Amazing experience here with the kamayan feast that was prepared with love by Chef Champ! When we arrived, the table was all set. Chef Champ greeted us and learned each guest's name and showed us how to properly grab the food for kamayan. We were encouraged to grab a drink from the fridge, and I had the calamansi. We feasted on chicken lumpia with Thai chili sauce, lechon with garlic vinegar, chicken inasal, sweet and sour snapper with rice, 3 types of sauces and fruit. And as a dessert, we had beautifully prepared halo halo. After the meal, Chef Champ explained the hand painted wall and the inspiration for the design. This was such a wonderful and cozy experience. I wish I lived closer to Troy so I could go back again! read more

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The only Filipino storefront in the capital region. I'm Filipino so I had to come for some halo halo 100% recommend Anything you get would be good Lumpia (Filipino fried egg rolls), lechon kawali (crispy pork belly), any of the silog dishes (breakfast anytime dishes), adobo, menudo are good introductory things to start with if new to Filipino food. Menu changes so keep an eye out. If owner is reading this, please add fresh lumpia to the menu once in a blue moon (because that's something I've refused to try cooking at home it's too many components). For anyone wondering what that is it's a savory crepe with cooked vegetables with a sweet and salty sauce and it's so good. Halo halo was good. Reminded me of the days when my parents would buy halo halo from the Filipino storefronts on summer weekends in southern California where i grew up. I got 2, 1 for me and 1 for my fiance. It seemed as though 2 different people made our halo halos because his had coconut, mine didn't and his had a garlic aftertaste like when you cut a fruit on a cutting board after cutting garlic on a cutting board since garlic is strong. Service was so fast. It's all preorder so i ordered the day before, got a text ~15 min before my pick up time that it was ready and picked it up. It's a small place, cute and cozy for a fast meal or for takeout. We know where we'll get our halo halo fix. That and fresh lumpia are the things i eye on the weekly preorder menu read more

Chee-Bog - Halo halo - Filipino Near Me - Cohoes, New York

Wow!! Cancel your flight to Manila, Chee-Bog is as authentic as it gets. Chef Champ and Gabriel put their hearts into making the most fresh and tasty dishes. Each portion is super generous and the sawsaw is perfect. There is 2 hour parking right in front of the store. They have a few seats for eating in but most people do take out. I suggest ordering ahead. The kitchen is open and right in front. They keep it spotless! The garlic rice is to die for. If I lived in this area, I'd eat here twice a week. Go here now!!! read more

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I am used to eating at steam table Filipino lunch places on the West Coast, where the food is good but the presentation not so much, so Chee-Bog was a revelation. Notice the artistry in how the vegetables in my sinigang are cut. This is a slightly sour soup with a classic Filipino flavor profile, and Chee nails it. The small menu changes weekly and everything is prepared from scratch so be prepared to sit awhile or order in advance. Be sure you get loaded up with sauces if it's a to-go order. Note that Chee-Bog is only open 3 days a week and Champ also takes time off occasionally, so check their web page at cheebog518.com to confirm the daily menu has been refreshed before you go. For my first visit I also had Shanghai (fried) lumpia, solid. And Inhihaw baboy which is a classic bbq pork dish. Each item comes with 2 scoops of rice (plain with the sinigang, garlic with the inihaw baboy) and will feed 2 easily. My only disappointment: garlic rice wasn't garlicky enough. Chee-Bog also offers a Kamayan tasting menu which I've heard is amazing, but it must be ordered for a party of 10-12 people. Champ says he has thought of allowing people to sign up individually to a prescheduled Kamayan meal and I told him I'd be there in a flash. Please mention this to him if you're interested so we can get this project going. read more

Chee-Bog - Sinigang at Chee-Bog, delicious. - Filipino Near Me - Cohoes, New York

I'm an older "Aunty" from Hawaii, and had been searching for a restaurant that served Filipino food. This little gem located in Cohoes was what I needed. Because it is such a tiny shop, it is strongly recommended that you order online (due to its menu that changes weekly) for either pickup or delivery. Met the owner who actually prepared my food with his assistant. Both were so genial and helpful and kind. I ordered the appetizer of pork lumpia which were rolled up like little taquito's. Good tasting with a chili Thai sauce usually served with all manner of Asian fried dishes now days. My main entree of kawaii lechon was served with two scoops of rice, generous portion of pork belly, mixed cucumber vegetables with sweet vinegar sauce. Excellent meal, worth the price. read more

delicious filipino food! met the cook/owner and he was genuinely nice... service was on point. ambience is cute. Ordered eggrolls too but it's not pictured. Hubby and kids all agree that it's one of the best filipino eggrolls we ever had! give it a try! read more

