My boyfriend wanted to try Filipino food and his coworker suggested Subo. I haven't had Subo in a while (or Filipino food, I usually have it when I go home). It's a small spot but definitely a cozy one, where the people who I presume are the owners speak Tagalog (always + points for a Filipino spot, or any of the other many Filipino languages). We got the palabok, lechon kawali, and the dinuguan. All really good - I personally really loved that the palabok had chicharron on top that was so good and delicious and crunchy. The dinuguan was on par with other dinuguans I've had and the lechon kawali eas also good. read more

SUBO Filipino Kitchen - Palabok, lechon kawali, and dinuguan - Filipino Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I learned that this has new management, I had stopped going since before CoVid because I simply didn't like their cooking. So with new blood, I decided to check it out. I ordered pancit bihon to go and was surprised at the portion. I had to add a little seasoning, soy sauce, which means it tasted a little underseasoned. I prefer it that way than for it to come too salty and will be hard to adjust. I also had the pork and chicken empanada. It has a crispy shell and the filling is nicely seasoned. Also a good size. read more

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We came in on a Friday evening for dinner, we were the only ones there. We ordered chicken adobo and the veggie egg rolls. The chicken adobo was dry and very oily. The quality of the chicken was not great, it had the texture of microwaved, reheated leftovers. The veggie egg rolls were good. They were playing very loud dance club music in a small intimate space. Didn't seem to match the environment and it was quite obnoxious. And a side note, there is a lot of waste that is created with one meal there as you eat with plastic forks/spoons, the plates are paper plates, and the cups are styrofoam cups. In good conscience, that alone deters me from dining there again. read more

This visit my girls and I split a lechon kawali and pork adobo combo. Also ordered a tortang talong and a side of rice. Everything hit and no complaints on the food! read more

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Cozy, Filipino restaurant nestled right across Chicago's CTA Brown Line. I visited with a friend for a weeknight dinner and Subo definitely brings authentic Filipino flavor to their dishes. For someone who is Filipino myself, I was pleased that the food tasted just like home and wasn't too greasy like some other filipino restaurants that I've been to. The chicken lumpia was fresh and very crispy. It came with (2) sauces, sweet chili and vinegar. I ordered the entree combo and chose calderetta and chicken tinola. The meal came with a heaping serving of garlic fried rice. As I mentioned, the Calderetta was not too oily like it's been sitting in a pan. The beef was super tender and paired great with the garlic friend rice. The broth of the chicken tinola was also very flavorful and rich. You could put this in a cup and I'd probably drink it. I do wish my serving of tinola had more veggies in it, but it was delicious nonetheless. My friend ordered the tapa breakfast bowl and had a healthy serving of beef with two fried eggs. We were too stuffed to have any dessert, but I will be back next time to try! Subo is such a hidden gem that I think gets overlooked by the big name Filipino restaurants in the city. If you're looking for something lowkey that doesn't compromise flavor, please give this business a try! read more

SUBO Filipino Kitchen - Garlic Fried Rice, chicken tinola, calderetta, Chicken Shanghai Lumpia, 1. Tapa Bowl - Filipino Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Menudo is delicious. The Calderata is almost as good as the Menudo. The chicken curry is good, but not up to par with the rest. It's good with slices of fresh jalapeño added. All of the entrees I've tried are great with white rice. I haven't tried their garlic fried rice, but that's probably good. The Turon is a very tasty sweet dessert. read more

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Place was in a small plaza, ample parking and close to the brown line. Food itself was blah - nothing really spectacular although it was a bit pricey. One thing I would say, they give you a LOT of rice. Even the turon albeit cheap did not have langka. Overall, a ho hum place but with high prices. read more

