Disclaimer: I knew nothing about Filipino food outside of adobo and lumpia before coming here. I'm a total noob. But I know what I like, and I like Halo-Halo Kitchen. There are really several types of foods here: The stews: Some, like pork adobo or menudo are more familiar. I had the chicken pastel, with potatoes and carrots simmered in a savory coconut milk mixture. It was alright. Just be sure to watch out for bones! Getting a little sharp piece out of nowhere was a surprise, but it's all good. Then there's my favorite--beef kare kare. Beef in a peanut butter sauce, with a very strong little side of salted shrimp paste to top it off with. I like both flavors individually, but can't say I agree with them going together! All this with two generous mounds of rice for $7.00 is INSANELY good. Oh, and there was the dinuguan as well, or pork roasted in garlic and blood. Yes, it sounds weird! But it's not that bad. don't be a wuss ;-) There are breakfast plates (read: silog menu), that have various grilled meats with rice and egg. Served all day! :-D There's the deep-fried Filipino junk food like lumpia, which were alright. I'll for sure come back for the sisig fries! Then there's the American menu if you wanna be basic AF Save room for desert. The Halo-Halo is intimidating and probably has a billion grams of sugar, but I'm down. Service is very friendly, but it's got the super local, laid back vibe to it in which employees are talking among themselves, on their phones, or watching TV while they serve you. Some people are irked by it, but I feel like I'm eating at someone's house. Groovy. Other oddities include the really cool bar that appears absolutely STOCKED. My pal tells me it's so that customers can party hard on karaoke nights. This place has just about everything you could ask for!
(4)
Rain F.
I usually don't like Filipino food unless it's breakfast and this place hits the spot with their TapSiLog. That's marinated beef, fried rice (even better when it's garlic fried rice!) and egg. I also like that their "boba" isn't really boba but more of it's Filipino counterpart: sago. I'd definitely be back if I'm ever in the area :)
(5)
Konlee S.
Not a bad flip joint, tiny but nice layout for the dining. Average price. Good tasting food, id come bak for sure. N I definitely gotta come bak for the sigsig a la cart it loooks bomb!. The breakfast menu looks delicious also...
(4)
R Clark G.
Disclaimer: I have not been to the restaurant! Now, one thing that I do is plan. I plan parties; I plan dinners and brunches; I plan outings. Halo-Halo Kitchen does not seem to work well with this practice. Firstly, when attempting to make a reservation for our party, we were told reservations could only be made two days in advance. Really? I mean, yes, that's something, but what good is a two day reservation as opposed to just showing up? If I can't make solid plans, at least a week in advance, then it's not worth my anticipation. Despite the refusal to accept reservations outside of 48 hours in advance, we decided to hold our breath and set a night for dinner and karaoke. Well, while eagerly awaiting Karaoke night, we called to make our reservation and, apparently, the "EVERY Friday Karaoke" isn't actually _every_ Friday. So, the date that we've set aside and arranged with friends for the past two weeks has come to a startling halt. Our much anticipated Karaoke night is no more. While I'd still love to try the food, do not make plans based on Halo-Halo kitchen unless you like the rush of everything possibly falling apart!
(2)
Leanna A.
I really enjoyed Halo-Halo. A friend brought me here for lunch on a Thursday, and there was a decent sized line at 11:30, which is a good sign to me. Another good sign was that the place was packed with a bunch of Filipino/as of all ages! You know that this place must be good when the regulars definitely know what authentic Filipino cuisine tastes like! The ordering process is definitely Panda Express-esque. This was a part that I didn't like about this dining experience, given the fact that I could have ordered one large entree of just pancit and called it a day, not needing another entree and a side. But, doing what everyone else was doing, I got the two-entree plate with white rice, pancit, and chicken pastel. They have American food options as well, in case someone in your party isn't down for the Filipino fare. The pancit was truly delicious. Evenly balanced between noodles, proteins and veggies, it really did hit the spot for my pancit craving. The white rice, well, it was white rice. Not much to say there. The chicken pastel was also quite good as well. The only complaint would be that there were small bone fragments strewn throughout the curry-like stew, which made the meal a bit awkward as I had to spit a few bites out. They also have authentic dessert items like plantain lumpia, boba drinks, etc. I had one of the plantain lumpia items, and it was okay. Not sweet enough for my personal dessert taste, but definitely not bad. The prices are beyond fair for the amount and the quality that you get. Service is virtually nonexistent the second you leave the checkout counter. Oh- and keep in mind that when you are finished you take your dishes and your tray to the trash can area, clean your plate, and leave it there versus having someone buss the table for you. Of course, when the craving for some good pancit arrives again, I would probably make the drive to Halo-Halo.
(3)
T W.
At last... My wife is Filipina. I get Filipino food pretty regularly, and it's good stuff. Until this place the only other decent Filipino food has been all the way in L.A. All the other places in the Phoenix area that I've tried were mediocre or even bad. And there aren't that many places here!! We happened to be on the west side, and I knew about this place so I decided we should try it. We had a variety of dishes, all of them authentic, and all of them good. I did think the Bicol Express had a bit too much shrimp paste (bagoong) in it, at least compared to the one my sister-in-law made once when I was visiting the Philippines. It was still good, but just a bit too strong. It covered the other flavors. If they fixed that and gave slightly larger portions I might even go 5 stars. We had the Bicol express, sinigang, a soup I don't remember the name of, and a curry (which wasn't really Filipino, IMO, but was still good). We don't come this far west often, but next time we do I think we'll return here. It's nice to get some dishes my wife doesn't make often, or even just give her a break (since she's the only one who can cook this stuff at home!). It's definitely a treat for her, and that's what matters. I look forward to trying some of their other offerings. Don't know if I'd come here at night. The plaza looked bleak and I'm not sure how the neighborhood is. But for lunch, no problem.
(4)
Jeff P.
This place is one of the best Filipino restaurants I've been to. Completely authentic. Came here during Super Bowl weekend 2015. Was one of the highlights of my trip. Coming from Boston where there are hardly any Filipino restaurants, I was desperate for some Lechon Kawali, Lumpia Shanghai & Pancit Bihon. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. Lechon perfectly cooked with meaty portions & crispy skin. Was tempted to go back the next day on Super Bowl Sunday but had tix for game & didn't want to get caught in traffic. Looking for an excuse to come back to Phoenix...
(5)
Steven N.
Very clean with a super friendly staff. Food was well prepared and served hot and fast. My favorite dessert ever is the Halo-Halo. They also serve Pork Asado to go. Night time, Karaoke! When in Phoenix, a must place to go for awesome authentic Filipino food.
(5)
Liza E.
This place is AUTHENTIC!!! If you're looking for someplace fancy with servers this is not the place for you. But if you're looking for authentic filipino food, then this is the spot! The pancit was awesome, all the "silog" plates (meat option, garlic fried rice, and eggs) are great! The pork adobo was just ok, but I'm super partial to my own families adobo. This place is kinda like a filipino panda express where they have prepared food that you can point at and choose. They also have a menu you can order from though if you want something not already prepared. BONUS: They also have some snacks and goodies that you can buy to take home!
(4)
Vy B.
This restaurant was everything I had hoped for..and more! I tried filipino food for the first time in August (what, there aren't a lot of filipino options in Minnesota..) and I absofrickenlutely loved everything I had. I was so excited to see an authentic filipino option in the heart of Phoenix. The restaurant has an ala carte menu and a regular menu with a ton of options. I opted for a "three option" meal and got the lechon, coconut chicken, and this fried shrimp pancake thing..I'm sorry, I have no idea what it was called. On top of that, I also got the special Halo-Halo, lumpia shanghai, and the sisig fries. I can honestly say everything I had was amazing and if I could, I would eat there every day. You can tell the food is made with fresh ingredients and not any of that frozen or prepackaged nonsense. The girl at the counter was very sweet and patient in explaining the different food options to us. Here is my review of the food I had: -Lechon: the best part, tender pork, crispy skin, awesome sauce. -Coconut chicken: creamy, mild, coconutty without being dessert like, and full of dark meat. -Shrimp thing: wish it would have been crispier but great flavor -Special halo-halo: a dessert on steroids, it was like a "kitchen sink" type of dessert where there were a bunch of deliciousness thrown into a cup...from what I can remember there was aloe, coconut jelly, taro ice cream, corn flakes, coconut milk, shaved ice, flan, red beans, pinto beans, grass jelly...and probably a lot more I am missing. -lumpia shanghai: crispy, flavorful, light, and great with the sweet chili sauce -sisig fries: amazingness smothered in more amazingness...this was coated shoestring fries double fried to a crisp with sisig, sour cream, onions, and chopped up pork on top. THE BEST. The owner of the restaurant stopped in to decorate and check on things and I have to note that she was actually the highlight of Halo Halo Kitchen. There was a fly in the restaurant and she spent a good 10 minutes chasing it around with a swatter and made sure it didn't go near our table. She complimented me on my phone case and we ended up talking about ebay and online shopping for a while. The restaurant has a bar like set up but there was a Filipino drama playing on the flat screens LOL. I honestly felt like I was at a fun relatives house chowing down on awesome food and catching up on soaps. It was so great.
(5)
Dennis D.
If you're looking for fancy dining, this is not where to go. If you're looking for humble, yet tasty Pilipino dishes from a small restaurant, then go here. Most of the food is cooked already, so all you have to do is point at what you want. It's like going to Pilipino family party except you have to pay to eat. :( I only went here for brunch, so far, and got some tapsilog. Basically, some garlic fried rice, beef, and a fried egg. I definitely had flashbacks to my childhood. The nostalgia is probably why I enjoyed it so much, but if I'm brutally honest, the food is just ok. I will be back though to try the rest of the main dishes.
(4)
Diane S.
Love this place my go to for filipino food in phoenix and right by my place. So far the only filling place in phx i'V I love the kare kare and the palabock not the best since we are spoiled in SF with really amazing filipino food. For phoenix, lola's home cooking missed I'll take it!! Also they have boba yay!!!! lots of parking i also like their halo halo on a hot day and bagnus (milk fish fried with vinegar marinade) SARAP SARAP (yum in taglog) wish it was cheaper and a little less fat added on servings with more lean meat, but it is made traditionally.
(4)
Karen W.
Hearty, slow cooked meals cooked with precision are the key to Halo-Halo Kitchen's success. We came here around lunchtime on a Sunday and it was packed with people all waiting in line for a taste of their delicious food. They offer both a la carte and combination options, and there are a plethora of dishes to choose from. We decided on some 3 item combinations which include 2 scoops of rice. I had the chicken afritada, beef kare kare, and pork dinuguan, while I tried some chicken and pork adobo. The chicken afritada was a slightly sweet, tangy mixture with tomatoes, served with roughly chopped, bone-in dark meat pieces. The beef kare kare was a little murky tasting for me, with some indistinct earthy flavors muddled in with the sauce. The pork dinuguan was good, with tender pork and a rich vinegary taste. I probably liked the adobo out of all the dishes. It was a perfect blend of spices, textures, and flavors. Service was speedy and efficient, as your dishes are already cooked and sitting in containers buffet style. A 3 item combination plate is around $10, and is a lot of food to eat. I took my meal to go and it lasted for 2 meals. If I lived closer to this restaurant, you bet I'd be here quite frequently!
(4)
Janet N.
Convenient location and easy to order from, just point to what you want to grab it to-go or get a meal here. I primarily came here to try their Halo Halo Special to see if it was anything similar to Halo Halo I get from Filipino shops like Goldilocks, Red Ribbon or Jollibee. Unfortunately, they were out and only had the regular with vanilla ice cream. They also didn't have sinigang on the day I visited and only left with a small take out of Dinuguan which is a delicious pork blood stew that has a very similar aroma to that of duck and tastes equally as delicious with that graininess that blood has. Simply delicious with white rice. As with most of the Filipino restaurants back home in Santa Clara area of California, food prices are a bit steep for what they are. It remains true even here, I got a small container of food and a halo-halo for $11. Nonetheless, I'll be back to try more of their food when I miss my lola's (grandma) or mom's cooking. Crossing my fingers to get my hands on some turon and to try their Halo halo Special.
(4)
Gabriel R.
Simple good food at a great price. Can't go wrong with this place. It's a buffet style/to order restaurant. So there's a wide selection of food here. Try the halo halo it's awesome
(5)
Alvin Y.
First time trying filipino food and I was not disappointed. I got three different types of meats into sides and all were very delicious I can't remember the names but one was a sweet vinegary broth with pork another was a barbecue chicken dish and the sides were rice and burnt ends. I also tried the halo halo which is some kind of ice cream mixture and that was the only thing I was not into, there were just too many textures going on at once it was icy and crunchy and cold I'm sure the purple ice cream by itself will be good but I don't know if I'd ever get a it again. I will be back for the food though
(4)
Jihan L.
First I gotta say I always made fun of Filipino food cause it all looks the same and kept calling it Mud. I have a lot of Filipino friends and they live by this food/mud so I decided to have an open mind when I came here to try it out. Let me tell you the tastes looks better than it looks. But of course not everything looks like mud. I found out they have awesome sizzling hot plates of stuff called sisig which has an egg. Also simple plates dishes with the red looking meat called Tocino. It's so flavorful and perfect with the veggies rice and eggs. Everything is perfect for either breakfast lunch or dinner so when you come here you can eat whatever you like. I also enjoy how this place is family owned and run so you get that homey feeling, and they have a bunch of tvs. If you're Filipino they play Filipino shows during the day but I've also seen them showing sports. Now if you're a drinker they also have a bar, now you would think they would have basic liquor they don't they got everything from well vodka to like 25 year old glenlivets. All Johnny walkers all types of premium vodka and the lists goes on. Oh don't forget the beer, thy got the basics as well but they have a lot of other unique beer like red horse which tastes great if you haven't had one try it. Now they have some awesome baked goods which are baked fresh everyday. And you must try HALO HALO which they are known for, it's a Filipino dessert filled with deliciousness.
(5)
Roam J.
Our go to for Filipino food in the valley (there aren't many options). It's turo turo style, like ordering in a cafeteria, and the menu changes day to day, but they always have staples like chicken adobo and lechon kawali. I've tried most items on the menu and many are similar to what I remember getting at carendaria in the Philippines (lived there more than 2 years). If you are not feeling adventurous, try something from the silog menu - it's available all day and = fried egg + rice + meat of choice.
(5)
Lizabeth L.
Food is awesome. I am here in AZ for business and been trying to find a good Filipino Resturant and this is a good place all the food i had was amazing
(5)
Milton K.
Good home style cooking, although their saucy type dishes taste similarly sweet to me. Adobo did not have the kick I was used to from my grampa, but the BBQ pork was very tasty. I would go back only for the bbq pork and or the roast pork. Busy place, many filipinas there, so you know its pretty good! I noticed their desserts were popular as was their halo halo, but I had the boba/taro flavor, and while they forgot my boba, after a reminder, it appeared and was excellent.
(3)
Bacon B.
As it worked out, I was house sitting in the area and was craving something different. Since it was my first time, I was a little confused about how the ordering process worked but I joined the line of fellow patrons and placed my order for the second breakfast of the day: the spamsilog! When was the last time I've had Spam?! Too long. This was perfectly griddled and served with over easy eggs and a great serving of rice. I would definitely go back the next time I'm house sitting for another of their offerings.
(4)
Inday C.
Food here is just A-OK, maybe it's because we were here at 2pm on a Sunday and none of the prepared food was fresh. However, we ordered some lechon kawali and it was excellent, that's because it was freshly made. We also ordered Tapsilog, and that was good. Guess the trick is to order and if the prepared dishes are not freshly made, then try to stay away from them. The dinuguan was excellent though, my husband who is Caucasian said it is one of the best that he has tasted here in the US. Go ahead and try this place but try to order off the menu instead of getting the prepared dishes. I've been here a couple times though and the disappointment is always the lack of the fried bananas. They do run out of it quickly but they do not make a fresh batch...
(3)
Lara D.
My family and I stopped by here after visiting the GCU campus. The food was soooooo delicious! I had the diniguan. i haven't had that since i was a child and it was as good as I remember my Lola making it. My husband (who's not Filipino) had the kare-kare and he loved it. I couldn't convince my son to try something different so he opted for the cornedbeef dish, which he loved with the egg, rice and tomato. I will definitely be making this place a go to stop whenever we visit our son! :)
(5)
Jennifer S.
All I can say is halo halo special! Oh my goodness yum! So good. The noodles are yum. Only down side is the location and the smell, but seriously, get it to go and enjoy! I'll definitely be back!
(4)
Joel L.
I was craving filipino food one day so I thought I'd give this place a try for the first time. My girlfriend and I ordered 3 dishes each with a side of pancit. They were all not very good. Too oily, soggy and no flavor. My girlfriend and I were very disappointed specially after having enjoyed good food at Casa Filipina. I did like the Halo Halo but I wouldn't pay $5 for it again. The people that work there are very nice. I hope they make better food next time though.
(2)
Sara S.
Awesome place and great people that work there. If you run into them while partyin in Scottsdale...they'll even feed you
(5)
Mojica A.
They make some good food at time. But this time lechon paksiw was so disappointing. We had to wait for about 10 mins expecting something good. But instead we are given something that's so sweet, made with lechon kawali instead of lechon. worst food ever... tasted like all they did was put all the sweet they can find in there kitchen... I would recommend there sinigang and that's it. Everything else is not as good compare to other filipino food that I have tasted. The food was so bad that I even considered that McDonald was where better than this place... that says alot!!!
