We enjoy discovering places with lots of interesting finds in our lives. We heard of this places 3…read moreyears ago and decided to check them out this year. We thought the were just a take out fast food but got surprised they added a grocery. Ate and nanay was very very accommodating and welcoming. Prices seems lower than other places. For the hot food they are very different style of cooking, unique and very tasty. If you like venturing out of your usual routine then try this place out. Expect tight, crammed and friendly space. Just reminds us of provincial Sari-sari stores. We rotate 3 Filipino stores for our craving each have their own unique finds. I will show images of what we have found that was unique to this establishment.

The name is now "Kusina Pilipino". They sell Filipino cuisine to-go and also Filipino groceries…read more The food is well prepared, fresh, varied, and delicious. I highly recommend this place!

Coming from Davao, this tastes just like home. The staff, from Luzon, is warm and welcoming. Again,…read morejust like home. If you want authentic Filipino food, try Komida. I recommend the Dinuguan, we took an extra tray home. Yum!

Food is Meh. They're trying hard to cook Filipino. Not even close. What's with all the oil??? Do…read moreyou just pour half the bottle of cooking oil to your food when you cook it? I don't understand how this restaurant stays open. The worst part of it is it is inside Marley Station. I don't even know why that mall is still open? It's a ghost town!!! Walking in there feels so weird... so morbid...! They need t9 bulldoze that whole place and start fresh.

First time at Manila Mart after having heard about it so many times and let's just say I'm…read morepleasantly surprised! I will say prepare a budget cause there's a lot to get, I ended up spending around $40 for everything I got. Let's start with the beef lumpia. It was crispy and tasted pretty good. I'm a sucker for spice so I would've loved it to be a little spicier or maybe offer some chili oil on the side. Next is the star of the show, the lechon kawaii bowl. The pork is so tender and perfectly crispy! I added garlic rice instead of the usual which was a great addition. I asked to try their vinegar sauce which comes with garlic and jalapeño in it which I found to be amazing. Lastly, the taro milk tea is heavenly, I'm still thinking about it!!! The service was friendly and because it was my first time they even offered me a coupon for the next time I come back and I will definitely be back! Plenty of indoor seating as well with a whole market inside where you can find an assortment of Filipino food, snacks, drinks, and desserts.

Sadly I need to update my review to three stars. The food we ordered today was not very good…read more Sinigang too sour, pork seemed it was cooked frozen, and it was dry too. Kawali was just ok. Sisig, pass. It was too spicy and also dry. We do like the grocery section. The service is nice and the Ube shake is great. Will be happy to return for grocery needs, but not the restaurant. Food seemed rushed, out of a can, unfresh and not worth the high prices. We will cook Filipino dishes at home instead.

I've been wanting to try James for a few years now and FINALLY got the chance today!…read more After a long day at work, I called my order in and made the drive to the restaurant. James is a local establishment that features traditional Filipino dishes. My personal favorites are pancit, adobo, and lumpia. The restaurant is located in the back of a shopping center that is currently being renovated. I've come to the shopping center dozens of times, but never realized James was there until a few years ago. The restaurant is so quaint and cozy. I felt like I was in someone's home and they were offering me a nice home cooked meal. The servers were very kind. I bought my own bag for my food (the restaurant charges for bags). My order was ready almost right away. I was handed my food and I proceeded on my way home. I settled on the Canton style pancit. It had chicken, shrimp and deep fried pork belly laid on the top. It originally comes with egg noodles, but I asked to substitute them with rice noodles. The rice noodles were well seasoned- I didn't need any fish sauce, pepper or any other seasonings. The shrimp were baby shrimp, which was fine with me. There were small diced pieces of chicken that were tender and well seasoned. I have to say that I'm not the biggest fan of pork belly. It's a bit on the fatty side, but it does add flavor to the dish. As you can see in my photos, I did eat most of the pork belly pieces. The lumpia was delicious- lightly crispy on the outside, with delicious pork filling on the inside. It came with a sweet & sour-like sauce that was mild and tasty. My meal was delicious and I ate it ALL! As I type this review, I don't feel extremely full and weighed down, which is great! With tip, I paid $24 and some change. I would definitely go back to try some of the other offerings. This is a great spot if you are craving Filipino cuisine that tastes homemade. Solid four gold stars!

Since moving from Hawaii, I've been searching for comfort food for those occasions when I miss…read morehome. Filipino food is one of those comfort foods so of course what do I look for my first time visiting Baltimore? I happened to be in this neighborhood so decided to give this place a try. Luckily they weren't busy when we arrived so everything came out quickly. The Shanghai lumpia is on the smaller side, which is excellent for a taste teaser but if you're used to the bigger style you may be disappointed. The flavor was good, and the vinegar and sili added a nice hot and sour kick. The pork BBQ stick was marinated well and was my favorite. My wife actually liked it with the pinakbet more than the kawali, which I didn't mind cause it left more for me lol. The pinakbet was a hit for both of us as we haven't found many veggie dishes at the other Filipino restaurants that were fresh and crunchy. Most other places tend to go with the soupier veggie dishes (sinigang mostly, which is also good but I was feeling crunchy) so it was refreshing to have this. Ampalaya for the win! The only disappointment was the pork Adobo. Don't get me wrong, it was really good. It's just not the type we're used to which is Ilokano style (a little drier and crunchy with a lot more vinegar sour taste) so not a ding, more of a different taste preference. The only negative (not to us, but definitely to folks not used to it) is the lack of decor and the kind of... dinginess to the restaurant. Some of the best places in Hawaii have similar but scare those new to Filipino food. I could see having a hard time bringing newbies to this restaurant and convincing them that the food is good if they walk in and see the interior. All in all, my wife and I loved the place. We'll definitely be back if we're in the area again. So far, it's the best Filipino food we've had since moving to the DMV!