It's very unfortunate. Filipino food used to be very affordable. Now it rivals just about any other place with the skyrocketing prices. The food was still good here. The customer service could have been a little better. When we arrived two ladies were sitting down and they weren't very welcoming. Like not a hello, or any type of eye contact. A customer after me received even worse service. The young lady was on her phone with the same no greeting and then finally looked up to place the gentleman's order. We placed an order for their Lumpia with pork. My wife ordered their my wife ordered their Pancit Bihon and I ordered their Tocino breakfast bowl. The Lumpia was very delicious. It had a nice crispy outside and very tasty pork inside and served with a sweet chili sauce. This is a must order at any Filipino restaurant. The Pancit Bihon came with thin stir fried rice noodles, with chicken and vegetables. Just a few years ago, you could get this dish for around 7 to 8 dollars. Now it's $15. But still worth it. You get a lot of food, it's very delicious and filling. My Tocino Breakfast bowl that I got for dinner was really good as well. Although I would have preferred my rice to be more garlicky and more fried, it didn't ruin the rest of the dish. I also would have preferred my fried eggs to not be so over cooked. I like my eggs runny, especially on top of fried rice. The tocino was definitely the highlight of this dish. It was so tender, and just the perfect amount of sweetness to go with the rest of this savory this. Would definitely order this again and will definitely be returning. read more

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I went here for lunch. It's a small and clean place. Love the wall decor and the screen playing Filipino Videos. I ordered the Palabok and it was huge! It also tasted great that I was excited to have left overs. Will go here again in the near future to get my Filipino fix on. read more

SUBO Filipino Kitchen - Palabok. - Filipino Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The restaurant had a really nice ambiance for a Sunday meal after a church meeting. The food was filling and flavorful. The pork breakfast bowl was a bit dry for me, but the lumpia really hit the spot. Same goes for the halo halo dessert. There's so many items to try on this menu. The service was friendly and efficient. The food came out within minutes. The amount of garlic rice they give you for the breakfast bowl is enough to feed two people haha. Wish they would give you more meat for the sausage breakfast bowl, I only got 3 small pieces. There's plenty of parking in the strip mall area. The bathroom is in the back of the restaurant. You have to walk through the kitchen area to get to it. read more

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We had held off on dining in at SUBO for a long while since it seemed like even dining in was all disposable-ware. Recently after surveying new Filipino options near home, we figured to hit the circuit and include SUBO, especially after seeing some actual plates in the dine-in photos. Came with just family on a casual Friday dinner and had the place to ourselves. Having options to get different entree sizes (16 oz vs. 32 oz) as well as the pick one/two with rice gives you different approaches. For our family of three, it was best to go with 16 oz entrees and ordering a 16 oz rice separately. We got the palabok, kare-kare, and the langka and side of bagoong was provided. The langka was probably the most mild flavored Indeed the dishes came out on reusable plates/bowls while our personal plates were styrofoam with plastic utensils. We brought our own utensils. Self-serve water was available in styrofoam cups, but sodas are reasonable $1.50. We were there close to closing - and had originally thought to order something sweet. Will do so next time were there earlier. Total was about $50 and we took just under half home - reasonable! read more

SUBO Filipino Kitchen - Palabok, kare-kare, and langka - Filipino Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Decent Filipino food, but a tad salty for me. I was concerned about it being greasy or heavy, but it was not the case at all. Menu is a large and I had difficulty deciding what to order quickly. My friend and I shared 2 combo plates and an order of lumpia for $50, which seemed pricier than expected thinking that each combo plate should be about $12.99 before tax per the menu. Not sure why they tacked on $1.50 per entree item so that was an unpleasant surprise, bringing the combo plate to $15.99 they should be more transparent about how they charge or guests may feel cheated. We shared the daing na bangus, bistec, caldereta, and lumpias. My favorite was the lumpias. Rice was a bit dry and probably would've went better with sinigang, which I plan to try next time. read more

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Delicioso!!! I would have attached a picture, but the food was so good, it never crossed my mind until the food was gone! read more

Pancit: 10/10 Lumpia: 10/10 Turon: (I wasn't sure if I'd like it) 100/10 The person serving was very nice, gave us the info on eat ingredient and best way to eat (Turon is more of a dessert). Hidden gem next to the Kimball station. They also have a parking lot. read more

