Kabayan

This is the second time and the last time. I ordered sisig (it was delicious), lumpiang Shanghai which is okay, chicharon bulaklak, kilawin (they forgot to serve) and panga ng tuna that is too expensive for a small piece. They divided the tuna into four pieces. Trust me, I know how it looks like coz I grew up eating tuna in my hometown. Plus on top of it, they charged us $ 20.00 for a small piece of dry, burnt and smelly tuna. They should remove the tuna from their menu of they don’t know how to cook it the proper way. Be careful and stay away from this place if you don’t want your day to be ruined.
Oh! I forgot to mention that the service is awful. We waited for almost 5 mins for the server to take our order. The place was empty except for the lady next to us.

Tried their breakfast menu but was disappointed. Menu M-​7 misleading with corned beef and milkfish combo written but what came out was only cornsilog (without milkfish). Bulalo we ordered was a huge serving! It was tasty! Service can be better. Ok to try but not coming back to this place again.

Best Filipino restaurant in the USA! We had sinigang na baboy, binagoongan rice, inihaw na pampano, pork barbecue, krispy pata, and halo halo. All delicious. Service was great too.

The food not as good as at other filipino places… service was ok. The juice was the best from the entire meal lol

Me & my bf wanted to try this place again. We’ve been here once & had the bad experienced. Food was great but service is bad. I just thought to give it another try because maybe they changed but surprisingly it got WORSE!
Heres what happened. We walked in & no one bothered to notice that we were standing there waiting to be seated. So we seated ourselves & sat for a little over 5 minutes watching one person serving a table & 2 to 3 waitresses busy chatting with each other behind the counter.
While we were sitting there with no menu, no water & no service whatsoever, my bf said out loud to me «do you just want to go to Tito Rads?» which was right next door and that’s exactly what we did. We just got up and walked right out.
I barely give 1 star to restaurants but this is one of the worse experience I’ve ever encountered with. To be honest I’m 100% filipino and never thought that I would experience something like this in a filipino restaurant. Personally I would suggest going to Tito Rads, they provide great food and best of all, great service.

Omg this place is so ridiculously yummy. . Never had such great food and great service, all the waitress and waiters were super nice. .they had stuff ready and set for us even when we were 1 hr late for our reservation!
Must go A+++++++

Every Filipino restaurant has a dish that people keep returning for. At Ihawan, it’s the pork barbecue. Kyrstal’s offers the tastiest breakfasts. Tito Rad’s has it’s panga ng tuna. And Kabayan has it’s bulalo. It was an enormous portion that was especially impressive looking when it arrived at the table. It was delicious, and everyone enjoyed it! Other notable dishes were the bangus sisig and seafood kare kare: both very strong choices! The laing left something to be desired, but to be fair I am comparing it to my mom’s version which is the best I’ve ever had. Pancit and tortang talong were average. Halo halo, however, was awesome!
The ambiance in Kabayan is hectic. The restaurant is on the smaller side and when it gets busy, there’s a lot going on in a cramped space that might leave some feeling claustrophobic. My best recommendation is to come during off hours, or just take your order to go.

The best Filipino food in town. Lechon kawali, kare kare, and fresh lumpia are a must. They’re also famous for their bulalo (soup with a huge piece of bone beef) if you’re looking for Filipino food, this is the place.

Kabayan gave me my first taste of Filipino food, and has made me a fan for life.
I came here with 5 friends on a Wednesday night, and it was pretty empty so we were seated promptly. The waitstaff were quick to get us our drink orders. We had one awesome waitress, who was super friendly and cheerful, and made us feel right at home. We placed our very large order and all the food came out very quickly.
The food was sooooooo delicious! Many of the foods are fried, but not greasy. All of the dishes were varied and the flavors were delicious. There are a lot of unique menu options, like a pork blood stew and fried intestines, which are apparently Filipino staples. For the more conventional eater, there are more recognizable options as well, like pancit (stir fried noodles) and lumpia (spring rolls). For dessert, DO NOT MISS the fried plantains!!! It is absolutely heavenly.
The only thing better than the great food is the great value. 6 drinks, 2 appetizers, 1 soup, 5 entrees, 2 large orders of rice, and 2 desserts + tax/​tip worked out to $ 28pp! How can you go wrong with prices like that?
My only (minor) complaint is that the service was a bit slow after our food was brought out. It would’ve been nice if the waitstaff came by to refill waters, clear empty plates, and the like, but it’s certainly not unforgivable and won’t stop me from coming back for more Filipino amazingness!