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I never had the pleasure of trying Filipino food until Chee-Bog opened in Cohoes! The menu changes weekly, which gives patrons the chance to try new things often. I'm a huge fan of the Inihaw Baboy, grilled pork glazed with a sweet and savory sauce, and the classic Lumpia, a Filipino-style fried spring roll with pork, green onions and carrots. Highly recommend stopping in and pre-ordering online to ensure you get what you want! read more

Chee-Bog - Inihaw Baboy - Filipino Near Me - Cohoes, New York

Chee bog is an excellent choice if you're someone like me who always craves meat and rice. There are not a lot of options for authentic food in the capital region so this place is a gem. Service is good and the atmosphere is what you'd expect, a small place that leans towards takeout with a few dine-in spots. read more

I have visited the Philippines multiple times over the years and craved the flavors when returning back to the Capital District. A very special meal in Filipino culture is the kamayan feast, aka boodle fight. Kamayan means to eat with one's hands, and is frequently a potluck meal in someone's home. A table is lined with banana leaves, rice is spread on top, and then a cornucopia of Filipino dishes is spread on top. Unfortunately, I don't have enough Filipino friends in the area for such an experience, so I was thrilled that Che-Bog, which means meal time, offers such an experience. I found nine of my closest friends, those that I am okay sharing a meal with, when we use our hands to eat out of a communal dish. It took a few months to find a day that worked for all ten of us, and for Champ, but it was worth the wait. The food was amazing and there was plenty. The flavors and textures were spot on, and I was transported back to the streets of Manila as I dug into my halo-halo ube dessert. For such a small place, it's amazing how much they can do. read more

I went there today. It's an awesome little restaurant. Every detail is so amazing. Comfortable little stools or you can look out on the street. The door handle. Yes even the door handle is awesome. The set of the kitchen is really nice. You can watch if you're in the right spot. The chef Champ was very kind and informative. He was very friendly. So was his co-chef. The food looks so awesome being cooked and smelled so awesome. I brought it home and my friend and I are sharing it and we love it all. I bought "Lechon Kawali [leh-chaan kuh-waa-lee) Crispy, deep-fried pork brined in bay leaves, lemongrass, black pepper, salt, and, anise. Served with spiced vinegar and steamed rice]' it was amazing. The pork was so perfectly cooked. These little round medallions about an inch thick. The outside of the skin which was on the edge of the pork was so crispy and there's a nice bit of fat and the pork itself with white and juicy and perfect. There was a vinegar sauce and brown sauce which had a sweet flavor on the side. The rice is perfect. And the pickled vegetables are awesome. I also ordered "Cheebog BBQ Chix [Filipino-style BBQ boneless thighs marinated in vinegar, calamansi, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar]". It was a lovely barbecue chicken with a sweet sauce. It also came with rice and pickled vegetables. Pickled vegetables are amazing. The rice absorbed some of the chicken sauce and the chicken sauce is great. The chicken was tender and juicy had a nice turn on the outside. I was very happy they were open today so I could go in and try them. Next time I have to get the spring rolls they're longer and thin and they look so crispy and yummy. The other person eating there so they are really good. I did get Ube ice cream I didn't try it yet but when I do I will update the review. I also got some shrimp chips. They taste awesome. They have such a nice shrimp smell. It's unusual to be eating chips that aren't potatoes but they're really good. The restaurant has a small shelf where they sell different kinds of chips and cookies and marinade which I will try later on cuz I bought some. They also have some drinks like Coke and maybe ginger ale and some specialty drinks like a mango drinks in the yogurt drink with what looked like nata de coco. I need a new camera so the pictures aren't great but the food was awesome. Just a couple more additions we figured out that the pork came with two sauces I don't know it was in the first sauce it was a brown colored it was a good flavor I liked it a lot. The other sauce which I thought had garlic and it does have garlic floating on the top and it's got a sweet vinegar in it and it is awesome on the rice and on the pork. So I feel like I was getting two different things of that part cuz there were two different sauces later in three days later. I didn't eat it all at once I saved some for my roommate and he didn't eat it so I ate it the second night in the middle of night and there's a little left over. So three people had some over 3 days. It's not like we had a whole meal but was enough for what we needed from the whole meal. I wish I could have been like snacks like that all the time. Think I had a piece of pork and some rice and it was enough to get me back to sleep. The ice cream which was Ube flavor. It was so creamy and thick and luscious. My roommate use the word creamy I felt like it was deep it had a deep flavor. There was a lot of it too. So my roommate had some I had some there would have been enough for our other friend to have some and we still would have gotten a lot. Is definitely worth it. I spilled some of my shirt and it's purple where I spilled it I have to wash it now. With that purple is just so bright and beautiful. I will be getting that ice cream again. And he put Fruity Pebbles in a little container to put on them as a topping and they added a nice crunch but it tasted fine without them. Definitely will be going again to try some other stuff. I think they changed some of the specials so there's a set menu and then there's specials that change every week. read more