SUBO Filipino Kitchen - Sample of their Pork Shanghai Lumpia, Pancit, and Turon (2pcs) - Filipino Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love love love this place! I'm from Hawaii where Filipino food is super accessible but I recently moved to Minneapolis for university, where it is difficult to access Filipino food, especially bangus. I was so relieved to able to eat bangus from SUBO during my visit in Chicago. I ordered daing na bangus and pork skewers and I could almost cry (from happiness, of course). It tasted like home, how my family would cook it. Definitely fixed my homesickness. Another thing that I appreciated from this place is that they had so many items from the menu to choose from. You will not only find the "mainstream" Filipino dishes that non-Filipinos know of. read more

SUBO is located in a strip mall and has some free parking in front of the restaurant. The restaurant itself is small and there are only a few small tables inside. I had the palabok (thin egg noodles with chicharon, boiled egg and scallions) and hubby had the tocino (sweet cured pork) breakfast (comes with two eggs and garlic rice). We also shared an order of pork egg rolls. The dishes are large and plentiful. However, the palabok and garlic rice were both lacking in flavor. The pork egg rolls were good but pretty standard. We also shared a halo halo (can ask for it to be prepared when you're ready). It came with various items including ube ice cream, jack fruit, red bean, flan, coconut jelly, and red/green jellies. We were stuffed but couldn't pass up trying the halo halo which was a great end to our meal. read more

For catering needs: When the holidays arrive catering needs are required (especially when work/life gets too busy to cook). Subo has tasty options that can satisfy in a jiffy. The BBQ'd meat sticks, different types of filled & fried rolls and more. There's an ease to acquiring catering needs. No need to call several days ahead, they will accept orders that can be prepared and picked up within hours. Though I've noticed that when giving them more time to cook and prepare, quality is best. When having lesser times before pickup, quality is different depending on what's being prepared. Ie placing an order when they open and pickup later that afternoon. I've had catering order/pickup times both ways these past holidays. Good to go catering includes: Large orders of lumpia shanghai & or eggrolls. Pork or chicken BBQ skewers. read more

So yum! This cozy counter service Filipino food spot offers a wide array of entree options that you can mix and match with your garlic rice bowl. During our visit, we tried out the crispy & savory fried milkfish Bangus, the tender and well-seasoned Bistec, the rich pork pieces in blood stew Dinuguan, and the crispy pork belly Lechon. Every dish was well seasoned and incredibly comforting. The garlic rice that came with the bowl had very generous portion too. We left very full and satisfied. read more

SUBO Filipino Kitchen - Filipino Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Friendly service and great food. I definitely loved their halo-halo. I also had their adobo and it tasted just as good as I make it at home. I can't wait to come back and try their other dishes. read more

Very good food, very fast and friendly service, and a very reasonable price! Got three things: - Chicken BBQ: very good and flavorful, good texture. Only thing would be that I like a lot of sauce and these didn't have as much as I usually like. - Lumpia: Not usually my favorite but they were so crisp and fresh! Loved their lumpia! - Dinuguan: I LOVE dinuguan so I was looking forward to it. Very good, but different than I have ever had. There was a lot of ginger which I was not expecting. I liked it, but not typical in what I have tried. read more

The food is always tasty, though a bit on the salty side. However, the staff is always kind and quick, ensuring meals are served promptly. It's a small place, but perfect for grabbing a quick bite. read more

Was in the neighborhood and I needed filipino food back in my life. I found this place randomly and decided to pay a visit. The aesthetic and decor of this place was very nice! The moment walking in, I could smell all the aromas of the motherland! Definitely reminded me of living at home with my parents. Longganisa breakfast bowl: Longganisa is my absolute fav so I needed to get this. The bowl is pretty big and comes with garlic fried rice, 2 eggs, and 3 sausages. I ate half for lunch and the other half for dinner for reference. The longganisa was good, not too greasy. The outside looked kinda burnt but they tasted fine. The eggs were made perfectly - they had a nice runny yolk. Lumpia: They only had chicken available which was totally fine. I got the 10 pc which comes with sweet n sour sauce. Absolutely delicious with the sauce! You can't go wrong with lumpia. BBQ skewers: Again, they only had chicken available which was fine. These were delicious as well. The meat could've been more tender but I'm not complaining. They sell them by the stick. I wish they sold them in bundles. Halo halo: This is a must try! The taste all the way to the presentation was on point! Compared to others, this one isn't as sweet. The ratio of all the ingredients were pretty even which I liked! One ingredient never overpowered the entire dessert. It even comes with a wafer stick! It also came with a color changing spoon that changes to purple as you eat the dessert which I loved!! I even kept the spoon haha. Love the details. I'd come back and try the rest of their menu because they have lots of options! Go support local businesses! read more

