Manila! Manila! Resto Grill

My husband and I ate here on a Sunday evening because we bought a Living Social deal. We came all the way from Jersey, and the drive was worth it! The place is small and cozy, like being at a Tita’s house. The people there were nice, can’t complain at all about the service.
Now, the food! When I looked at the menu, I seriously wanted everything! For appetizers, we had the lumpia and the grilled isaw. In my 28 years, I have never been able to find lumpia as good as my mom’s… until now! Just delicious! I had never tried isaw, and probably would not have if it wasn’t for all the great reviews on Unilocal.I’m so glad I took the leap. There were 3 sticks/​skewers of the isaw, and I ate two of them. I couldn’t even tell it was pig intestine. A few days later I was at the gym and the thing that got me through my workout was thinking of the grilled isaw.
For the entrees, my husband had the bistec and I had the bagoong rice. I tried the bistec, which was pretty good. The bagoong rice was absolutely amazing! Just smelling it reminded my of my childhood. I only wish I had more room in my stomach to eat more. It was a delicious mix of rice, eggs, meat, mango, shrimp paste… am I missing anything? It was so darn good that I had dreams of bagoong rice that night. I also brought my leftovers to work the next day, even if it meant being «that girl» who brings fishy-​smelling food to work. Oh, well… it was worth it!
For dessert, we had the turon sundae (banana lumpia with ice cream). This was delicious as well. I finished my turon and half of my husband’s, despite being full.
I will definitely be back! I highly highly recommend this place and can’t wait to take my family here whenever they’re in town.

This is a nice place to get fresh, filling, wholesome-​seeming food and friendly service. See Zenoni’s earlier review for specific delicious dishes, especially the praise for the Java rice.
A great addition to the neighborhood, and deviation from the standard-​Thai or standard-​Chinese take-​out.

Love local businesses! Went here with my friend to redeem our Livingsocial deal. Yes, it is a bit of a walk and not very close to the subway, but the awesome service makes up for it. We tried tne bagoong rice, garlic rice, and pork skewers. The waiter (also owner) was more than helpful in giving us suggestions as to what would pair with what dishes. Everything tasted amazing, just like home. OH! and of course, the halo halo.
I could get an order of that halo halo each night. Ube ice cream (my fave)! plenty of jackfruit, all the beans goodness, presented perfectly (definitely big enough for 2 people to share). I am drooling just thinking about it.
Seriously people, if you’ve never had filipino food before, just come here to try it. And how can you not love a local business!!!
I have one more living social coupon to use! I can’t wait!

Found a new nook to get some home cooking, if I feel like paying for it. And would I pay for it, you ask? The answer from me: a resounding «YES.»
Granted it is a bit difficult to get to (let’s face it… anywhere in Queens is difficult to get to), but that’s beside the point; and they do delivery anyway. It is an unassuming little joint in a very «neighborhoody» kind of street, a few blocks removed from the hustle and bustle (if you can even call it that) of Steinway and 30^th ave (west side).
I came in at 5:00 pm and got out at 7:00 pm on a Wednesday, with me and only one other customer (a lady) showing up between those times; shows how less traveled that road is during that time on that day.
Quickly made friends with my fellow patron (yes, we were both Filipino) and we were promptly served our food within minutes of ordering. The lumpia is exactly how mom used to make them (and still does)… little cylinder shaped flavor grenades that explode with each bite. And Marty’s fried chicken (Chef Recommended) was great; unbreaded chicken quarters with crispy skin with tender and moist (but not oily) meat… you could make a strong argument that this was better than Max’s fried chicken (unofficial national fried chicken branch of Las Pilipinas).
I also opted for an adobo fried rice bowl, while my newly found lady friend selected the bagoong fried rice bowl (both chef recommended). The bowl has quite a substantial amount of toppings and meat (I could barely see the rice in the bowl is how loaded the portion was). I tried both, and you cannot go wrong either way.
The restaurant’s tag line is «Filipino Comfort Food» (or something to that effect), and damn was I comforted AND comfortable after my meal here.

