The food here SMACKS so hard! My favorite food from here is the sinigang, it tastes exactly like how my mom used to make it! The guy who runs the front of the store is extremely friendly and welcoming! I also love that this restaurant is family operated! I will be coming back here often for sure! read more

I SOOO wanted to give Cabalen Restaurant 4 stars! Not because of the goodness and quality of its food offerings. But that front sign atop the shop entrance and window seems in need of a little repair! It definitely qualifies to take a star off for seeming lack of maintenance! However, Cabalen, with it's shorter store opening hours, really doesn't require lighting on the exterior and the look of it totally fits in with the other business surrounding it on the small shop strip there near the entrance to the Navy Exchange/Commissary. Why does it get 5 stars? Well, I believe it's the best true filipino cuisine I've experienced here in JAX thus far (and I do admit I have more shops to try). Whenever I go by the shop, which a friend of mine adores, I would see what appeared to be a ragged old place whose food I'd be afraid to touch! Not the case! Cabalen's appearance on the inside is pretty classic ma and pa shop in appearance. But what gives the real story away is that filipinos fill this restaurant up at lunch time! Then I knew I was into something special. I have tried Cabalen's adobo a couple of times in the past without visiting the restaurant. This time I went in. The various meal offerings were fogged up behind the glass below the top of the counter. Made me wonder if I was about to get some of what we called "mystery meat" from my Navy days :D Well we chose ginisang ampalaya and pork menudo. Looking back, I thought their adobo was very good and would certainly eat it again anytime. But this ginsisang ampalaya was the best I've ever had in a filipino restaurant. And I've eaten in a good number of them between here, San Diego, and Hawaii. (I could add Guam too!). It was freshly made, seasoned perfectly, very green in color and perfect in texture while chewing. I'd go back just to get more of this! Then there is the pork menudo. This basically was a very well-rounded filipino stew. It was meaty, had some potato and greens in it. When one of my San Diego Yelper friends saw the picture of the menudo, she commented that she had never seen a menudo without a lot of gravy! Its heartiness surprised her! It was a great observation, and I'm still waiting to see Dulce R get her Elite badge after three years of recommending her for it during my San Diego days! All in all, I had honest resistance to visiting Cabalen Restaurant for at least a year. It was my loss! I'm happy now I have a go-to filipino cuisine outlet in which I can be confident I'll get a great meal from! I will say also that their service and courtesy is solid. It's popular and I believe the prices are a good value for what they give you. I look forward to visiting again! Recommend: VERY HIGH I'm sure most would consider Abstrackt Filipino Essense the best filipino restaurant in JAX and that would be fair. However, remember that Abstrackt's cuisine in general is a fusion of creating their own variations to traditional filipino dishes. I love them too! And it's fair to call AFE the best. But if you want some among the best of traditional filipino food - go to Cabalen. read more

See all

It was fine but the dishes were not really balanced. The service here is always friendly. I took my meal to go. They do have tables to eat here. It just wasn't really flavorful. I'm part Filipino and love cooking it as well but I was staying at a friend's house in Mayport and wanted to check it out. read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Hole in the wall filipino place. - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

See all

A hidden gem in Mayport delivering Filipino food. The owners are from Pampanga and if you know Filipino food..Pampanga is the food capital of the Philippines so the owners know how to do it. Food is a good variety and very flavorful. You definitely get alot of food for a good price. Simple atmosphere and welcoming family. It's a small family business that we will continue to support. read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

Food is too fatty. And there's no prices on the menu, if it's your first time in the restaurant, they'll charge you a higher price. read more

Food is amazing and nobody was there so I was helped pretty quickly. Person who helped me out in the front was a bit rude. Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe that's just how he is. I don't know. It wasn't a big deal to me because I was taking it to go anyway. But overall, the food was definitely authentic. 8/10. read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Pork menudo and pork sinigang-13.98 for a 2 choice - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

Freshly made lumpia- just for us! Yay! John wanted lumpia and pancit- again. That's ok with me! Now just to find where to go. I came home from work and John headed out on a mission and returned with three boxes. 2 orders of pancit and a box of fresh lumpia! Apparently the lady at the restaurant asked John if he had had lumpia and pancit before- oh yes. He ate both as a kid- Navy kid. The pancit was loaded with veggies and meat, the noodles perfection. The lumpia though- hmmm. This could be a problem- I foresee John going and ordering 20 or 30 at a time. They come in 10. We demolished 10. 6-4 split. I ate 4, which was a lot for me. I have half my pancit leftover for today and I am very happy to get that later. We live significantly closer to Mayport now & are more than happy to zip over for some great cuisine! read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

