My friend posted this place on her Instagram because she is a foodie. I decided to come here and give this place a go. Cleanliness: The store is clean with no garbage or anything since this is mostly take out anyways. The staff: They are really friendly and are very nice people. You can have a friendly conversation with them and they look like they work very hard. Lumpia: These are very delicious even without the sauce that they give you. I can probably eat a lot of these lol. Beef Caldereta: This tastes very delicious and they give you a lot of rice to go with it as well. Classic Pork Adobo: The pork is so delicious and has a lot of taste. When eating it with the rice it is so good and mouth watering. The pork is cooked well and is soft when you bite into it. Crispy Pork Sisig: This dish was very tasty and the pork was crispy with the crunch! Fantastic job with this dish! Crispy Pork Heaven: My friend said this was so delicious that he even finished all of the rice. The sauce and pork was on point with this. Ube Cookie: They make this themselves and it has the Ube flavor. It also has the white chocolate chip inside of the Ube Cookie. This was delicious and I would get this every time. Overall: I will definitely come back here with some of my friends to try out the other menu items. The staff here is amazing and does a fantastic job. Please keep up the good work and making the food so delicious in my tummy. read more

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I love the Filipino food here! It is sooo delicious, every food HIT the spot. Especially anything that has UBE is so GOOD (ube pancakes, ube french toast, and Halo Halo). It definitely is a bit pricey but i do think it is worth it. The interior is cute, tiny, and cozy. Loved it here! read more

We dropped by and ordered take out for Sunday lunch. They opened 5 months ago. Take out only. We ordered noodles (pansit guisado) with pork and veggies. Also, beef tapa. Both delicious. Our son ordered Chicken Inasal. Our daughter ordered pork langunisa and our son-in-law ordered crispy pork Sisig. This place is clean and well lighted. Staff are friendly and helpful. I would've given them 5 stars if they have dine in service. Also, parking is limited, small parking area for 3 businesses in the same place that's tough. You also need to order at least an hour ahead. Come by and try the food, they freshly prepared. read more

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The food is fresh and made to order. The owner, Jeff, takes his time to answer any questions about the menu. It's a family owned business and they seem to really care about the quality of their food and your satisfaction. I highly recommend them and will continue to return. read more

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

Super glad they opened a Filipino spot down the block that truly redefines fusion. True to its roots while paving its own path, all while making portioned, well-rounded meals. Word to the wise, order over the phone about 15-20 minutes in advance. Especially for your large Filipino family. Everything seems made to order (and with love) so ordering as you enter may take awhile. Nibble on some ube cookies while you wait :) read more

I stopped in so close to closing time that I didn't wanna order food, so I just picked up a slice of the burnt ube cheesecake and an ube cookie. So SO delicious! I will be back for food though because it smelled so good. read more

Love the food here, I come here quite often. It's one of the better places in the area for good quality asian food. The service is good, people are friendly. I placed a to go order earlier today, when I got back to the office, I realized it wasn't made right and a few things were missing. Upset about it, I'll update on my next experience. Usually its a good interaction here with everyone. read more

Hello... i go here a few times when I am in the area since this restaurant is far from where I live....the last time I was here was on January 30 2025 on a Thursday I believe. The one male employee that works at this restaurant I believe maybe an owner or one of the owners. I wanted to say that I had a great customer service when I ordered some food for take out...So I will continue to come to this restaurant when I am in the are when I am in the mood for Filipino food. read more

Plain & Simpol is 2 miles up the road from me and I haven't tried so I decided to order lunch from them. I tried the cheese steak that was really good. The bread was very soft and the steak was seasoned. It's all I tried this time around but I had a pretty good experience. I recommend and will try some other menu items in the near future. read more

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

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I absolutely love this place! We tried the pork and rice dish. The pork was a bit spicy but just the right amount. The food is fresh and they serve quick. This place felt very comforting and truly comfort food! The ube cookie was amazing as well, I will definitely be returning. Their costumer service and food are great. Please visit this place! read more

