something different. Each dish has its unique flavor that satisfies your tastebuds. Their prices are reasonable. Its cozy in the inside, so I do not recommend you plan to sit down and eat. read more

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Plain & Simpol, Simply Pleasant. What a wonderful suprise visiting this place after being bookmarked for so long. Small casual restaurant with only a few dining tables. Food is made to order, so expect a bit of a wait that will be worthwhile. I have been her 3 times this summer since my first check-in. Each visit has always included the turon (filled with jackfuit). The halo halo is delicously complete with all ingredients. Service is friendly and accommodating. Melanie is welcoming and ready to provide Plain & Simpol service. Looking forward to getting more Turon & Halo Halo. read more

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Yeah their platter box can feed way more than just 4-5 people. Everything was well seasoned. The chicken pork and beef were very tender. Would definitely reorder again my wife said it really reminded her of home. read more

Great find! Hidden in a tiny strip mall, the food tastes fresh and was very good! They offer 3 different combo lunch choices which were very good. I tried the Lunch special: Combo 2 - CHICKEN TERIYAKI+ BEEF CALDERETA + 4 pcs. PORK LUMPIA + PLAIN RICE (and salad) it's the perfect little bit of everything. My colleagues also liked the short rib combo as well! They offer limited seating and a few parking spaces out front but it's located in an area where street parking is available. Would recommend and looking forward to stopping back in soon!! read more

Plain & Simpol - Lunch special: Combo 2 - CHICKEN TERIYAKI+ BEEF CALDERETA + 4 pcs. PORK LUMPIA + PLAIN RICE - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

We had the ube burnt cheesecake, ube overload and turon! The turon was super delicious! And the ube burnt cheesecake was light, not too sweet and incredibly delicious! The staff are also personable and very friendly as well! read more

Plain & Simpol - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

I make sure to support my Filipino businesses because other than Jersey City, they are so few and far between in the state of New Jersey. Sadly, I was so disappointed with Plain & Simpol. I was impressed with the extensive menu. I saw items on there that aren't typical of Filipino restaurants. Cheesesteaks, burgers, quesadillas. Something for everyone. Kudos to them for the variety. But I went there for traditional Filipino fare so I ordered the Chicken Inasal rice bowl. First red flag should have been that the price said $11.99 but when she charged me, she said it was $13 and change. I thought surely the tax couldn't be that much but I wasn't going to argue over change. Fast forward, my eReceipt said I was charged $12.49+tax. I don't like that. The price posted should match. Speaking of what was posted, the Chicken Inasal rice bowl description said signature grilled chicken. Traditionally, Chicken Inasal is a grilled chicken quarter but this was sliced up chicken breast (or thigh) ON THE FLAT TOP. There was no grill involved! Also, there was nothing on the menu that said it came with a side salad and it certainly didn't say anything about Ranch dressing. It was all over my chicken! I was so annoyed! Ranch dressing on Filipino food?? Had I known there was going to be Ranch dressing, I would've said to leave it off or put it on the side. I'm not fussy about food and I tried but I couldn't stomach this. I ate the egg and took the rest home to my neighbor's dog. I didn't even want the salad. Salad next to hot rice? No thanks. read more

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Enjoyed the food here. Crispy pork heaven was delicious. Soft meat and crunchy skin. Shortrib beef Mercado was great as well with soft meat falling off the bone. The Ube boba had a nice strong Ube flavor and I liked the jelly boba that came with it. This place doesn't have a bathroom so definitely come on an empty bladder and not after drinking a lot of water or with kids without diapers. No highchairs either. It was also warm inside but understandable not that much space separating the stove area and sitting area. If you go when things are busy, you might be waiting for a long time so I would recommend getting a dessert to eat so you're not starving. I was able to enjoy the Ube boba since it took about 20 minutes to get our food. read more

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Definitely not Plain or Simple, LOL! The Crispy Pork Heaven is a pork lover's dream. My annual physical will definitely highlight (or lowlight) my increased consumption of Plain and Simpol's Crispy Pork meals. I just don't know how to resist this unctuous, crunchy, tender morsels of delicious roasted pork belly. It is both consistent and delicious given the many meals I've had so far (as you can tell from my feed). It doesn't get much better when you layer this on top of the fragrant garlic rice! This garlic rice that the proteins sit on top of couldn't be more aromatic. I should mention that the Crispy Pork Heaven does come with an option for rather delicious Caesar Salad as a side with croutons and cheese on top, yeah I know, not exactly a one for one offset,.... LOL. The Crispy Crispy Pork Sisig uses the same crispy pork chopped up and dressed up nicely in a calamansi based dressing. This is just as fantastic with what I assume to be some diced veggie and egg. Their take on a cheesesteak is a fantastic dressed up rendition as well. Fresh bread, tender steak and great cheese here! As far as the sides, The Crispy Pork Spring Rolls are a must as well with a nice chili sauce as a complement. They are a little smaller but they definitely do not lack in crunch! The desserts here are just as rich, Ube Cheesecake dessert is a great option if you've got room in the belly. It's not a really dense cheesecake but it still is filling. The Ube Boba is awesome! If I was still in my twenties I'd be in heaven, but I'm not,.... and I struggle to finish this off, LOL. The folks that run the show here are awesome, I won't name their names without their permission on social media, but they really do take care to know you and value your business. read more

