I need Filipino food!!

[cooperkid2]

Where can I find good Filipino food in the LA area? I am African American but grew up eating at the restaurant of a Filipino family friend (it was called Nipa Hut and has since closed down), enjoying inihaw baboy, pansit, lumpia etc. (please excuse my spelling) I have tried a couple of places in Eagle Rock but nothing (yet) compares to Nipa Hut. Please help!

[i4details]

OMG The one near Queen of Angels? I remember every meal I had there as a kid and it must be closed at least 30 years by now. Pansit malaban, adobo baboy,inahow yup..Those little strips of charcoal BBQ pork and tomato red onion and broccoli kind of salad thing... I've tried dozens of others fillipino restaurants and have never found anything similar.

[ginathefoodie]

Pinoy Pinay Restaurant has a great point point steam table line. Awesome on the weekends at 11ish and 5ish when the lunch and dinner rush start. Nice and fresh. All the classics - kare kare, super yummy crispy lechon kawali and great inihaw. Sinigang always rocks. It's on van nuys and roscoe next to the Island Pacific market. Hope you enjoy it.

[Valleypinoy]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&...

[tooth]

try salako on beverly just west of alvarado, they have tasty and affordable filipino classics. salakotsizzleandgrill.com

[FML]

I'd recommend Kusina on Fountain Ave at the corner of Vermont. It's a turo-turo, but they have delicious chow. I love their inihaw na baboy, their tokwa't baboy, lechon, and their steamed tilapia. Their sinangag (garlic rice) is also yummy.

I will also second (or third, fourth, etc.) the kudos for Barrio Fiesta in Glendale. Their sisig appetizer is delicious (big enough for an entree) as is their shrimp gambas dish. I was only so-so on the kare-kare, as I would have preferred that the sauce be a bit thicker, but my fellow Pinoy pals loved it, so perhaps it's a matter of taste.

[mylastbite]

Last night I had Halo Halo (Filipino dessert) at Max Restaurant in Sherman Oaks.… it was such a refreshing dessert after eating a rich and spicy (delicious) dinner. Pear and candied squash with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel flan, coconut milk, jellies and nuts over crushed ice.

-----
Max Restaurant
13355 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

[yinyangdi]

There’s a new restaurant at 300 S Alvarado St that has just put up new signage and grand opening banners (in the former dos burritos place) called Pinoy Fiesta. When I told a co-worker about it this morning, he asked what kind of menu; all I know about Pinoy Fiesta is its location as it is on my commute route.

[joanfuentes2000]

if you like the "fast food/point-point" place, I suggest the following:

Bahay Kubo on Temple (LA area)
Aling Neri's on 6th St (LA area)
Good-Ha on Vermont, not 6th (LA area)
Kow-Loon on Vermont (LA area)
DJ Bibingkahan on Vermont (LA area)

if you prefer a sit-down menu style:

Max's Fried Chicken (Glendale area)
Gerri's Grill (Cerritos)
Barrio Fiesta (Glendale/Eagle Rock)

The downside on the sit-down/menu restaurant is that their service sucks!!! It takes awhile for the waiters and the orders to come in, but the food is great! Still, my cooking is the best! hahahhaha just kidding.... ENJOY!

[Kate is always hungry]

There is a little hole in the wall on the east side of DeSoto Avenue just north of Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills you might try when you find yourself in the west Valley. It seemed to be a serious mom and pop place. Sorry, I don't remember the name. Anybody know this place?

[geetergrim]

there's a place called SuperMix....very small place but on desoto and parthenia...not sure if that's the place you're thinking of....

[geetergrim]

actually i remember there is one that is closer to ventura blvd...i asked my friend...and it's called Kusina Grill on Desoto and Ventura in the mini-mall that has the Target

[valleychowhound]

There's Salo-Salo Grill in Glendale. I haven't been in a while and can't confirm if it's still there or not. Goldilocks will do crispy pata made to order, plus, they have all those yummies too.

Great. Now all I can think of is deep fried pork leg...

[sharkgirl88]

Your post made me smile. I'm Filipino and it always makes me happy when non-Filipinos appreciate our cuisine. I've met quite a few haters so it was gratifying to read your post.

There is a place on Colorado Blvd. in Glendale called Arko Foods International. It's actually an international grocery but they have a "food court" if you will, that serves authentic and really delicious Filipino dishes. Food court is in quotations because it is a strictly take out place. There are no places to sit and it's a grab and go operation.

Be warned though; the lines are always long especially between the hours of 5 to 7 pm. I once had to wait 30 minutes to be served! Prices are more than reasonable and once you get a taste of their adobo, pansit and bbq, you might just forgive them for making you wait.