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

The best Asian/American comfort food I have ever had. The crispy pork is to die for and makes an excellent side or snack. The short rib is out of this world and they give you a big portion that would easily be double the price in a sit down restaurant. My first time in there the employees which I believe to be the owners were so welcoming and made me feel right at home. They have so many different choices but everything seems to be made with love and really gives you that comfort food feel. If you want to try something different or just break your routine of ordering a sub from somewhere then this is where you need to go. They also have all kinds of desserts made with ube (purple yams) read more

Plain & Simpol - Myrna's short rib with a side of crispy pork - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

Pork sisig-very good, generous amount of pork, has small spicy peppers that can be removed Fried pork spring rolls-crispy Pork heaven-very good, comes with fried egg Pork sandwich-good Halo Halo-has corn flakes on top, which made it extra special, not too sweet Beef caldereta-good Open kitchen layout, good portion sizes, entrees came with sauteed veggies which mixed well with the rice , clean & spacious, parking can be tight but can park on the street, nice staff who answered questions. read more

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This restaurant recently opened in Metuchen (close to Lotte Plaza) and they serve Filipino & American comfort food. They offer a variety of rice bowls and sandwiches and also have party platters available. I tried a number of items from their menu and everything was so delicious. Their prices are also very reasonable for the quality of the food and portion sizes. The owners and staff there were also super friendly and happily answered any questions we had. I will definitely be back to try more of their menu. Myrna's Short Rib Mechado - This came with two large pieces of beef short rib in a savory sauce with potatoes, carrots, bell peppers and a side of sautéed mixed vegetables. The short rib was so flavorful and tender and it fell right off the bone. Still thinking about this dish! Beef Caldereta - This was similar to the mechado, but instead of short ribs it comes with chunks of beef and black olives. The flavor of the olives was infused in the sauce of this hearty, stew like dish. As someone who does not like olives, I still really enjoyed this! Chicken Inasal - This came with grilled chicken that was super flavorful and aromatic, and there was a white sauce drizzled on top. It also came with a fried egg and sautéed mixed vegetables that have a nice strong black pepper flavor to it. Classic Pork Adobo - This is a signature Filipino dish and it definitely did not disappoint! It came with chunks of mixed pork belly and lean mean. The meat was so good, and the pork belly was so tender and not too fatty. Melt in your mouth goodness! All the rice bowls were served with my favorite Jasmine sushi rice. We also tried the BBQ Pork Sandwich and Simpol Cheese Steak. These sandwiches were so big (12 inches) and the bread was super fresh! The bbq pork was diced in small pieces and so flavorful. It was paired with carrots, cucumber, and cilantro. The cheesesteak is similar to an American cheesesteak sandwich. It had thinly sliced rib eye, sweet onions, provolone cheese and a house aioli. When we went, they had Ube basque cheesecake available. We had a slice of this and it had a light ube flavor to it and just the right amount of sweetness. The dessert options available varies, so I would suggest calling ahead if you want to know what they have that day. read more

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The best Filipino food in New Jersey! I travel 40 minutes (and 40 minutes back!) to go to Plain & Simpol. The food is always delicious and freshly made. The store is quaint and has been upgraded with tables to enjoy dine in. I have tried various bowls, sandwiches, and desserts! All have been extremely delicious, flavorful, and would always recommend the Ube Boba. I'm not sure what they add to it but it's incredible!!!! Highly recommend! read more

First time here and I ordered takeout for lunch. It was amazing! I had the lunch special #1. It came with tender Chicken on one half of the rice and Adobo Pork on the other half. It also had spring rolls and a Caesar salad too!!! Huge portions for the price , so delicious. I think I need to order it again tomorrow read more

This is a tiny spot in Metuchen that can be easily missed if you are not looking for the restaurant. Inside you will find a small area to order and chairs to wait for your food. The cool thing about the space is that you have a clear view of the kitchen and can watch them make the food. Essentially, it is an open concept kitchen. I ordered the lumpia, Pancit, and an Ube Cookie. I enjoyed the lumpia the best followed by the pancit. However, I'm more of a pancit bihon guy than a pancit canton guy. Nonetheless, the pancit was good but the Ube cookie was not my favorite. I would try this place again If I'm ever in the area again and want Filipino food read more