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My partner and I used to order delivery from here all the time and everything has always been delicious! I haven't ordered in a while but realized I hadn't a deserving review for this place yet! This is one of the more authentic Filipino restaurants in the Chicago area, and happy they exist! I'll have to order some more food from here when I'm back in the city! Salamat! read more

Update: I ordered two orders of pork lumpiang Shanghai, a tocilog bowl and Tapsilog bowl. I'm always content with their lumpia and never had a problem with that but their bowls fell off big time. The tocino seemed more like a beef roast that they cut up into pieces same with the tapa it isn't made with steak, the garlic rice was extremely dry and the to go containers didn't hold up well. The container became extremely moist. Yikes. read more

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It's not devastatingly good like some other Filipino spots I've tried, but it's a solid choice, especially considering the price. I can only judge the breakfast bowl and bbq skewers. I'm obsessed with garlic rice, but unfortunately, this one didn't turn out to be as good as I had hoped. The rice was rather bland, and not garlicky at all. The tocino, on the other hand, was great! Perfect blend of sweet and soft texture. Same goes for the bbq skewers- chicken was a bit dry, but the pork one was perfection. I wish I got several more! The star of the show for me was the ube halaya. Wow, decadent, rich, and fresh ube flavor.. and all for $3.50?! Sold! If nothing else, I'll definitely be back to try the other desserts. read more

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Had this place bookmarked for a while, and finally made it out here. We were immediately greeted by the owner who asked us if it was our first time, and when we said yes, went back and got us samples to try of 6 of their dishes. It was a good way to taste the different flavors. Both my husband and I went in with the idea of getting the Breakfast Bowl, but after trying the samples were convinced to do the Lunch Special instead. We ordered the lunch special with calderata and curry for one, and chicken adobo and bistec for the other. Flavors were so good, some of the larger potato and carrot pieces could have been cooked a little longer, but I suspect since it was the morning, it hadn't quite softened as much as if it were later during actual lunch hours. We also had the lumpia which were good, and the Halo Halo which was the perfect way to top off the meal. It was so much food, we ended up taking home leftovers. It's a small store, and I expect it gets busy, it may be difficulty to find a seat during rush times. They seemed to also have quite a few takeout orders. I like that they have infused water for guests, and to-go desserts and things. Extra star for service, staff was so nice and friendly. Highly recommend this place for good Filipino food! read more

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I get torn on whether I love this place or not. The food is homey and the prices are reasonable for how much food you're getting. Staff is lean and sometimes it seems they could use an extra hand or two. Tables are usually in need of a wipe down, condiments are in need of refills, all of the menu isn't available all the time so if you have your heart set on something you're craving you can feel a bit let down if it's not available that day. Parking lot is small and not always readily available. If you can look past all of that, it usually hits the spot. Of all of their offerings, I'm the biggest fan of their breakfast bowls. One of the menu items you can usually count on being in stock, in short.... it's a bed of garlic fried rice topped with a side of eggs and your choice of Tapa (beef), Tocino (sweet marinated pork), Chorizo (sweet pork sausage), or Bangus (marinated fried milkfish). All for $6-$7. There's a lot of other classics you can choose from *depending what's in stock* when you visit. I'll leave it at that. 'Til next time, cheers! read more