This little restaurant serving up Filipino cuisine tucked between neighborhood pizza shops and beauty parlors in Astoria concocts some delicious curries. Warm, hearty, and wholesome, I’d definitely come here after a bad day in need of some good comfort food.
The ambience is fairly minimalist with the standard fake red leather cushion chairs of restaurants and sparsely decorated walls. Our one tea light went neglected much to our remorse. They probably would have lit it had we asked, but it was more enjoyable to look at it sadly and search futilely for a lighter. The place could do with some cheery Filipino pop music, at least for laughs and kicks if not for taste.
We ended up ordering mainly vegetable and seafood dishes for no particular reason.
The Java rice was a crowd pleaser. Savory, subtly sweet and very peanuty. It doesn’t work well with the entrees since it’s pretty flavorful on its own, but it was great as an appetizer for everyone to take a few bites of. I personally enjoyed mixing it with the white rice and then eating it with some of the tilapia, but probably too many competing flavors coming together for the more refined eater.
My vegetable pinakbet curry was my favorite with its assortments of vegetables and well blended sauce. The peanut flavor in the vegetable kare kare was a bit overwhelming, but enjoyable in smaller quantities. The ginataang tilapia was cooked in a light ginger curry and a fun pink color. The fish was so tender that it literally melted in your mouth. The vegetable tamarind soup was intense in the tamarind which is great if you’re like me and love tart things.
If you’re in the neighborhood, this is a great place to try Filipino cuisine for the first time. The staff is helpful in explaining the dishes, and the portion sizes are large enough to take leftovers home.

I absolutely adore Filipino food.
I purchased a groupon some months ago to Manila! Manila! and was eager to use it. Good thing my roommate is into Filipino food as much as I am because we went on a Monday at 7pm. The groupon required a reservation but the place was empty.
We definitely ordered way more than we had anticipated but out of sheet excitement for the awesome things on their menu.
We started with the grilled isaw. Thats pork intestines. Ofal gets a bad rep because its often not done right. The slices of charred intenstines on a stick, combined with a tasty dipping sauce were surprisingly good. If i didnt know prior to ordering it was a stick of intestine, i would have never known. Its just really delicious.
We then ordered the BBQ pork because I havent seen it at my local filipino resto. Plump, juicy pieces of pork in a sweet bbq sauce and grilled with a lovely char on it.
Combined with a bowl of garlic rice that is texturally as glorious as it is delicious.
We also ordered the lechon kawali. Deep fried pork belly with tender slabs of flesh and crispy skin with a sweet pork sauce for dipping.
You have no idea how happy it makes me.
And because we are total fat asses, we ordered the fried chicken. A generous plate of crispy and salty fried chicken with a sweet banana ketchup.
You better believe the two of us ladies sat in the empty restaurant and cleaned our plates.
The food didnt take long to come out at all. The staff were really friendly and I cannot wait to come back for my next fix!
and also to try the halo halo.

The meal started off kind of weird with the lady telling us that we needed to make reservations for vouchers but she’ll check with them. Clearly there was no one there, I didn’t know why we needed to make reservations. I was kinda mad and was tempted to walk out. But I am glad I didn’t because everyone was super nice and the food was fabulous.
First of all the place seems like it just opened. It’s small but it has a modern feel. The food did take over 30 minutes to make. The chef came out and apologized and gave us lumpia on the house. He said that he was locked out the big kitchen, so he was using the smaller kitchen with only 1 stove, so it was taking longer. I am glad he came out and told us, because I was wondering why it was taking so long to make food for 2 people when there was no one else there.
So for $ 20, we got 1 appetizer, 2 entres and 2 drinks.
Appetizers: chicken and pork bbq skewers (SO GOOD! Both had distinct tastes. I
preferred the chicken more)
Lumpia (so good also, home made)
Entrees:
walnut shrimp– a little too sweet for me. Got overwhelming towards the end. But that’s what I get for ordering that dish at a Filipino restaurant. But they made it so that there was not a lot of mayo. There were also a lot of shrimp.
seafood kare kare– SOOO GOOD! I loved the broth. I would probably eat anything with that. It’s creamy and savory but not too over powering. And they also gave 2 – 3 pieces of clams, shrimp, octopus.
Desert (not included) — fruit salad with this milky sauce. Also super delish! Not too sweet but just the right touch to satisfy that need for sweet after a meal.
I would definitely go back because the food was very good and inexpensive. I think this is the first Filipino restaurant I actually liked.

