Real Sarap

Came here for dinner one night with some friends. We all ordered the Combo Real (mine with noodles, others had rice). It was a great value — so much food for the price! They offer unique flavors that you won’t find elsewhere in Tally. I can’t speak to the quality of the beverages because I only had water, so I’m not sure about the soda fountain mishaps as mentioned in previous reviews. We also ordered sides of cheese fries, just for fun, and they were delicious. Service was friendly and patient (we took a few minutes to review the menu before ordering).
My only gripe was the quality of the meat. On my skewers and in the adobo, I was only able to eat about 50% of my meat because the rest was gristle/​fat, which was disappointing because the parts that were edible were delicious.

I really enjoyed my meal here. I got the Combo Deal to get a sample of the Filipino flavors, and it was delicious! The pork shush kabob was flavored perfectly and the chicken was so tender. It was definitely a home-​style meal with the side of rice that accompanied it. I also got the Lechon Kawali. It was good too but since had pork belly that was more tender than here. It was good with the sauce that came with it! I would come here again for sure to try different things.

Friendly service. My husband and I ordered the combo platter and an order of lumpias. The teriyaki skewer was my favorite part of the platter. The lumpias were underwhelming for me. I was really looking forward to them, but they were completely filled with pork and nothing else. I love pork, but it was a bit much. I then went to order a veggie roll but they were out. I’d be willing to give it another shot. For now, it was simply ok. 3 stars for service and potential.

The lumpia disappointed. They had very little carrot and cabbage, mostly pork and were a bit too greasy. The pansit (rice noodles) was tasty and was my favorite part of the combo platter. Service was not excellent but acceptable. The menu needs to be updated asap, several items were ‘not available’.

I have to admit that I didn’t know a thing about Filipino food before I set foot in Real Sarap. It’s safe to say that I’m hooked now. I’m a huge fan of their pork adobo, which is flat out addictive. The sticky rice dessert is very nice. The fried trotter is quite tasty (though a bit challenging to eat). The house pickles are delicious and I wish there were more of them. The fried pork belly has great flavor and nice crunch but can be a little on the dry side. My only complaint has been the flan, which is delicious but when ordered as take out is put in a container that leaks. Be careful!

I noticed the restaurant two days ago and was told it had been in business for six months. Boy, am I observant. The parking lot was completely empty and there was only one other person there, so I was nervous that perhaps the food wasn’t that good. Well, I was wrong!
If you are coming to the restaurant by driving west on Tennessee St., you’ll have to turn around as there isn’t a median division in front of the restaurant. (I turned around in the Popeye’s parking lot.)
I’ve never had Filipino food, so I can’t attest to the authenticity, but the food was VERY good. I let the counter attendant know that I had never been there nor had Filipino. She recommended the Combo Real, a combo platter that includes, Pork BBQ, a siomai (pork dumpling), egg roll, chicken adobo, and pancit (noodles) or rice. I chose the pancit instead of the rice, and I am so glad I did.
The pork and chicken meats were super tender and flavorful. For me the winner was the pancit, which I will definitely order again. The veggies (carrot and cabbage) in the pancit were crisp, and the noodles were firm, which indicated it was freshly cooked. The siomai (dumpling) and the egg roll were nothing special, but they weren’t bad. I wish there was a bite of fresh orange or fruit on the platter, but it was okay without it. I think next time I’ll order the fruit salad as a side. And I must try the halo halo. That looks amazing.
Price, with a soft drink — $ 11 (Enough food for two meals for me, making it a good value.)
Support this local business and let your friends know about it. I want to keep this place around until I try the Pork Blood Soup.

I went in today thinking that I better just go have a donut or two. On the walk towards a donut shoppe down the road my instincts told me to go look at the menu here.
The menu is not that expensive, and the dessert menu is pretty intriguing.
I got the opportunity to have fried rice and three spring rolls.
The menu has options on both spring rolls and egg rolls that come served in portions of 3.& 6.
Theres a little area with different
Sauce Rice wine, vinegar. and some other ones like ketchup and tobacco.
My server gave me a water cup, and about five minutes later I was served.
The rice was excellent. The spring rolls were hot, very hot. Theres a television inside and the room temperature was nice.

Decent Filipino joint. It’s so cheap too!
I ordered some chicken adobo and pancit. The man at the restaurant was nice enough to make it a combo for me since it usually comes with white rice but I wanted pancit instead. They gave so much food that it was enough to feed an army. And it cost less than $ 7. Boy!
I really liked their pancit. The chicken adobo was average. I’ve deff had better! Maybe I’ll try the pork adobo next time. I also got to try some BBQ pork satay at the Asian Festival. It was super delish! I’m a fan! The Lumpia egg roll was crispy and very good too.
Overall, legit Filipino food. I’ll come back.

