Philippine Connection Carry Out Food

I ordered the veggie spring roll and had a free sample of the brown sugar sticky rice with coconut milk. Veggie spring rolls from trader joes tasted better than this $ 1 spring roll. As for the brown sugar sticky rice, I’m a huge fan of sweets and sticky rice but I wouldn’t have paid for this but it’s so cheap and fast to make.

I can’t speak for the phillipino authenticity of this place, but the food is good and cheap, and the people are so friendly!
I actually never came to this place before they completely re-​did it. A number of months ago, some junkie decided to park her car in the middle of the restaurant, and they were closed for quite a long time. But they put this little shack back together and fired the grills back up! I was impressed, and this suddenly became one of my go-​to spots when I forget to pack a lunch. I highly recommend!
First timers should grab the 4 meat house special. It’s a nice feed bag of popular items, and it’s quite awesome. Schedule a short afternoon siesta afterwards though…

Very good Filipino food. I got the pancit and lumpia. The lumpia was on par with what I grew up on with my friends who were Filipino, and the pancit wasn’t far from it. Good prices, and friendly staff. Just keep in mind that the information on their site is a little outdated, but that is mainly pricing. The prices are just a little different. Also, this place is cash only, so bring cash

This is awesome takeout. I’m not qualified to comment on how authentic it is or is not, but I can say if you’re in the mood for greasy-​yet-​fresh, salty, savory goodness, you can’t do better than Philippine Connection! I recommend the vegetable pancit bihon, beef lumpia, and especially the turkey eggrolls.

Yummy good. Don’t go if you are in a hurry, it will take a while to get your food because it is freshly made after you order. Easy 30 – 40 min wait. Call in your order, that seems to be the best way. With that said, the food is good, cheap, and portions are HUGE. Sweet people too!

I didn’t realize this place was in an apparently not so great part of town until we drove up. It didn’t bother me though since I lived in downtown San Antonio for years. The locale is pretty shabby but who cares! The food is awesome. We are not from Knoxville and were only here for military training so we did not order in advance. I advise you do so! They cook everything from scratch so our food took about 30 minutes to come out. The ladies who work there are super nice and the place is very popular.
I ordered the pancit guisado bihon and it was pretty good. I also ordered some fried rice with vegetables, beef, chicken, and shrimp. It was awesome! Both dishes came with an eggroll and the pancit came with a generous serving of white rice. The portions were huge that I had enough to eat for lunch the next day. This is Asian comfort food so don’t expect healthy… it is super greasy! But quite delicious… and very affordable. There is a lot of parking but make sure it’s daytime when you visit… especially if you are not from Knoxville. =)

Let me explain the single star: it’s NOT Filipino food.
I ordered «chicken adobo» and got a plate of chicken with onions and bell peppers doused in a bland, somewhat tangy sauce.
I have no problem with restaurants serving chicken/​vegetable stir-​fry and calling it, «chicken stir-​fry», but when you call it «adobo», then we have a problem.
I am a Filipino, and Adobo is our national dish, so I believe I can speak to the fact that the «adobo» that I was served earlier, is SO far-​removed from the actual dish, that there is no possible way this could deserve to be called adobo. In my 35 years on this planet, I have NEVER been served adobo that had onions and green bell peppers in it – until today at Philippine Connection. Adobo is a meat dish (classically chicken or pork), simmered in vinegar, soy sauce, black pepper, bay leaves and garlic. It is NOT supposed to have vegetables in it. I have no problem with vegetables — I eat them all the time — I just don’t want them in my adobo!!! Oh, and the sauce is supposed to be intense, made to be spooned over rice, not some watered-​down, cornstarch-​thickened sauce.
I was SO disappointed. :-(

This place really is super. As Sarah said, some of the dishes aren’t so different from classic Chinese offerings (like the beef and broccoli, for instance). However, this place also serves the Filipino classics, including adobo and chop suey and some other lesser known dishes like panci’t guisado canton (egg noodles with meat and vegetables), panci’t guisado bihon (thin rice noodles with meat and vegetables), and lumi noodles (comparable to ramen noodles). They also have a classic appetizer called the lumpia, which is essentially an egg roll filled just with some type of meat.
For all the entrees, you have your choice of chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, 4 meat, or vegetable and they’re served with rice and an eggroll. I had the panci’t guisado bihon with chicken and a vegetable eggroll and was thrilled with my meal. The food was inexpensive and absolutely delicious, and I was astonished by the generous portion size. My rice noodles were chocked full of veggies and lots of big chunks (not shreds or shriveled bits) of fresh chicken. I’m not necessarily a big fan of egg rolls, but this egg roll was exceptional — fresh and steaming hot. I could have happily eaten several more.
This may not be as fancy or intricately prepared as a meal at some other Asian restaurant in town, but this is simple Asian comfort food that’s as good as it gets. And no, the place isn’t glamorous; it’s a relatively small hole in the wall. But for food like this, who cares about the décor? The lady behind the counter is friendly and helpful; ask her for a paper menu so you can call in your order next time you go back!

Yummy!
Fresh food. I mean, spread out the dough for your egg rolls and fill it with cabbage while you wait fresh. I’ve never had anything like it.
I had never had Filipino food prior to my visit here and I have to say the experience was worth it. Their thing is that the food is fresh. Didn’t I mention that already? But it’s the kicker with Asian food because you so often don’t find that!
The dishes are fun and authentic. The lady who runs the place opened it in the 80s after moving here from the Phillipines. (There’s an old newspaper article on the wall with such historical information that makes for a fun read while you wait for your food. The quotes about cooking just like her mom and grandma did will absolutely melt your heart.). You’ll be eating stuff that pretty much resembles your typical Chinese fare (…but fresher!), but add a few different dishes authentic to the Phillipines. The lady behind the counter was so nice and helpful when we asked her what the different dishes are. We’re excited to go back and try the halo halo – a tropical fruit drink (they were out of one of the ingredients). The food we got (mushroom beef, fried rice, fried wontons (filled with meat, not with cream cheese like rangoons)) was all really amazing and… wait for it… fresh!
The locale is not fabulous. I mean, it is Magnolia Ave. I’d go for lunch too. But then the ladies behind the counter look like they could throw down, so, you know… Call ahead and pick up. Freshness means it takes a while. Three tables (two toppers) in the place (I never noticed the picnic tables) and it’s fun to listen to the ladies laugh it up in the back. It’s right next to Chilhowee park too so we drove over and ate while looking out over the water.
I’m excited to go back and try out more stuff!

This little restaurant is not in the best part of Knoxville and if you aren’t from here I would limit my visit to lunch time. BUT — the food is outstanding and you won’t find much authentic Filipino food in this town. The two Filipino ladies who manage the place and do all the cooking are very helpful if you have questions. The menu had every Filipino dish I knew and many many more. Although the name says carry out there are two small tables inside and two picnic tables out front if you want to eat here. The food’s good, the cooks are helpful, there is a place to eat here, but the neighborhood is a little rough. Try it for lunch.