Lola’s Kusina

3.5 stars for good Filipino food. I’m biased because, of course, my dad cooks the best Filipino food :). Most of their dishes are pretty on point. Not too salty buuut definitely greasy. I’m still trying to master Filipino cooking the way I’ve had it growing up so when I’m craving something quick and reminiscent, I’ll be coming here.

only one star because i had to put one. the worst filipino food I’ve ever had in my entire life. the pancit was aaaaaall noodles with no taste at all. the Kare-​Kare was horrific… the meat tasted like it was from a can or like it was cooked over a few times. the chicharon wasn’t crunchy, more like dry and hard… i thought i lost a tooth biting into it. the adobo (i just found out it was adobo after asking my mom what she ordered) didn’t even taste like adobo. even the sauces had no taste !!! amazing… disappointed that filipinos are represented in this way here. never again.
good thing we have good ol fashioned spam and rice at the house. mmmmm.
sorry Lola’s … you’re nothing like my lola.

My first time@ Lola’s I had the pinachbet/​pork adobo/​dinoguan pancit combo plate. It was so Ono the flavor/​texture was good. I’m from Hawaii and the food reminds me of Helenas in Waipahu very tasty. I recommend this Filipino restraunt to all my friends.

Definitely not the best I ever had BUT not completely terrible. Came here with the family and ordered to go since the place is fairly small inside. Nice nice staff. Not a super huge menu of items. Disappointed with small dessert choices… I think they had one. Lumpia was good to me — the beef. Other members of my family said it was not their favorite. At least it is fried fresh. Pansit was not my favorite. Was a bit too salty. Didn’t have shrimp either. We probably would not come back but certainly happy to try a new place. Wish their were more Filipino places in this area.

Wow you must try it real Pilipino Asian food so tasty so delicious I’ve been here twice but I’m going back again I will recommend it to anyone who loves Pilipino foods

Really delicious authentic food. So much bang for your buck and the service is great.

Fast and inexpensive. They also have a few authentic off menu items as well so don’t be afraid to ask. Nice staff and the different smells were a reminder of happy childhood memories eating home made Filipino food. Will definitely be coming back.

I have been to this place three times in the last few weeks. I love it. The servings are large and the prices are low. The food tastes so good. The meats are tensor. The services is always friendly and polite. I definitely will return.

The food and the service is outstanding at Lola’s. I only have one complaint, I don’t know what’s on the menu each day and I have a few favorites but never know when they will have them. However anything I’ve had from here has been tasty! I definitely recommend their lumpia in any size!

I’ve been here a few times now. Located in a strip mall, a small cozy place. I like this type of food, you know the type. Stewed meats, some veggies poured over rice. Great flavors and spices. Is salt a spice? My only ding is that this grub is really salty. They have some dishes you wouldn’t think of eating till you get there. A lot of choices for sure.
They seem to rotate the entrees but if the squid is there it’s a must try.
Last words… do it.

I always love coming her for my Filipino cravings! The service is good, and the area is clean. Food is always warm, and prices are very reasonable!

I’ve been trying so hard to go here the past couple weeks. I don’t get out of work till ⁷⁄₈ and they’re closed and my only day off is Monday. However, they are closed! I really want halo halo! Please fix these hours!!!

One thing that I would say I dislike about moving to Monterey is the lack of Filipino cuisine available. The difference in various cuisine availability compared to Los Angeles is truly night and day. I must admit that I have made several treks to «nearby» cities like San Jose and Stockton just to have more decent Filipino dishes. That is still the case but when the driving becomes less desirable… I turn to this little cute spot on Reservation Rd.
Lola’s Kusina is really the best that there is around here. I mean… there are two other nearby spots you could try but I’m sure they will disappoint in comparison to what this little spot has to offer.
True to the Turo-​Turo style Filipino joints, they have quite an offering that isn’t shy to showcase the more popular dishes in Filipino cuisine. I do come here quite often and have tried most of the dishes and I *ONLY* have two things to point out:
1. The food is on the OILY side. This is normal in Filipino cuisine… but if you’re new to it, let’s just say… it’s done the traditional way here. Ordering a combo? You might want to choose the plain rice instead of the garlic or pancit (think «chow-​mein» for those who don’t know) and you would spare yourself at least a tablespoon of oil.
2. They use close-​to-​raw GINGER in their sisig, which honestly… overpowers every other flavor. While I don’t think they are going to fix this anytime soon… let me give you a tip. Like sisig? Order this to go, remove ALL ginger bits you can find, add a little vinegar or lime, and put it in your toaster oven (or bake it if you want). It will magically taste better right after.
If you’re not from the area… and come from more Filipino-​populated areas like Stockton, SF, or LA, let me be CLEAR that they aren’t as good. But if you ever get those cravings (some of you know what I mean), please come here and skip the other spots in Monterey county. They will disappoint you *LESS* than the others will.
Unilocal 100: ⁶⁹⁄₁₀₀

My wife loves the sinigang here and their fried rice, I always get the lechon. Nice to have a Filipino restaurant to hit up if we feel lazy to cook. They always give big portions so we love to always come back. Nice to dine in once in a while even tho it’s not a chain restaurant, it has a comfortable eating area.

