Family and I were looking for a Filipino restaurant in the Portland area. Not much to choose from we went to Tambayan. I don't think their dishes (not fried) are freshly cooked. The lechon kawali was not tasty and Kare Kare was watered down peanut butter. Staff was not friendly either. Portland needs more options! read more

OK, I don't have a lot of experience with Filipino food, but finally got a chance to try it w/ the fabulous Groupon $1 lunch deal. I'd love to come back with a group so I could try more things. Got the Lumpiang Sariwa, which was really like a crepe filled with mild, sauteed veggies (soft, not crisp) smothered in a fairly sweet sauce. It was huge & pretty tasty, but on the sweet side for my taste. I should have asked for some hot sauce to balance it out. Main dish was Laing, Taro leaves w/ coconut cream& pork. Quite tasty & very filling--ate about half & took the rest home. I really like taro leaves, don't get them too often, but such a rich dish was not the perfect item for a solo diner. But very yummy.... Clean & tidy inside, very pleasant & well-intentioned service, but a little scattered. Full of Filipino customers. I'd like to give them 3.5 stars, and I'll definitely come back w/ more folks to try more dishes. read more

Food was awesome! Milk fish was great, lumpia was super yummy, & the Red Horse was ice cold! Plus they have ube ice cream and pan de ube! Definitely will be back! Took 1 star off for location, bad area. read more

One of my favorite Filipino restaurants in Portland. I like how they have a variety of food in their menu. Their pancit is bombbb!!

Going back a few years, I had noticed this place driving past on the rare occasions we had to head out Foster, and it was on my list to try. I had enjoyed a great pre-Thanksgiving Filipino meal down in the Bay Area and wanted to believe we had access to the same quality up here but couldn't quite expect it with the relatively smaller Filipino community. Then I heard somewhere (probably here, come to think of it) that it was beloved by actual Filipinos and not just Americans who had visited and wanted to remember the real thing. So we made a trip specifically to try it, and we were blown away. Good rice, crispy fried fish, insane shrimp-paste pink coconut milk curries...What's not to like? Then we mentioned how good it was to our friend Amado - you know him, Yelpers - and he agreed to come with us and see if it lived up to his mama's/aunties' cooking. Of course the answer is no, but it's good enough he not only goes back but takes his family there when they're in town. He also helped introduce us to some great traditional dishes we probably wouldn't have tried without his influence. Over a few visits now I've gone much deeper into this cuisine than I would have thought possible in rainy Portland. I'm so glad this place is here! Things I loved: ginataang laksa (the green beans are good too, but get the jackfruit), tokwa't baboy, dinuguan (read Kristen's explanation below, but believe me it's great), fried whole fish (I think it was tilapia) Things that were delicious but not must-haves: pancit, sinigang (I had shrimp), lechon kawali, adobo, kare-kare Other stuff was good too, but those were the standouts I found. I'm not a halo-halo person, but those who are will probably like the one they find here. You'll do better to order for the table and share; they make lunch specials but it's just not as interesting to only have one thing. This is salty cooking, so order and use the rice to soak up the flavorful sauces. Looking at those lists I made, my favorites seem to be dishes that balance the salt with some other strong flavor, but you'll want a variety for sure. Big group dining is the way they do it in the Philippines and it works best here too. read more

They make very tasty chicken adobo with pancit noodles! And you should try Halo-Halo, it is better than a regular ice cream!!! Great place to try authentic Philippine food in Portland! read more

There are barely any Filipino places to eat in Portland which is a shame because my girlfriend's favorite food is Chicken Adobo. Tambayan does it the best, and it is our go to place whenever she needs some adobo in her life! It has a nice little homey feel to it and the whole family that works there is extremely warm and welcoming and are always asking how things are or if you need anything else. I personally like the garlic rice best if you aren't in the mood for something heavier. We just wish it wasn't so far away from us! Open one in Hillsboro please! :) read more

Feels just like home. I love everything about this place. The food is what you would expect your Lola to cook at home. Definitely comfort food for me since I recently moved to Portland. This is definitely now my go to place for Filipino food. Will be back soon. read more

Tambayan - Lumpia - Filipino Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

Not many places to find Filipino food in the area so this was a great find! Eggrolls were seasoned and cooked perfectly. We ordered the tapsilog and longsilog. Both were not too salty and the garlic rice not overpowering. My only complaint was that my husband wanted scrambled eggs instead of over easy and we were told that they "don't do that, we only cook it one way." They could "scramble the egg a little after it was cracked into the pan." Ok. Otherwise it was a pleasant experience and we will be back! read more

Tambayan - Filipino Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

For those who prefer hole-in-the-wall restaurants, this one is outstanding and spotlessly clean. Hole-in-the-wall is a compliment in my book, no pretensions, food served quickly and graciously. The staff -- just one person when we were there -- was exceptionally friendly but not intrusive. And charmed as I was with the Filipino channel on the TV, she graciously turned the volume down when I asked. The food was a Filipino treat, delicious and very crisp egg rolls and tender pork served in a luscious sauce. The beef dish was tough but the tasty sauce made up for it. The woman who served us, probably the owner, must be like the Filipina "aunties" that my Filipino friends rave about. She treats you like family. We'll be going back often. read more

