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    Ilocos Best

    4.1 (23 reviews)
    Closed 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Ilocos Best Photos

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    ILOCOS BEST ATMOSPHERE

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    Well-stocked packaged food section
    Joni P.

    Went hunting for Filipino empanadas, and found them at Ilocos Best (along with other goodies)! Upon pulling up to the storefront, a considerable number of customers were lined up inside waiting to order...always an encouraging sign! The store is neat, clean (I appreciate a clean floor), and well-stocked with a large assortment of packaged foods. On the left side is a long counter and deli display of fresh-cooked hot dishes, as well as fresh vegetables. The staff was very friendly, and reinforced my earlier phone call asking about empanadas (they put some aside for me). This was their 3rd batch of the morning (they just finished a large special order of 100 earlier)! Heads up - they share space in a small, congested strip mall. You'll need to make some quick turns off School St to get into the parking lot, but there are a few clearly marked spaces right in front of the of the store with good signage.

    Some hot dishes
    Deborah P.

    My husband saw this place on the yelp app so he wanted to eat Filipino food for lunch so we went to try them. It's the old North Star business on school Street where the old PNP super food market was located back in early 80's. In the small strip mall. There's is parking for its customers if not its very tight in looking for parking. They share the parking with other businesses as well. We got pinakbet, dingaguan, and squid adobo. Plus some dessert. The food was OK my husband likes dingaguan but he likes it with innards instead of pork. It was mostly with pork and blood. The squid adobo didn't taste like adobo it was mild and the pinabet was ok. We wanted the chicken papaya soup but they have it on Tuesdays only. Service was fast and the food was in hot trays ready to serve to go. Comes in plate lunch style and also containers take out too. Food was ok.

    Jessica F.

    I went to San Nicolas to get some chicharon, but they sold out so I headed Norte to Ilocos. I knew this place as North Star. I had a lovely conversation with the owner and learned that the North Star owners sold it and retired. I love that everything pretty much stayed the same, including the employees that make their amazing food. I got my chicharon and picked up a dozen ube putoflan. I for sure plan to go back when I crave Filipino food or need some chicharon.

    Jeanette E.

    First time here and I can't believe I never knew about this place!! I love Filipino food, so this spot satisfied my cravings! You can order plate lunch or ala carte. They also have a good selection of freshly made desserts, groceries, and meat. It's basically a little market which also offers cooked foods to go. The service is great and they are very friendly. They accept credit cards. There's ample parking in the front lot. The store is clean and very well organized. I can't wait to come back!

    April 2026 Prices for their plate lunches

    Amazing good authentic Filipino foods. My favorite place to get Filipino foods when I have a craving. But the best thing too are the women workers. They are so welcoming, friendly, and kind. The owner, Joe is very nice and friendly as well.

    Cassava flan

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    19 days ago

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    4 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 month ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    7 months ago

    Did not like it. There was mostly just cabbage in it. No meat. Plus I was worried about the cleanliness of the place.

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    4 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Was disappointed with the taste of the empanada. Not the authetic empanada that I use to eat back from home.

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    1 year ago

    The fried Lechon is ono and they have the best pork guisantes I have ever had and the peeps that work there are super nice

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Different owners but I think same cook!!! Always bomb! And the best dinakdaken and adobo

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    Guaiqueri Empanadas

    Guaiqueri Empanadas

    4.9(47 reviews)
    4.7 mi

    at one point i was on a empanada roll and wanted to try all of them! Until i ate an empanada from…read moresomewhere that cracked my wisdom tooth! i was so traumatized from that whole ordeal that i just completely gave up eating it. That all changed when i tried Guaiqueri maybe a month or two after my mouth healed. Their empanada's weren't oily and hard (even if you air fry it later if you even end up with extras). They are mostly pop up and you'll have to check their instagram for their schedule. Most of the time they are at some kind of farmers market somewhere. Their empanada's start at about $8 and don't forget the sauce! my favorite is the beef and it's always sold out before i get to it. LOL. Tip is to go early and order if you can. Service is always wonderful as usual and her kids love playing with simba all the time. I think Simba want's to work there part time and supervise the food, lol.