(1)
Jayne G.
I love their sizzling sisig, pork sinigang, kare-kare, lechon kawali, and leche flan! There are two reasons why I don't give them 5 stars. First, I don't like their service AT ALL. There were two employees and they were talking when I'm about to buy their leche flan and they didn't stop at all. They didn't even say thank you. Second, when I call ahead to get an order ready, they say that they're gonna get it ready. But they never do. I always have to wait when I get there.
(3)
Tyler J.
Omg this place was so yummy! Best siopao I've ever had in my life thinking of them makes me sad I don't have any now and the bbq chicken skewers were to die for definitely coming back!
(5)
Marie M.
Halo-Halo is hands down my favorite Filipino restaurant in Arizona!! I have tried many Filipino restaurants and have been disappointed with most. This is not the case when I come here. If you are new to the food or have been raised on it all your life, you will definitely enjoy your experience here!! The selection of food is amazing and everything seems to always be fresh. By chance if what you want is not available at the time, they have no problem making it for you. They also have a large seating area, bakery items and a karaoke night!! Every time I come here I feel welcomed by the friendly staff and people around me. I recommend this place anytime someone ask me for the best Filipino food in Arizona.
(5)
Janine D.
Good filipino food! They have the turo-turo (pick the food) style which offers a variety of dishes; It comes with rice and a choice if you want to have a 2 or 3 item combo. They also have the breakfast silog menu (eggs and fried rice paired with something) which i love. Food is tasty and affordable.
(3)
Melanie S.
Great Food! I normally HATE going to Filipino restaurants. The food is usually tasteless and/or has been sitting out for hours. They always pale in comparison to my family's home cooked food. But THIS PLACE has really GOOD food. The lechon was full of flavor and crispy, yet juicy. I also had the whole fried tilapia, which was delicious. We also tried the kare-kare. I couldn't believe it was flavorful! The Halo-Halo Especial was chock full of goodies. The atmosphere is kinda funny. I think that the restaurant doubles as a karaoke bar in the evenings. They had a full bar. But I don't care, because the food was GOOD! Can't speak to the panict bihon or pancit lug-lug...will have to try that next time.
(4)
Deb S.
First time ever for Filipino food and we were not disappointed. Quick counter service or you can order from the grill. Hubby had the spam & eggs with garlic rice. The spam was crisp-fried, the eggs were perfectly over-easy, and the garlic rice was tender and flavorful. I had the coconut chicken (brothy/creamy) over white rice. It was a little bit sweet and a little bit savory. Some of the chicken pieces were still on the bone, so even though they are bite-sized, be careful. Clean, super clean bathrooms, and friendly service. Good prices too. We'll be back for sure.
(4)
Mimi E.
My husband grew up around Filipino people and he loves their food. I heard so much about how great Filipino food was, I HAD to try it. I had the sizzling Sisig with a side of rice. All I can say is WOW! The food was so delicious. I ate it all and could have gone for seconds. The food was great, I loved it, hubby loved it and our son loved it. The service was great, it is a family owned business and they seemed like a very lovely family.
(5)
Austin A.
The fried pork skins were great. The sauce that went with them, great. The pork adobo, awesome. The halo-halo, great. Overall, great. They even served us just before they closed (our bad).
(4)
Bryan G.
Love this place! We go there after church every Sunday and it's never a disappointment. If you are looking for a chain restaurant or fast food, this is NOT the place for you. Great Filipino food!
(5)
Lenny L.
Just moved back to the Phoenix area from Dallas and looking for Filipino food. Just ate there tonight! Great tasting food and the Halo halo was excellent!
(5)
Maria Christina E.
the food was good. i like the way the cooked my fav diniguan hahaha. they have all day breakfast...
(4)
N H.
So given the name and my eagerness to try Halo-Halo for the first time, we decided to check this place out while on a family trip. First off, the people there are super nice and accommodating. We got the menudo, coconut chicken and halo-halo special. Menudo was delicious! Coconut chicken not so much (cut up chicken bones included). Halo-halo was just ok too. The best part was the ice cream on top (which my toddler wanted extra). Anyway, overall, not the best Filipino food I've had ...
(2)
Amber N.
If I could give zero stars I would. After reading the reviews and calling another Filipino restaurant closer to our home my family was sold on getting a whole lechon from here for my daughters first bday. From the moment we put in the order it was not a pleasant experience. We were told that they could deliver to a park in chandler were the party was being held, then minutes later they changed their mind and told us they wouldn't deliver it. On the day of the party we had set up the lechon and it was just not at all what we had expected. The skin was not crispy at all as it should've been traditionally. It was just soggy I guess is the best way to describe it. Having hyped it up to guests that they would be having a traditional Filipino dish that was crispy and succulent, it was embarrassing! My mom called the restaurant that day to complain and the wife of the owner told my mom that he would call her back, of course they didn't. So my mom called back today and spoke to Brandon, I think was his name. He said that they couldn't guarantee that the lechon would be crispy, which I think is ridiculous! If you as the customer are going to spend $320 for a dish that is traditionally crispy, then that is what you should get. Brandon also stated that he had seen that it was soggy when preparing it and that out of the three lechons they had prepared that day ours was the only non crispy one, so why did we get so lucky to receive that one. Hmm. He did offer to give half off the next lechon purchase, but why would we want that when this experience was none to pleasing, and anyways it was for a party it's not like we would want to eat a whole lechon on some random day.
(1)
Kurt T.
I'm a white guy that has been to the Phils 12 times and my ex-asawa is Ilonga...so I know a thing or two about the culture and food. I loved their food!!!! I tried their pork adobo...yum, namit! I tried their diniguan...yum sarap sarap! Lumpia also yum yum. Price is reasonable too. Im going back, but I may also try FRIDAY NIGHTS because they told me their is KARAOKE here on friday nights...ill go check it out
(5)
Onel V.
There was nothing fancy in this place (like the now defunct "Intramuros" in SFO) but if you're craving for a really good homecooked Filipino meal like it was cooked by your Nanay or Lola, you go to this place. We had the chicken curry, pork adobo & Filipino menudo. Ate it w 2 scoops of rice each. I could've gone for more than 2 scoops if I'd been eating it at my house hehehehe.... The adobo didn't look adobo to me, not the way how I cook & know adobo. I thought at first it was Lechon paksiw(roasted pork simmered in Philippine vinegar) bec the consistency & color is similar to Lechon paksiw. Oh well, I guess the cooking truly differs from which region one Pinoy came from. I would've loved trying their Halo-halo but we didn't have time anymore. Next time, I'll have that with my favorite scoop of Taro ice cream & leche flan on top....yum yum yum!
(4)
Daniel S.
I was excited to try this place because I've never had Filipino food before, but I was fairly disappointed. As someone without experience with this cuisine, I had no idea what any of the food was, to start. What I did get was fairly tame (the chicken adobo and some sort of skewered meat), but all of the meat was greasy and without much flavor. The atmosphere of the restaurant wasn't very pleasant, either.
(2)
Jolly M.
My 1st time here. Came to try the halo halo desert. It reminds me of iced Vietnamese desert. I recently dined at Tokyo Lobby with no Asian clients. However I was pleasantly happy to see all the Asians here at Halo Halo! It's incredible here with the nightlife. Filipinos running DEEP, in a great way!! I feel like I'm on foreign land and I'm loving it!! Karaoke!!!! Fun and friendly atmosphere. You must check it out. :)
(5)
Rand H.
Got together with Norm R. for lunch here today & really liked the place! This is a somewhat stylish mid-sized cafe, nice & clean, with a comfortable seating, delicious food served up in good portions, & low prices! I ordered a Two Item Combination Plate, & went with Chicken Pochero & Beef Mechado for the main dishes, from a wide selection. (You can see the labeled serving trays through the counter glass.) You also get two large balls of white rice, & interesting toppings are available on the table such as fish sauce! (It's SALTY... use only drops of it!) Anything negative? Yes, a whole gaggle of TVs blabbing away all over the place, so it's "Layo napupunta isang Bituin!" as they say in my old haunt, Olongapo, P.I. (Poof goes one Star!) :-| With that gripe out of the way, I loved the food here, & with so many unusual treats to try you just have to come back to a fun place like this for more... and then there's their amazing dessert, which of course is the Halo-Halo! :-)) Two Item Lunch Combo Plate $6.50. * Full bar!
(4)
A A.
decided to give this place a third try, still not impressed. kare-kare, chicken curry and menudo does not taste like "home". way different than the filipino taste I am used too.
(2)
Kimo K.
Would never eat here again food tasted like junk food sat around all day everything was bad I'm from da islands I know how good island food supposed to taste this wasn't it
(1)
Leo A.
After some time in the service and visiting the Philippines a few time, I'm definitely enamored with Filipino food. Finding a good Filipino resto in AZ is very difficult to do, but all my stars and thumbs up go to Halo-Halo Kitchen. I just wish with all my heart that they wouldn't be so far away from me. I live in the West Valley (Tolleson/Avondale) and work in downtown Phoenix. Neither of these locations allow me to visit HHK as much as I'd like. I always get my birthday dinner from here...such a treat every single time!
(5)
Bonnita D.
I recently become aware of Halo Halo. They had my very most favorite dish. The name has always escaped me. It has a pork blood base, served with rice. The first time I had this it was from an in-formal kitchen. I loved it, it was sole food at its best. I have had it serval times sence, each time it was different, but just as good and comforting. There has been times the Filipino server informed me I didn't want that, I would not like it. This is why, not the pork blood base but the organ meat (offal) and the miscellaneous tidbits or trimmings that was part of it. It was not made with the best parts, but the leftover parts. Some times it was a mildly spicy, that is the regional and cooks preference, never hot or more then mildly spicy. As I had it in the past it had all kinds of notes or tastes, do to all the different bets that went into it. Sadly, regrettably, and a statement on the narrow minded, American Eaters, in order to serve to "the American" customer (to stay in business), this wonderful dish has been turned into a good but 2 note meal. They use standard pork, one note, the sauce note 2, rice is the binder the same as FOFO, bread, and other starchy foods. I pity all those that will not even try anything other then Midwest American washed foods. You think that the Asian food you eat is real Asian, it is American Asian. Many Asian restaurants have two menus, one for us, the other for the Asian taste. That menu is call a head. Sooooo much better, but not steak and potato's. I hope that Filipino restaurants will do the same thing, so that people can have the true taste of home and strange people, such as I, can enjoy as well. ITS NOT THE LOOKS, NOT THE NAME, NOT WHAT GOES IN, BUT THE TASTE.
(4)
SainmhÃniú N.
You can find me here on Thursdays! I loooove the food here and I come as much as l can :) The owners treat you like family and they are so sweet. I always order lechon and beef estofado. I cant get enough! It is soooo good! I have had the flan and it is really good too. It is nice and creamy and smooth. The halo halo is really good too! I get the boba with jackfruit and banana sometimes and its always good.
(5)
Eleanor S.
I ordered the pork menudo and ginisang monggo. It was good. My brother ordered chicken aprita and pork bbq it was okay. 1 item combo $5, 2 item combo $7, 3 item combo $10.... why is it higher here and in California is $2 cheaper. Good Decor and atmosphere.
(4)
Dustin L.
My honest opinion is the food is good. However, there customer service is horrible. In fact it SUCKS! My wife and I are both Filipino and we go there every now and then to see if any thing has changed but to our dismay it's still the same. When you enter, nobody says hello. We always have to ask for help even though have been standing in front of them for close to 5 min. Employees will just walk by you as if you are not standing there. The owner is this old woman and she is the worst! Doesn't acknowledge you one bit which is something we are not used to. You would think it's almost as if YOU are lucky to eat there not they are lucky to have your business. But on the bright side I have noticed that their customer service is the best thing in the world when you, you're spouse, or just the company you're with is WHITE. After several experiences like this, we give up and will just stop going there.
(1)
Manny V.
I'm definitely a fan. We were visitors to Phoenix and came here as a big group last Friday afternoon for a late lunch. As someone who lives in the Midwest eating in a Filipino Restaurant is always a treat and coming to Halo-Halo Kitchen was definitely a super treat! It is located in a strip mall but don't be put-off by the location. There's nothing fancy about the place but you can tell the owners take measures to keep the place clean and neat. They have a karaoke bar like most Filipino restaurants do. You can order a la carte but probably the best way is the "pick-and-point (turo turo) way" which is typical of most Pinoy restaurants. That way you get to sample a better variety of foods. You get a choice of 2 entrees plus rice. I had the kare-kare( beef in peanut sauce) and coconut chicken, while my wife had lechon kawali and ginataang langka (coconut jackfruit). The food was just flat-out awesome. No other way to describe it. Then we had halo-halo for dessert. Wow! That was so good, too! Loved it. Our friends all enjoyed their entrees and we continued to talk about the food that weekend. We enjoyed our whole visit to Phoenix that weekend but think this was our gustatory highlight of the trip. We're definitely coming back when we visit Phoenix again.
(4)
Ginger O.
A group of us came to this place an hour before they close which is around 8pm on a Saturday. That was early for a Saturday but they do open until 1am on a Friday night and have karaoke. Anyway, this is our first time to try Filipino food and we had no idea what to order. The owner suggested us this platter that is good for 8-10ppl so we went with it. It is called Bilao it has Roasted Pork, unpeel Shrimp with some kind of sweet sauce (and it is good), deep fried Fish, half cut salty Egg, Mango, Egg Plant, Bitter Melon, Squid/Octopus, Ribs (I think I included everything but I might miss a few). All I can say everything was scrumptious. For dessert, most of us had Halo Halo. You can order regular or special and we got the special. It consists of different kinds of fruits, some beans, coconuts and topped with mil cereal shaved ice. For regular you get vanilla ice cream on top and for special you get Ube ice cream and Leche Flan (taste like custard). I would definitely come back for Halo Halo and try other dishes on the menu.
(4)
Ervin H.
Setting: I went here 3 times this past week. Being the last week of school, we had a couple potlucks. Therefore, nothing says my Filipino culture than bringing some deep fried goodness of egg roll called Lumpia. They were good enough to bring my wife here for dinner. Ambiance: It looks like any other typical Filipino restaurant, but wait...there's a karaoke bar! Wait, did you say magic mic? Why yes I did. They have a full blown karaoke machine they play on Friday nights. I have not experienced it, but one of the workers say it is definitely a fun night. Boy, us Filipinos sure love our karaoke! Open seating with the definite Filipino feel. After growing up in Southern California, this looks and smells like a Filipino restaurant to me. Food/Menu: Lumpia - shanghai style, about 3 inches long, with a good amount of filling. Crispy, yet not too deep fried. Very good egg rolls though. Halo Halo - a Filipino dessert with shaved ice, condensed milk, red bean, canned fruit, ube (sweet purple yam), and ice cream. They do a decent job. However, from my perspective, I don't think I have ever had a bad Halo Halo, as most taste the same to me. Turon - a deep fried plantain banana. Need I say more? Okay, well it has a great caramelize coat around it with the crunch biting into a sweet plantain banana. And BAM! You got dessert. Empanada - Tasty snack that will definitely fill you up...for wanting more! Service: Seems family owned and they take care of their shop. No complaints! Overall: With the limited amount of Filipino restaurants compared to where I grew up in Southern California. This place hits home in all the right areas. Whenever we need to taste our culture, we will be back Halo Halo!
(4)
Aaron H.
I can't really compare this to other filipino food, because I haven't really eaten any. The extent of my knowledge on filipino food is what I've learned from filipino nurses at the hospital, and Balut is not on my bucket list of things to try....But anytime I get grilled spam with eggs and rice, served on styrofoam plates and TV's showing a filipino beauty pagent you know this food is either going to taste freakin delicious or give you diarrhea for a week. Luckily for me it was the former. Great food, and the halo-halo special for dessert shouldn't be passed up. One day I'll work up the courage to try the food by the checkout counter, but....baby steps. Don't worry I'll be back. P.S. They got karaoke is the back.
(4)
Amanda S.
This is as good as it gets when it comes to Filipino Food in Phoenix Phoenix sadly lacks the ability to produce comfort food such as Filipino food. Finding this place was like finding a gem in a pile of coal. The location isn't ideal but the price and the taste are on point. This place randomly has events, karaoke & dancing, so don't be surprised if you stop by to pick up some grub and find yourself watching a transgender performer singing the latest and greatest hits.
(4)
HoyMay P.
Wanted something a little different and decided to try Halo Halo. Staff is nice and will let you sample things if you are not familiar with the taste. We got chicken curry and pork menudo. The curry was a little on the greasy side yet still tasty. The pork menudo was tender and good as well. I would suggest they give a large scoop of rice and a side of veggies instead of 2 scoops of rice. Not being much of a rice eater, I wasted 1 scoop. The flavor was average and rather bland. I tried some spicy vinegar on mine. it wasn't spicy at all but added what I needed. I wish the food had a bit more spice and tang to it. We would return and add more Sriracha or hot sauce to next our meal.
(3)
Maria J.
I can't really compare it to anything. It was my first time trying boba it was tasty. Going to try the halo halo special next time I stop in.
(4)
May N.
Good food, tastes close enough to the real Filipino cooking at home. The staff lacks warmth and charisma, specially the lady at the cash register who seems to be annoyed that her dinner was interrupted by a paying clientele. This attitude will certainly not create good will towards repeat customers. Will not visit the place again even though the fare is fantastic.
