Mabuhay

Small Family owned and operated restaurant. So everything is made to order, fresh.
Came to this restaurant last night. The food was tasty, the ambiance was nice, and the people were very friendly.
The wait was a little longer then was expected, but it was DEFINITELY worth it.
Price was excellent! We had the desert, and I wish i ordered more…
Jumbo Turon was absolutely amazing.
We will definitely be back again.

UGH … not a fan of this place. Go to Hong Ning a few blocks down if you want to experience amazing food, service and a clean looking restaurant. I hate to write this, but service was terrible here. I was here twice with my family, once on a Saturday and a Sunday. We had to pre-​pay before we ate. who does that? Also the place isn’t very bright or clean feeling, the food is okay, nothing that I couldn’t just buy at a Unimart. The only redeeming quality of this restaurant was the fresh ube. mmmm this tasted like my granny used to make it so that was nice … just not nice enough to go back when Hong Ning is so close. Bummer :(

Had the best experience here! Ordered chicken Inasal, la Paz Batchoy and sago’T gulaman! The food is great! I would always come back here. The staff is really nice too! I love this place!

I’m hoping this review doesn’t stop people from trying this place. My 12 year son did ask me not to give it a bad review because he liked the food. So, I’ll be careful.
I was looking for comfort food today and I so happen to see a Groupon. So, I gave this place a try. First we were surprised to be served with some flour based «chicharon» as starter. It was surprisingly really good, especially when dipped in a spicy vinegar. My kids ordered chicken adobo combo with egg rolls and pansit. Adobo and eggrolls were all eaten but the pansit was hardly touched.
Since I’ve been craving a good kare-​kare for few months, I thought I’d satisfy my cravings for once. I read about it on Unilocal,so I specifically confirmed if they use oxtail. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. Not only that they used beef shank, it was tough! It did taste good. I really wished it was tender. It needed maybe just 10 more minutes in a pressure cooker.
I can’t eat at Filipino restaurants without eating seafood or sinigang. So, I ordered bangus and shrimp sinigang. It was pretty good but I definitely had better. Soup and vegetables was satisfying. My son really liked it. I must say though, I wish there were more fish and the dark part of the bangus belly was removed.
Another reason I can’t give a bad review here is that I ordered chicken adobo a la cart, not in the menu, and I was not charged. Showed 0 on my bill. The chef or owner also came to say hi and was very friendly. For the owner reading this, Salamat Po! But also, make sure floor is not slippery. I almost slipped. Floor is oily. I would give this place another try hoping the kare-​kare would be real oxtail, if not at least make sure beef shank is tender that I don’t need the sharpest edge of my spoon to cut it. Meat should just pull off easily.

Did not like the food here at all. I ordered the bangus, corn beef, 2 eggs, and fried rice platter. I was expecting a garlicky fried rice but wasn’t at all. Wasn’t tasty at all and the rice was hard. The bangus had no taste to it either. It had no flavor and was very oilly. The corn beef wasn’t even corn beef… it was thin slices of dried up unflavorful steak with thin slices of potatoes. Got a free small cup of Tahoe with sago in it… that was okay because it was too sweet! I could’ve made the same foods at home a lot better! I don’t think I’d go here again. Uncle Mike’s does it better!

Food was just okay. Weekend buffet was around $ 12 for adults, $ 6 for kids. Soft drinks and halo halo included. Apparently fried eggs are also included in the buffet price, but we were not offered any until we were already eating dessert.
They have been open for 2 months, but still need to work out some issues with the buffet to prevent the rice and pancit from drying out and getting hard.
The main reason for the one star is the numbers game they played at the end when they saw our
voucher. She required us to give an 18% tip (for a lunch buffet?!?). Fine. We agreed. 18% tip on the regular price, tax on the regular price, then minus $ 15 voucher. Didn’t realize till we got to the car that we were charged once again for tax.
We drive 40 minutes to come here, but if we make the trek this way again, we would rather spend our money at the new Hong Ning.