    So happy Guaiqueri was at Waianuenue, even though they were by themselves during lunch. First time…read moretrying. Tried their chicken empanada, seafood empanada, and lilikoi tres leches cake. Empanadas were yummy! 4 minutes to fry so wait was quick. The dough/crust was tasty, but a bit greasy. Fillings were also tasty. Shredded chicken had great flavor. Seafood consisted of chopped up large pieces of octopus, shrimp, and calamari. What's even better was they were surprisingly still good when microwaved the next day (was too lazy to heat it properly). Definitely dip with lots of sauce! Unfortunately the tres leches was just ok - cake with frosting. Will definitely be back for the chicken and seafood empanadas!

    Photos
    Guaiqueri Empanadas
    Guaiqueri Empanadas - Churry empanada (collaboration with Nana Ai Katsu)

    Churry empanada (collaboration with Nana Ai Katsu)

    Guaiqueri Empanadas

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    Nanding's Bakery - Hot and fresh is best when you order that Spanish Rolls *4/7/23

    Nanding's Bakery

    4.3(349 reviews)
    0.6 miKalihi
    $

    Awesome always good Spanish rolls and assorted other pastries and baked goods. Parking and location…read morecan be a little challenging but people are friendly, patient and helpful. The bakery is a counter w display, cashier and access to the bakery behind it.

    This is the place to get the best Spanish rolls in my opinion. Yes, it's buttery and oily, but…read morereally good especially when it's warm from the back! They usually grab the fresh Spanish rolls like the pandesol from the back when ordering a dozen. They have variety of pastries and bake goods. I even like the Ube Pandesol with cream cheese filling. Although the kapahulu's location has more parking and space for more pastries, it's nice to have a location in Kalihi especially near my church when able to go. I used to go to the previous bakery, Paul Pastry Shop! It was there for many of years. My former coworker mentioned she used to use to make pandesol ice cream sandwich when she was growing up in the Philippines. I thought ice cream in a bread/bun! I didn't think it would be good until I tried it and it was actually good. The pandesol held in the ice cream well and pandesol soaked the ice cream in the bread! When it's warm, I could eat it plain and have more than one at a time! So soft! The parking can be challenging like the parking for Iskand Manapua down the street. I just go in when I see an available stall. Usually early morning is not as busy then at lunch time. They have many other items but those are the items that I usually get.

    Photos
    Nanding's Bakery - 1 dozen and 1/2 of Spanish Rolls for Sunday breakfast *4/7/23

    1 dozen and 1/2 of Spanish Rolls for Sunday breakfast *4/7/23

    Nanding's Bakery - Hair in spanish roll

    Hair in spanish roll

    Nanding's Bakery

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    Tango Argentinian Empanadas - Cheese burger there   one also got chicken breast pulled pork and spinach&cheese our fav!!! W/chimichurri sauce

    Tango Argentinian Empanadas

    4.8(23 reviews)
    4.2 miAla Moana

    Came to the north shore quickly and decided to stop by the food trucks. This truck is located…read moreacross from the pizza truck near the red tables. Quickly glazed at their menu and decided for the traditional ground beef with chimichurri. Waited only a couple minutes and it was done. Very tasty and loved the sauce. I overheard someone ordering the cheeseburger empanada and I thought oooh I'll be back for that next time. Get service as the woman working was asking what I ordered from another truck. She seemed very nice!