Tough one, but the tie (5^th star) goes to the restaurant. Why the debate? I’ll explain.
First the food: simply amazing. We all tried food items we had never had before. I, the super adventurous one, had the pork blood stew — and was blown away. Delicious! My wife and two kids even liked it (though the thought of it kinda spooked my daughter).
The kids shared the Combo Real and the wife had BBQ pork skewers. We also shared an order of the egg rolls. All of this was so good!
The service was very kind and friendly. The woman behind the register was patient with us as we had never been here before, and the man serving the food from the kitchen was a really nice guy. Everyone seemed very eager to please and make sure we got something we liked.
Here is the only issue I had. So many items on the menu board had tape across it saying it wasn’t offered anymore. To top that off, 3 of the sodas on the fountain were taped off saying «Out». Kinda felt like the place was closing, with such a limited menu.
After grabbing a take-​out menu to study for my next visit, I also noticed that some menu items were blacked out. I’m assuming it is cheaper to mark items off that are not being carried anymore rather than to buy new menus and a menu light board. I can’t explain the soda issue though. Those two items together gave a weird feeling, but as noted at the beginning of this review, I let it go.
If you are feeling adventurous, or even just want a solid meal that isn’t as «out there» as you may think (pork blood soup DOES sound strange to many of us), then you definitely need to go here.

This place was amazing. I had the combo real and various desserts that were all fantastic. The employees are kind and there is such an authentic and family oriented vibe you feel as soon as you walk into the place. I encourage everyone to try this place out!!!

The lime green building on Tennessee Street will capture your attention. The menu inside will capture your imagination. Some of our closest friends are Filipino, and eating at Real Sarap is just like going to their house for dinner (ok…so we don’t order from a counter at our friends house…). When you enter the place is not all that much to look at: clean, spacious, functional. Don’t be shy: make your way to the counter where you will see the menu on brightly lit boards on the wall accompanied by pictures of some of the food. In a rather odd approach, you place your order here, have a seat, and then they will bring your food to you (although I don’t think it would be too difficult for them to take orders at each table and upgrade the eating experience).
For a newbie the best thing to order is their Combo Real meal. It’s a large platter of lumpia (Filipino egg rolls), chicken or pork adobo (which is like a Filipino stew), bbq pork skewers, and a dumpling. You can also have it served with either white rice (good, but boring) or pansit, an amazing Filipino noodle dish that is light, fluffy, and very, very tasty. There are lots of other fantastic dishes to try, but this would be a great start. And if you like dessert, its hard to beat Turon, which is a banana dessert egg roll. Sticky and sweet.
Oh! And if you are a bread junkie (as I am), make sure you try their Pandesal. A sweet bread that they make fresh (and which you likely need to order in advance). it makes fantastic toast.
It is great to have even more ethnic food choices in Tallahassee!

I really would like to like this place, wish the restaurant well, and hope that they stay in business. The food is authentic and very good, but the dining experience could be improved upon.
First, you place your order at the counter. The menu on the board should be simple and clear enough that you should be able to make a decision on what you want to order in 45 seconds, or less. It is not! I have no problem — I am Filipino. But to others who are not familiar with Filipino cuisine, a sit-​down style atmosphere with menus at the table should be considered.
Did I mention the food is authentic? Yes, it is! However, the food’s presentation could use more color, (as in) more vegetables in the entrée, side dish, and garnish. As a friend who ordered the sampler said, it was «all meat and starch».
Ditch the blaring TVs please, and showcase Philippine landscape and music.
And finally, San Miguel Beer is not available. «San Migs» would be a nice paring to go with their «Sisig» and «Crispy Pata». There is a small El Salvadoran restaurant across the street (El Viroleno) that serves several kinds of «cervezas». Real Sarap’s patrons would benefit if they do the same.
If you want authentic and really good Filipino food, Real Sarap nails it! Let’s hope that their patrons’ dining experience improves. For now, I’ll call in my order and do take-​out.

Grew up in the Philippines and can attest to this place being legit. The thing that really took me back was the lechon-​baboy (BBQ pork) sticks. Just like buying from a cart in Manila, talaga! Filipino food is wide and varied — but the folks at Real Sarap bring you some of the gold standards like adobo. After bringing some of my Gringo friends, what you can expect is a lot of tart+umami (it’s a word, look it up). Oh, and don’t forget to put some of the pinakurat (spiced vinegar) on your rice!

