I should have walked away when I literally had to stand for 5 minutes for the lady at the cash register to finish what sounded like a personal conversation over her cellphone with no acknowledgement that I was standing there waiting to order. I lived in Manila for a year over a decade ago and continue to eat Filipino food occasionally, so I wanted to give this new place a shot. I got tinatad to go. It had no okra or daikon in it. It was not savory and balanced. Instead, it had raisins in it and was extremely sugary sweet. I couldn't finish the food. I barely ate 1/4 of it and threw it away. I might have given this place another shot and ordered something different but I can't support bad customer service. read more

My mum and I got tapsilog and some fried lumpia. They were both good, and nicely portioned for the price. It was a little but plain, especially for what I expect when I get filipino food. It had good potential though. Service was kind of confusing, we didn't know whether to sit or not, and when we did we weren't greeted or talked to for like 10 minutes. read more

Ordered the tocino breakfast and Filipino spaghetti to go and they were both below average. The fried rice was mushy and the spaghetti had potential, but I wasn't sure if it was made the day of but they used the microwave to heat it up. I don't think I'd return again. read more

My husband and I were so excited to try their food, I was so proud that we even invited a friend but we were so disappointed. First of all, the service was terrible! The server looked like she did not want to work that day at all and she was giving us the attitude. I tried to convince myself maybe she was just having a really bad day but clearly, she wasn't doing her job well. We wanted to order their silog meals but they only serve it for breakfast. Then we decided to order lumpia, pork barbecue and embutido. There was also misunderstanding about what's available, we were told that there's no lumpia but there was a ton! We were so ready to leave but since they are new, we wanted to give them a chance. Our friend ended up getting food somewhere else. I've never felt so embarrassed in my life!!! Second, the food was an embarrassment to the whole Filipino community in Philadelphia area! It took forever for our food to be ready. Their lumpia was soggy, it looked like it was soaked in oil. The pork barbecue was overcooked, dry and burned, I felt like I was eating charcoal. I'm not a chef but I know what's edible or not. The embutido was okay, very small portion though. The only thing I liked was their mango drink but even that, was way too overpriced. We spent over $50! And guess what, their payment system is a mess too! They only accept cash and Venmo. Again, none of their staff knew what they were doing. Don't spend your money here, go somewhere else or just buy ingredients and cook at home. read more

I wanted to like this place so bad so excited for the 1st Filipino restaurant at RTM!!. Followed them on Instagram for weeks and was happy that we can eat there while we were in town. Sadly, the experience was NOT pleasant at all. Went there, stood by the counter for a good 10mins while the owner and staff were prepping and not one acknowledgement. Ok fine whatever...Then finally the owner/chef looked at me and snapped that they are not open yet... (-: Eventually one of the ladies started taking orders in no order of who came first. The only thing available was tapsilog so I ordered 2 portions. The owner told us to wait and the lady will come around which is not true. She has no idea who ordered or paid already. I took another person's order coz I think she didn't like the way the egg was cooked and went to sit down at the food court. Owner did not like that and wants us to sit on the counter... l mean you can't tell people what to do! My daughter didn't want Filipino food and wanted to go somewhere else and we preferred sitting by ourselves so we can socially distance. When I paid I can hear the staff complaining that they were not told exactly what to do about payment, etc. This is the young Asian girl and the Black lady. Clearly they were just as confused as we are. They said Venmo or cash only which is fine except she totally forgot my 2nd tapsilog after she assured me they will bring the food to us which never happened. The chef/ owner was also in a very foul mood. Snapping at everyone left and right. Didn't like that the one lady wanted her eggs medium and so on. Totally did not handle the pressure well and there were less than 10 people there. The tapsilog was ok, very average-not mind blowing. Very small portion too , meat was tender- but it will be very hard to mess up on tapsilog lol Honestly this something you can get fr any Filipino joint . I probably would not mind getting snapped at if your food was 10/10 but it was not- not even close. We won't be back and I spoke to another family that was there as well and they also had a very bad experience. You are at RTM with a ton of food choices and people picked your place to eat. The least you can do is be nice to them and good food will be nice too...(-: read more

Tambayan - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Very quick service, delicious food. Ordered the chicken kebabs, which came with rice. I adore rice in all forms, and this did not disappoint. Will definitely be back. read more

