This is the second review I am doing for Mekeni Pinoy's Pride. We already know their food items here are of good quality and taste delicious and we also experience great and friendly service whenever we dine here. We have held a baby shower party for our daughter here and she and her husband were happy with the turnout and the outcome then. With such wonderful experience here, we decided to celebrate my wife's milestone birthday with a buffet lunch here last Saturday, July 25. I really appreciate the great collaboration through easy communication and coordination with Jenny, their manager here. She helped me ensure all went well from preparation to execution of the celebration. Almost all our guests raved about how good and delicious the foods were, even their lemongrass iced tea, which a lot of them loved. The costs were fair and reasonable as well as some special accommodations and a couple of complimentary food items by the owner for us for hosting our party here at their Mekeni Restaurant. Thank You and Kudos to the staff for their friendly, consistent, reliable and great overall service their crew and staff rendered to us that day. The team was headed by Jenny, Vanessa and Robert! Aside from the fact that they could have had more electric fans there that day to regulate the uncomfortable warm temperature inside the restaurant that day, everything else went very well and wonderful. We highly recommend Mekeni Pinoy's Pride for dining in, picking up and also having parties to celebrate special events. Let us all continue supporting this Filipino restaurant which makes truly very good quality and delicious Filipino dishes at reasonable prices! Let's Come on down to Mekeni's! read more

TLDR: It's an overpriced buffet for $25 given the options. If they'd drop the price to..... $20, but more realistically $23, it MIGHT be worth it. I also feel that the place would be better if they included all the staple Filipino breakfast items (Pandesal, Corned beef, Filipino hotdog, bangus). The taste is arguably 4 stars, but the price point drops the overall feeling to 3-3.5 stars. Food Tocino - It's fine. It tasted kind of store bought, but I think it's good enough to get a few times. Longganisa - It's just.... bad. They were trying to go for the sweet style longganisa, but it missed the spot completely. Beef Tapa - Probably the best option from the viands made available. It's the right blend of saltiness and sourness. The beef also had a good texture. Garlic Rice - I'm glad they didn't mess up one of the cornerstones of Filipino breakfast. It could've been better, but the general quality of the food here was already low enough that it made this one of the better items. Pancit Guisado - Dry, filled with starch filled lobster balls, and could generally use some more stuff in it. I regret getting this and should've eaten more garlic rice Fried Shrimp - I'm glad it's easy to peel, but the shrimp itself is generally flavorless. Egg - I was scared that these mass produced eggs may not have had a runny yolk, but I'm glad to see enough liquid to praise it Tokwa't baboy - The bronze medalist of the meal. The fried tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pork belly is on the drier end, but it's small enough that it's not hard to eat. Nilaga - Good. Probably my favorite bite. It's seasoned well, the beef is soft, and there's a good amount of vegetables. Champorado - Decent. Shame that I didn't see the milk when I was getting it. Maybe they ran out, maybe they were refilling it as I was getting. Buko Pandan - Very good. Is it store bought? Maybe. It doesn't matter, still good. Service: You pay first before you're assigned a table. There are a lot of staff who are there to keep the tables clean and to mix the food every now and then to prevent the tray from drying out. Ambiance: Bright, spacious, and inviting. A very good place to have Sunday breakfast / brunch. read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Garlic rice, egg, beef tapa, fried shrimp, tocino, longganisa, tokwa't baboy - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

A good spot for Filipino food that's good for take out or dining in. There's a decent amount of parking available and this location has all indoor seating. The workers were friendly and the food took about 25min to be ready from the time that we ordered. I've only ever had to go from here but I am told that the portions are larger if you're dining in. We ordered sinigang and kare kare. Both came in a very large portion size and the two dishes were enough for 4-5 people. The flavors were good and they tasted even better the next day. They gave plenty of meat in both dishes. It was a good experience over all and I would like to dine in next time to get the full experience. read more

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Overall very positive Saturday lunch experience. The atmosphere and decor is very nice and homey feeling with friendly staff. Food had good enough variety. It's a buffet so always challenging to keep hot foods warm throughout the brunch, I feel when they can keep food warmer they will really be great! Jenny was a darling and had nice conversation with wife and I. Thank you so much. read more