(2)
Pepper T.
This Filipino Food was very good and I think most people can find something they like here because we tried three different meats and a tofu dish and all were different all were cooked nicely with good developed flavor. Nothing was spicy or aggressively seasoned and nothing tasted Chinese or Thai that I tried to me but everything we tried had a rich developed flavor. Portions are large prices are very low I think our combo plates were about $6.99 each. This place is VERY CASUAL and is set up sort of like Panda Express. You decide on the kind of plate you want just like at Panda and point to what you want on your plate by looking at the food line or you can order from the pictures on the wall. Next you pay and seat yourself and clean up your tray when you leave. I picked a combo plate so I could try two things. I picked Coconut Chicken and Tofu with vegetables. Both my picks looked familiar like Chinese or Thai dishes to me but neither of them had the seasonings I thought they'd be but the food was still tasty and good. The Chicken was very moist and had great developed flavor from being slow cooked on the bone but they didn't brown the skin so I found the skin unappetizing and had to remove it. That is my only criticism. My husband tried the pork adobo and one of the beef dishes. He said both were very tender and tasty and he'd come here again. This was a fun adventure it was like traveling the world.
(4)
Julie C.
I went there tonight with a friend and we experience this cultures food for the first time and received great help with learning about the different meals very positive experience thank you
(4)
Gerard A.
One of the best places for Filipino food in Phoenix. Cafeteria style, paper plates and plastic silverware. Definitely cures the craving for home cooked Filipino food.
(4)
Marielle M.
Found this place by accident as we were driving around, looking for a place to kill time while waiting to pick up our daughter. As Bay Area Californians who recently relocated to the East Valley, finding a Filipino restaurant can easily be the highlight of our weekend. We got the Sisilog, Longsilog, and Pancit and were in heaven! They were all so scrumptious and reminded us of our parents' home cooking. And the halo halo?? Perfect way to top off the meal and satisfy our craving, especially in the heat. The girls behind the counter were very sweet and very helpful. Only complaint and reason I can't give 5 stars: We were there in the late afternoon and there was a note that said it would be closing for a private event later in the evening. It seemed to be a celebration for the family who owned the restaurant. We still had a good 1-2 hours before that time, but they were already setting up, which is fine. My issue was that as they were setting up, literally around our table, we felt rushed and in the way. I get that they were busy and excited about their event, but If they needed the space, they should have closed that section off. They were decorating and rushing around, all around our table, and no one even acknowledged us or said anything to us. It was only the older man, who I assumed to be the owner who smiled at us and waved to our kids as we were leaving and thanked us for coming in. Thank goodness for that nice, simple gesture to help smooth things over.
(4)
Merlevic T.
Looking to satisfy a craving for, or simply an introduction to Filipino food? Definitely visit Halo-Halo Kitchen! It's simple "turo turo" (point point) cafeteria style dining combined with a cooked to order menu offers a wide variety of dishes from which to select. They also serve breakfast "silog" specials (fried rice, egg to order and a meat option) ALL day! My favorite comes with tocino. H2K definitely makes me nostalgic for my mom's cooking since she is gone. Aromas of adobo (chicken and or pork in a soy sauce based gravy), siopao (steamed bun with savory filling), garlic fried rice, sinigang (a tamarind based soup), mungo (mung beans) and Kare Kate (oxtail, eggplant and bok Choy stew in a savory peanut sauce) bring back childhood memories. Authentic dishes solidify my longterm customer status. I appreciate good table service at most restaurants. But here, I'm more than content to be left alone to savor my meal with friends, uninterrupted. Sometimes, I'll order to go for convenience. Visit Halo Halo Kitchen with an open mind and curious palate for a culinary voyage to the Philippines! Oh, and I like the bobas and halo halo too.
(4)
Pinoye90 B.
I grew up in Cebu this is a great place for Filipino food. I love their adobo and lumpia. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and ok price. I moved from Cali and Filipino food there for the same size and combination is about 2-3 cheaper not sure why its more in AZ???
(4)
Pnoy A.
I would not come back to this restaurant again. The food that is cooked already looks old and don't taste good. The food is over-priced. Halo-halo is more expensive that goldilocks. The leche flan was too little and the scoop of ube ice cream was too small. And the pancit palabok is 9 dollars...wow! that's too expensive. Other restaurants sell it for 5 bucks. More expensive that goldilocks and the food wasn't even good.
(1)
Nicole L.
food was really yummy for my first time trying various Filipino food. the pork adobo was my favorite because the meat was tender and the sauce had a yummy tang to it. the halo halo special was an amazing dessert and the girl behind the counter helping us out was super sweet.
(4)
Lucia W.
I love coming here. They're always upgrading the place, and the food is fantastic. I noticed they even added an American food menu for those who aren't so savvy to Filipino cuisine. My only issue is that there is no pancit palabok on the menu. However, if you want tapislog, sinigang, or boba, this is the place.
(4)
Jerome S.
Great food, clean place, but customer service needs improvement. Lady owner has a very unfriendly and condescending attitude.
(3)
Joe B.
This is the best Filipino Restaurant in Phoenix! The restaurant is nice and always clean. The staff there are friendly. The food is reasonably priced. They offer a lot of variety each day. I believe they offer around 15+ entree options and that's not including their silog menu. My fiance and I usually get a two choice with a boba drink and that usually comes out less than $20. If we're really hungry we get a halo halo supreme to finish our meal.
(5)
Miriam H.
Soooooo, when my food finalllllyyyy arrived, it was GOOD. There were other dishes I saw that I wanted to devour but my heart was set on the Longsilog. It was good, same as Manila Sunrise, just got faster service over there because it wasn't as busy. They also had an American menu for burger, fries, popcorn chicken which worked out since my husband isn't fond of Filipino food. (ruude). lol the price was fair since there aren't a lot of filipino joints in AZ so I don't care if you charge me extra for a extra helping of garlic rice. They take cash and card, and there's plenty of parking. Oh and if your looking for the place on yelp and you push Get Directions when your coming down Dunlap, it won't tell you if it's on the right or left and you might miss it. It's on the left. :-)
(4)
Stephen B.
Ahhhh Halo-Halo Im so glad i found you on yelp and your on my way home to sedona. Ok first off i ordered the lechon kawali- deep fried pork belly,served with mang thomas (whoever that is) all purpose sauce. $8.00 Next i ordered the silog plate served with garlic fried rice and two eggs cooked to order. I ordered the tocino which is pretty damn awesome. $7.00 My wife said might be the best tocino shes eaten. So 5 stars from me and my wife for the tocino.
(5)
Cash I.
The best crispy pata! The owners are very friendly and will always visit the restaurant every time I go to Phoenix AZ
(5)
Tommy N.
If you have never tried Filipino food or in search of a good eat, this is where you need to go. Honestly I was never a fan of Filipino food before I discovered this place but now I am hooked. I recommend any silog combinations or the famous chicken adobo. They also have a bar which is nice when you want to get a beer in for lunch. Try the Red Horse, it's a Philippine based brewery.
Easily my favorite Filipino restaurant ever of all-time hands down. Their prices are reasonable for exceptional food and drinks. Has a well stocked bar, plenty of TVs. This a great place for event dinners as well. The staff is very generous and easy to talk to. Most places have pros and cons, this restaurant the exception for having all pros. If you try this place then I'd expect to see a review similar to this.
(5)
Samantha B.
bought Biko and tried to eat it this morning but when I opened it I saw the Biko is moldy. very disgusting. the other bad thing about this restaurant was I was overcharged on my card. I approached the cashier (woman on her 50's) which seems to be the owner of the restaurant about the extra item on my receipt and she told me that I should be thankful because she's saving money for me. She gave me cash for the difference. I told her to just charged me to what I order. Instead of being apologetic, she hold her head up high like I'm the "queen here" attitude. Not very nice and customer service is very poor.
(1)
Jason B.
I didn't try the food but I was there on a late friday night and watched my friends give their best karaoke renditions to their favorite songs. I'm not brave when it comes to karaoke but I usually sing along. I did like that they had a full bar, $3 domestics and $4 for imports. They had red horse and san miguel. Anywho, there's plenty of space to accommodate large groups and they stay open late friday nights, so, if you're in the mood to sing your heart out and drink red horse or san miguel, this is the place to be. =)
(3)
Aletheia W.
Pretty good. The husband got the Tosilog (breakfast combo), and i got a 2 item combo with chicken adobo and kare-kare. YUM! it was all good. as non-filipinos, we wished that the food items had signage, or that there were better menus/signage for ordering. we will definitely be back to eat up some more silogs! and the halo-halo. dang, it looked so good.
(4)
Princess B.
Such a great little find in Phoenix. Went on a Sunday, early afternoon and there was not so many people. Once we ordered we waited for our food, and it came fairly promptly. It was delicious!!! Filling and portions were pretty great, especially for the price. We also ordered the Halo-Halo Special, it was my first time having it. I loved it! The taro ice cream was so good. There were a lot of Filipino people there and it seemed as if some knew each other. It was a great feeling if community. Also there were a few tv's and there was an entertaining Filipino movie on as well as the basketball game. We will for sure be heading back the next time we visit Phoenix.
(5)
Ana G.
Whenever I crave for Filipino food I always go here ;-) They have the most reasonable price & yummy food in Phoenix.
(5)
Brain B.
Looking for Filipino food? Looking to watch the game? Looking to get some pastries? Or maybe a Filipino beer? They have it all here.. My favorite is getting lechon kawali and monggo soup, together they are an amazing meal.
(5)
Brian A.
The Lechon here is great always have a ton of delicious Boba flavored and rotating dishes .. Some of the best Filipino food I've ever had...the watermelon boba is probably my favorite thing there and you have to try the cassava cake.
(5)
Megan H.
Best lumpia in Phoenix and an all-around authentic restaurant. Well worth the drive.
(4)
Ron B.
Early Sunday Morning My Wife , Child and I went to Phoenix for a nice Sunday Drive. We stopped buy Halo Halo Kitchen for Lunch :) It was our first time visiting the Kitchen! We have been longing for Filipino Food for the last week! My Wife had Then Fried Tilapia fish and BBQ Chicken on a Stick! She loved every bite of her meal. My daughter and I had Lechon Pork and veggies which was bar none Great :) The eating area was full which means they have lot of customers who love to eat at there place. This Place reminds me of TITA's Kitchenette, and Aling Conchings Cafe in National City , SAN DIEGO CA!!! I would recommend anyone passing through to come in to eat and check place out. I Would Keep Coming Back Here!
(5)
Norm R.
Been here a couple of times, and every time it's been a satisfying experience. The tapsilog (one of the "silogs" they serve for breakfast - refer to the pics) is good, as are most of the entrees I've had for lunch or dinner. The storefront says "Filipino American Food", but that doesn't mean it's a fusion restaurant; rather, in addition to Filipino food they also serve some American fast food items such as burgers and corn dogs. Boba tea is available, too, and that goes well with pretty much anything you order there.
(4)
Jackie N.
Their Sizzling Sisig is a MUST. More than likely the best thing on the menu. Ok, I'm Filipino so I know my way around places like this. I'll admit, my people's restaurants aren't always easy to navigate if you know nothing about Filipino food. Lack of signage and descriptions is common. If you're a Fili-food rookie, I highly recommend you order from their all day breakfast menu. Those dishes are basically yummy marinated meats served with eggs and rice. No surprises and they're made to order. I prefer my food freshly cooked as opposed to sitting under a heat lamp anyway. Plus, the breakfast grub is served on actual plates instead of styrofoam. The sisig comes on a sizzler thing. Presentation, it matters to me. The sisig, a pork dish, also comes as a breakfast combo. If you prefer beef try the Tapsilog, also super good. Seafood lovers should get the Bangsilog, marinated and fried milkfish. One of my favorite fish. It's light, white, and flakey. Eating it with eggs is not weird at all. Boba slush drinks are available and are pretty descent. If you want a totally Filipino meal, try the Sago boba, Sarsi soda, or the Royal Tru Orange soda. For after meal sweetness grab some halo-halo, a shave ice dessert.
(4)
Matt K.
This place is awesome and super clean ...I will keep coming back EVERYTHING is sooo good here AND the price won't break your wallet. So go enjoy some good Filipino food!
(4)
Neil O.
Since there aren't that many Filipino restaurants in AZ, lets just say that Halo-Halo kitchen is the place to go. Great tasting food at a good price. The portion size is great as well. Highly recommended!
(4)
Anty Yayah M.
Food was okay....a bit pricey though for their selection. Lechon kawali was fresh. roomie ordered French fries ; he said they were stale. We ordered the shrimp platter and it took over 25 mins to arrive.
(3)
Sharon N.
Love the Halo Halo! Love their food too. I think we come here at least once a week =)
(5)
Thomas I.
Decent food but overpriced. Slow service, karaoke was blaring. Singers we're having fun but the food is not worth listening to the music and disco lights being shined in your face. Also please dont let your customers continously curse on the microphone when there are kids around.
(2)
Nathan O.
Delicious. Was intimidating walking in without knowing what anything was, but the person behind the counter let us try a bunch of different things until we knew what would be good. Then they were so kind, and brought us many new things for free to try. Very helpful, and completely removed any concerns about the first time being in there. Could not have gone better.
(5)
Alex D.
Around September of 2009, my mother and I decided to visit an old apartment I grew up at when I was young. So, for lunch, I decided to take my mother for some Filipino food at the Asian Bistro, now called Halo Halo Kitchen. We noticed there were a lot of flies in there, and the tables were not clean, with the food we ordered was pretty much left overs from the night before for an event. While my mother and I were trying to eat what looked like burnt leftovers, we were constantly watched by the workers and staff, some speaking loud in Tagalog and laughing. One person even went to the extent to refer to us as 'itos,' a term used for the indigenous peoples of the Philippines called 'negritos.' One lady, kept walking up and down near our table and was constantly staring at us. As we left, the staff started laughing at us! When we got back home, I called them to complain, and they were very defiant on apologizing. Anyways, I went ahead and reported them to the health department and the Better Business Bureau. To this date, this restaurant, have never apologized about their rudeness, and uncleanness of their restaurant, as well as their staff. Having lived in California for some time and exposed to the Filipino community, I have never come across such a rude, arrogant, racist group of people. This restaurant is a disgrace to Filipino food. There are much better ones in California. If you want to try Filipino food, try some of the restaurants up in the Mesa/Chandler area. Better yet, I would not recommend trying Filipino food food in Arizona.
(1)
Dennis G.
This is a fast food place, not cooked to order. Food is already pre made. I ordered the mungo and pork sinigang. Mungo was a little dry and a tad overcooked but sinigang was real good, just the right sourness. Portions were small but the price was reasonable. Had to order the halo halo and it was really good.
(3)
JP C.
We live in northern Arizona and whenever we go down to Phoenix, we try to go to Halo Halo Kitchen for lunch to get my Filipino food "fix". Local filipinos frequent this place (a very good sign!) The prepared foods are always good and fresh! Love their pinakbet, mungo beans with spinach and the upo dish! Love their sticky rice -- not dry like rice at other Filipino and Chinese restaurants! Always have their special halo-halo (the Best!) The prices for combination dishes are very reasonable! When sons of the owners are serving, they are always friendly and very accommodating!
(5)
Ryan C.
You know that part of the movie in Ratatouille where the chef starts crying because the food brings him back to his childhood....that's halo-halo kitchen for me. Living in Phoenix, far away from my mom in Oregon, filipino food is hard to come by. I make the 30 min drive from mesa just to eat here when I start going through withdrawals. I've had pretty much everything they've serve here. The restaurant is clean, people are friendly. It's a typical "turo-turo" restaurant, where the food is prepared cafeteria style but it's all good.
(4)
Emmy M.
Only had halo-halo here and it was super yummy. Now I know where to go when I'm craving!
(4)
Brenda B.
This was my first time, ( I know impossible to believe) that I have went to a Philipino restaurant I had stew that was slightly spicy, don't want to know what all was in it , but it was very , very good, it did include beef and potatoes. I also has the pork that was simmered in a brown gravy, very tasty dish. So if you in the mood to try something different , I would recommend this place.
(4)
Scott D.
A solid 3 stars. The Adobo was average, the Pancit was average, the Menudo was average and you guessed it, the Rice was average. They have never had Caldretta the 4-5 times I have been there. Next stop is Chandler in hopes of finding a "go to" Filipino restaurant.
(3)
Bilal A.
I had the Chicken Adobo with rice, eggs, and tomato. It was good. Service was a little below average, but not bad. Good place to grab a bite and bounce.
(3)
Andrew T.
Maybe not the best idea to go at noon on a Sunday, but I really wasn't paying attention. They were fairly busy, and the line barely crawled. But who the heck cares when they've got slammin' pork adobo, crispy pork belly (call ahead to order, they run out quickly) and garlic rice. Top it all off with a fried egg, and I'm drooling again.
(3)
Fairbi K.