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Tried this place once and now really looking forward to coming back! They had a few tables inside to dine in but I saw a lot of people taking orders to go. My friend and I shared our order of: - pork spring roll (lumpia) which were super addicting and had flavorful filling - pork skewers had a nice saucy flavor but the meat was a little tough and dry for me - crispy pork sisig rice bowl looked small on the paper plate but very filling. It was a good rice to topping ratio and the side of salad help cut some saltiness. - ube cheesecake was my favorite. Really wish I ordered another slice to bring home. A bit dense but good creamy texture. read more

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The atmosphere is very clean and efficient, not a ton of area to sit and dine so I definitely recommend take out! I would also call ahead as the food was very fresh and I believe made-to-order. The food was really yummy. I ordered vegetable pancit and it was a little different from other pancits that I have had (biggest difference was the noodle size/texture) but I'm unsure if maybe there are different types or if this was due to it being a fusion menu item. Either way, it was delicious, possibly the best I've had. The portion was generous and my only complaint is the container it was in leaked and the oil/sauce got all over my friend's pants who was holding it while we drove back to work. So be careful when handling! After we noticed it was leaking we put it in an insulated bag which was easy to wipe out later- so consider putting it in one of those to start out with just in case. You have to get lumpia so of course we ordered that, which tasted as expected- great! We both also selected the BBQ Pork Sandwich, it was seasoned well, the tangy pork with the spicy aioli sauce was a nice and unexpected combo, with a nice crunch from the vegetables. This was the first time my friend had Filipino food and she loved it. I can't wait to go back (dreaming about the pancit and thinking about what entree I want to try next!) read more

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Food was great! Located in a small pocket off Amboy Ave, will pass right by it if you're not looking for it.

Yummy filipino food :) I had the Ube latte & Cookie. The barbecue skewers was delicious. My family and I enjoyed the party platter Carne Silog. read more

In the mood for something purple. Some sweets. Some ube! This is the place for your purple dreams, plain and simple. I went with the ube cheesecake and ube cookie. The cookie was thick. It reminds me of levain cookies however it doesn't taste as good as it looks. It really just taste doughy. 3/5. Ube cheesecake if I were to close my eyes, tasted like cheesecake without the granola layer at the bottom. 4/5. I wish I tried their halo halo. That looked good from the picture. Ultimately pass on the cookie and get the cheesecake instead. read more

Plain & Simpol - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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The lumpia shanghai is amazing and the best in the area. We always order this for when we need to bring something to a party. The customer service is great and easy. read more

Yum! This is a small family-owned restaurant offering tasty Filipino comfort food for takeaway only. If you can, definitely order your meal ahead of time - this spot gets popular and when I went on a Friday night, there were customers constantly coming in and out for pick-up. I heard phone orders getting quoted up to 40 min wait times, so be prepared during peak dinner hours! I tried the Crispy Pork Sisig and the Beef Calderata, and both were delicious. The pork sisig is crispy and addicting, while the beef calderata is like a warm, comforting beef stew. Both dishes came with a generous amount of rice and a small side salad (which was nice and refreshing to break up the meal). They also offer several desserts like halo-halo and ube cheesecake, which I'm eye-ing for next time. Will be back again! read more

Plain & Simpol - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

Please do better. Tell your customers if an order will take longer than 30 minutes, or tell them to order ahead. If you forget to make an order, apologize and give a time frame of when it will be ready. Don't lie and say, "we are putting it in the box, sir!" The kitchen is visible and we could see you haven't even cooked it yet. And don't double down with another lie, blaming it on "low stock" when it is finally ready in 45 minutes. Other diners who ordered AFTER us got their orders BEFORE us just fine. All of this could have been avoided if any of the staff behind the counter just asked us how we were doing or if we were being helped. That's plain and simple customer service. read more

Plain & Simpol - Carne Silog Platter - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

If you appreciate a good cup of coffee this is the place it hits your nose when you walk in! This is not your burnt Wawa coffee this is packed with bold flavor! read more

This place is a hole in the wall mom&pop type of place. Family owned Filipino spot. Great food!! Definitely check it out. They don't have any seating inside and it's only take out I didn't know that but I was so hungry I just ate in the car Food is fresh, it's kind of an open kitchen concept behind the counter you see your food being made fresh and delicious! The ube cheesecake wasn't too sweet but is great with the whipped cream on the side You can never go wrong with lumpia and the short rib dinner was great!! The cheesesteak was fresh and delicious it could have used some seasoning but overall we really enjoyed our dinner. Would definitely recommend checking it out! read more

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