PinoY Elegance ! Ambience was cozy, fancy inside. Food was good and comfy hom3y. Quick efficient service. My personal fave, sinigang sea bass is bomb! Their sinuglaw is to look forward too. It's a home away from home. Good food in a good spot! They have breAkfast buffet which always have long line and wait, so be sure to get there early, parking can be challenging as well. read more

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Friendly service and nice dining room. If not for that, the food itself would have received one star. I arrived for the Wednesday buffet, but it was not available until the following week, so I ordered the Lechon Kawali at no small expense. It was significantly overcooked and was served with an uninspiring fried tofu. Definitely not worth the menu price. I cannot say whether it was merely reheated from a different day, but it seemed that way. It did not have the fresh, fatty, savory porky flavor that one expects from the dish. The hot foods counter at Island Pacific grocery is much better. I will return for the buffet in later weeks and update my review accordingly. read more

This is a buffet-style breakfast and it was pretty busy around 10am. We were seated right away after walking in and paying, which was nice. The interior layout is a bit awkward,, there's a long, narrow hallway, and the food is set up on one long table rather than separate buffet stations, so it doesn't feel like a traditional buffet setup. The selection included plain and garlic rice, eggs, a variety of meat dishes, and a soup. I was able to try most of the items on my first plate. Unfortunately, the food was cold since it's left out and not kept warm. It seems the only time it's hot is right when it's first brought out. Pricing felt a little high at $24 per person, plus a service fee of around 15-16% (possibly because our group had five people), which came out to about $30 per person. Overall, the food was just okay,, I just wish it had been served hot. read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

Decided to take my family out for lunch today. As we sat down, we were given menus to look at. We started off with appetizers--ordered lobster balls and calamari. When the lobster balls came out, they looked and tasted like regular fish balls. I double checked with the server and he mentioned they were "lobster balls". Also ordered the sisig bangus, beef kare kare, inihaw na pusit, and garlic rice. The sisig bangus was okay--I felt that there were more peppers and onions than the bangus itself. The beef kare kare was decent and the inihaw na pusit was bland. As we finished eating I asked for the check and some to-go containers up front since our server was nowhere to be found. I ended up giving her a voucher for the restaurant but was told I could not use it for some reason. To add on, they automatically add a gratuity charge to your bill. Overall, my experience here was not what I had expected it to be. Service was not great, prices are ridiculously expensive, and the food was so-so. You'll probably be better off going to a Filipino carinderia to enjoy some decently priced Filipino food. read more

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The food is super good, friendly employees! Ambiance is also good, Not enough parking spaces. Been planning to hold a birthday party but fear of parking shortage read more

Came to celebrate my parents wedding anniversary with the family. I opted a la carte as wasn't hungry enough for the breakfast buffet. I love Filipino food but thought the bbq was dry. This place does offer a good variety of dishes on the buffet menu. My family frequently goes to this place for special occasions read more

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My family and I met some friends who were closer here, and the staff was nice to set up the tables for a big party. It's a nice casual place to dine for breakfast on a Saturday morning. They had a variety of meat dishes like longanisa, tocino, eggs, adobo, fried daing, bacon, tinolang manok, garlic fried rice, corned beef hash, champorado, dinuguan, other meats I don't remember, small selection of desserts, and variety of drinks. I wished they had pakbet or one veggie dish to balance out all the meat dishes. I particularly liked the longanisa, garlic fried rice, tinolang, daing, champorado, and their fruit salad. Their coffee was good too. About $25 for AYCE wasn't too bad at all for what we got. read more

All I have to say is please bring back the original Bangus sisig recipe!!! The mayo makes it soo creamy and delicious and without it it's dry and flavorless!! Or at least give the customer a choice!! read more