See all

This is a hidden gem in plain sight! I wanted to get some food from the Philippines, and Cabalen did not disappoint me! I had the pork adobo, Lumpiang Shanghai, and of course Coke Lite. The meal was delicious, very filling, and the service was outstanding. I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and the Filipino news that was on the tele. If I am in the area again, I will definitely return here! I recommend Cabalen Restaurant to everyone! read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Pork Adobo with Lumpia! - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

We always eat here when we're in the area. It's small & not fancy but I like it, tastes a like good home cooked meal. Service is fast and friendly and it's family owned WARNING to those used to a sit down restaurant, they serve cafeteria style and serve in styrofoam. If that's not your style, then I wouldn't recommended you go On busy hours and days, they run out of popular items so it's best to be there at noon and not in the late afternoon. It goes without saying that food is also fresher around the time when they open TIP: you can substitute pancit in the combo instead of getting the usual white rice (if they have pancit) read more

If you are looking for home cooked Filipino food come here. It's a small mom and pop joint with a few tables to dine in but typically it's a to go type of thing. Nothing fancy as far as ambiance but it's clean and the taste of the food makes up for it. Service is always stellar because the children of this family work the front are so respectful and sweet. Parents are cooking in the back. If you are looking for staples like pancit and lumpia cal ahead to make sure they have it because it sells out quickly. Listen when I say food is delicious and freshly cooked throughout the day. They also cater so keep them in mind for your events read more

The best halo halo I had! The service was great! And they have a nice, clean and cute set up. read more

Cabalen Restaurant - This dessert was soo good!! - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

Today's culinary lunch adventure took me to Cabalen, located in a small shopping center on Mayport. If you've read enough of my reviews, I'm a fan of mom-and-pop places. After today's visit, Cabalen is officially on my list. After letting the guy at the register know it was my first visit, he welcomed me and took the time to explain each dish. The pans of various meats and veggies were piping hot and fresh. After he explained everything, I decided on the two entree combo with pancit. The wait for my order took a little bit of time which let me know it was being freshly prepared. I opted for a marinated pork dish, which for the life of me, I can't remember its name. My second choice was the ukoy (or okoy), a crispy, fried fritter topped with a shrimp. I'd love to know the sorcery they use to keep the shrimp from falling off the nest of vegetables that made up the ukoy. With my A/C blowing, the aroma of my lunch swiftly spread throughout my car; it smelled amazing and I couldn't wait to get home. I wasn't disappointed. Everything was delicious. The pancit was perfectly seasoned and topped with the usual veggies. The marinated pork was tender, with pieces of hot little red peppers that offer just enough heat without making the dish too spicy. The ukoy was fantastic. I'd never heard of it before. It was crispy on the outside with just enough chew to it. It was slightly sweet and had nice pieces of cabbage throughout it. As for the portion, there was more than enough for later. At 9.00 for the combo, it's a very good deal. Overall, I was impressed with Cabalen. I wish they had a menu posted either in their restaurant or online. I'm guessing they don't because they keep certain dishes in rotation or don't serve the same dishes every day. Based on other reviews, next time I'll be sure to try the lumpia and some of their other entrees. read more

Cabalen Restaurant - a variety of food items - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

See all

*sigh* There's certainly room for improvement on the customer service side, even if they're an old couple with questionable English that don't care about those things. Their only "menu" is on a little whiteboard. I don't know if they're short on storage space, but there are boxes stacked along the dining area. The food is not cooked to order; it's laid out like a Panda Express. Finally, their posted hours are......more of a guideline than a rule, especially on Sundays or whenever they feel like business is slow. On the other hand, I have very few issues with their slowly tenderized and marinated tasty meats. God **** that's good. Their pancit is also quite good of course. It really tastes like southeast Asian home cooking, and I do not say that lightly. read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

Outstanding Filipino food choices. Delicious food. Clean and friendly staff. Real authentic Filipino food. read more

It's been a hot minute since I last eaten rice and boy I sure did miss it. 2 item combo with a can of pop.

Great place to catch a quick meal! They have a lot of hot prepared food ready to go. I got some noodles and two meats. Everything was delicious and priced right!!! I can't wait to go back to get some Lechón Kawali and Lumpia. A+ go now! read more

SUPER MOM & POP spot, kinda ran down, but that's how you know it's good. I've never actually had filipino food but I know a lot about the dishes just cause the family I watch on youtube (itsjudyslife) is filipino and they always talk about the food they eat. We got the pancit, lumpia & a rice bowl with pork adobo and idk what the second one is but it's pork with tomatoes & potatoes. The pancit isn't out and has to be made along with the lumpia but everything else is out cafeteria style. The earlier you go the more fresh ;). Also yelp says they open @ 11 but they open at 10:30 on the weekdays. The food did take a while to get to us but it was fine. I'm here for vacation and didn't mind waiting. A customer was talking to me and jokingly telling me to sit down cause it's going to take a while cause their old haha. We tried a lumpia on our way home and it was deeelicious. Everything was just as delicious. I'm obsessed. Too bad I live 600+ miles away and not 3 minutes away. :( I'd be here all the time. The prices are good for the amount of food they give you. Try this place out if you stumble upon it. You won't regret it. read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