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My boyfriend and I decided to try out SUBO after doing a quick Google search for "Filipino breakfast" and thought it was good, but nothing outstanding. I will say that the interior is very clean and cute, plus service is really good. I got the Breakfast bowl with longanisa, he got the lunch special with tapa and tocino, and we split lumpia and halo halo. For all my gorgeous gorgeous garlic girls, the rice is LOADED with amazing garlic flavor. Well cooked runny eggs and loved the flavor of the sausage. I thought the tapa was cooked well but the tocino didn't have too much flavor and some parts were a bit too fatty. The portion of rice to meat/egg was also very extreme. Lumpia were hot and fresh, halo halo tasted like it was supposed to. I gave it 3 stars since I thought the food was average and nothing worthwhile. read more

I was heading home after work and decided to stop by Subo, which is near the Kimball Brown Line station. It is a somewhat new Filipino restaurant, with a casual look inside. There are a few tables, and a window counter where you can flip through Filipino newspapers while waiting for your order. On this random Thursday evening, there was a steady stream of customers, mostly for takeout. The food took a few minutes to come out, but they seemed busy so that was understandable. I ordered the breakfast bowl with garlic fried rice, eggs, and chorizo. The lady said there were only 2 pieces of chorizo left (I guess the normal order has 3 pieces?) so she offered to add some tocino to the bowl, which was fine with me. In fact I think I liked the sweet tocino (cured pork) better than the chorizo (sweet pork sausage, not quite similar to spicy Latin-style chorizo). I also bought an order of lumpia, with ten pieces of thin crispy pork goodness. I was very happy that the pieces of lumpia still offered a lovely crunch after taking them back home to eat. They were out of the turon, which was too bad because I heard these fried banana rolls were delicious. I had some of the food left for lunch the next day, so my breakfast bowl was essentially a dinner and a lunch for me. read more

Great food. Great service. I had such a great meal at Subo! There're 2 tables with 2 seats and some high top seating. I went for a quick lunch break and had plenty of time to order, eat, and get back on time. I had Tapa breakfast bowl and chicken lumpia. I loved the garlic fried rice, perfect cooked eggs, and grilled beef meat. Lumpia was a perfect addition. I can't wait to return to try more! read more

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Finally made it here after some great recommendations from my Yelp friends. Nice laid back, small, and simple restaurant with great Filipino food to choose from. So I guess their menu changes daily. I made the mistake of looking up at the main menu on the wall above the cash register and couldnt make up my mind as to what I wanted to order. They have the Filipino classics such as beef caldereta, pinakbet, sinigang, bistek, dinuguan, and more. I should have looked down at eye level as they had the Friday Specials listed there which was a more limited menu of about 8 dishes, instead of the 25 or so thats on the menu. So that made life a bit easier. I went with the longanisa and pork sinigang, and my 2 friends got the caldereta, tosino, and bistek. I loved the pork sinigang. It's one of my fave Filipino "ulams" (dish) and the cold snowy weather was perfect for it. Loved the sour flavor of the broth! My only complaint about it was that it wasnt hot enough. I like my sinigang soup nice and hot. The longanisa and tocino were ok. I kinda like mine a little bit more toasted so it was just alright for me. Also disappointed as I thought the rice that came with the longnisa was the Garlic Fried Rice. Thought it came with the dish but I guess that was my bad that I didnt specify. Oh well. Next time. My girls and I shared all the dishes so I had some of their caldereta and the bistek. I am a Filipino food snob as my mom and dad are such great cooks when it comes to this cuisine, so I always compare others cooking to my parents. So the caldereta and bistek were good. Not the best I've ever had, but good enough for me to eat it again. What i really liked about Subo was the great customer service though. I didnt realize we came so close to closing time on a Friday night ,which is 8pm. We got there around 6:30pm. So we ordered some dishes but turns out they ran out of something that my girl ordered. But they were nice enough to give us a dish on the house and asked us to pick something else. They even gave us free dessert and extra rice. That was super nice of him and he didnt have to do that. But it was awesome because we got to sample a lot of food and we were in major food comas after dinner! Also, the biko dessert was off the chain. Perfect flavor of sweet rice and toasted coconut to end dinner with. I also loved that they have pre-fried Jeprox ( dried fish) for sale!! I love the flavor of that stinky meal but hate frying it at home because it leaves your house smelling like $h!t. So glad that they have it here ready to eat! I will surely be back. The prices here are super affordable, they have their own parking lot, and its even across the street from the Kimball Brown Line stop. Till next time, Subo! read more