I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy Kabayan’s food on a few different occasions. On a particularly long and difficult day, I hopped on the 7 train from Grand Central to Woodside for a dose of comfort food. After a generous helping of rich and tasty sizzling sisig over garlic rice plus a big bowl of halo halo to boot, I came pretty close to erasing the trauma of that day. On another occasion, I came here for a no-​holds barred feast with some food-​loving friends, for which we ordered a lechon ahead of time but still ordered a multitude of treats from the menu: tuna belly, bulalo, crispy pata, green mango salad, sisig, and more. We definitely over-​ordered but I was more than happy to take home the left over lechon, which we turned into delicious paksiw the next day. My latest brush with Kabayan was at a friend’s party, which was celebrated with a 30-​pound lechon ordered from this spot. This lechon was pretty perfect: crisp skin and tender meat delectably flavored with lemongrass and garlic. Quite possibly the best lechon I’ve had outside of the motherland.
So why drop one star? Kabayan doesn’t serve alcohol, and beer is mandatory for legit sisig and lechon consumption. Get that beer license and this spot will be perfect.
Tip: My Mom always tells me not to shop on an empty stomach. Take it from a Pinay mom and avoid going on a shopping spree at their snack bar before you’ve had a full meal, otherwise you’ll be unable to resist filling your arms with Boy Bawang, pan de sal, puto, kuchinta, and all the other tempting snacks sold here!

There are legends like Krystals, Ihawan and Renee’s Kitchenette all based in Woodside/​Elmhurst, Queens. All are staples in the neighborhood and all familiar with who has the best of what.
Now there is Kabayan. Located outside of «FILIPINO» section of the 7 Train Line.
The food is 5 stars, if there we’re more, i’d give it! This restaurant is so good, I use my cheat days during my weight loss journey to come here.
The food is not oily, well priced and serving size is amazing. They are definitely not cheap with the ulam.
Kare kare is by far my favorite and of course lumpia.
With the food being amazing, it is also matched with an amazing staff. All are friendly and courteous. They don’t get pissed or simangot when you ask for water.(pet peeve)
The only negative thing i can write is that it is ruining my diet lol…
Visit and try it! Don’t forget to order tortang talong. :)

Okay, I had to read the previous reviews because I couldn’t understand why after the amazing meal I just had & the kind treatment I received from the owner & staff, this place doesn’t have a solid 4 — 5 stars.
Well, the Sisig na Bangus was amazing! it had a nice citrus like flavor. And it’s a welcomed alternative for those who don’t or can’t eat the regular pork Sisig. The flavors were pronounced yet balanced — I wanted to order another midway thru that one. The garlic rice was okay, it was very flavorful, but the texture was kind of hard & a bit dry and honestly was not worth $ 7.95, it should’ve costed about ½ that price in my opinion considering cost & labor. The halo-​halo was very good. There was a nice mélange of different fruits, flavors, sweet beans, and different textures. I really enjoyed it.
My experience with the staff was okay, I see where there is much to be desired by way of service and the noise level coming from the kitchen. There was a lot of loud music, loud singing, yelling back & forth to each other. Initially, I figured the kitchen sounds like their happy doing what they do… Which reflects on the food they serve.
But I have to admit after awhile it took away from the dining experience, if you’re on a date or just trying to unwind the noise can be a distraction. The service I got was attentive pretty much.
The owner was very attentive & eager to explain the different regions of the Philippines which is why the food is soo diverse. She also pointed out what was really good on they’re menu & explained the different desserts & pastries they offer. And it turned out to be her birthday to boot, I’d have never known cause she was all business as usual. She was very cool, you can tell she really loves the place & takes pride in her establishment & culture. I appreciated the time she took to speak to me & share her knowledge & culture with me.
In closing, yes the staff needs some formal training on how to run the restaurant professionally. They are not a classically trained wait staff soo service is a hit or miss, but they are very nice kids over all. One thing I can say is that not only did I get ice water immediately when I sat down. But then she left a carafe on the table. If you’re too snobby too overlook a few «beginner mistakes» then listen to the other Unilocalers, but if you can be forgiving like me & you want really great tasting authentic food, go there, you won’t be disappointed…