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https://www.cheebog518.com - This is their homepage. Order online and pick it up when scheduled. Currently, Chee-Bog is open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. I first had Champ's (owner) food when he was doing pop-ups at Wolf Hollow Brewing Company in West Glenville. Now he has a brick and mortar restaurant of his own. For me, Filipino food is nostalgic. It brings back memories of home. I would venture to guess that Filipinos rival Italians in making food their love language. Champ does not disappoint. On the menu for tonight: Lechon Kawali, Lumpia, and Ube ice cream. It's a nice touch that Chee-Bog offers phonetic spellings of each of their menu items. Let's cut to the chase. Lechon Kawali - it's basically deep fried uncured bacon/pork belly, served with a lechon sauce (traditionally made with chicken liver, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, brown sugar). The lechon is served with two ice cream scoops worth of white rice, a little fried garlic, and topped with quick pickled cucumber. If you like pork, this is guaranteed to make both you and your cardiologist happy. Lumpia - Filipino egg roll (pork and veggies) served with duck sauce and/or sawsawan (Filipino dipping sauce). Use the sawsawan for the lechon too. Ube ice cream - ube is a purple yam, one of the most Instagrammable ingredients due to its unique color. It lends a subtle sweet potato flavor to the ice cream. The riot of color and added crunch is provided by some Fruity Pebbles cereal. Filipino food is getting it's time in the spotlight thanks to chefs like Champ as well as Top Chef alumni - Sheldon Simeon, Leah Cohen, Dale Talde, and Paul Qui. Locally (Hudson Valley), other Filipino restaurants/caterers that come to mind are Harana Market (https://www.haranamarket.com - Woodstock, NY moving to Accord, NY soon) and Lamisa Events (https://www.lamisaevents.com) read more

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We came with a group of friends for the kamayan feast and it was incredible! Highly recommend. Great for groups and special occasions. The owner/chef and his wife were friendly and took great care of us. read more

We ordered to go. I'm visiting the area so not from around here. Walked in to the place but I had to order online. Would probably be nice to have a printed menu. We ordered Bistek and Adobo. Good food. They have a small area to dine in, but not recommended as they have only bar stools. A good place to eat Filipino cuisine. read more

This small restaurant has big flavor! My wife and I tried them for the first time today and they didn't disappoint! The portions are just right for the price range and enough to split as we ordered several dishes and split as many Filipino families do. We felt like we were on an island in the Phils each dish has a unique spin only found in the Philippines. From fresh seafood to traditional dishes all of them were Sarap (delicious). Who doesn't like seafood cooked in coconut milk? and the desert (Halo halo) was colorful and good! It is recommended to look them up online as are a group of young men on a mission in life do deliver the best possible meals in the most traditional methods. Their menu varies from week to week so be sure to check every week, hehehehe. This is a place I need to tell Pearl about! read more

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What a great place tucked away in Cohoes. Newly opened right before Thanksgiving, the owner was welcoming and friendly. He is the only worker so the food took a couple of minutes but the portion size and flavors were spot on. Yummy lumpia with sticky rice. Very small place with minimal seating, small menu, but what we had was tasty, and we saw him drilling the chicken for another order. I missed Filipino food and this really satisfied me. read more

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Only filipino restaurant in the area. Met the chef and he is very nice. They have different menu weekly. I ordered the lechon kawali since i miss Filipino food already. It was soo yummy. Skin is crunchy. The place is not that big but looks so cute and clean. I will surely come back when Im in the area. read more

Chee-Bog - Lechon Kawali - Filipino Near Me - Cohoes, New York

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Probably not specific, but Chee-Bog is the only place that is reliable for actual good food around Albany. I have been their customer since Fall 2023, and don't intend to change my mind about how this place is consistent with their quality. read more

The best Filipino food in the 518. Kind staff & positive vibes whenever you visit. 10/10 would recommend this place to anyone looking to try good, authentic Filipino food. Plus their ube ice cream, chefs kiss! read more