A few months ago I was at Mekeni Pinoy's Pride for a breakfast brunch date. it was a great visit and I enjoyed their breakfast buffet. I told myself I would have to come back again to check out their dinner buffet. The dinner buffet is only offered on Wednesday and Friday nights and I ended up trying this $35 dinner buffet on a Friday. Just like the breakfast buffet, the dinner buffet has a good lineup of masarap (delicious) dishes. Among some of the tasty entrees were *Kare Kare (Filipino peanut butter broth with beef shank and vegetables) *Adobo Ribs *Coconut Shrimp *Pork Cutlet *Ginisang Amplaya (Sautéed Bittermelon) *Baked Chicken Wings *Baked Salmon *Alfredo Pasta *Nilagang Baka (Filipino style boiled soup with beef shank and vegetables) *Lobster *Cebu Lechon They also had Filipino desserts which included *Leche Flan *Buko Pandan (Coconut and pandan jelly) *Ginataang Bilo Bilo (Coconut rice cake) This buffet was definitely worth the $35! Their food offerings is abundant and there was plenty of meat and seafood. I really liked the kare kare - loved putting that peanut butter broth over rice. I also enjoyed their Cebu Lechon. The skin was perfectly crisp and the pork belly was so tender and lean. The adobo ribs were also quite the treat. They were so flavorful. The mains were so delicious that I almost didn't have room for dessert. I'm glad I did try a little bit of sweets though. My favorite was the creamy leche flan! Mekeni Pinoy's Pride definitely lives up to its name. One can't help be proud of Filipino food once one gets a taste of their masarap dishes. read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

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When choosing a restaurant, cleanliness and ambiance is important for me. Not only the decent, clean, high ceiling place of Mekeni but how they make the authentic Filipino dishes. The owners were very friendly and they really reveal the true heart of hospitality in Filipino culture. I highly recommend read more

Came here for Sunday brunch AYCE. Made sure to make reservations the day prior. When we arrived just shy of opening at 8am, there was already a line outside. When we checked in, we were able to be seated right away. Shortly after most of the tables were filled. The place was very nice, had nice decor, very clean. Staff was polite. The buffet trays were all aligned on the table. Entrees on one side and desserts on the other. It was one single file buffet line. There was a lot of entrees which i enjoyed the variety. The prices were great and worth it. If youre coming here for the brunch I would recommend it. They can accommodate large parties but I would definitely recommend making a reservation read more

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Friendly people but food is not the level to how much you paid. There are a lot of cheaper option around Cerritos thats worth it.

Visited Mekeni's the other week when family from back east came into town. Filipino food seemed to be on the list. Came to Mekeni's for dinner but they do have breakfast and lunch menus too (and a brunch Buffett on weekends). Very nice place and the ambiance is a tad more modern compared to the other Filipino restaurants in the area. Flavors were good and ingredients were quite fresh. Now we're curious about the brunch buffet read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Calamari, beefsteak, snd kinilaw (ceviche) - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

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We'd been dying to try this place and finally came on a Saturday afternoon. We thought it was a buffet restaurant, but turns out they only serve buffet in the morning, so we ordered à la carte. The garlic fried rice was very oily, it was practically swimming in oil. The crispy pata was a little let down, for the price, the portion should have been larger. I did like the sisig and the tortang talong, those were tasty and well-made. The Lomi was also good. Overall, a mixed experience. Some hits, but too many misses and letdowns to justify a return trip anytime soon. read more

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Can't go wrong with a $22 Filipino breakfast buffet. We came right when they opened so the place wasn't too crowded. They had a good spread, from garlic fried rice to jeprox, munggo, and even champorado. I tried a little bit of everything and it definitely satisfied my Filipino breakfast food cravings. It was worth the price. The place was nice and clean too. I would definitely come back again. read more

This is my favorite Filipino cuisine the food is very good in the service is very awesome I love to go back anytime for events even I love the first class dinner lobster it's my favorite to eat read more

We had their buffet one Sunday. The food selection was very simple. Spam, pancit, bulalo, etc. I wasn't impressed.

The quality of food was good for breakfast but maybe a bit over priced I think $23? The Ambiance was nice too. The staff were ok some are friendly. Parking is good in the morning I'm not sure during the night read more

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When this place opened, the weekend breakfast buffet was on point. My boys loved this place. Fast forward to today, they have taken over an adjacent unit. The main restaurant was occupied by a private party while the general public could still dine in the new adjacent unit. The variety of food served was not even half of what they were serving when they first opened. Couple ahead of us walked in, looked at what was being served, and decided not to eat. We should have done the same thing. For $24 a person, there's much better options for breakfast in the area. read more