Today I tried Filipino food for the first time so my review is based on how much I liked it, not how authentic it was :). Well I really liked it! I was walking around Marina yesterday & saw this place & decided to try it, but I had no idea what to try so I contacted my cousin who use to live in the Philippines. She made some great suggestions, so I went for it! I tried pansit (which is noddles w/​veggies & a bit of meat in it), chicken adobo (slow cooked in soy sauce & vinegar), lumpia (an egg roll with ground beef, peas, corn & carrots) & halo-​halo (a drink with fruit, jello, beans, shaved ice & topped with yam ice cream). Everything was very good! The chicken was super tender & moist. The noodles were good, but not fantastic & I figured they would be my fav since I love noodles! The lumpia was very good & I wasn’t sure when I cut into it to cool it down & saw what was inside! Then I had the halo-halo…it was very, very good! It kinda reminded me of a healthy fruity version of a bubble tea sundae! I had the choice of coconut, mango or yam ice cream. Well the other two were super hard to turn down since I love those flavors, but I’d never had yam! So glad I stepped out & tried it, yum! My only problem with this place is that they give you so much food that you just can’t possibly eat it all!

Lola’s Kusina is better than my own lola’s kusina. Yeah, I said it.
If you’re looking for fancy, this isn’t the place. Lola’s is kinda like the Filipino Panda Express. The food is in pans behind the counter. Let them know how many choices, if you want rice/​pancit/​both and watch them pile on the food. My favorites are the sinigang and the nilaga. Today I got both with pancit and rice, and a soda for around $ 8. I’ve made 3 meals of it.
Lumpia is fried when you order it so give it a few minutes to cook.
The service is always pleasant (unless it’s the son-​in-​law working, he’s quite rude). They even remind me to top off my soda before I go.

I went here about once a week when I was stationed in Monterey.
The restaurant is small and plain, but it’s clean. Then again, I haven’t really ever been to a Filipino restaurant that WASN’T small and plain The food itself is what you’d get at your Filipina auntie’s house. Not as great as my mom’s cooking, but typical of Filipino restaurants. Pretty substantial portions here.
The owner of this place is super sweet and very helpful. There is one younger girl that works here, not sure if she’s related to the owners, but I can’t say she’s as pleasant as they are, and the reason for the three stars because she often serves me cold food.
Regardless, this is the best Filipino place in the Monterey area, though that may not be saying much since there aren’t very many.

Lumpia!!! Enough said!!! I come regularly to Lola’s Kusina to buy her delicious Lumpia. I have tried all of them: pork, beef, chicken, and vegetarian. I enjoy them all, but I would say that pork is the best.
The price is great and the owner is always super nice.
The restaurant is small and I think it is clean. I have never tried anything different and this review is just for the lumpia,

Just polished off Round 1 of Lola’a beef & chicken lumpia that I picked up today. It was a potluck for one today :-) These large meat and vegetable-​packed Filipino egg rolls were so good, attaining that delicate balance and blend of seasoned meat, sautéed garlic and vegetables (corn, shredded carrots, onions and cabbage), all enveloped in a crispy, flakey lightly-​coated wrapper. Served with a scintillating sweet and sour chili sauce and I was in the throes of happiness :-)
Round 2 coming up soon… real soon. Still have about 5 more lumpias (and some dipping sauce) to finish off.

Its a shame that Monterey doesn’t have more Filipino restaurants/​food places. My friend, who is Filipino, recommended I try Lola’s Kusina.
I went there this past Sunday around 5:20ish to an empty restaurant. I assume that it was partly due to the gloomy rainy weather and the fact that they were 30mins from closing. The food definitely looked like it had been sitting out for some time but thankfully most of their items are bathing in a sauce or broth.
Since I have no idea how to spell what I ordered or know what exactly it was I’ll do my best to explain.
I ordered the Three Combo Plate for $ 10 total with tax
Choice of Steamed Riced or Punsit or ½ & ½ like I opted
Pork Adobo: delicious, savior and plentiful
Beef/​Tomatoes/​Potatoes: tender, flavorful, and once again plentiful
Sinigang (pork & bok choy soup w/​tamarind) soup: had a great sour
flavor and really comforting.
All three entrees were reminiscent of things that I have tried previously at my friend’s parent’s house. There was definitely a comfort in the food that I enjoyed and I’m sure if it was made fresh the food could really deliver.
Overall Thoughts
Comfort food just can’t be delivered buffet style but I see vast potential for Lola’s if they were able to shift to an actual dining experience.