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It's always always always a great time at Chee-bog. I'm a regular customer here and I'm happy to see them thriving. I am a huge fan of their spaghetti. It's a bit on a sweeter end, which I like, and their fried chicken that's served alongside it, is massive. Again, I love their service, their portion sizes, and their flavors (chef's kiss). I would recommend anyone in the area to try out some authentic Filipino food through them. read more

Best Filipino food I had in awhile, hands down! The family and I were in town and we stumbled upon this gem in Upstate New York. Chef Champ and Chef Nick threw it down for us, great service and excellent hospitality. Will definitely come back when we're in the area again. read more

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The service was great and one of the best Filipino food I've ever had. The worker was passionate on trying different ways to perfect their recipe. I would definitely visit this place again. read more

I'm pretty picky with Filipino food, but this place hit all the right notes and flavors. We ordered chicken adobo and sinigang. Both were flavorful, hot, and served with a generous portion of rice! It's a cute little place with bar-style seating, but I think most people order takeout. The chef, Champ, was very friendly and was took the time to ask if we were doing okay while he was working the stove! Definitely can't wait to be back and taste more of the weekly menu. He also gave us free ube ice cream which was totally unexpected. Give it a try if you want to taste some Filipino food!! read more

This is truly a gem of a Filipino (Pinoy) restaurant!!! I've been to 3 other different Pinoy restaurants in Albany-Troy-Schenectady area these past 20+ years, and they have all closed. I hazard a guess it was because the food in these other 3 were NOWHERE AS GOOD as Chee-Bog's dishes! Chee-Bog has a standing menu that you can order from daily, and a weekly specials menu that changes--yeah, you got it!--weekly! All his dishes are traditional Filipino-flavored. If any of the dishes you sampled does not taste exactly as you remembered from your Pinoy childhood or hometown, then it might be because Chee-Bog's dishes use different flavors from different provinces in the Philippines. So his Bicol Express may taste different to someone who hails from Manila, but Chee-Bog authentically recreated it from the Bicol region where this dish originated from! His pork barbecue skewers and chicken barbecue are marinated just right, very tender, juicy, and grilled to perfection. His lumpia (Pinoy version of Chinese spring rolls) is a meaty, 2 finger breadths size--as opposed to others' thin ones that is mostly wrapper... The various Pinoy vegetable dishes are so yummy, they're reminiscent of my Kapampangan mom's home-cooked meals. I have heard some people comment about the price, but this is because each food serving is GOOD FOR 2 PEOPLE! Chee-Bog very well knows that culturally, Filipinos do NOT and will NOT eat alone, if they can help it: they always want to share their food and someone to eat it with! If you have a Filipino co-worker, you know what I mean: they will offer you what food they have, they will want to sit with you (disregarding maybe even the fact you may not want company at the time??), and they will be curious about what you are eating. But I'm getting side-tracked: yes, each dish is good for 2 people--unless you love it so much you just don't wanna share with your husband (like me!). So each dish is well worth the price divided by 2! Chee-Bog's meals are so in demand, but he is a one-man outfit: so he suggests on his website and Facebook page to place your order online before going to the restaurant, and then you can either eat your food there or pick up what you ordered. The weekly specials change every Tuesday. You can order dishes that you can eat or pick up any day of the week after Tuesday (except Monday when he is closed). Inside, the restaurant is cozy and reminiscent of the hole-in-the wall restaurant finds I stumble across in New York City and Brooklyn, where the food is always great, the staff friendly, and the atmosphere full of bonhomie and good vibes! Just like my favorite feeding holes in the NYC/Brooklyn areas, there are seats and counter tables by the window facing the street, as well as facing the kitchen itself where you can watch Chee-Bog work his culinary magic. Parking is on-street, but all-access parking is available for short periods of time on 2 lots nearby (a 3rd one has a sign about getting your car towed, so park at your own risk!). Chee-Bog is mostly known to others by word of mouth. If you happen to read this review and visited and liked the place, please take the time to give a good review. A word of warning: if you are not given to eating adventurously, despite Googling what the different Pinoy words in the dishes mean and what they possibly taste like, then this restaurant is not for you. It is NOT your typical Asian restaurant like what you'd expect from Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, or Vietnamese food. Among all the countries in Asia, the Philippines was the only one colonized by the Spaniards for 3 centuries beginning in the 1500s, so--except for the well-known lumpia and pancit that is the Pinoy version of Chinese spring rolls and various noodles--a lot of the food is an admixture evolution of Spanish food from the conquistadors & the indigenous foods endemic to each local province. read more