Just an FYI, not sure how long ago but I think pretty recently, this place has new owners. It is now called Halo Halo Kitchen aka H2K. My mom was born & raised in the Philippines, so she was pretty excited to come here for lunch this past Thursday afternoon. She quickly got to talking to the guy behind the counter & another customer to see what was good here. She decided on about 7 different items for her, my dad & myself to try. My personal favs were the fried tilapia, chicken adobo (although, my mom's is better!), lumpia, pancit & this fried egg & pork combo that I can't remember the name of. Oh & they also had this dessert which was little round balls on a stick made from what smelled/tasted like doughnut batter. There was a sweet syrup on top with what tasted like coconut on the inside. They were lick your fingers delicious!! We'll definitely be back :)
(4)
K. H.
This is about as anti-chain as you can get. Just what I like! Family ran, authentic. The owner greeted us at the door and explained how the point-point counter worked, even offering some samples of items to help us decide. The blood soup was one of the winners. They just had a great write up in the New Times today that praised them as well. They have whole roasted pigs available for you next family gathering too.
(5)
Jason B.
This was my first authentic Filipino food experience. The establishment is in a strip mall that looks like any other in the area. From the look of the "Asian Bistro" sign I thought it was going to be like a PF Changs or a Flo's type of place. However, upon entering, I could see just how wrong I was. It is a rather large place and very busy on this Wednesday afternoon. There were probably only 2 or 3 other daring white people there, so I knew this place was legit. You walk up to the counter to order kind of like Panda Express in the mall. You pick a 1, 2, or 3 item combo and they put it on your plate with some rice. From experience I knew that the 3 item combo would be too much for me to eat, but I ordered it anyway because I wanted to try as much as I could. I was disappointed that there was no sign describing each of the 12 or so dishes that you could choose from. Well, if there was, it would probably be in a language that I couldn't understand anyway. Lets just say I was lucky to have come with 2 Filipino coworkers of mine who acted like guides for me. I resorted to the "point to whatever looks good" method which worked until I pointed to the bopis (lung) and the dinuguan (blood soup). More on those later though. Anyway, I picked the adobo, menudo, and some other beef item. The beef and the chicken items were good, but I just don't like how they are little pieces that are still on the bone. I find it difficult to eat and messy. However, they were very tasty. My 3rd item was by far the best. I got the menudo which is more like a beef stew. Had I known the name of it I probably wouldn't have gotten it because all I had known previously is Mexican menudo and that doesn't interest me. At any rate it was very good and I would get it again. Now back to the lung and blood soup. My coworkers ordered those dishes and of course they made me try them. I am not going to lie and say that they were terrible because they weren't. It is just the simple fact that I know what it is and it is way out of my comfort zone so it made my stomach a little weazy. The best part of the meal here was dessert. One of my favorite Filipino desserts is called "turon". It is some sort of banana wrapped in a carmelized wrapper. All I know is that it is amazing. My coworkers have brought some to me on several occasions but I just had to have a fresh one right out of the oven. It was amazing. They have plenty of other authentic Filipino desserts, but I couldn't resist the turon. The establishment isn't overly fancy; there are 10-15 large and small tables, a few couches and other misc. chairs. I think the place doubles as a karaoke bar at night from what I heard. Anyway, the food is authentic and the service is friendly, but in the end I think my belly is to "Americanized" to dine here on a regular basis.
(3)
Anne W.
I got the coconut chicken and was picking bone shards out of my teeth the entire time. I didn't care for this restaurant at all.
(1)
Julie E.
The short: This really is as good as it gets when it comes to turo-turo style Filipino food--reasonably priced, tasty, generous, and authentic. The staff was welcoming, friendly, and helpful. The long: Located in a big shopping center on the southwest corner of 35th Ave. and Dunlap, the place is fairly easy to find (in the northern arm of the center), and there's ample parking. When you walk in, you see a typical turo-turo style eatery. Turo-turo means "point point," and they use the term because the food is set up cafeteria style, all in a steam table, and all you do is point at what you'd like to eat. You can go for a one-, two-. or three-item combo served with two generous scoops of white rice. There's also a short order menu that serves some Filipino classics, including a whole "silog" menu--which is food served with eggs, usually for breakfast--and some simple American fare like burgers There were some traditional desserts in the pastry case that served the door and about 16 items in the steam table. My boyfriend and I went for broke because I wanted to see how this food compared to the food I grew up with. We tried the pork and chicken adobo (I'd asked only for pork, but the server didn't like that she couldn't fill a whole 12-oz cup with what was left at the end of the night, she so gave us some chicken adobo in consolation), chicken curry, beef mechado (the sauce is similar to cacciatore--tomato based wit bell peppers), beef kabute (beef and mushrooms, similar to beef stroganoff), laing (stewed taro leaves, what I call the collard greens of the Philippines), and dinuguan (pork in pork blood--not for the squeamish!). The owner also asked if we'd like to try the sinigang, which is a tamarind-based fish soup. To drink we had the sago't gulaman and a mango boba. For dessert (although really, the sago't and boba should be considered dessert for those with a normal, not-homesick stomach capacity), we tried the halo-halo special. To the point--everything tasted great. If you order on a day your body's really craving protein, you risk suffering death by pork at a turo-turo eatery, and Halo-Halo Kitchen does pork so very well--tender and flavorful. The beef dishes were also well cooked. The curry was pretty standard--the sweeter Japanese style, and the chicken legs in it were also wonderfully tender. The only problems were with the chicken adobo where the sauce was wonderful, but the meat was just a bit dry (you'd think that would be a more common problem in a steam table setup, but because most dishes are stews held at lower temps, the meat stays moist). The laing was more sour than I'm used to--not sure if it was their taro leaves (for the most part, out here, you can only find them frozen or dried), too much fermented shrimp paste (adds a salty, pungent, umami flavor in perfect amounts), or maybe too much patis (fish sauce--adds an earthier layer of the same stuff shrimp paste does), or maybe not enough coconut milk and cream. Regardless, it wasn't bad--just not as sweet as I'm used to. What made the best dishes for me, and what makes Filipino food awesome in my mind, is the sauces. Filipino food is served with rice, and the sauce just soaks into that rice and makes that perfect bite last longer. Because of my choices, we basically ended up with two plates of comfort food, and every bite was definitely comforting. Our beverages were brought to our table after they were made a few minutes after we sat down, and the halo-halo special came as we finished our dinner. The sago't was good, although the boba grew as the night went on, so sucking it through the straw was crazy. The jelly in the sago't was tasty, though. My boyfriend's mango boba was amazing--at one point, I jokingly suggested they'd just taken some frozen mango and pureed it, but once I said it, I was halfway convinced that they'd actually done that. The halo-halo special was also awesome. Even though it's considered a summer dessert because it's based on shaved ice, I could eat it year around. It was as good as it gets, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (it might have been jack fruit ice cream), a generous smear of ube, and a chunk of flat at the top, the sweetened condensed milk soaking into the ice, and the usual halo-halo blend at the bottom (red mung beans, jellies, palm fruit, strips of jack fruit and macapuno, etc.). Halo-halo means "mix-mix," and they set the tall plastic cup up with a dome lid and a long-handled plastic spoon so you could churn everything together into homogenized harmony. The lady at the counter told us the turo-turo menu changes every day, so I'm looking forward to going back and trying their other food, along with all the other food we didn't have room to try. I love a good silog, and I'm sure I could find it here!
(5)
Jason B.
I love this place!! I love filipino food!! I usually get the chicken adobo, pancit and lumpia...so good!! I haven't gone back in awhile because of the drive, but I hope to go back soon for some carryout. Highly recommend to try it!!! Jason. B
(5)
Mike H.
I can hardly write my review because I keep getting sticky hands from this adobo. The only experience I have with Filipino food was adobo from a fair I went to. I used to have Filipino coworkers who would always TALK about the food, but when potluck time came around, nothing. Anyway, the place is small and not much space to move around. The food is in trays and you pick what you want. I got the 2 picks and knew I wanted adobo, but asked the guy what else is good. He gave me pancit which looked like lo mein or something. Then he asked me if I wanted cantaloupe juice. It took me by surprise when he pointed to this huge vat of orange, icy, slushiness...I stuttered and said "YEAH!!!" I was about to check out when I saw somebody (I guess one of the owners or family or somethin') putting something in a bowl. I asked what it was and the heck if I can spell what they said, but it turns out it was some kind of tripe in a white gravy with rice. Then another guy came and got something that looked awesome as well, which was pork snout. They gave me a sample of the snout and yeah, the relationship was instant. Pig nose and me are now friends. So I have here in front of me is pancit, chicken adobo, pork snout and cantaloupe juice. I haven't had such a great meal in a while. All this stuff tastes just as good as I imagined it would when my coworkers would torture me with mouth-watering descriptions of the stuff. The cantaloupe juicy is unbelievable...I mean the juice of something as delectable as cantaloupe has no choice but to be heavenly, and it is. I cannot see myself going without it for more than a week. The adobo is tender and juicy. The pancit is not dry like I thought it would be, and has a great taste. The pork snout is just amazing...its got a tang to it that I can't really describe, but also can't get enough of. I can't remember what it all cost me, I didn't care after I sampled the snout. But I got a lot of change back from a $20, so...unless it was all 1's then its not expensive. The people inside were all Filipino and friendly enough to a newcomer. I've always wanted to connect with my other nationality, and good food is always a great way to do so. I know I'll be back whenever I can. And from what I can understand the other side of the place is some kind of entertainment area, and I think one of the other reviewers said its a karaoke thing. Cool. Don't be afraid of Filipino food, folks. Its hard to compare it to other cuisines, especially because I'm not well traveled in the culinary world. But I would immediately recommend it, even to the guy who only trusts hot dogs and fried chicken.
(4)
Jessica C.
I really, really liked this place! I tried it for the first time today since my neighboring Filipino restaurant I wanted to try SUCKED! (They didn't have anything and had horrible customer service) I'm glad that happened since it led me to this place. I'm half Filipino and can tell good Filipino food. I tried the pancit, chicken adobo, lumpia, fried pork skin, and halo-halo. All were like my grandmothers cooking and I was pretty impressed! I felt very comfortable in the atmosphere. The young girl at the counter was very helpful with my initial order and so was the younger guy helping me later. I liked that it felt like a family owned and ran kinda place. I will be returning here to try their talapia, panakbit, sinigang, and tocino, this is well worth my 30 min drive to get there.
(5)
Audrey E.
Mmmmm! I love me some filipino food, and when I'm missing some good old homemade Filipino food this is the place I turn to... Maybe because it's one of the only in the valley but it's food is pretty good and warms the heart.
(4)
Edgar T.
For starters...I was never a big boba fan or halo halo fan. This place is amazing!! I had a Thai Tea Boba, Let me tell you the bomb digg-addy!!!! LOL . Besides there normal Filipino dishes it is a must have. Then I stuffed my face with Dinuguan, a Filipino savory stew mixed with your typically stomach, intestines, ears, heart and snout of a pig, simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, vinegar, and chili. SARAP!!!! ( delish is Tagalog) along with a side of rice and your good to go!!!!! Next order to come out was a Lechon (roasted pig) along with the sauce. Just like my mothers cooking. I was at home.. Dinuguan is not for everyone, as kids we knew it at chocolate meat, because the sauce is curdled blood which turns dark brown to black when cooked. The sound of it really "Erks" your stomach, but the taste is out of this world!!! They have many different dishes all you have to do is "point point" If you love ethnic cultural world dishes you will appreciate this place.
(5)
Maria R.
Last week I met my family at H2K for dinner. I enjoyed the dinuguan and sisig with rice and for dessert I shared a Halo Halo with my mom. I am alway happy after leaving this place:) I look forward to the next visit!
(4)
Pocholo V.
Love to eat filipino food? Well this is the best place in arizona to go to. Friendly staff, Tfc channel on, they even have a little mini filipino kiosk selling filipino anything. Love this place
(5)
jimmy s.
Always The BEST!!! As close as you can get to sitting on Fields ave in pee eye. Great wait staff, friendly people. Great food!! Not too pricy and you will get enough to make you smile later. Friday nights can jump after 7 PM and you can sing and drink pseudo red horse beer and dance if you dare!
(5)
Sarah S.
The food was good, The prices was a little steep. 10 little pieces of shanghi lumpia for 8.00 are you kidding me?
(3)
Honest R.
I go there for the longanisa breakfast from time to time and their BOBA. The place is good but very pricey. Service is OK not the best and alderly people like to cut the lines to get their orders in and staff does not say anything. My wife is filipina and says that the food is good. I had some food catered through them and they were very expensive. A 1/2 tray of veggies were $49.00. Way over priced.
(3)
Julienne F.
This review is based on carryout, so I can't comment (yet) on the service. After a trip to the oriental market next door, my son and I stopped in here for some carryout. I've not been to a filipino restaurant since living in Phoenix, so I was VERY excited. I love filipino food. It's all I ate for the majority of my young life, so there's also some nostalgia with it. I did the two item meal thing, which was around $6. I picked caldereta and pancit. I thought it'd be best to stick with the basics, just in case it sucked. The caldereta was almost as good as my mom's, and way better than mine :o) The pancit was just okay. The veggies were a bit overcooked and it lacked acid (and I didn't have any lemon in my house). My son loved the pancit, so it worked out. The portion was really generous--enough for me, my son, and hubby ate some too. I will definitely go back to try some other food and bring my husband. It's a bit of a drive, but worth it.
(4)
Art M.
This is as good as it gets when it comes to Filipino restaurant dining in Phoenix. Very friendly staff and owner. Food is always fresh and inviting. I had been in this place several times and they don't disappoint. I have never tasted "recycled" food as one reviewer (from California) points out. Well next time I suggest that you bring your own food from California and stop dissing our own places here! I also don't believe for a moment that these people insulted you by calling you names ("ito" for Negrito). It behooves me to think that they would stoop these low and insult people the way you pointed out. As for the flies? I can go to any of the fancier places around town and will find flies at any given time. You were just nitpicking to say something bad about this place. As for reporting them to the BBB and Health Department? WHAT A LOOSER YOU ARE! Shame on you fella! My suggestion: Stay in California! Peace......:)
(5)
Tina V.
This review is for their halo halo special. It is absolutely delicious...the ube ice cream on top is wonderful! I like how they give you a big scoop of ube and a good size piece of flan. The young lady at the front gave good customer service and was friendly. I have to try their food next time.
(5)
Briana C.
This is an unassuming small business that is a little out of the way and hidden in a shopping center but definitely worth visiting. I found it on yelp and tried it out on a whim when I saw the positive feedback. My family in the Philippines owns various restaurants in Manila so when I traveled there we ate - a lot. This it the first restaurant I have found in the Valley where you can get lumpia, pancit, chicken adobo (and various dishes that are more authentic than I tend to eat) and a yummy version of halo halo with ube ice cream. The people here are very nice, the restaurant was extremely accommodating and clean. They even stayed open 2 hours later for us when we hosted a karaoke event here. We loved the boba drinks and for those who were too timid to try the Filipino dishes, they have an American menu (burgers/fries/corndogs). They have karaoke on Fridays with a great song selection - in English! Come here for casual and inexpensive eats that are authentic and tasty.
(5)
joshua g.
When you taste the food it takes you to HEAVEN! Service is so SLOW it takes you to HELL! cant complain about the food. The best Filipino food this side of town. But as i said all the cooking and serving happens at a snail's pace. If you arrive really hungry, prepare to have ULCERS before they bring in your first order. Their sizzling beef bulalo is 3 out of 5......only because the steak plate it came in was off the shelf-cold and there was no sizzle at all when they served the dish. the meal was good though so i guess that pretty much offsets the lack of SIZZLE in their so-declared SIZZLING bulalo. Their sizzling fish belly (bangus fish) is EXCELLENT.supposed to be a five but again there was no physical sizzle to what they call Sizzling Bangus Fish. Their sizzling BISTEK (beef slices) with onions were GOOD. Except for the lack of sizzle.....but again the taste covers up for the missing SIZZLE. Their tapsilog (beef and egg combination) and bangsilog (fish and egg combination) is supreme and their banana fritters which they call TURON takes you to unparalleled heights of gastronomic nirvana! They have karaoke which we enjoyed except for the fact that their song selection is so VERY LIMITED.not enough songs. Asian Bistro MUST improve their song selection because their song selection is similar to what a lot of Asians have for HOME USE. There were also some problems with the karaoke system.Sometimes the songs had too slow a tempo....sometimes the tempo was too fast......this so seriously needs to be addressed. Their karaoke is on every wednesday and Friday nights. I wish they would turn it into an every night thing but only AFTER they work on improving and widening their song selection and gets a karaoke jock that actually is musically adept enough to know if the tempo is just about right or if it is way too fast or way too slow. Doesnt take a musical Mozart to be aware of this. It just takes two unclogged healthy ears. Prices are reasonable.the people were friendly....aint surprished cuz i have read that people from the Philippines are a smiling lot and merrily go about their ways........ Even if their karaoke sound system sucks and even if they dont have the actual sizzle to their 'sizzling" food line-up, this doesnt take away the fact that this is still the best tasting Philippine food this side of the valley.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : DJ, Karaoke Good For Dancing : Yes Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : No Best Nights : Fri, Sat, Sun Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Taric W.