My friends and I came on a Sunday morning for their buffet style brunch. Prior to coming, we did not want the reviews on Yelp to keep us from coming, but unfortunately, most of them were true based on our first experience. It felt really awkward in here, we were not welcomed in and there are families eating and loud music in the background. I'm assuming they rotate their weekly weekend brunch menu, but for this past Sunday my friends and I went to, they had options such as: rice/garlic rice, eggs, longanisa (sweet sausage), bacon, spam, tocino, cornbeef, goto, jeprox, mongo, and champurrado. The longanisa and champurrado were the most enjoyable to me. The garlic rice did not have that pungent garlic taste, the bacon tasted different, they add veggies to the cornbeef and it was chunky, and the tocino had no flavor at all. Being Filipino myself, it did not taste like authentic Filipino food to me :( The employees are also in the way of people grabbing food, which made it difficult for us to get back to our seats. They are also fully aware they are in the way, but did not even bother to move. Although the brunch menu was something I did not enjoy as much, their regular food items like kare kare and lumpia look like something I could enjoy. If I am in the area for one of their dinner buffet days, I think I would stop by to try. The restaurant gets pretty busy, but they accept reservations. There is plenty of parking spaces in the plaza they're located in. Service was okay. Brunch price: $24/person read more

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Another successful gathering! Thank you Vanessa and the owners for a last minute change to our reservation and accommodating 20+ guests. When they learned we're going to Mekeni, all our guests joined us. Everybody didn't like the food. They LOVED them! As always, the place is serene for a family gathering as if you're at home. Staff is always to the point making sure everybody has what they need. Planning for the next one again soon. read more

My cousin and I went to an event at the YouTube theater in Englewood. We woke up, got dressed, checked out and began the hunt for brunch lunch whichever you call it because it was 1130. After much searching and perusing the photos on YELP (of course) we found this little gem. Aside from the YELP reviews travel time and distance was a factor in picking this place. Most of the reviews I read in and out of YELP raved about the breakfast buffet and dinner buffet. It's a clarify the breakfast buffet is only on Saturday and Sunday. Wednesday and Friday is the dinner buffet. The venue was extremely clean in the dining are, not app much the bathrooms. It had a nice open dining concept. There were large floor to ceiling windows with white window dressings that showed a lot of natural lite. It was fairly big and probably could've accommodate a special event like a small wedding party. The food was what we hoped. Delicious Filipino food that tasted like homemade. The only problem with the food was the garlic rice was not on par with my families' garlic rice. The food was served in good timing by a smiling staff member. read more

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Mekeni Pinoy's Pride absolutely lived up to its name, and a huge part of that is thanks to Vanessa, who was my main point of contact from start to finish. I booked them for our elopement dinner reception, and Vanessa made the entire experience stress-free and truly special. She was incredibly warm, responsive, and thoughtful--answering every question, offering helpful suggestions, and making sure every detail was perfect for our intimate celebration. Her professionalism and kindness made us feel completely taken care of during such an important moment. And the food--WOW. Everything was flavorful, authentic, beautifully presented, and clearly made with love. Our guests couldn't stop talking about how delicious everything was. It genuinely elevated our reception and made the night even more memorable. If you're planning any kind of event--especially something as meaningful as an elopement--Mekeni Pinoy's Pride is a fantastic choice. And if you get to work with Vanessa, consider yourself lucky. She's an absolute gem. Highly, highly recommend! read more

PRIVATE Funeral / Memorial Service at Mekeni : We held my mother's memorial service at Mekeni Pinoy's Pride Restaurant, and I could not have asked for a more perfect and heartfelt experience. From start to finish, the owners were kind, accommodating, and genuinely caring. They went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly, and they made what could have been a very difficult day feel peaceful and filled with love. it was so last minute, but they pulled through for us. They had 2 options, the restaurant which holds around 55 and the overflow room which holds another 50 people. We took over both. The decor and flower arrangements were stunning, elegant yet warm, and created such a serene and beautiful atmosphere. The overflow room was thoughtfully set up, allowing everyone to be part of the event comfortably. They even provided a large TV for photo and video tributes, as well as a sound system and microphone for speeches and announcements. Everything worked perfectly, and it helped bring everyone together to share stories and celebrate my mom's life. The buffet food was absolutely delicious, everyone kept talking about how great and authentic it was! Service was awesome. What really stood out was how affordable and accommodating the owners were, as much as you wabt or limited as you want. They understood what we needed, respected our budget, and still managed to deliver something truly beautiful and dignified. Working with them was so easy and stress-free, and I will always be grateful for their compassion and professionalism. If you're ever looking for a venue for a celebration of life or any meaningful gathering, I highly recommend Mekeni Restaurant. They helped us honor my mom in the most beautiful way possible. read more