Don’t get me wrong but after I bought meals from this place several times, I’m expecting that their meal is going to be better, but the flavor is getting worse every time I go here.
Being a perfectionist that I am, having tasted the best foods I have ever tried. This doesn’t come close to my, my family and friends’ cooking at all.
I’m happy to know though that we’ve got a filipino restaurant here in Tallahassee, but I’d rather do my own food instead and I know, majority of the filipinos will say the same thing.
I don’t see myself going back in this place, even my other friends who have tried my dishes said the same thing, they’re not coming back. They’d rather wait for me to make some for them than wasting their money on something that doesn’t satisfy their taste buds.
I’ve ordered their chicken adobo, to each time I take a bite on the chicken meat? There are shards of bones and that’s very risky if you swallow it. I don’t even think they wash the chicken before they cook it, to remove any small chunks of loose bones cuz that’s what I do before I cook a chicken with bones, adobo shouldn’t supposed to be soupy and has leeks. Last time I ordered that same dish, they put ginger in it, wtf?!
I didn’t ordered just that, trust me. I’ve ordered some of their dishes and they didn’t meet my standards at all.
Sorry, I’m not being a hater, I’m just being honest. I want the best for this restaurant, but if they can’t cook the way it should suppose to be? Why bother spending my money on the food i cant even swallow? I don’t see myself nor my friends would come here, probably ever again.
It’s like you’re craving for a chocolate cake, an there’s lots of garlic in it. That’s how it is like eating there.
Sorry, you cannot make me eat here anymore, even if its free. I’d rather eat where it’s really worth the money that I am paying for.

This is a good place to have lunch. I had the Combo Real sampler for lunch. Replacing the vegetable roll with a lumpia was not a problem. The staff was very nice, and made suggestions when I asked. Almost everything on my plate was very well prepared (the exception was the pansit, which was just OK — which is weird because it is the easiest thing to make on the plate).
They have daily specials that looked great, and I was peeking at all of the other customers dishes, and they also looked really good. I am going back, probably until I try everything on the menu. I grew up in Jacksonville Beach, which has a large Filipino community, so the food I had for lunch certainly reminded me of many of the meals I ate as a kid at friends’ houses.

Finally! Filipino food in Tallahassee! Being from the West Coast/​SoCal & Pinay, I though that their menu was a tiny bit different from what I expected and is presented in a different style (more restaurant style than cafeteria style), but they offered a cool and different selection than what I am used to. The fresh Lumia was a delicious experience. The lechon kawali is crispy and super tasty. The yummy shumai taste like they are made «in-​house» and are filling. Also, the BBQ on a stick is so satisfying (yet pricier than I’ve been used to– but it Tallahassee and I will pay the extra just to have the comfort food). If you’re missing Filipino food, you can find a taste of home here! So happy to have them in town!

As a Filipino, the food tastes exactly what it should taste. If I was to compare it to a homecooked meal by mom, it won’t even come close to mom’s cooking. When tasting the food, it is missing something to take the flavor to another level. Don’t get me wrong, the food is not horrible, but at the same time it is not amazing. Real Sarap would be a great place, if I was really craving Filipino food and have not had it in a while.
When I went I ordered Pork Sinigang, Chicken Adobo, and Lechon. I tasted my roommate’s meal as well. He ordered Dinuguan, Pancit, and Sisig.
The Pork Sinigang came out hot and a good amount of broth. I only wish it was more sour. The Chicken Adobo was good. The Lechon was good, too, but had a lot more fat than meat.
As for my roommate’s food. Pancit is pancit and you can’t really mess it up. The Dinuguan and Sisig was good.
Like I said before, it is goooooood, BUT not great. I would definitely go again though.