I've eaten a lot of Filipino cuisine and Tambayan is a place you can try once and move on, Kare-Kare and Palabok tasted okey but lacking flavor and color, egg roll came out short with a bit raw, halo-halo lacked sweetness and creaminess- short of fruit ingredients, less milk and Ice cream toppings. In fairness, we've enjoyed Lechon kawali with its crispiness and taste minus the sauce. Bottom line -Find another cuisine to satisfy your palate read more

Menudo was great (disappointed there were no garbonzo beans in it tho) Pancit Palobok was average Shanghai Lumpia was a bit small but tasty. Halo-Halo was spot on! Can't wait to go back and try more! read more

Went here with my mom who is from the P.I. Sampled the lumpia and the lechon. Both were delicious. Service was quick and courteous. Definitely will be back if I can't make it out to my mom's. read more

Thought we'd try local filipino cuisine, googled one near me and this place popped up. Took a chance here. Ordered Bangus with garlic rice with choice of fried or scrambled egg, hubby had the Adobo and a friend got the Pancit Bihon with Chicken...all the foods was tasty and taste home made. Portion was descent $10-11. Ok selections at minimum. Atmosphere could definately use some style and painting to make it look inviting. The filipino girl staff was friendly, didnt speak tagalog though. Too bad, alot of young generations growing up not knowing the language IMHO...Overall good food made to order! 3.5 Stars. read more

The food is amazing and the service is excellent. The Pork Adobo, Sausage and everything else is unreal.

This is the best place for food. Everytime I go in there to buy my shanghai pork rolls I'm greeted by the warm friendly owners who make me feel comfortable. While I'm waiting for my food they bring me other samples of other Filipino foods. Things I would probably never try on my own and introduce me to the cuisine. I would always recommend this place to anyone looking for a great dining experience read more

I am from the bay area where there are a ton of amazing filipino resturants. I was excited when I finally found some filipino resturant with a 4 star rating. Well I have no I dea where those stars came from. The food here is atrocious. The lumpias were vile tasting. Bistek was so overcooked and tough, not to mention the actual lack of flavor in it. The only thing decent was the pancit, but lets be honest, there is no way to mess that up. If you are craving authentic and tast filipino food, I would not recommend this place. read more

Simple food, costumer service is good but the food is just o.k. Hopefully next time the meat won't be tough read more

Good Filipino food. Good price. Doesn't have too many options, I only come here sometimes when I am nearby.

The food was very good. I loved my halo halo dessert/drink, delicious. I love supporting places like these that are run by families in the local area. Don't listen to the Californian. read more

My mom has some competition now that i found this place! Haha, the halo is to die for

Good food! Service was even better. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I loved the experience.

Im tempted to give it 5 stars..yes...really. I suppose there's always room for improvement in anything. They are now open for lunch Wed- Sun. This is a small operation, family operation restaurant and the food is authentic and truly homemade. I was raised on Filipino food for 18 years and it wasn't until I got in college did I realize there were other types of foods. I know Filipino food. Nice and friendly staff. They were patient with our anak (little girl). Highly recommend the Bistek Tagalog and Pancit Canton/Bihon. My cousin (also filipino) had the classic filipino breakfeast, longanisa and eggs over garlic friend rice. We took one bite and knew we found a place to take our parents when they visit. Highly recommend this place. Prices decent. Dessert was great as well. Just drink water....for those that know filipino food...always salty..always tasty. read more

First off...I had many people say that this is the best Filipino restaurant in the area. This would be true if this was the only Filipino restaurant in the Portland area. I guess I'm spoiled since I came from the Bay Area where Filipino restaurants are in abundance. How does it take 20 minutes from the time you order to get shanghai lumpia as an appetizer is besides me. Next, the Bistek was two pieces of meat cooked with onions....hmm...talk about not getting your fill. The thing that puts them over the top of terrible service is that they use a cart (one that most department stores use as a folding table) to deliver the food. So...one plate of bistek and one order of garlic rice...WHY DO YOU NEED A CART TO DELIVER THAT?! I understand that management has changed hands...please change it again! read more

Love this place. So tastyyyy! Been there a few times now and has never disappointed. Tried pancit, lumpia, chicken, all of it was great.

It may be that I'm not used to Filipino food, but our experience wasn't the best. The staff is super friendly, but the food was awful. We ordered 4 dishes plus an app, and other than the Shanghai Rolls, everything else did not taste good. The dishes were also on the smaller side. We had to eat a second dinner right after. read more

Tambayan - Super dry and very salty "steak" - Filipino Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

The only Filipino eatery I know of on the East side! Reminds me of home. Glad I found this place. Try the fried chicken.