Disclaimer: I knew nothing about Filipino food outside of adobo and lumpia before coming here. I'm a total noob. But I know what I like, and I like Halo-Halo Kitchen. There are really several types of foods here: The stews: Some, like pork adobo or menudo are more familiar. I had the chicken pastel, with potatoes and carrots simmered in a savory coconut milk mixture. It was alright. Just be sure to watch out for bones! Getting a little sharp piece out of nowhere was a surprise, but it's all good. Then there's my favorite--beef kare kare. Beef in a peanut butter sauce, with a very strong little side of salted shrimp paste to top it off with. I like both flavors individually, but can't say I agree with them going together! All this with two generous mounds of rice for $7.00 is INSANELY good. Oh, and there was the dinuguan as well, or pork roasted in garlic and blood. Yes, it sounds weird! But it's not that bad. don't be a wuss ;-) There are breakfast plates (read: silog menu), that have various grilled meats with rice and egg. Served all day! :-D There's the deep-fried Filipino junk food like lumpia, which were alright. I'll for sure come back for the sisig fries! Then there's the American menu if you wanna be basic AF Save room for desert. The Halo-Halo is intimidating and probably has a billion grams of sugar, but I'm down. Service is very friendly, but it's got the super local, laid back vibe to it in which employees are talking among themselves, on their phones, or watching TV while they serve you. Some people are irked by it, but I feel like I'm eating at someone's house. Groovy. Other oddities include the really cool bar that appears absolutely STOCKED. My pal tells me it's so that customers can party hard on karaoke nights. This place has just about everything you could ask for!
(4)Rain F.
I usually don't like Filipino food unless it's breakfast and this place hits the spot with their TapSiLog. That's marinated beef, fried rice (even better when it's garlic fried rice!) and egg. I also like that their "boba" isn't really boba but more of it's Filipino counterpart: sago. I'd definitely be back if I'm ever in the area :)
(5)Konlee S.
Not a bad flip joint, tiny but nice layout for the dining. Average price. Good tasting food, id come bak for sure. N I definitely gotta come bak for the sigsig a la cart it loooks bomb!. The breakfast menu looks delicious also...
(4)R Clark G.
Disclaimer: I have not been to the restaurant! Now, one thing that I do is plan. I plan parties; I plan dinners and brunches; I plan outings. Halo-Halo Kitchen does not seem to work well with this practice. Firstly, when attempting to make a reservation for our party, we were told reservations could only be made two days in advance. Really? I mean, yes, that's something, but what good is a two day reservation as opposed to just showing up? If I can't make solid plans, at least a week in advance, then it's not worth my anticipation. Despite the refusal to accept reservations outside of 48 hours in advance, we decided to hold our breath and set a night for dinner and karaoke. Well, while eagerly awaiting Karaoke night, we called to make our reservation and, apparently, the "EVERY Friday Karaoke" isn't actually _every_ Friday. So, the date that we've set aside and arranged with friends for the past two weeks has come to a startling halt. Our much anticipated Karaoke night is no more. While I'd still love to try the food, do not make plans based on Halo-Halo kitchen unless you like the rush of everything possibly falling apart!
(2)Leanna A.
I really enjoyed Halo-Halo. A friend brought me here for lunch on a Thursday, and there was a decent sized line at 11:30, which is a good sign to me. Another good sign was that the place was packed with a bunch of Filipino/as of all ages! You know that this place must be good when the regulars definitely know what authentic Filipino cuisine tastes like! The ordering process is definitely Panda Express-esque. This was a part that I didn't like about this dining experience, given the fact that I could have ordered one large entree of just pancit and called it a day, not needing another entree and a side. But, doing what everyone else was doing, I got the two-entree plate with white rice, pancit, and chicken pastel. They have American food options as well, in case someone in your party isn't down for the Filipino fare. The pancit was truly delicious. Evenly balanced between noodles, proteins and veggies, it really did hit the spot for my pancit craving. The white rice, well, it was white rice. Not much to say there. The chicken pastel was also quite good as well. The only complaint would be that there were small bone fragments strewn throughout the curry-like stew, which made the meal a bit awkward as I had to spit a few bites out. They also have authentic dessert items like plantain lumpia, boba drinks, etc. I had one of the plantain lumpia items, and it was okay. Not sweet enough for my personal dessert taste, but definitely not bad. The prices are beyond fair for the amount and the quality that you get. Service is virtually nonexistent the second you leave the checkout counter. Oh- and keep in mind that when you are finished you take your dishes and your tray to the trash can area, clean your plate, and leave it there versus having someone buss the table for you. Of course, when the craving for some good pancit arrives again, I would probably make the drive to Halo-Halo.
(3)T W.
At last... My wife is Filipina. I get Filipino food pretty regularly, and it's good stuff. Until this place the only other decent Filipino food has been all the way in L.A. All the other places in the Phoenix area that I've tried were mediocre or even bad. And there aren't that many places here!! We happened to be on the west side, and I knew about this place so I decided we should try it. We had a variety of dishes, all of them authentic, and all of them good. I did think the Bicol Express had a bit too much shrimp paste (bagoong) in it, at least compared to the one my sister-in-law made once when I was visiting the Philippines. It was still good, but just a bit too strong. It covered the other flavors. If they fixed that and gave slightly larger portions I might even go 5 stars. We had the Bicol express, sinigang, a soup I don't remember the name of, and a curry (which wasn't really Filipino, IMO, but was still good). We don't come this far west often, but next time we do I think we'll return here. It's nice to get some dishes my wife doesn't make often, or even just give her a break (since she's the only one who can cook this stuff at home!). It's definitely a treat for her, and that's what matters. I look forward to trying some of their other offerings. Don't know if I'd come here at night. The plaza looked bleak and I'm not sure how the neighborhood is. But for lunch, no problem.
(4)Jeff P.
This place is one of the best Filipino restaurants I've been to. Completely authentic. Came here during Super Bowl weekend 2015. Was one of the highlights of my trip. Coming from Boston where there are hardly any Filipino restaurants, I was desperate for some Lechon Kawali, Lumpia Shanghai & Pancit Bihon. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. Lechon perfectly cooked with meaty portions & crispy skin. Was tempted to go back the next day on Super Bowl Sunday but had tix for game & didn't want to get caught in traffic. Looking for an excuse to come back to Phoenix...
(5)Steven N.
Very clean with a super friendly staff. Food was well prepared and served hot and fast. My favorite dessert ever is the Halo-Halo. They also serve Pork Asado to go. Night time, Karaoke! When in Phoenix, a must place to go for awesome authentic Filipino food.
(5)Liza E.
This place is AUTHENTIC!!! If you're looking for someplace fancy with servers this is not the place for you. But if you're looking for authentic filipino food, then this is the spot! The pancit was awesome, all the "silog" plates (meat option, garlic fried rice, and eggs) are great! The pork adobo was just ok, but I'm super partial to my own families adobo. This place is kinda like a filipino panda express where they have prepared food that you can point at and choose. They also have a menu you can order from though if you want something not already prepared. BONUS: They also have some snacks and goodies that you can buy to take home!
(4)Vy B.
This restaurant was everything I had hoped for..and more! I tried filipino food for the first time in August (what, there aren't a lot of filipino options in Minnesota..) and I absofrickenlutely loved everything I had. I was so excited to see an authentic filipino option in the heart of Phoenix. The restaurant has an ala carte menu and a regular menu with a ton of options. I opted for a "three option" meal and got the lechon, coconut chicken, and this fried shrimp pancake thing..I'm sorry, I have no idea what it was called. On top of that, I also got the special Halo-Halo, lumpia shanghai, and the sisig fries. I can honestly say everything I had was amazing and if I could, I would eat there every day. You can tell the food is made with fresh ingredients and not any of that frozen or prepackaged nonsense. The girl at the counter was very sweet and patient in explaining the different food options to us. Here is my review of the food I had: -Lechon: the best part, tender pork, crispy skin, awesome sauce. -Coconut chicken: creamy, mild, coconutty without being dessert like, and full of dark meat. -Shrimp thing: wish it would have been crispier but great flavor -Special halo-halo: a dessert on steroids, it was like a "kitchen sink" type of dessert where there were a bunch of deliciousness thrown into a cup...from what I can remember there was aloe, coconut jelly, taro ice cream, corn flakes, coconut milk, shaved ice, flan, red beans, pinto beans, grass jelly...and probably a lot more I am missing. -lumpia shanghai: crispy, flavorful, light, and great with the sweet chili sauce -sisig fries: amazingness smothered in more amazingness...this was coated shoestring fries double fried to a crisp with sisig, sour cream, onions, and chopped up pork on top. THE BEST. The owner of the restaurant stopped in to decorate and check on things and I have to note that she was actually the highlight of Halo Halo Kitchen. There was a fly in the restaurant and she spent a good 10 minutes chasing it around with a swatter and made sure it didn't go near our table. She complimented me on my phone case and we ended up talking about ebay and online shopping for a while. The restaurant has a bar like set up but there was a Filipino drama playing on the flat screens LOL. I honestly felt like I was at a fun relatives house chowing down on awesome food and catching up on soaps. It was so great.
(5)Dennis D.
If you're looking for fancy dining, this is not where to go. If you're looking for humble, yet tasty Pilipino dishes from a small restaurant, then go here. Most of the food is cooked already, so all you have to do is point at what you want. It's like going to Pilipino family party except you have to pay to eat. :( I only went here for brunch, so far, and got some tapsilog. Basically, some garlic fried rice, beef, and a fried egg. I definitely had flashbacks to my childhood. The nostalgia is probably why I enjoyed it so much, but if I'm brutally honest, the food is just ok. I will be back though to try the rest of the main dishes.
(4)Diane S.
Love this place my go to for filipino food in phoenix and right by my place. So far the only filling place in phx i'V I love the kare kare and the palabock not the best since we are spoiled in SF with really amazing filipino food. For phoenix, lola's home cooking missed I'll take it!! Also they have boba yay!!!! lots of parking i also like their halo halo on a hot day and bagnus (milk fish fried with vinegar marinade) SARAP SARAP (yum in taglog) wish it was cheaper and a little less fat added on servings with more lean meat, but it is made traditionally.
(4)Karen W.
Hearty, slow cooked meals cooked with precision are the key to Halo-Halo Kitchen's success. We came here around lunchtime on a Sunday and it was packed with people all waiting in line for a taste of their delicious food. They offer both a la carte and combination options, and there are a plethora of dishes to choose from. We decided on some 3 item combinations which include 2 scoops of rice. I had the chicken afritada, beef kare kare, and pork dinuguan, while I tried some chicken and pork adobo. The chicken afritada was a slightly sweet, tangy mixture with tomatoes, served with roughly chopped, bone-in dark meat pieces. The beef kare kare was a little murky tasting for me, with some indistinct earthy flavors muddled in with the sauce. The pork dinuguan was good, with tender pork and a rich vinegary taste. I probably liked the adobo out of all the dishes. It was a perfect blend of spices, textures, and flavors. Service was speedy and efficient, as your dishes are already cooked and sitting in containers buffet style. A 3 item combination plate is around $10, and is a lot of food to eat. I took my meal to go and it lasted for 2 meals. If I lived closer to this restaurant, you bet I'd be here quite frequently!
(4)Janet N.
Convenient location and easy to order from, just point to what you want to grab it to-go or get a meal here. I primarily came here to try their Halo Halo Special to see if it was anything similar to Halo Halo I get from Filipino shops like Goldilocks, Red Ribbon or Jollibee. Unfortunately, they were out and only had the regular with vanilla ice cream. They also didn't have sinigang on the day I visited and only left with a small take out of Dinuguan which is a delicious pork blood stew that has a very similar aroma to that of duck and tastes equally as delicious with that graininess that blood has. Simply delicious with white rice. As with most of the Filipino restaurants back home in Santa Clara area of California, food prices are a bit steep for what they are. It remains true even here, I got a small container of food and a halo-halo for $11. Nonetheless, I'll be back to try more of their food when I miss my lola's (grandma) or mom's cooking. Crossing my fingers to get my hands on some turon and to try their Halo halo Special.
(4)Gabriel R.
Simple good food at a great price. Can't go wrong with this place. It's a buffet style/to order restaurant. So there's a wide selection of food here. Try the halo halo it's awesome
(5)Alvin Y.
First time trying filipino food and I was not disappointed. I got three different types of meats into sides and all were very delicious I can't remember the names but one was a sweet vinegary broth with pork another was a barbecue chicken dish and the sides were rice and burnt ends. I also tried the halo halo which is some kind of ice cream mixture and that was the only thing I was not into, there were just too many textures going on at once it was icy and crunchy and cold I'm sure the purple ice cream by itself will be good but I don't know if I'd ever get a it again. I will be back for the food though
(4)Jihan L.
First I gotta say I always made fun of Filipino food cause it all looks the same and kept calling it Mud. I have a lot of Filipino friends and they live by this food/mud so I decided to have an open mind when I came here to try it out. Let me tell you the tastes looks better than it looks. But of course not everything looks like mud. I found out they have awesome sizzling hot plates of stuff called sisig which has an egg. Also simple plates dishes with the red looking meat called Tocino. It's so flavorful and perfect with the veggies rice and eggs. Everything is perfect for either breakfast lunch or dinner so when you come here you can eat whatever you like. I also enjoy how this place is family owned and run so you get that homey feeling, and they have a bunch of tvs. If you're Filipino they play Filipino shows during the day but I've also seen them showing sports. Now if you're a drinker they also have a bar, now you would think they would have basic liquor they don't they got everything from well vodka to like 25 year old glenlivets. All Johnny walkers all types of premium vodka and the lists goes on. Oh don't forget the beer, thy got the basics as well but they have a lot of other unique beer like red horse which tastes great if you haven't had one try it. Now they have some awesome baked goods which are baked fresh everyday. And you must try HALO HALO which they are known for, it's a Filipino dessert filled with deliciousness.
(5)Roam J.
Our go to for Filipino food in the valley (there aren't many options). It's turo turo style, like ordering in a cafeteria, and the menu changes day to day, but they always have staples like chicken adobo and lechon kawali. I've tried most items on the menu and many are similar to what I remember getting at carendaria in the Philippines (lived there more than 2 years). If you are not feeling adventurous, try something from the silog menu - it's available all day and = fried egg + rice + meat of choice.
(5)Lizabeth L.
Food is awesome. I am here in AZ for business and been trying to find a good Filipino Resturant and this is a good place all the food i had was amazing
(5)Milton K.
Good home style cooking, although their saucy type dishes taste similarly sweet to me. Adobo did not have the kick I was used to from my grampa, but the BBQ pork was very tasty. I would go back only for the bbq pork and or the roast pork. Busy place, many filipinas there, so you know its pretty good! I noticed their desserts were popular as was their halo halo, but I had the boba/taro flavor, and while they forgot my boba, after a reminder, it appeared and was excellent.
(3)Bacon B.
As it worked out, I was house sitting in the area and was craving something different. Since it was my first time, I was a little confused about how the ordering process worked but I joined the line of fellow patrons and placed my order for the second breakfast of the day: the spamsilog! When was the last time I've had Spam?! Too long. This was perfectly griddled and served with over easy eggs and a great serving of rice. I would definitely go back the next time I'm house sitting for another of their offerings.
(4)Inday C.
Food here is just A-OK, maybe it's because we were here at 2pm on a Sunday and none of the prepared food was fresh. However, we ordered some lechon kawali and it was excellent, that's because it was freshly made. We also ordered Tapsilog, and that was good. Guess the trick is to order and if the prepared dishes are not freshly made, then try to stay away from them. The dinuguan was excellent though, my husband who is Caucasian said it is one of the best that he has tasted here in the US. Go ahead and try this place but try to order off the menu instead of getting the prepared dishes. I've been here a couple times though and the disappointment is always the lack of the fried bananas. They do run out of it quickly but they do not make a fresh batch...
(3)Lara D.
My family and I stopped by here after visiting the GCU campus. The food was soooooo delicious! I had the diniguan. i haven't had that since i was a child and it was as good as I remember my Lola making it. My husband (who's not Filipino) had the kare-kare and he loved it. I couldn't convince my son to try something different so he opted for the cornedbeef dish, which he loved with the egg, rice and tomato. I will definitely be making this place a go to stop whenever we visit our son! :)
(5)Jennifer S.
All I can say is halo halo special! Oh my goodness yum! So good. The noodles are yum. Only down side is the location and the smell, but seriously, get it to go and enjoy! I'll definitely be back!
(4)Joel L.
I was craving filipino food one day so I thought I'd give this place a try for the first time. My girlfriend and I ordered 3 dishes each with a side of pancit. They were all not very good. Too oily, soggy and no flavor. My girlfriend and I were very disappointed specially after having enjoyed good food at Casa Filipina. I did like the Halo Halo but I wouldn't pay $5 for it again. The people that work there are very nice. I hope they make better food next time though.
(2)Sara S.
Awesome place and great people that work there. If you run into them while partyin in Scottsdale...they'll even feed you
(5)Mojica A.
They make some good food at time. But this time lechon paksiw was so disappointing. We had to wait for about 10 mins expecting something good. But instead we are given something that's so sweet, made with lechon kawali instead of lechon. worst food ever... tasted like all they did was put all the sweet they can find in there kitchen... I would recommend there sinigang and that's it. Everything else is not as good compare to other filipino food that I have tasted. The food was so bad that I even considered that McDonald was where better than this place... that says alot!!!
(1)Jayne G.
I love their sizzling sisig, pork sinigang, kare-kare, lechon kawali, and leche flan! There are two reasons why I don't give them 5 stars. First, I don't like their service AT ALL. There were two employees and they were talking when I'm about to buy their leche flan and they didn't stop at all. They didn't even say thank you. Second, when I call ahead to get an order ready, they say that they're gonna get it ready. But they never do. I always have to wait when I get there.