Family run place. We were greeted by a young lady who was very polite and seated us quickly. Orders we pretty fast too. In fact, very fast. The food was good. Authentic food from Philippines — it is about as close as you are going to get in Chicago area people.
Owner came out who supervises the cooking — super nice guy who invited us back. Very pleasant evening. Two thumbs up.

Waitress is terrible. She’s always in the back and it looks like she’s eating. She has not come to check on us, no refill water, just nothing at all. It’s not busy right now. Only 2 customers. I’ve made eye contact w her a couple of times already and still nothing. I had to ask for my bill bc it was just taking too long. Only giving 2 stars bc the lechon kawali was good even tho it was taking a while.

Thank you Gil and Edita!!! Omg we were starving and nothing good was open late … We came in after closing and the owners were soo sweet and accommodating — they let us order a full meal and didn’t even rush us out the door after we were done. Food was excellent and the owners soo friendly!
I highly recommend this place! Again thank you soo soo much Gil and Edita!

The sagu gulaman is just not the same as hong ning also in carol stream. Other than that, Food was great, service was great. Recommend: chicken skewer bbq, mami noodles: chicken lapaz batchoy (aka: pinoy style ramen), kare kare was very thick and authentic (though, I would like to see ox tails as its meat ingredient moving forward), chicken adobo and bangus belly taste just like my dad’s home made dish. Will definitely be back. Gotta try the halo halo next time.

I had the unfortunate experience of dining at Mabuhay tonight and it wasn’t only the food that left a bad taste in my mouth. Our meal started with what was billed by the waitress as «eggrolls» (lumpia) which to me were mediocre taquitos style rolls served with a slightly spicy sweet and sour sauce. My family really liked them and disagreed with my mediocre comment. When these were brought out I tried to ask our server about the sauces on the table but was ignored.
Next came out Pork Crispy Binagoongan. It wasn’t crispy, was ice cold when it came out and to me tasted rancid. When I told this to our Waitress she took it back, brought it out obviously nuked in the microwave. So it was warm but still inedible and we were never offered to take it off the bill though it sat untouched.
Next my daughters BBQ sampler consisted of a pork skewer, chicken skewer and a shrimp skewer over a lettuce salad covered in what tasted to me like watered down open pit. Fried rice came with it but it tasted like white rice w/​soy sauce mixed in. None of the yummy garlic ginger or other flavors one might expect. Even my daughter who has rarely met a rice she didn’t like wasn’t very excited by it.
Things came out one at a time scattered not appetizer and then all the entrees. The final dish was the Korean crispy chicken. This was deep fried almost identifiable chicken parts coated in a honey glaze of sorts and topped with sesame seeds. These were edible and even kind of tasty in their way, but I have had so much better ones.
Lastly when the check came we gave the waitress our credit card and the restaurant dot com coupon which brought us in to try the place. When she returned she told us that her deal with restaurant dot com entitled her to add an 18% gratuity to our party of four. This was not printed on either the coupon or on restaurant dot com site so I objected. She did take off the automatic gratuity and I left it for her anyways even though she didn’t deserve it.
So while I will admit I have never had Filipino food before, I will also admit to a Culinary Institute of America education and 16 years as a chef. Based on that and previous dining experiences, this was pathetic.

Ordered take out for dinner and staff was very friendly. I ordered the Filipino bbq plate combination with vegetable fried rice, shrimp, chicken and pork bbq skewers. It was warm and tasty.
I also ordered the lechon kawali and to my surprise when we opened it at the dinner table, we thought for the higher price it should have had a bigger portion.
They also cater and I ordered a tray of Filipino egg rolls for an office lunch party. It’s a little over $ 30 for 80 pieces. My colleagues loved them!
We’ll definitely be back to try the weekend Buffett.