Sunday 8/1 my family decided to visit a new Filipino restaurant in Reading Terminal. I am originally from the Philippines and I must say that I was disappointed in the following : 1) the counter service was very disorganized and the worker demanded a tip, I understand it is customary to leave a tip but not when the person behind the counter is rude and demands a tip. 2) Food : Pancit looked very unappetizing and portion size very small, taste was only average, not worth it for the price. : BBQ and Tinadtad was very good and enjoyed it. read more

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Great food with lovely employees. I've had breakfast here after my long run and the service was fast and terrific and the food is fabulously good. There's such interesting flavors in each bowl and the portions aren't too much, which is perfect. It's definitely good resto to go to. I love and adore this place! The head owner was lovely, welcoming, and assuring that I was good with my food. read more

I was visiting from LA and was excited to see a Filipino eatery in the Market Place in Philly. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The staff seemed distracted by trying to get a big order completed while my friend and I waited patiently to order our food. There were about 4 staff there, but I had to flag one of them down to take our order. I wanted Longsilog and Palabok. However, both weren't available from the menu. It was 11:00am and they didn't have 2 items on their menu? I ended up ordering Tapsilog. It was ok... beef was tough, egg and rice were good. I would only go back to try the halo halo. read more

Edit: Their reply to my Google review is a pretty good indication of how the lady is VERY defensive. I witnessed the confrontation from a distance and overheard the conversation He DID say something to you and you shot his complaint down even though it was said nicely. Don't worry, I have made sure to not recommend this Filipino food place to my med school friends and cannot wait until: Baby's Kusina and Market opens in Summer 2023~Give your service there!!! Do better and be kinder **** My friend was visiting from NJ and was excited to visit this Filipino stall as we are all Filipino and want to support our people. He frequently uses the 2Good2Go app where he has not once had a bad experience....until this place. We rushed to meet the time slot of 5pm pickup and when receiving the meal we found that it was a bowl of rice with a few pieces of tomato slices and lettuce. This was supposed to be a $12 worth meal and with the 2GoodtoGo app's discount my friend paid $4.31. My friend approached the ladies who had packed the food here and one in particular, we assume the owner, rudely and condescendingly said to my friend the meal was actually worth less and that it was only fair he received that portion and type of meal because he had not paid full price. So much for Filipino hospitality read more

I was in Philadelphia for the weekend and needed something to do between my hotel check-out and my train departure so I headed to Reading Terminal Market. I was making my rounds through the stalls when I saw the word Tambayan and the Philippines flag from afar. I was so excited to give it a try and I was not disappointed! First off, we were promptly provided service and were able to sit on the counter off the bat. We had pancit, which was topped with a boiled egg and lumpia, which came with yellow rice and dip. The taste was reminiscent of the stands that I would pass by on my way home from school in Manila. The lumpia was crispy and flavorful. The pancit and rice were a tad dry if I were to be a bit picky but that didn't slow me down from scarfing it all. I was also greatly appreciative of the fact that the staff remained attentive to our needs the whole time despite having a packed counter. I think the most charming thing about this stand is how I saw several Filipinos walk by who took pictures of the sign and had conversations with the owner and each other. I ended up chatting with the owner (a lovely woman who has a great backstory) and an older Filipino couple who drove from cities away just to have Tambayan. The couple ordered two plates of tocilog (which they raved about). During the 30 minutes that I sat on that counter with them, I got to speak my native language to other Filipinos who were eager to share stories of their own diaspora and feel connected to their homeland albeit briefly. It was enough to satiate our homesickness for the time being. Good food has a way of bringing people together and Tambayan was able to do that for us. Long story short, Tambayan is a really new Filipino spot that serves delicious food. I trust that it will grow better with time. I'm excited to stop by again the next time I'm in town. read more

Great service and food was good. Lumpia with the homemade sweet and sour was . Will come back again.