(3)Tyler J.
Omg this place was so yummy! Best siopao I've ever had in my life thinking of them makes me sad I don't have any now and the bbq chicken skewers were to die for definitely coming back!
(5)Marie M.
Halo-Halo is hands down my favorite Filipino restaurant in Arizona!! I have tried many Filipino restaurants and have been disappointed with most. This is not the case when I come here. If you are new to the food or have been raised on it all your life, you will definitely enjoy your experience here!! The selection of food is amazing and everything seems to always be fresh. By chance if what you want is not available at the time, they have no problem making it for you. They also have a large seating area, bakery items and a karaoke night!! Every time I come here I feel welcomed by the friendly staff and people around me. I recommend this place anytime someone ask me for the best Filipino food in Arizona.
(5)Janine D.
Good filipino food! They have the turo-turo (pick the food) style which offers a variety of dishes; It comes with rice and a choice if you want to have a 2 or 3 item combo. They also have the breakfast silog menu (eggs and fried rice paired with something) which i love. Food is tasty and affordable.
(3)Melanie S.
Great Food! I normally HATE going to Filipino restaurants. The food is usually tasteless and/or has been sitting out for hours. They always pale in comparison to my family's home cooked food. But THIS PLACE has really GOOD food. The lechon was full of flavor and crispy, yet juicy. I also had the whole fried tilapia, which was delicious. We also tried the kare-kare. I couldn't believe it was flavorful! The Halo-Halo Especial was chock full of goodies. The atmosphere is kinda funny. I think that the restaurant doubles as a karaoke bar in the evenings. They had a full bar. But I don't care, because the food was GOOD! Can't speak to the panict bihon or pancit lug-lug...will have to try that next time.
(4)Deb S.
First time ever for Filipino food and we were not disappointed. Quick counter service or you can order from the grill. Hubby had the spam & eggs with garlic rice. The spam was crisp-fried, the eggs were perfectly over-easy, and the garlic rice was tender and flavorful. I had the coconut chicken (brothy/creamy) over white rice. It was a little bit sweet and a little bit savory. Some of the chicken pieces were still on the bone, so even though they are bite-sized, be careful. Clean, super clean bathrooms, and friendly service. Good prices too. We'll be back for sure.
(4)Mimi E.
My husband grew up around Filipino people and he loves their food. I heard so much about how great Filipino food was, I HAD to try it. I had the sizzling Sisig with a side of rice. All I can say is WOW! The food was so delicious. I ate it all and could have gone for seconds. The food was great, I loved it, hubby loved it and our son loved it. The service was great, it is a family owned business and they seemed like a very lovely family.
(5)Austin A.
The fried pork skins were great. The sauce that went with them, great. The pork adobo, awesome. The halo-halo, great. Overall, great. They even served us just before they closed (our bad).
(4)Bryan G.
Love this place! We go there after church every Sunday and it's never a disappointment. If you are looking for a chain restaurant or fast food, this is NOT the place for you. Great Filipino food!
(5)Lenny L.
Just moved back to the Phoenix area from Dallas and looking for Filipino food. Just ate there tonight! Great tasting food and the Halo halo was excellent!
(5)Maria Christina E.
the food was good. i like the way the cooked my fav diniguan hahaha. they have all day breakfast...
(4)N H.
So given the name and my eagerness to try Halo-Halo for the first time, we decided to check this place out while on a family trip. First off, the people there are super nice and accommodating. We got the menudo, coconut chicken and halo-halo special. Menudo was delicious! Coconut chicken not so much (cut up chicken bones included). Halo-halo was just ok too. The best part was the ice cream on top (which my toddler wanted extra). Anyway, overall, not the best Filipino food I've had ...
(2)Amber N.
If I could give zero stars I would. After reading the reviews and calling another Filipino restaurant closer to our home my family was sold on getting a whole lechon from here for my daughters first bday. From the moment we put in the order it was not a pleasant experience. We were told that they could deliver to a park in chandler were the party was being held, then minutes later they changed their mind and told us they wouldn't deliver it. On the day of the party we had set up the lechon and it was just not at all what we had expected. The skin was not crispy at all as it should've been traditionally. It was just soggy I guess is the best way to describe it. Having hyped it up to guests that they would be having a traditional Filipino dish that was crispy and succulent, it was embarrassing! My mom called the restaurant that day to complain and the wife of the owner told my mom that he would call her back, of course they didn't. So my mom called back today and spoke to Brandon, I think was his name. He said that they couldn't guarantee that the lechon would be crispy, which I think is ridiculous! If you as the customer are going to spend $320 for a dish that is traditionally crispy, then that is what you should get. Brandon also stated that he had seen that it was soggy when preparing it and that out of the three lechons they had prepared that day ours was the only non crispy one, so why did we get so lucky to receive that one. Hmm. He did offer to give half off the next lechon purchase, but why would we want that when this experience was none to pleasing, and anyways it was for a party it's not like we would want to eat a whole lechon on some random day.
(1)Kurt T.
I'm a white guy that has been to the Phils 12 times and my ex-asawa is Ilonga...so I know a thing or two about the culture and food. I loved their food!!!! I tried their pork adobo...yum, namit! I tried their diniguan...yum sarap sarap! Lumpia also yum yum. Price is reasonable too. Im going back, but I may also try FRIDAY NIGHTS because they told me their is KARAOKE here on friday nights...ill go check it out
(5)Onel V.
There was nothing fancy in this place (like the now defunct "Intramuros" in SFO) but if you're craving for a really good homecooked Filipino meal like it was cooked by your Nanay or Lola, you go to this place. We had the chicken curry, pork adobo & Filipino menudo. Ate it w 2 scoops of rice each. I could've gone for more than 2 scoops if I'd been eating it at my house hehehehe.... The adobo didn't look adobo to me, not the way how I cook & know adobo. I thought at first it was Lechon paksiw(roasted pork simmered in Philippine vinegar) bec the consistency & color is similar to Lechon paksiw. Oh well, I guess the cooking truly differs from which region one Pinoy came from. I would've loved trying their Halo-halo but we didn't have time anymore. Next time, I'll have that with my favorite scoop of Taro ice cream & leche flan on top....yum yum yum!
(4)Daniel S.
I was excited to try this place because I've never had Filipino food before, but I was fairly disappointed. As someone without experience with this cuisine, I had no idea what any of the food was, to start. What I did get was fairly tame (the chicken adobo and some sort of skewered meat), but all of the meat was greasy and without much flavor. The atmosphere of the restaurant wasn't very pleasant, either.
(2)Jolly M.
My 1st time here. Came to try the halo halo desert. It reminds me of iced Vietnamese desert. I recently dined at Tokyo Lobby with no Asian clients. However I was pleasantly happy to see all the Asians here at Halo Halo! It's incredible here with the nightlife. Filipinos running DEEP, in a great way!! I feel like I'm on foreign land and I'm loving it!! Karaoke!!!! Fun and friendly atmosphere. You must check it out. :)
(5)Rand H.
Got together with Norm R. for lunch here today & really liked the place! This is a somewhat stylish mid-sized cafe, nice & clean, with a comfortable seating, delicious food served up in good portions, & low prices! I ordered a Two Item Combination Plate, & went with Chicken Pochero & Beef Mechado for the main dishes, from a wide selection. (You can see the labeled serving trays through the counter glass.) You also get two large balls of white rice, & interesting toppings are available on the table such as fish sauce! (It's SALTY... use only drops of it!) Anything negative? Yes, a whole gaggle of TVs blabbing away all over the place, so it's "Layo napupunta isang Bituin!" as they say in my old haunt, Olongapo, P.I. (Poof goes one Star!) :-| With that gripe out of the way, I loved the food here, & with so many unusual treats to try you just have to come back to a fun place like this for more... and then there's their amazing dessert, which of course is the Halo-Halo! :-)) Two Item Lunch Combo Plate $6.50. * Full bar!
(4)A A.
decided to give this place a third try, still not impressed. kare-kare, chicken curry and menudo does not taste like "home". way different than the filipino taste I am used too.
(2)Kimo K.
Would never eat here again food tasted like junk food sat around all day everything was bad I'm from da islands I know how good island food supposed to taste this wasn't it
(1)Leo A.
After some time in the service and visiting the Philippines a few time, I'm definitely enamored with Filipino food. Finding a good Filipino resto in AZ is very difficult to do, but all my stars and thumbs up go to Halo-Halo Kitchen. I just wish with all my heart that they wouldn't be so far away from me. I live in the West Valley (Tolleson/Avondale) and work in downtown Phoenix. Neither of these locations allow me to visit HHK as much as I'd like. I always get my birthday dinner from here...such a treat every single time!
(5)Bonnita D.
I recently become aware of Halo Halo. They had my very most favorite dish. The name has always escaped me. It has a pork blood base, served with rice. The first time I had this it was from an in-formal kitchen. I loved it, it was sole food at its best. I have had it serval times sence, each time it was different, but just as good and comforting. There has been times the Filipino server informed me I didn't want that, I would not like it. This is why, not the pork blood base but the organ meat (offal) and the miscellaneous tidbits or trimmings that was part of it. It was not made with the best parts, but the leftover parts. Some times it was a mildly spicy, that is the regional and cooks preference, never hot or more then mildly spicy. As I had it in the past it had all kinds of notes or tastes, do to all the different bets that went into it. Sadly, regrettably, and a statement on the narrow minded, American Eaters, in order to serve to "the American" customer (to stay in business), this wonderful dish has been turned into a good but 2 note meal. They use standard pork, one note, the sauce note 2, rice is the binder the same as FOFO, bread, and other starchy foods. I pity all those that will not even try anything other then Midwest American washed foods. You think that the Asian food you eat is real Asian, it is American Asian. Many Asian restaurants have two menus, one for us, the other for the Asian taste. That menu is call a head. Sooooo much better, but not steak and potato's. I hope that Filipino restaurants will do the same thing, so that people can have the true taste of home and strange people, such as I, can enjoy as well. ITS NOT THE LOOKS, NOT THE NAME, NOT WHAT GOES IN, BUT THE TASTE.
(4)SainmhÃniú N.
You can find me here on Thursdays! I loooove the food here and I come as much as l can :) The owners treat you like family and they are so sweet. I always order lechon and beef estofado. I cant get enough! It is soooo good! I have had the flan and it is really good too. It is nice and creamy and smooth. The halo halo is really good too! I get the boba with jackfruit and banana sometimes and its always good.
(5)Eleanor S.
I ordered the pork menudo and ginisang monggo. It was good. My brother ordered chicken aprita and pork bbq it was okay. 1 item combo $5, 2 item combo $7, 3 item combo $10.... why is it higher here and in California is $2 cheaper. Good Decor and atmosphere.
(4)Dustin L.
My honest opinion is the food is good. However, there customer service is horrible. In fact it SUCKS! My wife and I are both Filipino and we go there every now and then to see if any thing has changed but to our dismay it's still the same. When you enter, nobody says hello. We always have to ask for help even though have been standing in front of them for close to 5 min. Employees will just walk by you as if you are not standing there. The owner is this old woman and she is the worst! Doesn't acknowledge you one bit which is something we are not used to. You would think it's almost as if YOU are lucky to eat there not they are lucky to have your business. But on the bright side I have noticed that their customer service is the best thing in the world when you, you're spouse, or just the company you're with is WHITE. After several experiences like this, we give up and will just stop going there.
(1)Manny V.
I'm definitely a fan. We were visitors to Phoenix and came here as a big group last Friday afternoon for a late lunch. As someone who lives in the Midwest eating in a Filipino Restaurant is always a treat and coming to Halo-Halo Kitchen was definitely a super treat! It is located in a strip mall but don't be put-off by the location. There's nothing fancy about the place but you can tell the owners take measures to keep the place clean and neat. They have a karaoke bar like most Filipino restaurants do. You can order a la carte but probably the best way is the "pick-and-point (turo turo) way" which is typical of most Pinoy restaurants. That way you get to sample a better variety of foods. You get a choice of 2 entrees plus rice. I had the kare-kare( beef in peanut sauce) and coconut chicken, while my wife had lechon kawali and ginataang langka (coconut jackfruit). The food was just flat-out awesome. No other way to describe it. Then we had halo-halo for dessert. Wow! That was so good, too! Loved it. Our friends all enjoyed their entrees and we continued to talk about the food that weekend. We enjoyed our whole visit to Phoenix that weekend but think this was our gustatory highlight of the trip. We're definitely coming back when we visit Phoenix again.
(4)Ginger O.
A group of us came to this place an hour before they close which is around 8pm on a Saturday. That was early for a Saturday but they do open until 1am on a Friday night and have karaoke. Anyway, this is our first time to try Filipino food and we had no idea what to order. The owner suggested us this platter that is good for 8-10ppl so we went with it. It is called Bilao it has Roasted Pork, unpeel Shrimp with some kind of sweet sauce (and it is good), deep fried Fish, half cut salty Egg, Mango, Egg Plant, Bitter Melon, Squid/Octopus, Ribs (I think I included everything but I might miss a few). All I can say everything was scrumptious. For dessert, most of us had Halo Halo. You can order regular or special and we got the special. It consists of different kinds of fruits, some beans, coconuts and topped with mil cereal shaved ice. For regular you get vanilla ice cream on top and for special you get Ube ice cream and Leche Flan (taste like custard). I would definitely come back for Halo Halo and try other dishes on the menu.
(4)Ervin H.
Setting: I went here 3 times this past week. Being the last week of school, we had a couple potlucks. Therefore, nothing says my Filipino culture than bringing some deep fried goodness of egg roll called Lumpia. They were good enough to bring my wife here for dinner. Ambiance: It looks like any other typical Filipino restaurant, but wait...there's a karaoke bar! Wait, did you say magic mic? Why yes I did. They have a full blown karaoke machine they play on Friday nights. I have not experienced it, but one of the workers say it is definitely a fun night. Boy, us Filipinos sure love our karaoke! Open seating with the definite Filipino feel. After growing up in Southern California, this looks and smells like a Filipino restaurant to me. Food/Menu: Lumpia - shanghai style, about 3 inches long, with a good amount of filling. Crispy, yet not too deep fried. Very good egg rolls though. Halo Halo - a Filipino dessert with shaved ice, condensed milk, red bean, canned fruit, ube (sweet purple yam), and ice cream. They do a decent job. However, from my perspective, I don't think I have ever had a bad Halo Halo, as most taste the same to me. Turon - a deep fried plantain banana. Need I say more? Okay, well it has a great caramelize coat around it with the crunch biting into a sweet plantain banana. And BAM! You got dessert. Empanada - Tasty snack that will definitely fill you up...for wanting more! Service: Seems family owned and they take care of their shop. No complaints! Overall: With the limited amount of Filipino restaurants compared to where I grew up in Southern California. This place hits home in all the right areas. Whenever we need to taste our culture, we will be back Halo Halo!
(4)Aaron H.
I can't really compare this to other filipino food, because I haven't really eaten any. The extent of my knowledge on filipino food is what I've learned from filipino nurses at the hospital, and Balut is not on my bucket list of things to try....But anytime I get grilled spam with eggs and rice, served on styrofoam plates and TV's showing a filipino beauty pagent you know this food is either going to taste freakin delicious or give you diarrhea for a week. Luckily for me it was the former. Great food, and the halo-halo special for dessert shouldn't be passed up. One day I'll work up the courage to try the food by the checkout counter, but....baby steps. Don't worry I'll be back. P.S. They got karaoke is the back.
(4)Amanda S.
This is as good as it gets when it comes to Filipino Food in Phoenix Phoenix sadly lacks the ability to produce comfort food such as Filipino food. Finding this place was like finding a gem in a pile of coal. The location isn't ideal but the price and the taste are on point. This place randomly has events, karaoke & dancing, so don't be surprised if you stop by to pick up some grub and find yourself watching a transgender performer singing the latest and greatest hits.
(4)HoyMay P.
Wanted something a little different and decided to try Halo Halo. Staff is nice and will let you sample things if you are not familiar with the taste. We got chicken curry and pork menudo. The curry was a little on the greasy side yet still tasty. The pork menudo was tender and good as well. I would suggest they give a large scoop of rice and a side of veggies instead of 2 scoops of rice. Not being much of a rice eater, I wasted 1 scoop. The flavor was average and rather bland. I tried some spicy vinegar on mine. it wasn't spicy at all but added what I needed. I wish the food had a bit more spice and tang to it. We would return and add more Sriracha or hot sauce to next our meal.
(3)Maria J.
I can't really compare it to anything. It was my first time trying boba it was tasty. Going to try the halo halo special next time I stop in.
(4)May N.
Good food, tastes close enough to the real Filipino cooking at home. The staff lacks warmth and charisma, specially the lady at the cash register who seems to be annoyed that her dinner was interrupted by a paying clientele. This attitude will certainly not create good will towards repeat customers. Will not visit the place again even though the fare is fantastic.
(2)Pepper T.