    Pockets of flavors…read more.. This food truck hit the road and I was so lucky enough to enjoy their crafted empanadas at the latest Art + Flea in downtown Capitol Modern as this event was just amazing showcasing local artist and businesses of all kinds and here was Tango Argentinian empanadas and yes I knew they'd be there so you know I was excited. I brought my bestie as well on this perfect planned night and we wound down on this chill Friday night as we glanced at the menu listing the featured flavors of the night where you can get a single for $6 or three for $15 so you know we got the three and two chimichurri sauce for $1 each she chose the Beef while I chose the Asparagus & Mushroom and Pork though no chimchurri fries sadly. As it takes a few minutes for our order we browsed and shopped more as I got a drink from La'a Kea Wellness Bar we then went downstairs which there was lots of indoor seating to get cozy and just dove into them. The traditional beef was a flavor explosion beyond what we expected as all the empanadas was filled perfectly and cooked to a light and crisp shell yet totally hot on the inside. I wished I got the pic of the cheese pull it gave as we both didn't expect that and enjoyed it all especially with the chimichurri sauce and glad that we got one for ourselves. I need to give their chimichurri fries a try and make the drive to their food truck cause as these guys was so amazing describing it all to us...great service and food! Thank you!

    Photos
    Tango Argentinian Empanadas
    Tango Argentinian Empanadas - Wraps. Breakfast options!

Empanadas. Lunch options!

    Wraps. Breakfast options! Empanadas. Lunch options!

    Tango Argentinian Empanadas - Kapaa Quarry Food trailer!

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    Kapaa Quarry Food trailer!

    Papi's Empanadas - Empanada especial, crab with chimichurri sauce

    Papi's Empanadas

    4.5(10 reviews)
    6.7 miKaimuki

    Coming to the KCC Farmer's market in late January, I was surprised to find the layout changed so…read moredramatically. Besides several familiar sellers being gone, the number of vendors seemed to be less than I remember. Bringing a friend to this market, I wasn't sure whether he'd been here and I walked off to use the restroom which is now the one on campus. As I returned, my friend had wandered to this stand and generously shared what he bought with our other travel companion and me. He bought the Empanada especial which was crab (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=kWEPRzOWs2EtocPcEAaSLw), real crab meat, potato, smoked Gouda cheese, mayo, onion; it came with a delicious green chimichurri sauce (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=WS6EnU062gvtZnct4DPPog) that we dipped them in. Not expecting this treat, I first took a bite and it was tasty, not knowing the flavors and ingredients. We toasted our landing here (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=72&select=fpX7EDFfjUJTUwsveh5Elw) and started dipping it in the provided chimichurri sauce. Before you knew it, it was gone. Since we were walking the rest of the market, I didn't stop here and only got details about this business and what I ate from taking a photo of their stand (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=72&select=xnYnbxbbydTYYSmFCRZ-mg). I'll study this a little more before my next visit and we'll see what the special is when we return.

    I decided to try Papi's at the Kailua Farmer's Market tonight (Thursday), because I was looking for…read morea quick dinner bite. They don't have a permanent location, and do pop ups at various locations. I love a great empanada, and have been getting mine from the "other" empanada store that opened in early 2024 in Kailua. These empanadas are really small for the $5 price 3 for $13), but that's the only "negative" about it. It's about 3 inches across, which is about half the size of a "regular" sized empanada. Empanadas are more of a snack anyway, but two or three would make a meal for me, just not at this size (lol). The taste and texture are really great. The crust is flaky and slightly crisp, like the outside of a biscuit or a pie crust, which is really nice. The fillings are very tasty, and they have a good variety. I tried the Greek empanada, and the Cochinila, which is a slow roasted pulled pork. They were both very good and flavorful. They provided a small dish of chimichurri, fresh, tart, and slightly spicy. Their special one is their crab empanada ($6), and if they're a regular at the Kailua FM, I may try that the next time. Overall, they're very tasty with a great texture, but a bit pricey.

    Photos
    Papi's Empanadas - Empanada especial, crab

    Empanada especial, crab

    Papi's Empanadas - Empanada toast

    Empanada toast

    Papi's Empanadas - Flaky empanadas with chimichurri

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    Flaky empanadas with chimichurri

    Ilocos Best - filipino - Updated August 2026

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