Mequeni Pinoy Mart & Lutong Bahay

A hidden gem for those looking for Filipino treats!
It’s not as big as the local Super G market, but that seems intentional. It’s a modest sized, specialty Asian market that sells grocery items primarily from the Philippines. It’s operated /​owned by a very friendly Filipino family. The traditional Filipino dishes, which they serve daily, remind me of home cooked meals growing up! They have a Facebook page where they post the menu for the day. I try to stop by whenever they are serving pancit palabok, shanghai lumpia, kare kare, or crispy pata. I definitely recommend trying this place!

I wandered in here after recognizing the signage from a few other recent Unilocal reviews (shout out to Fred B once again). I inquired about lunch and the owner was so nice explaining the various dishes to me. I went with the lunch special ($ 6.95) which included a noodle dish (pinakbet), a delicious tangy pork stew (sinigang) along with an egg roll (lumpia) and white rice. This also came with a drink (bottles water or a few Pepsi product canned soda options). There was also a bitter melon and shrimp dish and some sort of dried fish, but the owner steered me towards the noodles instead since that is «what Americans like better». Kind of funny but Fred B. indicated the bitter melon is «an acquired taste» so I went with her recommendation on that.
I liked the food but it really didn’t wow me. I thought everything was on the heavy/​greasy side, especially the egg roll. And, with the exception of the pork stew, just didn’t feel that there was much flavor. The pork was excellent and very tender.
The prepared food is within the small market and there is a small row of about five seats on one side of the market so you can eat inside (as I did). The owner was so friendly and helpful. That was greatly appreciated as I was not familiar with the food or set up at all.
There are several aisles of pantry food options (different noodles, vinegars, sauce mixes, etc). The back of the store has a refrigerated and freezer section as well as some beauty products.

As Linda R. pointed out in her review of this relatively new place, Greensboro now has a place that offers some traditional Filipino dishes, food products, and drinks. It is a small, rather plain market located in the strip center that houses Jerusalem Market.
The market offers a variety of dry goods (noodles, etc), canned goods and sauces, spices, and some frozen fish and meat. But to me, the really interesting part is the small selection of freshly prepared, traditional Filipino dishes.
In the last 10 days or so, they have offered, at different times:
Kare-​Kare — a beef stew (often oxtail) with veggies in a peanut sauce (some recipes call for peanut butter as they do here).
Chicken Afritada — a tasty, colorful chicken stew cooked in a tomato sauce
Sinigang — a rather sour soup or stew with pork and veggies; tamarind and calamansi give it the sour taste.
Pinakbet — mixed veggies in fish or shrimp sauce, often with bitter melon.
Lumpia — traditional Filipino Spring Roll
Pansit Palabok — a noodle dish with shrimp, with a gravy
Turon — a snack of thinly sliced banana, brown sugar, & more in a spring roll wrapper
Torta Talong — Eggplant omelet
Tawa’t Baboy — boiled pork (maybe ears, pork belly) & fried tofu in a vinegar sauce
Sarsiadong Pompano — fried fish in a tomato based sauce
Letchon Paksiw — pork stew with vinegar, sugar, and liver sauce.
Chicken Adobo — chicken marinated and then cooked in vinegar, garlic, soy sauce
Arrozo Caldo — a congee of rice and chicken, onions, garlic, fish sauce
Ginataang Sitaw — fish & veggies cooked in coconut milk or cream.
So far, I’ve only tried the Kare-​Kare, the Pinakbet, and Fried Fish. The Pinakbet had shrimp and was tasty, but did have Bitter Melon in it, and I’m no big fan of that, an acquired taste I guess. The Kare-​Kare was tender and flavorful, though the peanut based sauce is rather rich. The fried fish was unusually in that the fish is fried whole and then cut into serving size pieces, and the piece I received included the head (see the picture), but it was very good, though more bone than meat.
The young lady at the counter was very pleasant, and very helpful. We’ll be back, much to try here, much to learn about Filipino cooking.

Awesome place! It is truly one of a kind and I hope they continue to be open. While Super G may be cheaper on some items, you won’t be able to find certain Filipino items anywhere else but here. They have a whole freezer dedicated to a variety of fish, cured meats, desserts, and frozen calamansi! Calamansi is a type of citrus fruit we use in the Philippines, it is basically our lime or lemon. They have tons of selection in noodle types and all kinds of spices. They also sell some cooked dishes that you can buy per pound or buy 2 entrees with white rice. They do a great job updating their facebook page with what they offer everyday as far as their menu. Overall, I will be back again and again.