The food, service and ambiance are all amazing! Chef Maria…read morecurates delicious Filipino favorites and it is a beloved staple in Howard County and the DMV area!

The food is SO good! I've loved everything I've tried, from the rice to the lumpia to the pork…read morebelly. Delicious, flavorful, and friendly service. The only downside is the last 3 times we've gone out to get their food from the place posted online, they've cancelled last minute. Understandable that things happen, but 3 times in a row we've had to pivot to something else on the fly. Twice they didn't post that they cancelled, we found out in the comments because people were wondering. Overall, great food when you can find them!

THIS PLACE IS SO FREAKING GOOD. To be honest, I'm not a big pork fan, but I saw an article in…read moreBethesda magazine and wanted to try their Lechon Belly sandwich. Just faaaaannnnnttttasssiiiicccc. I'm big on bread and it was so soft. It was served on a toasted roll along with big pieces of pork with a skin that was so crispy and crackling to complement the juicy meat. The portions were huge, which surprised me. Everything is such small portions these days but it was worth the cost. You have a choice between fries and chips. The chips were not home made so I opted for the fries. They also gave me a side of sauce, which almost tasted like Big Mac sauce? The arugula also adds on to the taste. My biggest regret was not getting two! A tip is you can call ahead and place your order. If you're in a rush, just call ahead. It looked like a nice sit down establishment as well.

Don't remember coming here many years ago until I pulled up my Yelp pictures. Lol…read more Small carry out with lots flavors. Lunch time got busy quickly. Crispy pork belly skin with garlic and tangy sauce. Add some palm trees and sound of ocean and waves and you'd think you're in the Philippines or Hawaii

I stopped by to purchase Banana Ketchup. Exactly as it sounds, it's ketchup with a strong flavor of…read morebanana! I saw a recipe I wanted to try of an Asian eggplant flattened and dipped in egg and the recipe had the option of drizzling banana ketchup onto it. The store carried this surprising condiment and so much more. The shelves were well-stocked and organized. I received okay service, no one seemed unhappy to see me, but also didn't welcome me either. All other customers were Filipino (and one shopper was so kind telling me about her food) so maybe the staff were curious as to what I wanted? There is a credit card limit here of $10.00 and purchases from the prepared food counter can contribute toward meeting the minimum requirement. Free parking available right outside the store.

Love the hot food bar! Much variety, good portion, and great value…read more It suits asian people taste.

Came here on a Friday at noon right after Christmas. There wasn't a ton of rush but there were…read morepeople in and out getting food to go! More of a casual restaurant vibe but enough tables with enough seating for multiple groups of different sizes, with plenty of room. Our waiter was very friendly, came and took our order after we took a while to decide. We weren't sure if we had enough food but our waiter said he thought we had enough but he left us a menu just in case. And he was very correct. The street food appetizer came out around the same time as pork belly. I loved the street food platter, particularly the rolls. The pork belly was also good, it just isn't usually my favorite item. Next came out a huge pile of fried pork, much much larger than we expected and very welcome. This along with the sauce it came with tasted great! And last we got our chicken adobo, which was probably my favorite item after the street food platter. Overall food was delicious, service was fast and good, and if you want some Filipino food you won't go wrong here!

Came here for the first time to try a Kamayan for a friends birthday and it was spectacular. The…read moretable was pre dressed with the banana leaves prior to us arriving and the food was placed around the time we all arrived. When the food was being placed, there was an art behind how it was displayed and prior to eating, we were provided a little history lesson about the components on the table from sauces to the meats. This hole in wall provided a homey vibe with what reminded me of the elders yelling in the kitchen while everyone else sat in the living room chatting. The staff was very accommodating to our group and while we were unaware of when they closed, they never rushed us out. Definitely would try a Kamayan again and would definitely check this place out again.

Visited from San Francisco and heard this was a great spot for modern Filipino food!…read more The ambiance was clean and did give a Filipino homey vibe. Lots of people doing work and drinking coffee. Makulay Coffee - 4/5 - did not get the amazing colorful visual as seen in the pictures, getting a white and yellow blob lol. Taste was there, reminding me of a brown sugar, vanilla cake. Black truffle ensaymada - 3/5 - Heavy on the black truffle, as it overpowered everything else. Appreciated the this twist in a classic. Ube Chori Burger - 4/5 - Awesome presentation, juicy, saltiness was not overpowering for chorizo. Did remind me of longanisa. Fries were hella good! (5/5) Kare kare - 3/5 - Served deconstructed and flavor was there. On the watery side. Lechon was crispy but dry and not as fresh as expected. Pandan cookie - 5/5 - this was amazing. Soft, packed flavor, truly delectable. Service was a let down with the only cashier being cold by not providing a greeting, making eye contact, or a smile - as if he did not want to be there. There were also flies in the pastry display. My mom ordered black coffee and we had to ask for cream & sugar. They didn't have cream so asked for milk. Aside from the service, would come back to try more coffees and food if in the area.

Hiraya is a decent Filipino restaurant on H Street…read more We tried two drinks and two entrees. The ube latte ($6) was one of the best-looking drinks I've ever seen, decorated with purple swirls, but the turon latte ($6) was no slouch either. Then, we had the tapa ($25) and tocino ($24). Each bowl featured delicious marinated meat (beef and pork, respectively), alongside purple-and-white rice, pickled vegetables, and a gently fried egg. The food was definitely tasty, but above all, they made quite an effort to make each dish look good, and it paid off. I very much enjoyed my meal here.