The fiancé and I came here with a Groupon and was treated as nicely as anyone else. We tried:
Apps:
Grilled Isaw — Grilled pork intestines. YUM! If you like intestines then you’ll love this little dish.
Chicken & Pork BBQ minis — Chicken and Pork skewers. Tender and tasty!
Entrees:
Kare Kare — Filipino stew with peanut, oxtail, oxfeet, tripes, eggplant, bokchoy and long beans. I must say, this dish was a bit too heavy for me as it is smoothered in peanut sauce. The first few bites was great but I couldn’t eat most of it because it just got too thick. However, if you like peanut sauce and don’t mind the heaviness, you’d probably love this dish as it was very tasty.
Chicken Adobo — Very yummy dish. The seasoning was great and the chicken wasn’t dry and overcooked.
Manila! Manila! Bagoong Rice — Rice fried with garlic and shrimp paste, topped with pork binagoongan, mangoes, tomatoes, scallions and egg omelet strips. I didn’t really love this dish mainly because I’m not used to all those ingredients and flavors put together. The rice was also very soggy, almost congee like which is not something I’m used to having. I’m not sure if that’s how it was supposed to be, but I thought the «rice fried» part would indicate some type of textured rice.
Service: The best thing about this place was the service. The two waitresses and the one waiter that served us were extremely nice, friendly, and accommodating.
Atmosphere: This place could use some renovating. The tables are placed in awkward positions and overall it gives a cafeteria type feeling. I would love to see them update it with some nicer furniture, maybe play some music, create some pleasant ambiance, etc etc.
Overall, our experience here was very pleasant. We left full and happy and would return again to try some other items on the menu.

I must have gone on a bad day, because my experience was sadly disappointing.
Chicken adobo was perfectly cooked, but there was NO flavor, no vinegar, nothing… bleh. Lumpias were okay, pinakbet was no good. My friend ordered a beef dish that I can’t remember the name of, but the beef was extremely overdone.
One MAJOR issue, our rice was SO overcooked, it was mushy to the point you couldn’t even fathom. NO Filipino restaurant should overcook white rice! Come on!
Service wasn’t bad, just typical Filipino service. Not returning anytime soon.

I’ve been dying to try Filipino food for a while. The closest Filipino meal I had was spaghetti (with tomato sauce, meatballs, sugar, and banana) made by my Filipino friend’s mother. So, I bought the Living Social voucher for Manila Manila Grill Resto in a heartbeat when I saw it online.
The boyfriend and I passed by the restaurant on a Friday night. It was a little awkward with no one inside. Once upon entering the restaurant, the feeling went away as we were kindly greeted. We started off with the grilled isaw and Gina mango nectar juice. Let me tell you something… if you like mangos and ever get a chance to try (even a sip of) Gina mango nectar juice, just do it. It tastes like fresh mangos but out of a can?! That’s the stuff. Another favorite of the night — the grilled isaw. It’s chewy, sweet, slightly crunchy and slightly gamey… skewed perfectly on a stick. The intestines reminded me a little of yakitori but with vinegary and garlicky sauce on the side. As for the main courses, we overdid ourselves and got the kare kare, bistek tagalong, and the bagoong rice. The kare kare was really unusual to me. In my mind, I couldn’t imagine how peanut stew, oxtail, tripes, and vegetables would go well together but it did. To me, it was only good with the shrimp paste as a salty condiment and not sure if it was worth the $ 12 – 13 size wise. My third favorite dish was the bagoong rice. The tender short ribs smothered with shrimp paste, mangoes, tomatoes, scallions, and eggs over garlic fried rice was to die for. This dish was a pleasant surprise; my new favorite dish for sure. Again, not sure if this dish was worth $ 12 – 13. The bistek tagalog was the least favorite of the night. The beef strips were soft yet the soy sauce and lemony flavor was too much. Tasted like the meat was marinated in ponzu sauce. It was too salty for my taste buds. Lastly, I finally got to try the halo halo. I was disappointed because it didn’t come with the ube ice cream (came with vanilla). It was a little hard to finish because it was so cold, definitely will be coming back during the summer time for this. Regardless, the mixture of jelly type sweets, ice cream, and shaved ice was a great way to finish the meal.
According to the restaurant, you should be able to purchase a deal on Groupon this month. I would totally recommend you to get it since the food is a bit expensive. Our meal came out to $ 60 ($ 40 with the voucher) but again, it’s probably because we ordered 3 entrees. Still, I’m totally in love with Filipino food and I can’t wait to go back again!