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I've been to Mekeni about four times now. The first time was great--good food, solid flavors, and I left thinking I found a go-to spot. Unfortunately, each visit after that has gotten a little more disappointing. We ordered our usual: fish sisig and fish sinigang. We skipped the pork sinigang because the last time we had it, the pork tasted like it had been sitting around a while--definitely not fresh. Normally, the fish sisig is the one thing that never fails. It's usually the highlight of the meal. But this time it came out absolutely drenched in sauce. Like, swimming. It was hard to even taste the fish under all of it. Service wasn't much better. We ordered before two other tables, but somehow our food was the last to come out. No updates, no reason why--just slower than usual. It's a letdown, especially since I used to recommend this place. I'm hoping they can bounce back, but for now, it's just not hitting the same. read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - fish sisig - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

My family was excited to have brunch here but were quickly let down by the quality of the food. Almost all of the food was served in chaffers which didn't even keep the food warm. The garlic rice was a little mushy and lacked flavor. If the food quality and set-up improves, it would be worth returning to. read more

Super delicious food! Ther ambiance was very chill and the service was A+++! Kudos to all the workers for their amazing hospitality! read more

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Great Filipino home cooking. Everything was so fresh and sarap (delicious). Seems family owned because it has a very friendly locals vibe. I'd come back. read more

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Do not know how to feel about this place. In part due to insufficient experience with Filipino food. In other part due to the fact that buffets have less appeal to me. And in third part due to that my desire to sit through traffic for hours is even less these days. Service for a buffet is excellent. Vibe is slightly odd, slightly familiar; the old-school-refined idea of "nice" from a decade or two or three ago. Just enough parking. And the food does have some standouts. The bone marrow soup is delicious, and there was both a menudo as well as sliced pork dish that hit the spot. The rest is good, including the chop suey (which is not the Chinese style I'm used to, but still tasty), but a bit more variable. read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Outside. - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

Mekeni feels like an intimate Filipino party, from the food, the music, and the overall vibe. My personal favorites of their buffet spread -- Lobster, Dinakdakan, and Lechon! Overall, I had an AMAZING experience here. The service here was also great. If you want to eat here, you might want to call ahead and make a reservation. Great restaurant for any Filipino big backs in the Artesia/Cerritos area! read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

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Food was fresh and delicious, healthy. Service was attentive and friendly. Ambiance was nice, clean and modern aesthetic. Would come here again and try the buffet. Check for times for breakfast buffet and dinner buffet. read more

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Amazing filipino food, delicious, clean and reasonable prices. I don't know how this has low stars. Pork sinigang was perfect and fried eggplant, crispy pata and sinuglaw. read more

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We tried the AYCE and it was worth it! Everything was well organized, the food set up and the service and more. The food selection was excellent! The star of the show was definitely the cebuchon and the lobster. They had pinakbet and the traditional beef steak, pansit, kare kare and salmon and more. I tried a lil bit of everything and enjoyed it thoroughly. Good dessert as well. Worth to try! read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California

The food was excellent, staff were friendly, ambiance was nice and the restaurant was clean. The food is better than most Filipino restaurants so I drive from Glendale just to eat here. You can't go wrong. Grace from Glendale read more

Best sisig ever. It's got good crunch to it and not too oily but has a good balance of fat and meat as well. I really love their melon drink which is one of my most favorite drinks of all time! They got those two things down right for sure for sure! Their point point selection is big too and has very yummy options like bicol express! read more

Pls don't be deceived by the picture they uploaded but check guests pictures instead. We ordered the lengua and what it came out is totally different from what the picture says. The lengua itself is also hard and so chewy. Hoped they should have cooked it longer. We told the waiter about it and he didn't say anything and every time he pass our table, he's avoiding us. So bad experience. read more

Mekeni Pinoy's Pride - Don't be deceived on their picture. This is the real Lengua looks like. - Filipino Near Me - Artesia, California