After I read the Unilocal rave reviews I went to this restaurant expecting a first class gourmet experience. After I left the restaurant I wondered how much the owners paid the shills who wrote the reviews.
Here are my observations and opinions:
1) When I first walked in the door, my nose was assaulted by a strong stench of mold and/​or mildew.
2) I was greeted by a waitress who spoke almost no English. She handed me a menu and told me to find a seat.
3) My booth seat made me feel like I was sitting in a depression with my legs hanging over a two by four. The uncomfortable pressure of the two by four on the backs of my thighs eventually cut off the circulation in my lower legs.
4) A large flat screen TV on the wall was tuned to a Filipino PBS station that was broadcasting a panel discussion in Tagalog. Since I could not understand the dialog, I have no idea about the topic of the discussion. The high volume speakers for the TV were mounted just above my booth and added nothing but annoyance my lunch experience.
5) The lunch specials have no English translations on the menu and when I asked about a couple of the items the waitress replied «vegetables» for one and for another she said «fish». Her English was not good enough to allow her to provide any additional information.
6) I ordered the «fish» and I got half of a small deep-​fried filet, tail fins included, with a hard packed mound of plain white rice. The tail and the scaly skin were inedible and the «fish» tasted like it was several days past «fresh». For my small «fish» and rice I paid $ 8.50
Usually I’ll give a place a second chance if I’m not happy with my first visit. In this case I’m going to make an exception to my policy.

When I saw that they serve Lapaz Batchoy, told the hubby, we have to try this place out.
It’s in a strip mall, and if you blink too fast, you might miss the place. Hubby says that it used to be a Vietnamese restaurant (he could be mistaken). Tried it out with the family.
The place needs improvement, coming in, I noticed a smell that I would described as something ‘that came out of the a trunk’ that was hidden in the attic for a long time. Sorry if this offends anyone. my husband did say that he smelled it when we left.
Let’s focus on the food, why we came here in the first place. The batchoy is very comparable to the original Lapaz Batchoy though I usually don’t eat it with egg, it did add more flavor to it.
My kids who are not fond of bihon, loved the pancit they ordered. The people who runs the place are welcoming.
I have to try their sunday buffet still. I hope they stay and thank you for the food!

Authentic Filipino food. Ordered about 10 things from the menu (one dish per person) and all came tasted very good!!! Very friendly staff. The cook came out and chatted with us a couple of times to make sure we were doing okay. That’s what I call service! We will definitely be back!!!

Mabuhay is fantastic! Some of the best Filipino food I’ve had, and authentic. We had chicken adobo, rice, and chicken and pork bbq skewers. I was blown away with how authentic and full-​bodied the adobo was, the chicken and pork bbq was tender and perfectly cooked. Along with good ol’ white rice, it was a perfect dinner. And for this scrumptious dinner for four it came out to around $ 7.50/person!!! But better than the food and the price (if that’s possible) was the service. The owner came out and greeted us, asked us how we were doing, and then gave us free soup, extra rice, and lumpia (Filipino equivalent of eggrolls)! And then after the meal he came, asked us how the meal was, and said to let him know when we came again so he could say hi and take care of us. Warm, authentic hospitality down to the core. Combined with home-​cooked Filipino food and great prices, I will be back here again for sure!

Soooooo good. The adobo is INCREDIBLE. I’m not a filipino food expert by any means, but I’ve had adobo many times before at different filipino restaurants and mabuhay’s is awesome. Also, their sinigang was delicious. I loved that the broth was full-​bodied, complex, and so full of flavor. Pancit that came on the adobo combo was also great. Be aware, it’s easy to miss, especially if the «Mabuhay» words aren’t lit up. I will be back soon and eat enough that I will probably have to get liposuction cause the food is so amazing.

1^st and last time I will be going here. I decided to give this place a try during their grand opening. (⁴⁄₆) I ordered for take out some Kare Kare and rice. To my surprise I found a plastic piece with a small spring (maybe a part of a pot) in my food. Definitely not a good first impression. Also the kare kare is sparse of any meats or veggies (what I’ve grown accustomed to). It’s mostly just sauce!

Tried it for the first time. Good spread for a buffet. Filipino buffets are rare in the suburbs but this one is good. Seafood chowder is great. Kare kare is great. Leche Flan is GREAT. Need to come back and try more!