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First time at Plain & Simpol and already planning our next visit. Had the Ooh-Lam Platter and crispy pork heaven. Four of us shared the platter and had plenty of leftovers. Food was amazing, from the lumpia to the inasal to the pork. We ordered online and food was ready when we got there. Staff seemed very friendly. read more

Plain & Simpol - Ooh-Lam platter - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

A great hole in the wall find! We were on the way back from NJ to MD and needed something quick to eat and found this gem on Yelp. The pork sisig was delicious, a good combination of slightly sweet and salty flavors over well cooked rice. It was a generous portion of food. We also got a vegetable pansit guisado (noodles) which was good as well but just reminded me of lo mein, nothing too special. I would say stick to the popular pork dishes! read more

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Ordered crispsy sisig, corned beef sandwhich, halohalo and ube cheesecake. Sisig is amazing, great portion size and I like the fact that it comes with a salad. Corned beef sandwhich is pretty good too. Basically your filipino corned beef in bread. The halo halo I didn't get to taste because my kids inhaled them right away lol. The ube cheesecake is soo good. I prefer cheesecakes to have a crust but this was still delicious. If ordering ahead, I recommend ordering over the phone for a couple of reasons. If you order through yelp (it says powered by grubhub), prices are muuuch higher. And i mean about $2-$5 more. So yeah, order either over the phone or straight from their website. When I ordered through their website though, I got there and my order was not ready even after about giving them ~45 mins from the time I submitted the order to when I I arrived. The lady said that my order didn't print. I had to wait around 10-15 mins. Not too long of a wait but I just wish they had it ready when I got there since I already gave ample time to get my food ready. Maybe I will give them a call next time to confirm that they received my order. I would definitely come back though and explore their menu. read more

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I've been wanting to try out Filipino food for a while so I was excited to hear that this place was nearby! i ordered online for takeout and got the crispy pork spring rolls, pork tocino, classic pork adobo, and ube burnt cheesecake. Between the pork tocino and the classic pork adobo, I definitely preferred the pork tocino. While they were both delicious, I preferred the flavors in the sauce used for the pork tocino. The ube cheesecake was aboslutely amazing --- a bit sweet, bitter, and creamy. Overall, my friends and I had a pretty pleasant experience with Plain and Simpol's food! read more

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Delicious food in a casual environment with a few tables to sit at for dining in. This was my first time trying out Filipino cuisine and I will definitely be back. read more

Plain & Simpol - Beef short rib Mechado rice bowl with fried egg added - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

I really enjoyed dining in here. The interior was as comforting as the food itself. The service and even the customers themselves were all really friendly and hospitable. As good as the dine-in experience was, the food was even better. When it comes to filipino food, I really enjoy breakfast meals like tosilog and longsilog and I feel that plain & simpol definitely excels at them. I've only been here one time but I definitely plan to go back so I can try out the rest of the menu. read more

Food delicious and service was great. Food was too good I forgot to take a picture. Ambiance on point great window view for a great meal to celebrate my bday. read more

Delicious new take out only spot on metuchen. It was a few minutes away from Menlo so I thought I would give it a try. Recommend ordering ahead of time because it seems like the food is prepared fresh, so it's a bit of a wait. 5/5 ube Cookie. A bit pricey but thick like a cake. Loved it. 4/5 Pork spring roll. Crispy and tasty but a little salty. Dipping sauce was a sweet duck style sauce. 5/5 Pork Sisig over rice. I'm not Filipino but this was tasty and crispy. I wish they gave more variety with the veggies and it was a bit much. Don't get my wrong there are veggies on the side, some sort of boiled cabbage and veggies that wasn't so good. A healthy service of rice and pork through. Delicious read more

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

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This place is very authentic and so good! We got the ooh lam platter but asked to substitute the grilled chicken with the crispy pig which they did for us, but we had to pay an extra $10. It was understandable since we are changing from chicken to pig. In my honest opinion the pork adobo was a bit dry but still very good. I would've just liked it to be a bit more tender. The crispy pork was really good! Just make sure you're okay with a lot of fat on the pork. The beef was honestly my favorite and extremely tender! Highly recommend! The sisig was also really crispy and good. The only difference I noticed was that it's more on the dry side due to less sauce but wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was really good and I enjoyed everything! We also got the burnt ube cheesecake, which I must say pass on it. You can't taste the ube at all. It just tastes like a cheesecake. And it wasn't really "burnt" just tasted like an average cheesecake. Unfortunately we got three.... And everyone was disappointed. I was also very happy to see how clean they were. They were constantly cleaning the counters while making different orders and the overall place looked and felt very clean. Everyone was also very friendly and I loved the vibes. read more

Plain & Simpol - Ooh-Lam Platter and Crispy Pork Sisig Specialty Rice Bowl - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

The taste makes us all feel like we're back in Southeast Asia - the Philippines. Food was great!