This Filipino Food was very good and I think most people can find something they like here because we tried three different meats and a tofu dish and all were different all were cooked nicely with good developed flavor. Nothing was spicy or aggressively seasoned and nothing tasted Chinese or Thai that I tried to me but everything we tried had a rich developed flavor. Portions are large prices are very low I think our combo plates were about $6.99 each. This place is VERY CASUAL and is set up sort of like Panda Express. You decide on the kind of plate you want just like at Panda and point to what you want on your plate by looking at the food line or you can order from the pictures on the wall. Next you pay and seat yourself and clean up your tray when you leave. I picked a combo plate so I could try two things. I picked Coconut Chicken and Tofu with vegetables. Both my picks looked familiar like Chinese or Thai dishes to me but neither of them had the seasonings I thought they'd be but the food was still tasty and good. The Chicken was very moist and had great developed flavor from being slow cooked on the bone but they didn't brown the skin so I found the skin unappetizing and had to remove it. That is my only criticism. My husband tried the pork adobo and one of the beef dishes. He said both were very tender and tasty and he'd come here again. This was a fun adventure it was like traveling the world.
(4)Julie C.
I went there tonight with a friend and we experience this cultures food for the first time and received great help with learning about the different meals very positive experience thank you
(4)Gerard A.
One of the best places for Filipino food in Phoenix. Cafeteria style, paper plates and plastic silverware. Definitely cures the craving for home cooked Filipino food.
(4)Marielle M.
Found this place by accident as we were driving around, looking for a place to kill time while waiting to pick up our daughter. As Bay Area Californians who recently relocated to the East Valley, finding a Filipino restaurant can easily be the highlight of our weekend. We got the Sisilog, Longsilog, and Pancit and were in heaven! They were all so scrumptious and reminded us of our parents' home cooking. And the halo halo?? Perfect way to top off the meal and satisfy our craving, especially in the heat. The girls behind the counter were very sweet and very helpful. Only complaint and reason I can't give 5 stars: We were there in the late afternoon and there was a note that said it would be closing for a private event later in the evening. It seemed to be a celebration for the family who owned the restaurant. We still had a good 1-2 hours before that time, but they were already setting up, which is fine. My issue was that as they were setting up, literally around our table, we felt rushed and in the way. I get that they were busy and excited about their event, but If they needed the space, they should have closed that section off. They were decorating and rushing around, all around our table, and no one even acknowledged us or said anything to us. It was only the older man, who I assumed to be the owner who smiled at us and waved to our kids as we were leaving and thanked us for coming in. Thank goodness for that nice, simple gesture to help smooth things over.
(4)Merlevic T.
Looking to satisfy a craving for, or simply an introduction to Filipino food? Definitely visit Halo-Halo Kitchen! It's simple "turo turo" (point point) cafeteria style dining combined with a cooked to order menu offers a wide variety of dishes from which to select. They also serve breakfast "silog" specials (fried rice, egg to order and a meat option) ALL day! My favorite comes with tocino. H2K definitely makes me nostalgic for my mom's cooking since she is gone. Aromas of adobo (chicken and or pork in a soy sauce based gravy), siopao (steamed bun with savory filling), garlic fried rice, sinigang (a tamarind based soup), mungo (mung beans) and Kare Kate (oxtail, eggplant and bok Choy stew in a savory peanut sauce) bring back childhood memories. Authentic dishes solidify my longterm customer status. I appreciate good table service at most restaurants. But here, I'm more than content to be left alone to savor my meal with friends, uninterrupted. Sometimes, I'll order to go for convenience. Visit Halo Halo Kitchen with an open mind and curious palate for a culinary voyage to the Philippines! Oh, and I like the bobas and halo halo too.
(4)Pinoye90 B.
I grew up in Cebu this is a great place for Filipino food. I love their adobo and lumpia. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, and ok price. I moved from Cali and Filipino food there for the same size and combination is about 2-3 cheaper not sure why its more in AZ???
(4)Pnoy A.
I would not come back to this restaurant again. The food that is cooked already looks old and don't taste good. The food is over-priced. Halo-halo is more expensive that goldilocks. The leche flan was too little and the scoop of ube ice cream was too small. And the pancit palabok is 9 dollars...wow! that's too expensive. Other restaurants sell it for 5 bucks. More expensive that goldilocks and the food wasn't even good.
(1)Nicole L.
food was really yummy for my first time trying various Filipino food. the pork adobo was my favorite because the meat was tender and the sauce had a yummy tang to it. the halo halo special was an amazing dessert and the girl behind the counter helping us out was super sweet.
(4)Lucia W.
I love coming here. They're always upgrading the place, and the food is fantastic. I noticed they even added an American food menu for those who aren't so savvy to Filipino cuisine. My only issue is that there is no pancit palabok on the menu. However, if you want tapislog, sinigang, or boba, this is the place.
(4)Jerome S.
Great food, clean place, but customer service needs improvement. Lady owner has a very unfriendly and condescending attitude.
(3)Joe B.
This is the best Filipino Restaurant in Phoenix! The restaurant is nice and always clean. The staff there are friendly. The food is reasonably priced. They offer a lot of variety each day. I believe they offer around 15+ entree options and that's not including their silog menu. My fiance and I usually get a two choice with a boba drink and that usually comes out less than $20. If we're really hungry we get a halo halo supreme to finish our meal.
(5)Miriam H.
Soooooo, when my food finalllllyyyy arrived, it was GOOD. There were other dishes I saw that I wanted to devour but my heart was set on the Longsilog. It was good, same as Manila Sunrise, just got faster service over there because it wasn't as busy. They also had an American menu for burger, fries, popcorn chicken which worked out since my husband isn't fond of Filipino food. (ruude). lol the price was fair since there aren't a lot of filipino joints in AZ so I don't care if you charge me extra for a extra helping of garlic rice. They take cash and card, and there's plenty of parking. Oh and if your looking for the place on yelp and you push Get Directions when your coming down Dunlap, it won't tell you if it's on the right or left and you might miss it. It's on the left. :-)
(4)Stephen B.
Ahhhh Halo-Halo Im so glad i found you on yelp and your on my way home to sedona. Ok first off i ordered the lechon kawali- deep fried pork belly,served with mang thomas (whoever that is) all purpose sauce. $8.00 Next i ordered the silog plate served with garlic fried rice and two eggs cooked to order. I ordered the tocino which is pretty damn awesome. $7.00 My wife said might be the best tocino shes eaten. So 5 stars from me and my wife for the tocino.
(5)Cash I.
The best crispy pata! The owners are very friendly and will always visit the restaurant every time I go to Phoenix AZ
(5)Tommy N.
If you have never tried Filipino food or in search of a good eat, this is where you need to go. Honestly I was never a fan of Filipino food before I discovered this place but now I am hooked. I recommend any silog combinations or the famous chicken adobo. They also have a bar which is nice when you want to get a beer in for lunch. Try the Red Horse, it's a Philippine based brewery.
(5)Dave A.
As Filipinos coming from California, we definitely have access to Filipino food vendors. That being said, we are always up to delving into local businesses to enjoy their creations. We were passing through Phoenix & decided to lunch here. Place is cleaner than a lot of CA vendors and standard TFC playing on the tele. Service is friendly. Prices appropriate. Didn't have to wait too long for breakfast plates to be prepared, better fresh anyway, rather than it sit there all day waiting to be served. We sampled a few items: KARIOKA: WWhaaatt!??! Those lil delights are a rare find, but they got 'em here! Tasty too! A perfect crisp to the shell & soft inside. 4 per stick, shoulda bought more! EMPANADA: deep fried goodness! Tasted freshly cooked, not too doughy, an ample amount of contents inside. HALO-HALO SPECIAL: Hot DAMN! MASARAP!!!! Oh so good! This has got to be my new favorite place for halo-halo & I don't even live in the state! They do their namesake proud! LONGSILOG: My kids devoured this! Ordered 3 of these & had no leftovers among 3 boys. SISIGSILOG: I like my sisig with the chichiron-esqué crunch & juicy meat. This was the rubbery cartilage type cooked well. Not my favorite but good for this type of sisig. We were hoping to try the torta talong but they ran out, must be good. Next time nalang. Great place, wish they operated in Cali!
(5)Richard G.
Easily my favorite Filipino restaurant ever of all-time hands down. Their prices are reasonable for exceptional food and drinks. Has a well stocked bar, plenty of TVs. This a great place for event dinners as well. The staff is very generous and easy to talk to. Most places have pros and cons, this restaurant the exception for having all pros. If you try this place then I'd expect to see a review similar to this.
(5)Samantha B.
bought Biko and tried to eat it this morning but when I opened it I saw the Biko is moldy. very disgusting. the other bad thing about this restaurant was I was overcharged on my card. I approached the cashier (woman on her 50's) which seems to be the owner of the restaurant about the extra item on my receipt and she told me that I should be thankful because she's saving money for me. She gave me cash for the difference. I told her to just charged me to what I order. Instead of being apologetic, she hold her head up high like I'm the "queen here" attitude. Not very nice and customer service is very poor.
(1)Jason B.
I didn't try the food but I was there on a late friday night and watched my friends give their best karaoke renditions to their favorite songs. I'm not brave when it comes to karaoke but I usually sing along. I did like that they had a full bar, $3 domestics and $4 for imports. They had red horse and san miguel. Anywho, there's plenty of space to accommodate large groups and they stay open late friday nights, so, if you're in the mood to sing your heart out and drink red horse or san miguel, this is the place to be. =)
(3)Aletheia W.
Pretty good. The husband got the Tosilog (breakfast combo), and i got a 2 item combo with chicken adobo and kare-kare. YUM! it was all good. as non-filipinos, we wished that the food items had signage, or that there were better menus/signage for ordering. we will definitely be back to eat up some more silogs! and the halo-halo. dang, it looked so good.
(4)Princess B.
Such a great little find in Phoenix. Went on a Sunday, early afternoon and there was not so many people. Once we ordered we waited for our food, and it came fairly promptly. It was delicious!!! Filling and portions were pretty great, especially for the price. We also ordered the Halo-Halo Special, it was my first time having it. I loved it! The taro ice cream was so good. There were a lot of Filipino people there and it seemed as if some knew each other. It was a great feeling if community. Also there were a few tv's and there was an entertaining Filipino movie on as well as the basketball game. We will for sure be heading back the next time we visit Phoenix.
(5)Ana G.
Whenever I crave for Filipino food I always go here ;-) They have the most reasonable price & yummy food in Phoenix.
(5)Brain B.
Looking for Filipino food? Looking to watch the game? Looking to get some pastries? Or maybe a Filipino beer? They have it all here.. My favorite is getting lechon kawali and monggo soup, together they are an amazing meal.
(5)Brian A.
The Lechon here is great always have a ton of delicious Boba flavored and rotating dishes .. Some of the best Filipino food I've ever had...the watermelon boba is probably my favorite thing there and you have to try the cassava cake.
(5)Megan H.
Best lumpia in Phoenix and an all-around authentic restaurant. Well worth the drive.
(4)Ron B.
Early Sunday Morning My Wife , Child and I went to Phoenix for a nice Sunday Drive. We stopped buy Halo Halo Kitchen for Lunch :) It was our first time visiting the Kitchen! We have been longing for Filipino Food for the last week! My Wife had Then Fried Tilapia fish and BBQ Chicken on a Stick! She loved every bite of her meal. My daughter and I had Lechon Pork and veggies which was bar none Great :) The eating area was full which means they have lot of customers who love to eat at there place. This Place reminds me of TITA's Kitchenette, and Aling Conchings Cafe in National City , SAN DIEGO CA!!! I would recommend anyone passing through to come in to eat and check place out. I Would Keep Coming Back Here!
(5)Norm R.
Been here a couple of times, and every time it's been a satisfying experience. The tapsilog (one of the "silogs" they serve for breakfast - refer to the pics) is good, as are most of the entrees I've had for lunch or dinner. The storefront says "Filipino American Food", but that doesn't mean it's a fusion restaurant; rather, in addition to Filipino food they also serve some American fast food items such as burgers and corn dogs. Boba tea is available, too, and that goes well with pretty much anything you order there.
(4)Jackie N.
Their Sizzling Sisig is a MUST. More than likely the best thing on the menu. Ok, I'm Filipino so I know my way around places like this. I'll admit, my people's restaurants aren't always easy to navigate if you know nothing about Filipino food. Lack of signage and descriptions is common. If you're a Fili-food rookie, I highly recommend you order from their all day breakfast menu. Those dishes are basically yummy marinated meats served with eggs and rice. No surprises and they're made to order. I prefer my food freshly cooked as opposed to sitting under a heat lamp anyway. Plus, the breakfast grub is served on actual plates instead of styrofoam. The sisig comes on a sizzler thing. Presentation, it matters to me. The sisig, a pork dish, also comes as a breakfast combo. If you prefer beef try the Tapsilog, also super good. Seafood lovers should get the Bangsilog, marinated and fried milkfish. One of my favorite fish. It's light, white, and flakey. Eating it with eggs is not weird at all. Boba slush drinks are available and are pretty descent. If you want a totally Filipino meal, try the Sago boba, Sarsi soda, or the Royal Tru Orange soda. For after meal sweetness grab some halo-halo, a shave ice dessert.
(4)Matt K.
This place is awesome and super clean ...I will keep coming back EVERYTHING is sooo good here AND the price won't break your wallet. So go enjoy some good Filipino food!
(4)Neil O.
Since there aren't that many Filipino restaurants in AZ, lets just say that Halo-Halo kitchen is the place to go. Great tasting food at a good price. The portion size is great as well. Highly recommended!
(4)Anty Yayah M.
Food was okay....a bit pricey though for their selection. Lechon kawali was fresh. roomie ordered French fries ; he said they were stale. We ordered the shrimp platter and it took over 25 mins to arrive.
(3)Sharon N.
Love the Halo Halo! Love their food too. I think we come here at least once a week =)
(5)Thomas I.
Decent food but overpriced. Slow service, karaoke was blaring. Singers we're having fun but the food is not worth listening to the music and disco lights being shined in your face. Also please dont let your customers continously curse on the microphone when there are kids around.
(2)Nathan O.
Delicious. Was intimidating walking in without knowing what anything was, but the person behind the counter let us try a bunch of different things until we knew what would be good. Then they were so kind, and brought us many new things for free to try. Very helpful, and completely removed any concerns about the first time being in there. Could not have gone better.
(5)Alex D.
Around September of 2009, my mother and I decided to visit an old apartment I grew up at when I was young. So, for lunch, I decided to take my mother for some Filipino food at the Asian Bistro, now called Halo Halo Kitchen. We noticed there were a lot of flies in there, and the tables were not clean, with the food we ordered was pretty much left overs from the night before for an event. While my mother and I were trying to eat what looked like burnt leftovers, we were constantly watched by the workers and staff, some speaking loud in Tagalog and laughing. One person even went to the extent to refer to us as 'itos,' a term used for the indigenous peoples of the Philippines called 'negritos.' One lady, kept walking up and down near our table and was constantly staring at us. As we left, the staff started laughing at us! When we got back home, I called them to complain, and they were very defiant on apologizing. Anyways, I went ahead and reported them to the health department and the Better Business Bureau. To this date, this restaurant, have never apologized about their rudeness, and uncleanness of their restaurant, as well as their staff. Having lived in California for some time and exposed to the Filipino community, I have never come across such a rude, arrogant, racist group of people. This restaurant is a disgrace to Filipino food. There are much better ones in California. If you want to try Filipino food, try some of the restaurants up in the Mesa/Chandler area. Better yet, I would not recommend trying Filipino food food in Arizona.
(1)Dennis G.
This is a fast food place, not cooked to order. Food is already pre made. I ordered the mungo and pork sinigang. Mungo was a little dry and a tad overcooked but sinigang was real good, just the right sourness. Portions were small but the price was reasonable. Had to order the halo halo and it was really good.
(3)JP C.
We live in northern Arizona and whenever we go down to Phoenix, we try to go to Halo Halo Kitchen for lunch to get my Filipino food "fix". Local filipinos frequent this place (a very good sign!) The prepared foods are always good and fresh! Love their pinakbet, mungo beans with spinach and the upo dish! Love their sticky rice -- not dry like rice at other Filipino and Chinese restaurants! Always have their special halo-halo (the Best!) The prices for combination dishes are very reasonable! When sons of the owners are serving, they are always friendly and very accommodating!
(5)Ryan C.
You know that part of the movie in Ratatouille where the chef starts crying because the food brings him back to his childhood....that's halo-halo kitchen for me. Living in Phoenix, far away from my mom in Oregon, filipino food is hard to come by. I make the 30 min drive from mesa just to eat here when I start going through withdrawals. I've had pretty much everything they've serve here. The restaurant is clean, people are friendly. It's a typical "turo-turo" restaurant, where the food is prepared cafeteria style but it's all good.
(4)Emmy M.
Only had halo-halo here and it was super yummy. Now I know where to go when I'm craving!
(4)Brenda B.
This was my first time, ( I know impossible to believe) that I have went to a Philipino restaurant I had stew that was slightly spicy, don't want to know what all was in it , but it was very , very good, it did include beef and potatoes. I also has the pork that was simmered in a brown gravy, very tasty dish. So if you in the mood to try something different , I would recommend this place.
(4)Scott D.
A solid 3 stars. The Adobo was average, the Pancit was average, the Menudo was average and you guessed it, the Rice was average. They have never had Caldretta the 4-5 times I have been there. Next stop is Chandler in hopes of finding a "go to" Filipino restaurant.
(3)Bilal A.
I had the Chicken Adobo with rice, eggs, and tomato. It was good. Service was a little below average, but not bad. Good place to grab a bite and bounce.
(3)Andrew T.