Arko Foods International
1428 E Colorado St
Glendale, CA 91205
[phone]

If you find yourself in the Carson area, drop by Tita Celia's. Their lecho kawali is good and not greasy at all. The kare-kare is rich and their peanut sauce is delicious. There you can eat in and come back for seconds if you want to! (You have to pay for it, of course :) ). For dessert, try their banana cue and their cantaloupe drinks.

Tita Celia's
241 W Carson St
Carson, CA 90745
[phone]

Happy grubbing!

[cooperkid2]

Salamat! :)

[JThur01]

Does Arko Foods have freshly made Halo-Halo or is it just a cup one takes home to add the ice, milk and ice cream to?

I was in there last Saturday, granted I only had a few minutes, but I only noticed the latter.

[sharkgirl88]

Hmmm... sorry, but I don't know. But that's another reason to go back and find out! Will do that soon and will report back.

[CookieEater]

OMG I'm in the middle of eating the BEST Filipino bbq (barbecued pork skewers) I've ever had and it was from the Filipino Association booth at San Gabriel Mission's annual Fiesta. Mine was reheated (family member works there, I got an order for free) but still really awesome.

Unfortunately they will likely be sold out by the time you read this. But the word is they order it from somewhere in Cerritos (raw, then grill it there). I'll find out where tomorrow and post back! :)

If you live near San Gabriel Mission, if you're lucky, you might be able to buy one of the last few orders. Today (sunday) is the last day of the Fiesta and they're open 3pm-midnight. I hear they're set to sell out sometime this afternoon, if they even have any left!
http://www.sangabrielmission.org/pari...

[gdtobme]

Jerry's Grill in Cerritos/Artesia area on South St. Also Salo Salo in either Glendale or Cerritos/Artesia on Gridley Rd. They're not far from each other. Barrio Fiesta is very good but I think either of these two are also good but in a different way. All three are my best but each one is different. Enjoy.

[trvlcrzy]

As listed above, for killer Crispy Pata, try Magic Wok in Artesia. For other grilled stuff like inihaw baboy, squid, etc,..try Gerry's Grill in Cerritos. They also have an awesome halo-halo dessert.

[Normal Garciaparra]

In Historic Filipinotown there's a place called Kapistahan located in the Luzon Plaza mini-mall on Temple near Alvarado. (1925 W Temple Street). They have a menu, none of that turo-turo crap (well they DO have a heatlamp section but you're not restricted to it). IMO the food is GREAT! On the negative side, service is AWFUL (I ate there with a friend, it took half an hour to get our order, and when it was finally ready, they initially served our food to the wrong table, who fortunately told them that's now what they ordered). But on the bright side, you'll get to save money by not tipping :)

[pleasurepalate]

Here links to Filipino restaurants I've blogged about.

Pondahan
http://pleasurepalate.blogspot.com/2008/06/not-as-good-as-moms-cooking-at-pondahan.html

Barrio Fiesta
http://pleasurepalate.blogspot.com/2007/07/barrio-fiesta-after-being-disappointed.html

Magic Wok
http://pleasurepalate.blogspot.com/20...

Towards the end of each blog, there are links to photos.

Alejandro's was my favorite so I was sad to see it go; however, Magic Wok and Barrio Fiesta are also pretty good. I wasn't too impresed with Pondahan. Manila Sunset, on the other hand, makes wonderful Pansit Palabok and their Halo Halo is pretty good.

[carter]

andre guerrero put a halo halo on his menu at Max in Sherman Oaks, but took off the lumpia, which were really good. Maybe he could be enticed to have a once a month Filipino night tasting dinner!
Here is his new dessert menu:
http://www.maxrestaurant.com/Menu.htm...

[sk00bysnak]

Bahay Kubo
2330 W Temple St
LA 90026

It's a "point point" place and it's yummy.

[jocey]

Hi Cooperkid2, I feel your pain. I have yet to encounter a Filipino restaurant that matches my father's cooking. But I did eat at a place called Pandahan in West Covina and the food their was great. It was better than Barrio Fiesta. I am not sure if they inihaw baboy but they do have Crispy Pata! I recomment the sinigang baka.

[jackattack]

BARRIO FIESTA!!!

[grc]

Map of Filipino restaurants in LA Metro area - http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF...

Please note that Alejandro's is now closed.

[torty]

In case you have the time or inclination, the 17th Annual Phillipine Arts & Culture Festival is at Pt. Fermin Park in San Pedro Sept 6 and 7th from 10 to 6. I have heard the food booths might be worth it.

