Mama Zeny’s

Update! We went there today and they now serve all you can eat Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

I was a virgin to Filipino cuisine before trying this place, so I don’t have much to compare it to on the same plane. However, I’ve been very happy with my experiences here. All the food is prepped and then put in bins in a buffet behind the counter. My first time in, it wasn’t busy and I told the guy I had never had Filipino food, so he let me taste pretty much everything he had before I ordered. The staff are very friendly. There is a wide variety of flavors, and you can pick out influences of China and India in there. They’ll have a few different chicken and pork dishes, always including adobo, and usually some whole fried fish. Dine in and you can enjoy some Filipino soap operas while you eat!
On the upside, you can get two meats plus rice or pancit and a bottle of soda for less than ten bucks, so it’s a pretty good deal. Also, since the food is pre-​prepped, it’s a great quick place to get some exotic take-​out on the way home from work.
On the downside, food sitting in a buffet is never quite as delicious as freshly prepared. Also, be careful with the bone-​in chicken dishes, especially if you have kids. They hack up the bird with a cleaver, bones and all, so I got several smallish sharp pieces of bone that I had to pick out of my mouth.
This place is great for flavorful, interesting food, and fast.

I want to rate Mama Zeny’s as 4 or 5 stars so badly, but it would be disingenuous. I want Mama Zeny’s to keep a high rating so they attract more business and stay around. I’ve been crying about getting a Filipino restaurant on the Peninsula FOREVER.
The truth is Mama Zeny’s is good, but not great. Their building used to be a 7-​Eleven then a couple other ethnic eateries until Mama Zeny took over. The exterior looks like there’s Slurpees inside, but the interior is pretty nice. A little nicer than most Asian takeout-​type places. There’s plenty of seating.
The menu changes daily. On the day I visited they offered pork and chicken adobo, spicy pork, and pancit. I got a combo for $ 8 that consisted of pork adobo, double pancit, and 2 lumpia. I sampled the spicy pork and it was very good, but couldn’t be included in the lunch combo.
My pork adobo was perfect. The fat on the meat wasn’t chewy at all. It dissolved in my mouth with every bite. The pancit was delicious as well.
But who am I kidding? The #1 reason anyone should seek Filipino food is for the lumpia. Calling it the Philippines answer to the egg roll is downright disrespectful. If lumpia was a boxer it’d be Manny Pacquiao and egg rolls would be all those undercard no-​name boxers you see late night on HBO. Unfortunately, Mama Zeny’s lumpia was a little too greasy… and I can’t believe I’m saying this… a little too big. Lumpia should be compact and filled with Pinoy flavor, like the Pac-​Man.
I’ll visit again, but can’t say Mama Zeny satisfies my craving for a Peninsula version of Susan’s Kitchenette.

Nice family run authentic Filipino food. Yes. Had a whole fish (tilapia) with rice. 7.99 for the fish. Extra for rice. Pick two meets including chicken and pork adobo. Great spicy beeko (???). They have a pig ear dish too. Stewed meats rock.
Worth a trip to try something new.
Not far from the airport. 3 – 4 miles. Go!