Filipino cuisine is one that I'm hoping to add under my belt of foods I love. This is easy because I love a lot of food. My knowledge of Filipino foods is pretty basic (chicken adobo, lumpia, halo-halo, and some others) so I was really excited to try out Tambayan Restaurant. We went here on a Friday night around 7 and the place was filled with 2 other tables and another group of older Filipinos came while we were there (sweet! if Filipino people eat here...it's gotta be good!) We ordered the lechon kawali, pancit palabow, and a side of garlic fried rice. The lechon was everything I hoped it would be. Fatty, unctuous, crispy, porky. A plate comes with 6 or 7 generous chunks of deep fried pork (80% fat to 20% meat) and a small dish of sauce that wasn't explained. My preferred eating was straight with some shots of a seemingly homemade concoction of vinegar, peppers, and coconut. The pancit dish was good, if not a little heavy along with the lechon. The sauce had a goopy texture (in a good way) and was studded with all sorts of yummy egg and pork bits. One order of garlic fried rice was more than enough for 2 people but I wasn't too impressed with this dish. It is exactly what it says it is...rice that's been fried with generous garlic pieces. To top it off, we split a halo-halo and I was more than satisfied. It had all the good components I like: beans, coconut jelly, good shaved ice, leche flan. The service was good, you can definitely tell this is a family run restaurant and it's nice to support businesses like these. Next time I hope to be a little more adventurous and maybe find a better balance of dishes since our meal was pretty heavy. read more

Love this place! Real home made Filipino food. You guys should open a chain near Beaverton =)

Had adobo chicken with rice, adobo pork and shanghai lumpia eggrolls with a slightly spicy sweet and sour sauce. All were good, service was fast and friendly. read more

We had a very good time with the casual atmosphere and found a very authentic Filipino style menu. The service was so very kind and the food was legit filipino. They also serve a very good Halo Halo which is fun, but A lot of desert for one person. We will return next time traveling through PDX read more

Very friendly people. We ordered Kare Kare Oxtail, Dinuguan, Sinigang na Baboy, Lechon Kawali, and of course Halo Halo. Everything was delicious. The only thing for us was the portions. Being from CA, we're used to bigger portions served at the restaurants in CA. But overall, we will definitely come back here if ever we visit Portland, again. read more

Stopped by here, was in the mood for some good Filipino food. It was okay, not the fresh 'off the boat' vibe I was hoping for, the atmosphere is a bit run down and empty feeling. I haven't been to a lot of Filipino places in Portland, seems hard to find any good ones. read more

My go to place for Filipino Food. Their Kare-Kare with bagoong, and talong are my faves. Everything is delicious though. Love the halo halo and Leche flan! This is a family owned business and it's really cute when you see the owners family there. They're very kind, friendly, and genuine. The prices are great and flavors are authentic. It feels like home in the PI here. read more

ooooh tambayan, i loooooove you! i have to admit, i tried filipino food in los angeles, and wasn't crazy about it. i wanted to give it another shot though! we got a groupon, and decided to try tambayan because we had heard such great things about it. man, am i glad we went! EVERY single thing we ordered was amazing! we had a clear broth pork soup with veggies, and shanghai rolls to start. both were awesome, we cleared our plates. haha! more food came out- we got a beef kare-kare. it's kind of like a beef stew with a delicate peanut sauce. never had anything like it before, and i loved it. everything felt homey, and the service was attentive and nice. we really felt like we had an authentic experience and look forward to going back to try different things. we saw some food come out for other tables, and it looked just as cool as what we ordered. everyone in the restaurant was clearing their plates, just like us. hehe. :) come hungry, and order family style so you can try a lot of dishes! it's totally worth it. and don't be shy about asking for recommendations! read more

As someone who is familiar with what Filipino food can be, I'd recommend avoiding this spot. We came home from Las Vegas about a week ago where they have very good Filipino food. There is plenty of room for a good Filipino restaurant in Portland. read more

This was the WORSE Filipino food that I've ever had. I ordered the pancit with seafood and it tasted very fishy and it did not taste like pancit that I've had. It was not worth $8.49 and would not recommend eating here. YUCK! read more

As a traveler, we read the yelp reviews to see what restaurants might be interesting to try. After reading the latest yelp reviews, we decided to find this place. This restaurant is found on a busy street. There is no designated parking for the restaurant. As far as the service, the wait time for this sit down restaurant was good. The food was just average but adequate for my family.The adobo was tender and the pork sinigang was tasty. read more

My wife and I are from the Philippines, me being American living over there for quite some time and my wife being from Cebu. We have been craving authentic tasting Filipino food for some time, and were pleasantly surprised when we came across Tambayan. We tried the Crispy Pata, which could not be more authentic, and the flavors were wonderful. We also had the Chop Suey, which was fantastic as well. If you are looking for good food, for a great price, and close to real Filipino flavors, then Tambayan is a can't miss opportunity. It is only 2 miles off from the 205 on 60th and Foster. Sadly it seems like most Filipino restaurants in Portland go out of business. I sure hope that Tambayan stays around for the long haul. read more

Hands down the BEST Filipino food in Portland! Cindy does the cooking and is amazing! Staff is all very nice and are family. Try Longanisa or fried chicken with garlic rice- less than 10 bucks! read more