Maybe not the best idea to go at noon on a Sunday, but I really wasn't paying attention. They were fairly busy, and the line barely crawled. But who the heck cares when they've got slammin' pork adobo, crispy pork belly (call ahead to order, they run out quickly) and garlic rice. Top it all off with a fried egg, and I'm drooling again.
(3)Fairbi K.
Just an FYI, not sure how long ago but I think pretty recently, this place has new owners. It is now called Halo Halo Kitchen aka H2K. My mom was born & raised in the Philippines, so she was pretty excited to come here for lunch this past Thursday afternoon. She quickly got to talking to the guy behind the counter & another customer to see what was good here. She decided on about 7 different items for her, my dad & myself to try. My personal favs were the fried tilapia, chicken adobo (although, my mom's is better!), lumpia, pancit & this fried egg & pork combo that I can't remember the name of. Oh & they also had this dessert which was little round balls on a stick made from what smelled/tasted like doughnut batter. There was a sweet syrup on top with what tasted like coconut on the inside. They were lick your fingers delicious!! We'll definitely be back :)
(4)K. H.
This is about as anti-chain as you can get. Just what I like! Family ran, authentic. The owner greeted us at the door and explained how the point-point counter worked, even offering some samples of items to help us decide. The blood soup was one of the winners. They just had a great write up in the New Times today that praised them as well. They have whole roasted pigs available for you next family gathering too.
(5)Jason B.
This was my first authentic Filipino food experience. The establishment is in a strip mall that looks like any other in the area. From the look of the "Asian Bistro" sign I thought it was going to be like a PF Changs or a Flo's type of place. However, upon entering, I could see just how wrong I was. It is a rather large place and very busy on this Wednesday afternoon. There were probably only 2 or 3 other daring white people there, so I knew this place was legit. You walk up to the counter to order kind of like Panda Express in the mall. You pick a 1, 2, or 3 item combo and they put it on your plate with some rice. From experience I knew that the 3 item combo would be too much for me to eat, but I ordered it anyway because I wanted to try as much as I could. I was disappointed that there was no sign describing each of the 12 or so dishes that you could choose from. Well, if there was, it would probably be in a language that I couldn't understand anyway. Lets just say I was lucky to have come with 2 Filipino coworkers of mine who acted like guides for me. I resorted to the "point to whatever looks good" method which worked until I pointed to the bopis (lung) and the dinuguan (blood soup). More on those later though. Anyway, I picked the adobo, menudo, and some other beef item. The beef and the chicken items were good, but I just don't like how they are little pieces that are still on the bone. I find it difficult to eat and messy. However, they were very tasty. My 3rd item was by far the best. I got the menudo which is more like a beef stew. Had I known the name of it I probably wouldn't have gotten it because all I had known previously is Mexican menudo and that doesn't interest me. At any rate it was very good and I would get it again. Now back to the lung and blood soup. My coworkers ordered those dishes and of course they made me try them. I am not going to lie and say that they were terrible because they weren't. It is just the simple fact that I know what it is and it is way out of my comfort zone so it made my stomach a little weazy. The best part of the meal here was dessert. One of my favorite Filipino desserts is called "turon". It is some sort of banana wrapped in a carmelized wrapper. All I know is that it is amazing. My coworkers have brought some to me on several occasions but I just had to have a fresh one right out of the oven. It was amazing. They have plenty of other authentic Filipino desserts, but I couldn't resist the turon. The establishment isn't overly fancy; there are 10-15 large and small tables, a few couches and other misc. chairs. I think the place doubles as a karaoke bar at night from what I heard. Anyway, the food is authentic and the service is friendly, but in the end I think my belly is to "Americanized" to dine here on a regular basis.
(3)Anne W.
I got the coconut chicken and was picking bone shards out of my teeth the entire time. I didn't care for this restaurant at all.
(1)Julie E.
The short: This really is as good as it gets when it comes to turo-turo style Filipino food--reasonably priced, tasty, generous, and authentic. The staff was welcoming, friendly, and helpful. The long: Located in a big shopping center on the southwest corner of 35th Ave. and Dunlap, the place is fairly easy to find (in the northern arm of the center), and there's ample parking. When you walk in, you see a typical turo-turo style eatery. Turo-turo means "point point," and they use the term because the food is set up cafeteria style, all in a steam table, and all you do is point at what you'd like to eat. You can go for a one-, two-. or three-item combo served with two generous scoops of white rice. There's also a short order menu that serves some Filipino classics, including a whole "silog" menu--which is food served with eggs, usually for breakfast--and some simple American fare like burgers There were some traditional desserts in the pastry case that served the door and about 16 items in the steam table. My boyfriend and I went for broke because I wanted to see how this food compared to the food I grew up with. We tried the pork and chicken adobo (I'd asked only for pork, but the server didn't like that she couldn't fill a whole 12-oz cup with what was left at the end of the night, she so gave us some chicken adobo in consolation), chicken curry, beef mechado (the sauce is similar to cacciatore--tomato based wit bell peppers), beef kabute (beef and mushrooms, similar to beef stroganoff), laing (stewed taro leaves, what I call the collard greens of the Philippines), and dinuguan (pork in pork blood--not for the squeamish!). The owner also asked if we'd like to try the sinigang, which is a tamarind-based fish soup. To drink we had the sago't gulaman and a mango boba. For dessert (although really, the sago't and boba should be considered dessert for those with a normal, not-homesick stomach capacity), we tried the halo-halo special. To the point--everything tasted great. If you order on a day your body's really craving protein, you risk suffering death by pork at a turo-turo eatery, and Halo-Halo Kitchen does pork so very well--tender and flavorful. The beef dishes were also well cooked. The curry was pretty standard--the sweeter Japanese style, and the chicken legs in it were also wonderfully tender. The only problems were with the chicken adobo where the sauce was wonderful, but the meat was just a bit dry (you'd think that would be a more common problem in a steam table setup, but because most dishes are stews held at lower temps, the meat stays moist). The laing was more sour than I'm used to--not sure if it was their taro leaves (for the most part, out here, you can only find them frozen or dried), too much fermented shrimp paste (adds a salty, pungent, umami flavor in perfect amounts), or maybe too much patis (fish sauce--adds an earthier layer of the same stuff shrimp paste does), or maybe not enough coconut milk and cream. Regardless, it wasn't bad--just not as sweet as I'm used to. What made the best dishes for me, and what makes Filipino food awesome in my mind, is the sauces. Filipino food is served with rice, and the sauce just soaks into that rice and makes that perfect bite last longer. Because of my choices, we basically ended up with two plates of comfort food, and every bite was definitely comforting. Our beverages were brought to our table after they were made a few minutes after we sat down, and the halo-halo special came as we finished our dinner. The sago't was good, although the boba grew as the night went on, so sucking it through the straw was crazy. The jelly in the sago't was tasty, though. My boyfriend's mango boba was amazing--at one point, I jokingly suggested they'd just taken some frozen mango and pureed it, but once I said it, I was halfway convinced that they'd actually done that. The halo-halo special was also awesome. Even though it's considered a summer dessert because it's based on shaved ice, I could eat it year around. It was as good as it gets, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (it might have been jack fruit ice cream), a generous smear of ube, and a chunk of flat at the top, the sweetened condensed milk soaking into the ice, and the usual halo-halo blend at the bottom (red mung beans, jellies, palm fruit, strips of jack fruit and macapuno, etc.). Halo-halo means "mix-mix," and they set the tall plastic cup up with a dome lid and a long-handled plastic spoon so you could churn everything together into homogenized harmony. The lady at the counter told us the turo-turo menu changes every day, so I'm looking forward to going back and trying their other food, along with all the other food we didn't have room to try. I love a good silog, and I'm sure I could find it here!
(5)Jason B.
I love this place!! I love filipino food!! I usually get the chicken adobo, pancit and lumpia...so good!! I haven't gone back in awhile because of the drive, but I hope to go back soon for some carryout. Highly recommend to try it!!! Jason. B
(5)Mike H.
I can hardly write my review because I keep getting sticky hands from this adobo. The only experience I have with Filipino food was adobo from a fair I went to. I used to have Filipino coworkers who would always TALK about the food, but when potluck time came around, nothing. Anyway, the place is small and not much space to move around. The food is in trays and you pick what you want. I got the 2 picks and knew I wanted adobo, but asked the guy what else is good. He gave me pancit which looked like lo mein or something. Then he asked me if I wanted cantaloupe juice. It took me by surprise when he pointed to this huge vat of orange, icy, slushiness...I stuttered and said "YEAH!!!" I was about to check out when I saw somebody (I guess one of the owners or family or somethin') putting something in a bowl. I asked what it was and the heck if I can spell what they said, but it turns out it was some kind of tripe in a white gravy with rice. Then another guy came and got something that looked awesome as well, which was pork snout. They gave me a sample of the snout and yeah, the relationship was instant. Pig nose and me are now friends. So I have here in front of me is pancit, chicken adobo, pork snout and cantaloupe juice. I haven't had such a great meal in a while. All this stuff tastes just as good as I imagined it would when my coworkers would torture me with mouth-watering descriptions of the stuff. The cantaloupe juicy is unbelievable...I mean the juice of something as delectable as cantaloupe has no choice but to be heavenly, and it is. I cannot see myself going without it for more than a week. The adobo is tender and juicy. The pancit is not dry like I thought it would be, and has a great taste. The pork snout is just amazing...its got a tang to it that I can't really describe, but also can't get enough of. I can't remember what it all cost me, I didn't care after I sampled the snout. But I got a lot of change back from a $20, so...unless it was all 1's then its not expensive. The people inside were all Filipino and friendly enough to a newcomer. I've always wanted to connect with my other nationality, and good food is always a great way to do so. I know I'll be back whenever I can. And from what I can understand the other side of the place is some kind of entertainment area, and I think one of the other reviewers said its a karaoke thing. Cool. Don't be afraid of Filipino food, folks. Its hard to compare it to other cuisines, especially because I'm not well traveled in the culinary world. But I would immediately recommend it, even to the guy who only trusts hot dogs and fried chicken.
(4)Jessica C.
I really, really liked this place! I tried it for the first time today since my neighboring Filipino restaurant I wanted to try SUCKED! (They didn't have anything and had horrible customer service) I'm glad that happened since it led me to this place. I'm half Filipino and can tell good Filipino food. I tried the pancit, chicken adobo, lumpia, fried pork skin, and halo-halo. All were like my grandmothers cooking and I was pretty impressed! I felt very comfortable in the atmosphere. The young girl at the counter was very helpful with my initial order and so was the younger guy helping me later. I liked that it felt like a family owned and ran kinda place. I will be returning here to try their talapia, panakbit, sinigang, and tocino, this is well worth my 30 min drive to get there.
(5)Audrey E.
Mmmmm! I love me some filipino food, and when I'm missing some good old homemade Filipino food this is the place I turn to... Maybe because it's one of the only in the valley but it's food is pretty good and warms the heart.
(4)Edgar T.
For starters...I was never a big boba fan or halo halo fan. This place is amazing!! I had a Thai Tea Boba, Let me tell you the bomb digg-addy!!!! LOL . Besides there normal Filipino dishes it is a must have. Then I stuffed my face with Dinuguan, a Filipino savory stew mixed with your typically stomach, intestines, ears, heart and snout of a pig, simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, vinegar, and chili. SARAP!!!! ( delish is Tagalog) along with a side of rice and your good to go!!!!! Next order to come out was a Lechon (roasted pig) along with the sauce. Just like my mothers cooking. I was at home.. Dinuguan is not for everyone, as kids we knew it at chocolate meat, because the sauce is curdled blood which turns dark brown to black when cooked. The sound of it really "Erks" your stomach, but the taste is out of this world!!! They have many different dishes all you have to do is "point point" If you love ethnic cultural world dishes you will appreciate this place.
(5)Maria R.
Last week I met my family at H2K for dinner. I enjoyed the dinuguan and sisig with rice and for dessert I shared a Halo Halo with my mom. I am alway happy after leaving this place:) I look forward to the next visit!
(4)Pocholo V.
Love to eat filipino food? Well this is the best place in arizona to go to. Friendly staff, Tfc channel on, they even have a little mini filipino kiosk selling filipino anything. Love this place
(5)jimmy s.
Always The BEST!!! As close as you can get to sitting on Fields ave in pee eye. Great wait staff, friendly people. Great food!! Not too pricy and you will get enough to make you smile later. Friday nights can jump after 7 PM and you can sing and drink pseudo red horse beer and dance if you dare!
(5)Sarah S.
The food was good, The prices was a little steep. 10 little pieces of shanghi lumpia for 8.00 are you kidding me?
(3)Honest R.
I go there for the longanisa breakfast from time to time and their BOBA. The place is good but very pricey. Service is OK not the best and alderly people like to cut the lines to get their orders in and staff does not say anything. My wife is filipina and says that the food is good. I had some food catered through them and they were very expensive. A 1/2 tray of veggies were $49.00. Way over priced.
(3)Julienne F.
This review is based on carryout, so I can't comment (yet) on the service. After a trip to the oriental market next door, my son and I stopped in here for some carryout. I've not been to a filipino restaurant since living in Phoenix, so I was VERY excited. I love filipino food. It's all I ate for the majority of my young life, so there's also some nostalgia with it. I did the two item meal thing, which was around $6. I picked caldereta and pancit. I thought it'd be best to stick with the basics, just in case it sucked. The caldereta was almost as good as my mom's, and way better than mine :o) The pancit was just okay. The veggies were a bit overcooked and it lacked acid (and I didn't have any lemon in my house). My son loved the pancit, so it worked out. The portion was really generous--enough for me, my son, and hubby ate some too. I will definitely go back to try some other food and bring my husband. It's a bit of a drive, but worth it.
(4)Art M.
This is as good as it gets when it comes to Filipino restaurant dining in Phoenix. Very friendly staff and owner. Food is always fresh and inviting. I had been in this place several times and they don't disappoint. I have never tasted "recycled" food as one reviewer (from California) points out. Well next time I suggest that you bring your own food from California and stop dissing our own places here! I also don't believe for a moment that these people insulted you by calling you names ("ito" for Negrito). It behooves me to think that they would stoop these low and insult people the way you pointed out. As for the flies? I can go to any of the fancier places around town and will find flies at any given time. You were just nitpicking to say something bad about this place. As for reporting them to the BBB and Health Department? WHAT A LOOSER YOU ARE! Shame on you fella! My suggestion: Stay in California! Peace......:)
(5)Tina V.
This review is for their halo halo special. It is absolutely delicious...the ube ice cream on top is wonderful! I like how they give you a big scoop of ube and a good size piece of flan. The young lady at the front gave good customer service and was friendly. I have to try their food next time.
(5)Briana C.
This is an unassuming small business that is a little out of the way and hidden in a shopping center but definitely worth visiting. I found it on yelp and tried it out on a whim when I saw the positive feedback. My family in the Philippines owns various restaurants in Manila so when I traveled there we ate - a lot. This it the first restaurant I have found in the Valley where you can get lumpia, pancit, chicken adobo (and various dishes that are more authentic than I tend to eat) and a yummy version of halo halo with ube ice cream. The people here are very nice, the restaurant was extremely accommodating and clean. They even stayed open 2 hours later for us when we hosted a karaoke event here. We loved the boba drinks and for those who were too timid to try the Filipino dishes, they have an American menu (burgers/fries/corndogs). They have karaoke on Fridays with a great song selection - in English! Come here for casual and inexpensive eats that are authentic and tasty.
(5)joshua g.
When you taste the food it takes you to HEAVEN! Service is so SLOW it takes you to HELL! cant complain about the food. The best Filipino food this side of town. But as i said all the cooking and serving happens at a snail's pace. If you arrive really hungry, prepare to have ULCERS before they bring in your first order. Their sizzling beef bulalo is 3 out of 5......only because the steak plate it came in was off the shelf-cold and there was no sizzle at all when they served the dish. the meal was good though so i guess that pretty much offsets the lack of SIZZLE in their so-declared SIZZLING bulalo. Their sizzling fish belly (bangus fish) is EXCELLENT.supposed to be a five but again there was no physical sizzle to what they call Sizzling Bangus Fish. Their sizzling BISTEK (beef slices) with onions were GOOD. Except for the lack of sizzle.....but again the taste covers up for the missing SIZZLE. Their tapsilog (beef and egg combination) and bangsilog (fish and egg combination) is supreme and their banana fritters which they call TURON takes you to unparalleled heights of gastronomic nirvana! They have karaoke which we enjoyed except for the fact that their song selection is so VERY LIMITED.not enough songs. Asian Bistro MUST improve their song selection because their song selection is similar to what a lot of Asians have for HOME USE. There were also some problems with the karaoke system.Sometimes the songs had too slow a tempo....sometimes the tempo was too fast......this so seriously needs to be addressed. Their karaoke is on every wednesday and Friday nights. I wish they would turn it into an every night thing but only AFTER they work on improving and widening their song selection and gets a karaoke jock that actually is musically adept enough to know if the tempo is just about right or if it is way too fast or way too slow. Doesnt take a musical Mozart to be aware of this. It just takes two unclogged healthy ears. Prices are reasonable.the people were friendly....aint surprished cuz i have read that people from the Philippines are a smiling lot and merrily go about their ways........ Even if their karaoke sound system sucks and even if they dont have the actual sizzle to their 'sizzling" food line-up, this doesnt take away the fact that this is still the best tasting Philippine food this side of the valley.
(3)