My daughter brought this place to my attention and really surprised I hadn't heard about it prior. I'm a sucker for some good Filipino food even though I can cook it at home . I assume we were helped by the owner when giving our order very nice guy and I'm not sure if that's all the family working the kitchen or not but always nice to see if they were . A family that cooks together stays together. We decided to give the heavenly pork aka Lechon and the pork sisig a try . The crispy pork heaven was good but my egg wasn't runny and I would maybe ask for the liver sauce on the side next time it actually tasted better dipped in that delicious Homemade Suka ( never had apple cider version )served at a Filipino restaurant before. delicious I could have e drank a cup of it !! The pork sisig was pretty good and decent size portion. We had a order of lumpia Shanghai which I have to say were rolled pretty tight good flavor compared to some other places. I also order the chicken noodles aka pancit which were delicious I was worried about the noodles because I really don't care for Filipino yellow pancit noodles this was more like Lomein noodles so that made it even better and nice flavors. We didn't wait long for our order and they were busy with a lot of take out orders. I would have liked to have tried the Halo Halo but we were pretty full so maybe I will give it a try next time . Thanks for the good eats and I would definitely recommend you give them a try if you are in the area. read more

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Small place with only four tables. They are wiped down after the diner leaves. Food is worth every penny. Straightforward flavors as Filipino food should be. Limited off-street parking. read more

We happened to be in the area a few weeks ago and my fiancé randomly found this place for us to eat lunch at, based on its great reviews and amazing looking menu. From the moment we walked in we were not disappointed. While small, it's super clean and extremely inviting. We chose three different speciality rice bowls. We ordered their Chicken Inasal, Pork Adobo and Beef Caldereta. The hardest part of the meal was choosing which one we liked best! I give them all 5 stars but the chicken was other worldly. We enjoyed our lunch so much that we couldn't stop there. I ordered a mais con yelo for dessert, which I have officially put on my top five desserts ever eaten. If you like corn, order it! I still couldn't stop there (but my belly could) so I took one of their homemade ube cookies home with me for the next day. Everything about it was perfection, the texture, the taste and the low sugar content. My only issue with ube desserts is that they're usually too sweet but not this. The staff was so friendly and the gentleman at the counter could tell we were first timers and even gave us a free sample of something while we were enjoying our lunch. You can tell that they take great pride in what they serve and it was our absolute pleasure to patronize their business. We don't live super close (my only complaint!) but we are definitely planning on making the drive here again soon...it's worth it. read more

Small restaurant in Metuchen, not much seating...this was our second attempt and this time we were fortunate enough to get a table (only 3)! Super clean, really friendly/helpful staff and the food is absolutely incredible. My wife got the short rib mechado, I got the pork adobo, we go lumpia and 1 turon each. We ea LOVED our food and loved ea other's food as well. Kinda mad that we took so long to come here, it's not too far from us, but far enough that they don't deliver to us (which is probably a good thing). Already can't wait to go back!!! read more

Delicious family style Filipino food! We have been meaning to try this place for awhile and I'm so glad we did because we will definitely be returning to try other dishes. We ordered ahead online and picked up about 30 mins later. Everything was reasonably priced with generous portions. We got the lumpia with house made sweet chili sauce, like a mini egg roll with pork filling. They were still hot and crispy when we picked up. We also tried two rice platters, pork sisig and pork adobo, which both came with Caesar salad. Both were delicious but if I had to choose one, go with the sisig. The Ube cheesecake was amazing! Such a unique dessert offering. In addition the restaurant was very clean and the staff friendly and welcoming. We had more than enough food for two people for less than $40! Please try! read more

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As a Filipino-American who is VERY hard on Fil-Am restaurants, i can proudly say this place is INCREDIBLE. The food really tastes like you went to a Filipino household and they made you a home cooked meal! The restaurant is a very "hole-in-the-wall" and "mom-and-pop" type shop... but some of the best small restaurants are! You can tell it's a family working the grill and behind the counter. Super friendly staff and fast service! read more

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

This place is outstanding and loved every morsal. It was like I was in the middle of someone's home, and they had welcomed me with open arms.can not wait to go back. read more

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Authentic cuisine at amazing prices. Everything is delicious and well prepared. They are extremely cordial and make everything to order.