First timer with Filipino cuisine, and I didn’t bother learning about it prior to our lunch today so I went in cold. This place squarely faces El Viroleño on Tennessee street and offers unique menu items the likes of which were new to me. Three of us (my two oldest joined me) came and ordered: Combo Real, Chicken Inasal and chicken wings. My combo was delicious. A skewer of barbecued pork accompanied by stewed chicken, pancit (think vermicelli but a micron or two thicker), egg roll, pork dumpling. Very nice. Son’s chicken Inasal was very tasty (marinaded/​grilled chicken quarter) with white rice. Daughter’s chicken wings were fine, but so are chicken wings at any number of places (point being that they didn’t scream out «Filipino cuisine».
After I ordered and enjoyed the meal, I realized I had glossed over parts of the menu that I wish I hadn’t. The first menu block on the right offers daily specials. Today’s was Filipino menudo. I’ll try that some other time.
«short order» options are intended to be shared dishes — where four people might opt for three, etc.
Hola hola was a curious dessert and, reading another review, I understand it’s quite traditional so we ordered it. Huge! It is good but completely foreign. A colorful dish consisting of shaved ice, condensed milk, mango, boiled sweet beans, jello-​ish ingredient, hominy, and purple ice cream. The key is to REALLY mix it — otherwise, you’re destined for bouts of freeze-​brain.
One minor irritant, understandable during the first week. My combo was delivered nearly 10 minutes before the two other dishes. It would have been better for the point-​of-​sale to communicate to the kitchen that the three were for one table. That way, we’d all eat together. Again, minor (but a peeve that nonetheless merits mention).
We’ll be back!

I’ll be the first to admit I’m a newb to authentic Filipino cuisine. Nevertheless, Real Sarap offers a real treat to not only newcomers like myself, but natives, too.
Fun fact, when driving west on Tennessee Street, you won’t be able to make a left hand turn into the parking lot, so a U-​turn will be a necessity at some point. But once you walk in, it’s pretty straightforward. You order at the counter and one of the staff members will call your name when your food is ready.
I ordered the first item on the menu, «The Combo Real, a taste of everything.» I’m a sucker for samplers. This includes steamed rice or pansit (order the pansit, a type of noodle), pork BBQ, siomai, an egg roll or veggie roll, and adobo. The pansit contained a few vegetables and cubes of meat. It’s a must. The pork BBQ was super tender and melted in my mouth. Siomai, essentially a meat-​filled dumpling, was spectacular. I could’ve eaten an entire plate. The egg roll was slim, but not short on flavor. It paired well with the sweet chili sauce. The kicker though was certainly the adobo. The depth of flavor was intense, sophisticated and was prepared by an expert.
Real Sarap isn’t fine dining, but the food is impressive. It’s a great experience to dine in a restaurant where all your senses are gathered. Also, the food is extremely affordable; you can walk out without burning a hole in your wallet. Kudos!

When my wife (who is from the Philippines) and I saw the sign that announced this restaurant a few weeks ago, we could not have been more excited since we have always hoped for a Filipino establishment to open a sit-​down restaurant. Our hopes were happily confirmed this evening as we had supper on the establishment’s second day open.
Real Sarap is a simple place, nothing fancy or overwhelming. In fact, the décor is comfortably basic, ideal for a lunch crowd that will certainly keep the place busy once the word gets out. As well, it is perfect for a quick supper that is very reasonably priced and offers a plentiful portion.
My wife and I started off with vegetable lumpia for the appetizer. They were very fresh, and perfectly fried without being greasy. They were a bit salty for my personal taste, but still very delicious. The dipping sauce was just right.
My entrée was named TapSiLog, a plate that contained a nice dome of perfectly-​made rice, a fried egg, a small cup of pickled cabbage and carrot, and a good mound of well-​marinated diced steak. At first glance it did not look like much, but soon I found it to be very satisfying. This entrée is highly recommended!
My wife had something named Pinakbet — with squash, eggplant, okra, ginger, and a sauce made from shrimp paste. It also includes bitter gourd, which is a vegetable that is not easy on the westernized palate! Still, she absolutely loved it. Note that this entrée does not come with rice, so you may want to order that as a side dish.
For dessert, we had Halo Halo, which is a bowl filled with all sort of things — crushed ice, then topped with cherries, coconut jelled cubes, a purple ice cream, beans, corn, flan, and who-​knows-​what-​else! It may seem odd at first, but it was quite good. My wife definitely enjoyed it, saying that it reminded her of the Halo Halo from her youth. That alone is a top endorsement!
The menu is filed with a good selection of entrees, with prices that are very reasonable (most of them being under $ 10). There are kids meal options, too. They also have a special order of Lechon, which is a whole pig cooked up over a fire. This needs to be arranged ahead of time (and subject to availability) and is priced by weight. If you have never had this before, it is worth the time to plan ahead!
Drinks include the usual soft drinks, sweet tea, and flavored tea, as well as coffee and hot chocolate. From what I could see, no alcohol beverages are available.
They do take-​out orders and will take orders by phone and email for this. I also noted that they have accounts on social media, with Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Definitely follow them!
Overall, we are very, very pleased with Real Sarap and will certainly be back. We highly recommend it.