My friend found hair on her rice after that she threw her food away. The food are oily. Only good part is their lechon kawali, it's tender and crunchy. read more

I love their halo halo & turon is sweet & crispy a lot of varieties to choose from sweets to menus it's like you want to take them all & I do recommend the place to my friends & other nationalities who love to eat Filipino food read more

I wish I had photos but I was so excited to eat it was done by the time I decided to write a review. The food is authentic and so fragrant and delicious. If you have filipino friends or family you know they're all about hospitality and being very generous with the amount of food they give you. It felt very much like family in there even though I took my food to go. I had pinakbet, sinigang, and beef lumpia, soooo good!! I'd give this place 10 stars if it was an option. I did try to look up a menu before heading in and was not successful, but the lady did recommend calling ahead of time to make sure the dish you want is available. You get 2 sides (dishes) with rice. Lumpia will take 10 minutes to make and veggies lumpia is made fresh to order. I came for kare kare but was told it is mainly made on Saturdays only so I will definitely be back! read more

Da best place to eat, very covid safe and sanitary to the max! Gotta love this place 100% recommend

Arrived shortly after opening on a Sunday to find a good selection of Filipino dishes ready for you! Some menu items to name a few: BBQ stick (chicken and pork), sayote (chayote), ampalaya (bitter melon), Kare-Kare (peanut butter/meat/veggies) , lechon, etc. The 2 item combo with white rice was a pretty good portion of food! There are a few tables in the room with a large television on the wall displaying Filipino music videos to add to the ambiance. This isn't a fancy sit down type of place, so manage expectations accordingly and simply enjoy the Filipino food selections either in house or take it with you to go. My favorite from today's selection-- the lechon! Next time, I'll have to try some of the desserts displayed in their case-- I'm pretty sure I saw leche flan and halo-halo in there. Yep, there will surely be many "next times". read more

See all

Our all time favorite Filipino Pampangan style restaurant in Jacksonville! We enjoyed a delicious lunch of a variety of dishes including Sinigang (sour beef soup), pakbit (vegetable medley), pork lechon, fried fish (galungong, daing). The atmosphere brings back good memories of the Philippines and all that is good especially with my favorite foods! The customer service is superb and this IMO is the epitome of the wonderful hole in the wall, treasure find restaurant that you are fortunate to find and frequent. I highly recommend Cabalens for authentic and delicious Filipino food!! read more

See all

Very good food. Sinigang is very delicious. Don't forget to ask if palabok is available-they are not to be missed.

If you have been to PI (Philippine Islands) or not if your interested in the way it is done there, this is the place for you. The Adobo is Awesome, The Pancit and Lumpia is very good. Everything is fresh made and if you are Filipino your are doing yourself an injustice by not going. Take time keep your expectations low to be pleasantly surprised. Very Basic Ambiance! read more

My first time eating Filipino food. I tried the pancit, lechon, sweet pork and lumpia. Everything was fantastic! I'll be coming back here for sure! read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

Their food are always good. The BEST Filipino restaurant in town. The "sinigang" and the "bangus paksiw" are so tasty. We love going back and ordering our meals "to-go" and enjoy it in our home. The amount of food is so perfect. read more

Close to Naval Station Mayport. Restaurant was clean, service was friendly, food was yummy! We will most definitely be back!! read more

Cabalen Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Atlantic Beach, Florida

This is a great spot for Filipino food! Very casual and no frills restaurant with great prices. We got 2 combo plates for take out and my favorite..turon! It is run by a Filipino couple and their dishes are delicious!! They usually have a variety of dishes and they do not disappoint. Lechon is amazing, the wife makes her own version of Mang Tomas sauce and it's yummy! The traditional Filipino desserts are available too :) We will be coming here often to get our Filipino fix! :) read more

Went in, staff was friendly, and the place has that family owned vibe that I love, reminds me of my favorite Filipino place back home. The lumpia was fresh and tasted amazing, will most certainly be going back in the near future. read more

I love this place! I live far from my mama and the food served here reminds me of her. The price is great compared to other Filipino restaurants in Jax. They also give a great portion. The lechon kawali is awesome! read more

Haven't tried here yet but when I Google & Yelped this place it said they were open on Sunday's drove 50+ miles to eat here to find out their closed on Sundays. Just a heads up. read more