New hot spot in metuchen!!! I must of passed this place million times, had no idea it was here. Had the BBQ pork sandwich, very good. (Very unique sauce). Also had the pork lumpia, thought it was so so. Definitely want to come back to try the crispy pork, looked pretty good. You get alot of bang for your buck here. Just a heads up parking is on the tight side. My truck barely fit in the parking lot. read more

Plain & Simpol - Bbq pork sandwich, very good with a very unique sauce. - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

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It's no joke. This place is good and I'm not just saying that because I'm Pinay. Actually, I rarely review Filipino restaurants because my mother is an excellent cook and so are my brothers, so..., but here serves a 'fall off the bone'- Myrna's Short Ribs, so savory. I just added wee slices of cheong-gochu and it was perfect! Just looking at the "Ooh-lam Platter" made me happy. I thought the play on words was cute. They packaged it so well. (Btw, kudos to biodegradable containers). It was like a mini boodle presentation that came with three dishes; one of them was "Chicken Inasal", already sliced and topped with some kind of yogurt/creamy dressing, reminding me of halal style chicken- resting on garlic rice. I prefer the traditional dip of spiced vinegar, but this was innovative and just as delicious. Everything was so good! I was so intrigued with the basque cheesecake of "ube" flavour. Ok, alright...not bad. These people know how to hook you in. I look forward to more Simpol dishes. Thanks for being not so far away. read more

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The amazing pork was great, beef very tasty too - there is a lot of rice on each dinner. Salad was nice, but maybe don't put it on the same container as it gets warm. The spring rolls very tasty and crunchy - but not much filling. The cheese cake was amazing - I'll not be afraid of purple anymore! read more

I'm so happy that we found this place, the food and service here is great. The pricing is reasonable especially for the generous portion size. We look forward to ordering here every weekend. Our order usually consists of the Ooh-lam platter or the Carne silog platter, Teriyaki chicken bowl, and a Halo halo. Everything here is delicious! read more

Plain & Simpol - Ooh-Lam Platter - Filipino Near Me - Metuchen, New Jersey

Newly opened take-out restaurant serving Filipino food, which we were craving since we were visiting NJ where Filipino restaurants are plentiful. This place is a sure keeper and I am hoping for it's success. The food was excellent and the service was friendly and accommodating. The kitchen staff knows what they are doing, and I was watching the chef's perfectionist tendencies which I appreciated. This is a crew that really takes pride in what they are doing and what they are serving. Ordered pork tocino, lumpia, beef caldereta, pancit, pork longanisa and halo halo. All came served as individual meals with a lot of rice and sauted veggies. The pork longanisa and tocino were served with spicy garlic vinegar as a side condiment. Everything was hot, fresh and delicious, although the caldereta was not the same as from my region (there are local variations) and was not as saucy as I expected from a beef stew. As another review mentioned, the halo halo was the bomb. It was cold, sweet and the milk was so creamy. They made my halo halo with another person's order and placed it in the fridge while the rest of my order was prepared so that it stayed frozen and icy. It was these kind of touches that made me really appreciate this place! read more

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We now have a local Filipino restaurant in Metuchen! Friends and I ordered tocino, fried pork heaven, and lumpia (pork). Overall, everything was tasty! Tocino was juicy and not overly sweet! Fried pork heaven was indeed heavenly. They give you A LOT of rice but I wish they gave a bit more vegetables. You can substitute white rice for garlic rice for $1 dollar if you order specialty rice dishes online. However, we didn't see this option for tocino or fried pork heaven. Hopefully, the garlic rice substitute option will be added on all of online menu in the future! read more