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Wow a great Filipino restaurant that will give Ruby Fast Food a run for the money SUBO Filipino Kitchen is located on 4712 N Kimball Ave. what a super location right by Lawerence Ave, the CTA Brown Line and a High School. Ready made customers location, location, location They have great food and very reasonable prices makes this a winner in my book. I had a bowl of Beef Tapa w/garlic fried rice w/2 eggs over easy for $5.95 (breakfast all day) or until they run out which happened one order after me, but fear not they also have sweet pork, longaniza or fried milk fish AKA Bangus with the same Garlic fried rice and 2 eggs over easy over the Garlic fried rice Like most Filipinos they love their sweets too. They had fresh Taron, cassava, purple Ube and peanuts w/pieces of roasted garlic. I will definitely be back cause the food is very good, quick friendly service and reasonable read more

Def tasty. A little on the oily side but I would def return. Staff was nice and clean location

I think I found my new food fix place! WOW was the food good! I ate like a little pig! I already want to go back! The staff was so sweet. The place fills with smoke and steam so your eyes might tear a bit and you will leave smelling of food but who cares. Expect a wait because everything is cooked fresh. I can't wait to tell all my friends about it! read more

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Best Filipino food I've had in Chicago. Their dinuguan and lechon kawali hit the spot!

Customer service: 5/5 Can order in person or on the phone. Everyone is always super nice and appreciates your business. Pork lumpia: 5/5 Delicious! Great appetizer for a meal, or rather a textural element to eat after having rice or noodles. Pancit canton: 5/5 My absolute favorite here! Reminds me of home. Pancit palabok: 3/5 Tasty, but not my favorite here. Caldareta: 5/5 Delicious. Reminds me of home. Chicken adobo: 3/5 More liquid consistency than I would have liked. Longanisa breakfast bowl - 4/5 Great amount of food for the price. Maybe a bit too much rice for me and the egg was a bit overcooked. Tocino breakfast bowl - 4/5 Similar to comments about other breakfast bowl. PLEASE support this small business. They are worth the visit. Salamat! read more

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Fantastic freshly made food here. Had the pancit and it was delicious. Light and super tasty. Very nice people too. And reasonable prices. I'd go back anytime soon and try another dish. Menu looks great with lots of different options and tastes. This place is a gem. Go eat there or have it delivered. Either way just go get some here. You'll be happy you did. read more

An easy location to come into being in a strip mall with parking. We came in for a weekday lunch around 12:30pm and the place was empty. We were greeted and then asked if we have ever been here before, to which we said no, and the lady quickly said she would bring out samples. She comes out with a tray of samples for us to try. Come here for a weekday lunch and the combo platter is cheaper, $6.95. This consists of an ample portion of rice along with two sides. I ordered the pork adobo and the chicken curry. Both were delicious and flavorful. I don't think I've ever had a curry at a Filipino restaurant before. The other dishes that were ordered in our group were two more combo platters with bangus (milkfish), salmon soup (this was tangy and good and the salmon portion was decent) and the pork adobo as well. The sampling of food we got to try really showed the variety of foods that they offer here. I know at some of the other Filipino restaurants I've gone to that are buffet, a lot of the dishes seem to taste similarly. This one there was a unique and different taste to each. What friendly and great service we received as well as the place was spacious and clean (they had just mopped the floor before we walked in). This establishment is different than some of the other similar Filipino places as it is more modern. read more

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I have been excited to try them out since they opened- but then 2020 happened and, well, you know... I stopped by today and I am so glad I did. I let them know that I had no idea what anything was and they graciously allowed me to sample some best sellers. I made my selection and this food is seriously so good! If you are afraid to ty something new, go here and let them help you! The smells alone will have you hooked. read more

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We shared the 2 combo Ginataang Langka and Daing na Bangus with rice but we each had to get our own Halo Halo :) read more

SUBO Filipino Kitchen - Subo has the best halo halo. My Filipina mom loves ordering halo halo here ! - Filipino Near Me - Chicago, Illinois