For Filipino food I prefer Kuma Inn by far.
This restaurant is in Astoria near my massage place so I got take out one night. The sauce in the Kare Kare was peanut sauce it was really delicious.
But not all of my life, but some years ago I suddenly developed a shell fish allergy. For some reason when I tell people this they think it is all sea food. No, I eat sea food all the time. (see all of my sushi lists)
But for me the menu here is very limited due to my allergy to shell fish. There are only a few things I can have.
The vegetables in the soup I ordered were not cut properly. It was as if I bought a broth with whole vegetables and had to cut and clean them when I got home because the vegetables had crunchy dirt or sand as people call it. The vegetables in the Kare Kare were better. I know others will not agree. I am not saying it is bad just not to my taste.

I’m normally against going to filipino restaurants only because I feel like I can always get it through family. Nevertheless my fiancé got a groupon and she was excited, it was nice, not too big place. She told me she felt comfortable there, like in someone’s living room.
We ordered the crab cakes, coconut tilapia and chicken adobo. All were excellent, they tasted fresh and nicely cooked. I would have liked to try the lechon kawali also. It was pleasant experience, it was good value for the price, I recommend this to all, not just non filipinos. Gotta love the romantic filipino love songs playing in the back too!

First time ever having Filipino food and it was quite good. The veggie soup is a must try… has a nice tangy taste to it. I had the tilapia in coconut milk and it was delish. Def want to go back and try the other diff dishes. Very inexpensive.

I want to like pork intestines. It’s the only part of the pig I don’t obsess with and I am almost ashamed to admit it. Brains, knuckles, ears — I love it all, but when it comes to the intestines, I find the smell off putting. I have tried it a few times before in different styles but I never liked it so when I read the reviews here I just had to give it a shot. When I took the first bite, i wasn’t too sure about it. Then I had a second and by the third bite I was digging it quite a bit. The smell didn’t bother me at all, I loved the texture too and I finished my plate. Would I order it again here? Absolutely but probably not by myself. It’s an app that can easily be shared by 3 ppl and I still had 2 main dishes to come. 3.5 stars for the grilled isaw.
The main courses I got were the Honey Kasoy Hipon and the Beef Kaldereta with a Twist. The Honey Kasoy Hipon was a homerun. Crunchy shrimp, crunchy cabbage and cashews (even though the menu said walnuts). That’s one heck of a deliciously crunchy dish all brought together by a sweet honey sauce. 5 stars. The beef kaldereta was pretty good but I have mixed feelings about the Twist (peanut sauce). I think I would have liked a bit more kick to the beef but it was stewed to perfection so I don’t have too many complaints about it. 3.5 stars
I got some bagoong rice to go and day-​yum it’s good!