The food is really good but they seem so petty on certain things vs Crystal’s café. Before Crystal changed their breakfast all day serving– even if I arrived pass the time — Crystal always accommodated me. Free soup or bread, lots of milk for my coffee and sometimes even free coffee.
However, in Kabayan they refused to give me my free coffee but served breakfast pass 11am. They refused to change the price when all I wanted was champorado minus the tuyo, and also they only gave me a little tiny milk (2 table spoon) in another cup. Their coffee didn’t even taste flavorful– burnt!
I am not being cheap. My friend and I are at this restaurant almost everyday spending $ 50 or more and I have receipts to prove it.
Tell me where is the logic here — breakfast is served 8 – 11 am. I arrived 11:20am and you still serve me breakfast but you refused to give me with it the free coffee. Hello on top of that I ordered 4 other dishes!!! The least you could do is give me coffee! Also the servers are not so attentive. Seriously… a server having a low low low pants where you can see his underwear and butt. Not a good place for it. Let’s see what DOH will say about this.
For this Cherry sorry I plan to take my business back with Crystal café again

Our first time trying this place. Food is just right. Good flavors. Loved the camaron rebosado (shrimp tempura), the chicharon bulaklak is perfect, we tried the bangus Sisig and it was delicious! The chicken BBQ was flavorful! Will come back again!

Came here a day before Thanksgiving and it was packed! Food was good comparable to Tito rads, what stood out was their sizzling bangus, (much tastier than the one at House of Inasal, but still good).
Service on the other hand was slow… The table next to us only order 3 mins before us. By the time they finish their food, ours didn’t even come out yet. We had to nudge the waiter to remind him of our orders.
He then brought out 3 entrees out of 6 we ordered. By the time we finish our first 3 entrees, we had to wait again for our other 3 entrees but we realized it wasn’t going to come out unless we remind them again. Sure enough, they bought our last 3 entrees out when we asked, the food was warm going cold.
The waiter and waitress is nice, just wished they were more organized. It seems like none of them were assigned to our table. But it may have been because we made our orders through the owner (which I don’t recommend!) She seems to have too much going to be taking orders as well… So perhaps that’s why our orders where over looked.
Would come back on a less busier day.

They wouldn’t let us get the Kamayan night because it was only me and my husband. Oh we’ll never coming back again from Ohio. Should have gone next door to Tito Rad’s instead!
Another thing. Items ordered are not what you’re going to get. Ugh. Was so looking forward until we got here.

When we first walked into Kabayan we knew right then and there this was going to be something special. The sound of people speaking Tagalog and the sweet sound and smell of the sizzling platters passed us by as we were waiting to be seated.
We arrived here 15 minutes after 8pm, figuring the crowds should be light for a Sunday evening, Wrong! It was packed! Fortunately for us we only waited about 10 minutes to secure a nice table.
For starters I ordered the Sago’t Gulaman drink, a refreshing mixture of soft tapioca pearls, crushed ice and brown sugar. The menu was pretty impressive and we used the Pictures and reviews from fellow Unilocalers to help us get an idea of what we should order.
We noticed how large the size of the orders that were coming out of the kitchen, but I was not going to let that deter me from ordering too light. I came to eat! We ordered the following:
Crispy Pata — You can’t leave a Filipino restaurant without eating this! Large chunk of crispy, crunchy and delicious pork. The vinegar based dipping sauce was perfect.
Daing Na Bangus — I never had milkfish before but from this day forward it will be on my food list. The fish was served on a sizzling hot plate, they took the meat from the fish and chopped it up finely and mixed in garlic, peppercorns and other seasonings. I squeezed fresh lemon over the fish and mixed it in well. The fish was sweet and delicious.
Siningang Na Tadyang — a delicious soup with 2 humongous size beef shanks, potatoes and mixed greens infused with peppercorns and tamarind. The soup was hearty and smooth, the beef ribs were fall off the bone tender. A definite must order!
Now the service could have used some improvement since they were slow to take our order, and didn’t clear some of the scraps from our table when we were finished. Overall everyone working here was polite and friendly.
Parking can be a challenge with 1 hour meters and restricted parking during certain hours of the day, but trust me the food is definitely worth the minor hassle.