Gluten free was a must for me and the chef came and spoke with me to discuss ingredients. All breakfast items were gluten free and were so yummy. read more

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We were in Philly for vacation and super excited to visit the famous reading market. The restaurant has a limited menu but everything was delicious. We had the spaghetti, menudo, and bbq chicken. Definitely try the different the types of pandesal ( sweet bread) & green tea. Overall great restaurant to try as an introduction to Filipino food! read more

Tambayan - Ube pandesal - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mediocre food, palabok tasted like spaghetti, filling of turon was made of unripe plantains, too chewy wrapper was not crunchy at all. When I told the server that the palabok sauce tasted like spaghetti sauce she said its Batangas style, its not, i've tasted batangas palabok, this one, did not taste palabok at all. The sugar of the turon was sprinkled and not caramelized and drizzled with generic chocolaye sauce. You can tell that they used unripe plantains and not the burro banana or saging na saba. I was so disappointed, i so wanted to like what i ordered. Remember though am only speaking about two dishes. Other dishes might be good. So feel free to judge for yourself read more

Pretty legit fresh lumpia and pan de sal. Worth going to for a Filipino meal, even though you have to navigate getting to Reading terminal.

glad that they're presenting more diversity in philly but the pancit was so bland and the noodles were undercooked and hard. lumpia was really good. i've never had filipino food so i can speak to authenticity. service was good! read more

Tambayan - lumpia - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Great addition to Reading Terminal. Barbecued chicken was outstanding. Loved the halo-halo!!

Surprised to see this place while visiting Philly yesterday. It was around 9AM and theres no customer, my gf and I stood for two minutes looking at the menu and two personnel inside who's acting very busy did not even bother to ask if we want to order anything so we left and end up at Dutch Eating Place (great place and with very attentive crew). Filipino hospitality flew out the window on this one. read more

This spot just opened at the reading terminal, I wanted to try it out because their food online looked so delicious, but I was highly disappointed. I ordered a Filipino spaghetti and menudo, the portion was so small but so expensive. The food wasn't even hot, I had better food at jollibees. The food is not the worst part, the worst part was the customer service, everything was very disorganized and nobody knew what they were doing. I get it that it was soft opening, but still, you're at the reading terminal. I paid for my food already and was standing there for a good 20 mins, when I went to pick it up, the black lady and that Asian girl with the blue hair accused me for not paying for the food. I already paid for the food beforehand, I gave her $40 and she gave me $16 ish in change. Is she that highly incompetent that she forgot within five minutes? It wasn't even busy. Word of advice, ask for a receipt when you pay because they don't take debit or credit and will forget within two minutes that you paid for your food. Train your employees better! Horrible customer service and everybody looked miserable working there. Good thing, Jollibee is opening up in Philadelphia soon so I don't have to go here. read more

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Stopped here while visiting Reading Terminal Market not knowing what to expect. We don't have many Filipino restaurants near us, so we try to find some when we travel. I had the fresh lumpia and my boyfriend had the pancit. Both were incredible. The portion sizes were so much more than expected. The staff patiently answered my questions on foods that others were eating, as well. Don't miss out on this gem. read more

As self-professed Ube fanatics, my husband and I were so excited to check out Tambayan. As expected, since the business is so new, they are definitely working out some kinks. The workers seemed a bit frazzled with the weekend lunch rush. We waited at the counter for some time, and then eventually just moved to wait in line as it seemed that this would be the faster of the two options. We ordered the Filipino barbecue (comes with three skewers and rice), fried lumpia (comes with rice), Ube fries, Ube macarons, and a slice of the Ube cake. The Filipino barbecue was delicious - juicy, tender pieces of meat with a mouthwatering chargrilled flavor. The vinegar was the perfect accompaniment. It is definitely work waiting for! The lumpia had been sitting out for a bit, and thus weren't as crispy as we expected but the flavor was okay. The Ube fries tasted akin to regular sweet potato fries - a bit soggy so we ended up taking them home to air fry (this improved the texture greatly. Not necessarily a "must get" to be honest. The Ube macarons were a delight - cookies were perfectly baked - crispy and then chewy, and the filling was perfectly sweet. Ube cake was a bit dry with a more subtle flavor, but we still enjoyed it! Overall, Tambayan is definitely worth a try, but be prepared for a wait. read more

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We came here today for a quick meal before we headed to the airport for our flight home to Vegas. I was pleasantly surprised to find a filipino joint and was even more surprised at how amazingly good the food was! I got the tapsilog, filipino spaghetti, and lumpia. It was all so delicious and and the girls working there were so sweet. I will definitely be back next time we are in the area. read more

Authentic, delicious Filipino food. Had the longsilog. Meat was perfectly sweet, egg cooked perfectly soft, garlic rice just right. Tasted just like the Filipino breakfast in the Philippines. Sat at the counter and all of the employees were friendly and made me feel at home. read more