I lived in Astoria for a couple years. During that time, I was always broke and depressed. Now, going back makes me feel anxious (about the idea of being broke) and depressed.
So my pal Andre and I are out and about in Willets Point and Flushing, respectively, antiquated photographic apparatuses in hand, when a fierce hunger strikes us simultaneously. «I heard about this Filipino restaurant in Astoria, but I don’t remember the name,» he said, quickly going to work on tracking it down via iPhone means. The phrase «Filipino food,» no matter how naïve I am to the cuisine of the Phillipines, has always made my mouth water. Uncertain as to why. «Oh, I found it! It’s called MANILA! MANILA! Their web site says they have AMPLE PARKING.»
Who in New York has AMPLE PARKING? It’s a welcoming phrase, but obviously something hard to deliver on (unless, maybe, when they made their site, it was a Monday night and they looked out front to find a bunch of empty spots?) Anyhow, I was expecting a sick parking lot with a color-​coded system. «Andre, remember Orange Lot, Delta quadrant. That’s where we are parked.»
Second puzzle piece was actually finding the restaurant. We were staring at the map on their site, which claimed a corner locale kitty-​corner from the actual establishment. Needless to say it was a totally awesome (and WRONG) map. You’re better off following the stars (or the address).
Checking in on Unilocal actually got me something for once (instead of looking like a tool) — free soup! Tamarind Soup! With order of an entrée! And my pal got one, too.
I’ve never eaten a soup quite like this. The soup was like pure vinegar. Oddly compelling, but holy shit! Vinegar was practically pouring out of my ears.
Andre got two entrees of meat (chicken and pork belly, if I recall), both of which he said were pretty tasty. The sauces were plentiful, but one of them looked (and tasted?) like WATER. That was pretty awesome.
I got «a classic Filipino staple made vegetarian,» which was like high-​tech ramen and a bunch of vegetables and a garlicky brown sauce. It was tasty, but nothing to write home about. I ate the whole plate because of my aforementioned «fierce hunger.»
Getting back off the meal, Andre told a series of stories so absurd and disgusting that I was literally hunched over with laughter, crying. Odds are, I will sooner forget the vinegar soup than the tale of someone projectile vomiting upon opening a chicken wing-​filled compost bucket in the heat of the summer sun.