Please excuse the brevity of my review, as I quickly stopped in for a breakfast meal to go. I’d promised to return for dinner, but time just hasn’t been on my side as of late.
Very open and spacious dining area allows for parties of substantial numbers to come to eat. During my wait period, I watched three young Filipino families partaking in a hearty breakfast, even the little ones were chowing down with gusto.
Owner, Cherry Manuel was very warm and engaging with me, since the date of my quick stay, we’ve become social media pals. That’s not here nor there, the point being Cherry was on top of her businesses dealings on every level.
My breakfast choice came to me by way of ye ‘olé chalkboard, so the specific name evades me. Two eggs, seasoned beef strips, rice, red onions and a sweet yet slight vinegary undertone was detected.
For roughly $ 9.00 I was as full as a turkey on November_​_​whatever the day prior to Thanksgiving is.
I don’t like dates, they are bullies, know it all’s. I’m more comfortable with approximates.

We were passing by in the area on July 4^th and noticed that it was open for business and decided to go for a quick bite. We were welcomed by mostly young staff… newbies. They were trying to be as accomodating as possible. I heard that this newly opened restaurant is a family business, from the cashier to the manager, to the waiter and the owner, they are mostly related to each other. The agenda of instilling to their minds the authenticity of the cuisine and the homey and heart warming Filipino style service is such a novelty act. Their children who definitely were born and raised in NY tried their very best to understand the languange when customers are placing their order. It was a beholding sight… but they need to be more aggresive and pro-​active though for all types of clientele as the restaurant is located in a very competitive restaurant business neighborhood.
We placed a small order for our party as we came during mirienda (snack) time.
1. Arroz caldo (chicken porridge) — tasty, big portion of chicken is visible, who could beat that?
2. Tokwa’t baboy (tofu & fried pork) — a thumbs up, I have never tasted such. There was a terrific balance between the soy sauce, vinegar and peppers. The tofu and pork was perfectly cooked, not too crispy and not too soft. It is considered to be a single entrée for me already.
3. Lumpia (spring roll) — crispy, the famous and most favorite appetizer of locals and they definitely have given justice to it.
4. Halo-​halo (mixed local fruits and ice shaving) — afffordable price for the serving size and quality. I most specially like it’s creaminess. I have observed that it’s a best seller because I have noticed that almost all the costumers in their respective tables has halo-​halo.
Food is great and the cooking style never disappointed us. We were dispapointed though that when we wanted to order something that’s in their list, e.g. tocilog, mango juice to name a few, we were told that they ran out of it, probably a lot of people ordered it at an earlier time which could mean that it might be that good or because it was a holiday and inventory for the day was not sufficient for unexpected guests. It should never be happening on a regular day.
«KABAYAN» is a very local word. It would be favorable to put up some decors that go with it. Ambiance and setting are good factors for an enjoyable and pleasurable dining experience.
The best experience we had on that day was when the owner socialized with us. Very friendly, cheerful and always wearing a smile in her face. You will love her.
Overall experience: GOOD. Will come back and will try what else they have on their list. Maybe next time, my other STAR will be up and will complete the full marking.
To you guys who are reading this review, if you are looking for an authentic, home cooked Philippine cuisine, this place is for you.
It’s a must visit spot in Woodside area. Even though it is a brand new establishment (two weeks old during my visit), it is an uprising star in the neighborhood. No doubt in my mind that sooner or later, it could be hanging out with the old timers.

This was so good, that I’m leaving a review without having left yet. We had a party of 24! They served us super fast.
We ordered a lot so I’ll make a list.
Pancet-​delicious
Bistek– perfect, not chewy.
Lumpia– crispy. (My favorite)
Sizzling steak– was infact sizzling.
Sinigang na babuy– perfect balance of sweet and sour.
Okoy– the besttt Very crispy
And the halo halo was delishhhh