Wow!! Crave-worthy and memorable. I grew up eating Filipino food and have extended family members who are good to great cooks. But Champ, the chef/owner is an AMAZING cook!! He's also very friendly and kind. He has a rotating menu and can run out of menu items so come early! The food is fresh and cooked to order right in front of you. I ordered the lumpia and seafood Bicol express with rice. The lumpia had a "next level" flavor that was so good that I literally pulled over the highway to finish eating the rest of the lumpia. The Bicol express had so much flavor with just the right amount of heat for me. Chan asked what level of heat was good with me and he customized it to suit my preference. The seafood & pork pieces were huge! The bell peppers were fresh and sweet. It was a fantastic dish. While waiting for my food, several people came in to order. All the food looked so appetizing. The lumpia is definitely a favorite. They also have dessert. My only regret is that I can't come back as often as I'll crave since I'm not from NY. But I will be back every time I'm in this area of upstate NY. This is the kind of food I'll be craving for, and thinking about, for a long time. Some FYIs: It's a small space with an area to wait or eat, but it's more geared towards take out. Parking is on the street. It's not too far from Cohoes Falls. The portions are large & shareable so bring your appetites. The establishment is clean and well maintained. The people are friendly and makes you feel welcome. read more

Champ makes tasty Filipino food. Pork Inihaw Baboy and BBQ chicken Inasal were great. Called it in ahead of time. Can't wait to go back for more! read more

Awesome appetizers, smooth creamy homemade ice cream, great selection of drinks and snackies, cute decorations, really friendly owners :^) such a gem in cohoes! read more

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Filipino restaurant in the Albany area. This is a recent addition to the Albany ethnic restaurant scene. It is a very small place with bench seating for only a few people.most people seem to be ordering takeouts. I would recommend takeout. If you have never tried Filipino food, this is definitely worth trying. The menu is very descriptive so you will know what you are ordering. They do everything online, ordering, payment and updates to your order. The online menu even tells if a particular item is sold out or running low. We ordered lumpia (egg rolls) and chicken with spaghetti mostly because we arrived at 1:00 and several items were sold out. The portions were good and it was tasty. The prices seemed to be on the high side but I guess that seems to the trend. We will be back for takeout but will plan to order early. read more

Love this place, truly a gem in the capital region. The food is delicious, flavorful and comes with about 2 portions of food per person. The staff is friendly, kind and cool. I've had a couple different dishes, lumpia, tapsilog, chicken adobo, lechon kawali, all really good. The dipping they come with is a nice vinegar dip that compliments the rich and flavorful food. I highly recommend this place, one of my new favorite places to eat. read more

Outstanding from top to bottom. Champ is the best and his love for authentic Filipino dishes certainly shows. Best in town.

An oasis in the cultural food desert of Upstate NY. I probably shouldn't write this because then people will know, and it'll sell out more, but I'm hoping they expandIt's been really difficult for us to cook more complicated pinoy dishes with a makulit toddler so this place really hits the spot. Our toddler devoured the lumpia and it's the first time he ate quietly and the first time I could eat dinner with two hands without someone on my lap. Bistek just like your moms. Inihaw probably good w/ San Miguel but we don't drink. The Inisal was perfect with a cucumber atchara. The cassava cake is the best I've ever had, it almost tastes like flan on top. Everyone that passes the store asks what is cooking, so find out. read more

Small but mighty! The most delicious Filipino cuisine made right in front of you in an immaculate kitchen. We came for a quick Halo Halo but could not leave because the food looked and smelled so good. We ended up ordering a full lunch for 4 ppl. The portions were generous and the food was outstanding. Too bad we are visiting from California or we would be here every week. Hats off to Champ and Dale for preparing us a fine meal. Needless to say we still saved room for Halo Halo at the end of the meal. Champ makes his own ube ice cream and leche flan for this tempting dessert (with the secret topping suggested by his daughter). We were so glad to have stopped by on our trip from the Berkshires to the Poconos. Wonderfully responsive and personalized service. A truly worthwhile culinary establishment. read more

Arrived at the time my food was supposed to be ready and it was. I was asked if I wanted it to go or to eat in. I chose to eat in and had a fantastic meal. My dish was delicious. My dessert was fantastic. The gentleman working there was very kind and the atmosphere was small and quaint. What more could you ask for? Hope they end up being open for more than just three days a week and continue to grow their business. It's always nice to see the little guy succeeding. read more

authentic Filipino cooking, excellent! I drove three hours to try it out, and I was not disappointed. I will be back again. We tried one of everything, and everything was delicious and everyone's found a favorite. Thanks for your excellent service, delicious food and seating at the chef's table. read more