I LOVE FILIPINO FOOD, ask any Filipino person and they will tell you that I am most definitely an honorary Filipino. (Kind of like I’m an honorary Jew).
I can eat with a fork and spoon,
I like vinegar+garlic with pompano,
AND I will eat the heck out of bagoong with my Kare kare.
Onwards, Lara G. said I could pick so of course I ask her to take me to a Filipino joint.
What we had:
–Grilled isaw, was SO tasty. I’m all for trying new things, and this was the first time I had pork intestines, and I am a huge fan.
–Kare kare, growing up in the small town of Bataan as a little girl I remember picking up fruits and veggies for my nannie…
Who am I kidding I was born there, but I have no memory of growing up there. I do remember THOUGH going to my friends homes and eating homemade kare kare. It changed my life. Mmm, OXTAIL, tripe, and tripe feet. This dish definitely had a lot of love thrown in, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
–BBQ chicken skewers, tasty, sweet, charcoal-​y flavor. Which mixed extremely well with the vinegar dipping sauce.
2 things they did not have which made me kind of sad,
–sisig
–pompano
How’s a sister ‘posed to get her Filipino on without this?
Regardless.
I was very happy to meet the chef himself, he was extremely friendly and so was his staff. Quaint, family owned restaurant. I’ll be back soon!

~~~3.8~~~
It was an impromptu request for Filipino food that occasioned a trek to Manila! Manila on a rainy evening. Anything that is a short distance to where I live and will not require driving to Woodside for a Flip fix works, right? We were greeted warmly, given the option to choose where to sit and offered drinks. We ordered the following dishes:
~~Tilapia cooked in coconut milk — the hands down winner. The tilapia is filleted and cut in chunks and perfectly cooked, still firm and not mushy. It was served on a bed of baby spinach which was a nice touch. If they can only up the spiciness by more jalapenos, I’d live here.
~~Barbecue abat (French cookery term for «offal» which in this case is pork
intestines or «isaw») — Credit goes to Stella L. for talking about her craving for this street food. Were it not for her talking about this like a school girl would about her current crush, I would not even have thought of trying it. Manila Manila got it right down the authenticity even to the vinegar dip. Now, if only they have beer as that would have transported me to the city of beautiful sunset, also known as the land of street food, beer and AYCE. Alas, they have no liquor license yet, so my friend had to rely on the sake we brought with us. :)
~~Ox tail, tripe and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce (kare-​kare) — tasty and tender and it is not everyday that I get to try tripe. The inclusion of tripe reminded me that much of Filipino cooking is of Spanish influence like tripe which in Spanish cooking is simmered until tender in tomato sauce. The dish looks a bit brown from the peanut sauce and needed some annato or achiote.
~~Chicken barbecue (boneless chicken skewers) — The marinade used for this type of barbecue is the sweetish-​spicy type. It’s tasty but I want some more heat.
~~Mini –Crab cakes — This should be more appropriately called shrimp balls. It comes with the sweetish spicy sauce for spring rolls.
The chef-​owner J.R. came out of the kitchen and gave his recommendations to us. As usual, I was tempted not to listen but I yielded to the «isaw». Perhaps, I have to rethink my listening problem. I’ll be back, Manila!

I finally got my isaw fix — HOORAY!
OMG! THEIR GRILLED PORK INTESTINES IS AMAZING.
I had other things too, but i would come here, solely for the purpose of eating isaw.
I have to come back on a regular meal (as i came here for a private function) so i’d know what its like.
this place is very accessible via Q18 bus, so if you live along the route, the bus stops either in front of it (maspeth bound) or a block away from it (astoria bound)

Manila Manila was featured in BORO Magazine and last night I finally made my first visit along with my brother, his wife and my cousin.
Restaurant & Location:
The location is about 5 minutes away from my house by car. If you don’t have a car, be prepared to walk because it’s far from the bus stop and subway station. The ambiance of the restaurant is very cozy. I like the décor, it’s simple but tasteful. The staff is very friendly. (4 ½ stars)
Food:
Grilled Isaw — This is our favorite «merienda» when we were kids. The isaw was clean and tasty. It tastes just like the isaw we used to eat back home. (4 ½ stars)
Ginataang Tilapia — Definitely a little different than what I’ve had in the past. I love the shrimp paste and the hint of ginger. (4 stars)
Ginataang Laing — It’s good but it would’ve been better if they put hot chili for a little kick. (4 stars)
Pork BBQ — It’s OK. A little small compare to other Pork BBQ that I’ve had. (3 stars)
Bagoong rice — This is my favorite dish and by far the most unique dish I’ve ever had. The combination of the tomatoes, mangoes, fried scrambled eggs, pork binagoongan and rice with bagoong was extraordinary. The bagoong was really good; it’s not too salty and not fishy at all. My cousin and I agreed that the pork binagoongan was very close to home. Our grandparents raised us in a rural part of the Philippines. This binagoongan brought us some memories of our childhood; it tasted just like our grandparents’ binagoongan. Really amazing dish! (5 stars)
Halo-​halo — Very small serving. It’s just ok. Our homemade halo-​halo was better. (2 ½ stars)
Overall, it was a wonderful dinner but the prices are a bit higher than the other Filipino restaurants in Woodside. I’ll definitely come back though. I want more Bagoong rice. I also want to try the crab cake and honey kasoy shrimp. I heard it’s delicious. Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait until after January of next year to eat more grilled isaw. I’m currently pregnant and I was told that isaw is not good for me :(

We have patronized this friendly neighborhood restaurant several times already since it opened, and we weren’t disappointed. We have the good fortune of living within a few blocks of it, and we are connoisseurs of Filipino food since we’ve eaten in pretty much every other Filipino place in Woodside, Astoria and Manhattan.
Their staff is very friendly, the décor inside is the most classy we’ve seen in a Filipino restaurant and, most importantly, the food tastes excellent and is affordable.
We’ve also ordered several dishes in large quantities for a party. They delivered in time and they even gave us a discount on it. The food was absolutely delicious and all our guests complimented us on it.
Dishes we particularly liked: ginataang gulay, ginataang tilapia, kare-​kare, and kare-​kareng gulay.