[CookieEater]

cris-py pa-ta ... cris-py pa-ta ... cris-py pa-ta ...
That's what my nephew was chanting right while they were waiting for me to drive to their house, because they had just informed me they were taking me to Barrio Fiesta in Eagle Rock (on Eagle Rock Blvd, down the street from Auntie Ems) for my birthday.

IMO this is the best Filipino restaurant I've been to in the area, and I have tried several over the years. I've been to places that have one good item (like chicken or bbq) but Barrio Fiesta is pretty good all around. It's never as good as mom's home cooking of course but they also make all the really unhealthy stuff that she won't do anymore. Like crispy pata. We got the large size, and I'm still snacking on leftovers 2 days later.
We also had longanisa (for the kids), inihaw na pusit (grilled squid, boring compared to the other stuff we had), laing (taro leaves with coconut milk, really tasty), and bagoong rice (the thought of which scared me but turned out to be really yummy fried rice).
Their portion size has nearly doubled since they moved from the Glendale location, which is ALWAYS a good thing.

cooperkid2 I hope you didn't end up at the impostor, Fiesta Sa Barrio, which popped up down the street. Barrio Fiesta is definitely good.

I don't know about the lumpia, I usually don't order it out because no place can beat my mom's. But that crispy pata is pretty awesome.

[cooperkid2]

I have been to Barrio Fiesta and really enjoyed it -- I didn't have the crispy pata though, so I must go back and try that. I did almost end up at Fiesta Sa Barrio -- its pretty confusing!

[WSB]

Carson has a few, Carson and Main streets

[eadj2006]

The Max restaurant in Sherman Oaks is not the same as the Max chain in Glendale. The one in Glendale is called Max's Fried Chicken.

If you like pancit, try the one at Manila Sunset (its their specialty) and finish it off with their halo halo. Its popular among Filipinos. San Fernando Valley - Plummer and Sepulveda.

[dabruins07]

Nipa Hut is open in the valley, i drive by it everyday. It is on Sherman Way, just east of Topanga Canyon. I have never been there, but drive by curiously everyday.

[dabruins07]

i meant West.

22122 Sherman Way. 818-347-9068

[cooperkid2]

REALLY?!?!! I wonder if it is owned by the same folks...

[Phurstluv]

i just heard about a place called Max, in Sherman Oaks, but not sure if it's truly filipino. Also, Zagat's lists a place in Eagle Rock, Alejandro's on Verdugo Rd. Not yet rated for food, as of my old copy (2007). I would call to see if they're still around.

[monku]

Max is Filipino...there's one in Glendale and for all practical purposes its what I'd consider a Filipino diner. You either like it or hate it.

[dette]

Alejandro's is no longer there.

Although Chef Andre Guerrero is Filipino, Max Restaurant in Sherman Oaks is not a Filipino restaurant. Max's Fried Chicken in Glendale is a restaurant chain that started in the Philippines. However, food is not that great.

[grc]

Max in Sherman Oaks is owned by Filipino American chef Andre Guerrero. Although he infuses his dishes with Filipino-influenced techniques and ingredients, the restaurant is not strictly Filipino. Do not confuse this restaurant with Max's of Manila in Glendale, the Filipino diner as described in the 8/26 comment. Guerrero also owns the Oinkster in Eagle Rock. They've got killer ube milkshakes!

[karynx78]

LOVE UBE MILKSHAKES!!!! Is it the real thing or just the powder form?

[sharkgirl88]

The Ube Milkshake at the Oinkster is made with Fosselman's ube ice cream. so yes, it's real and yes, it's good!

[mawf1977]

I second the Ube shake at Oinkster! SO GOOD!!!!

[a213b]

I will 3rd or 4th or whatever ... Ube shake at Oinkster is delicioso!

[debra]

Have you tried Asian Noodles, downtown on Spring St? I haven't been, but I have some Filipino friends who really like it.

[monku]

Not a Filipino restaurant, but Bruddah's (Hawaiian) in Gardena has inihaw baboy and a couple other Filipino dishes on their daily specials board.

Bruddah's
1033 W Gardena Blvd
Gardena 90247
(Closed Mondays)

[cooperkid2]

I have actually had the inihaw baboy there, it was really good...thanks!

[monku]

I've never had it, but my Filipino-Hawaiian friend swears by it. Now I'll have to try it.

[Kris P Pata]

Just as an FYI, ASIAN NOODLES has been re-christened as NOI. Mild interior re-design and name change notwithstanding, it's the same menu of garlic-rich dishes.