I'm Filipino and I live a block away. This place is not really for "Filipinos", which isn't a bad thing, but let me explain. A majority of the people eating here will not be Filipino. I rarely see a single Filipino after living here for 15 years, so let's be real. This food is for everyone that isn't Filipino. Most of us Filipinos grew up eating this stuff, so of course, a Filipino will be more critical. For people who have never experienced Filipino food, this is an excellent place. Overall, I love the food. I've eaten a ton of these dishes growing up, so it's right on par. At these prices, the portions seem slightly smaller than average than other places in the term. This could be a personal thing, but I am always still a little hungry after getting a meal here. I am happy that they upped the Lumpia platter from 2 pieces to 3 because 2 were WAY too small. At home, I could easily eat 10 of these things. read more

So good! Kathy (the owner) is so sweet and makes everything authentically by hand. I've had the macarons, the chicken sate, and the ube cake. I'm dreaming about my next meal- a must visit at the Reading Terminal. So happy they opened!! read more

Great to see FilAm in Reading. IDK how she makes it work with all the inventories and ingredients to prepare the food. She works so hard- I would love to see the menu cut down to the easiest and fastest like the all the "silogs" and adobo maybe? All the best ! read more

You may want to advise your staff to use gloves when touching food!!! Disgusting !!!

ordered Longsilog and was disappointed. I know how longanisa should taste like and its not even close. not going back there again. Chicken bbq was ok. read more

This sweet spot is slightly more quiet and less bustling than the rest of the terminal. I enjoyed the fresh pancit and pork lumpia. The food is mouth watering...I think I might have shed a tear as I bit into the lumpia. It also has very friendly staff that gave wonderful Philly recommendations. Enjoy! read more

Tambayan - Fresh Lumpia! - Filipino Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I've seen the owner berate customers. Seems like other reviewers here and on google have witnessed the same.

I stopped by RTM a little over a month ago, just before they opened. Saw them, under construction. Read an article a week or so later in the Inqy. Today I was at the RTM, and decided to stop by for lunch. Surprisingly good, surprisingly tasty! I had the pork BBQ (says beef in the menu, but only pork and chicken available...) Prepared relatively quickly. Pleasant staff (hi, Rachel!), quite attentive. The meat was well seasoned, nicely grilled. Not overseasoned, but a wonderful grill/bbq flavor. The sauce went well with it, as did the hot sauce (I prefer things on the spicy side). The rice (since there are other disparaging comments in the yelpiverse) was excellent. Not too glutenous, not too loose, just right. Good feel. Good flavor. Good all around. I saw other things on the menu that also looked interesting. I'm very curious about the Filipino spaghetti -- maybe next time I'm down at the RTM? read more

Disappointing taste and service. I think if you're seeking Filipino food that is authentic and flavorful, go to a Filipino neighborhood, not a place that is famous for its hoagies and cheesesteaks. read more

Eh. Ordered tapsilog and a side of longanisa. I thought the tapa was salty, and I like salty. Eat it with the vinegar, just trust me. Meat was tender and had good texture though. The longanisa was home made and had an interesting flavor, something I've never had. It's not sweet, not garlicky and not like vigan, it's somewhere in the middle of all that. This is the issue I have with Filipino food in general. Every Filipino has their own palate when it comes to local food. Give this one a shot, support local business and Filipino's! Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. Go here at least once. read more

As a Filipino who was raised in the Philippines, I am warning you not to go and waste your money on this place. The food is not even close to what you are expecting it taste like, and I know a hundred Filipino moms who can make home-cooked meals better than this place. It blows my mind that the high reviews for Tambayan claim that it serves "authentic Filipino food" or that it was remotely "delicious." Take a look at who's writing these reviews--they simple wouldn't know what Filipino food is SUPPOSED to taste like. I've never tasted Filipino food that was so stale, bland and expensive. Horrible experience. If you think otherwise, go for yourself, waste your money, and come back to warn everyone else not to be enticed by the deceiving high reviews. read more

Surprisingly good Filipino food at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. Chef Mirano and her staff are friendly and courteous. I definitely recommend to check it out. read more

Just ate here for the second time -- really solid Filipino food. (While sitting there, some random person walked up to the bar and picked up some of the condiments to use for food he bought elsewhere -- ridiculous. A server also mentioned that others have taken their salt & pepper shakers in the past and failed to return them.) read more