Payag

Fantastic service and food. I love the ambience here as well, it is such a very cute place. They had great vegan/​plant based food and it was delicious! We had a nice surprise of live music too, it was perfect. I want more people to come here to make sure this place stays in business! Definitely a hidden gem.

There was something off about the sisig where I kept on wondering if I’m eating bone… it was that hard in many bites. The food was OK, I feel it wasn’t that fresh.

We came here over the weekend for the first time. Don’t get me wrong, the restaurant itself well decorated and it’s big compare to other Filipino restaurants in Queens. Other than that, I have nothing else to rave about. Their portion is tiny. Their dishes do not come with rice (except the silog combos). I was actually quite shocked when the waiter asked me if I want rice with my bistek. I’m not sure if I’d do a follow up on Payag.

Payag means nipa hut or a small cottage. This place reminds me of my country– Philippines! Where most of the bars and restaurants have live bands while enjoying delicious filipino food.
I went to this restaurants because they have great live bands with a cover charge of $ 10 but totally worth it & enjoy every bite of my favorite food in the world. Filipino food of course!
Tonight we came for dinner. We got the squid adobo, crispy pata– deep fried pork trotters or knockles serve with soy sauce vinegar on the side. Sinuglaw– grilled pork belly & fish ceviche mix together with tomato, cucumber, onion, chili & vinegar. Ohhh yum! Everything taste legit & delicious. For desserts we got avocado cheesecake & turon or sweet fried banana egg roll with vanilla ice cream on the side. Heavenly!
This type of restaurant is good for groups & family style. They serve big bowl of delicious soup too which I higly recommend especially the bulalo– beef shank & marrow bones with corn & vegestables! Trust me its delicious! ;)
Nice ambiance, big space & great service!

If you asked me what my favorite restaurant in New York is, it would be this one. The food was delicious, the menu was unlike others I’ve seen, and the service was exceptional, thanks to an electronic buzzer I could press that’d prompt the server to come over immediately!
I ordered the Kare-​Kare ($ 16), a meat stew made of peanut sauce and a variety of ingredients: protein (beef, oxtail, tripe), vegetables baby bok choy, string beans, and eggplant) with a scoop of white rice. The slight sweetness of the peanut sauce complemented the other ingredients well. I liked that the Kare-​Kare left my stomach filled without leaving me groggy, like eating fries and a burger would.
For dessert, I ordered the ube (purple yam) waffle, topped with whipped cream, strawberry slices and blueberries. and this was a perfect finish to my meal. Although I thought the dark purple color of the waffle looked weird, I didn’t mind it after I took the first bite of my waffle and realized that it tasted like any other waffle I’ve tried. The fruits were fresh, and the whipped cream was dense and light without being too decadent, with the texture of whipped cream cheese. This dish satisfied my sweet cravings without being too decadent, since I normally like to end my meals with something sugary to eat.
The server was very kind and responsive to my requests for extra napkins. I liked that there was a buzzer at every table, so that the servers can know when to come to my table. Also, the menus here don’t just list food, but they include introductory info about the cuisine and music from the Philippines, which shows that the restaurant is mindful of people who try this kind of food for the first time. Both the buzzer and menu show a smart user /​customer experience setup!

I must say, the chef at Payag outdid himself this time. Came here with my husband for lunch as he was craving for Filipino food, but wanted a quieter atmosphere that is baby-​friendly. (Other Filipino restaurants in queens aren’t as quiet or accommodating).We ordered Kare-​Kare, grilled tuna belly and maja Blanca for dessert.
The Kare Kare was so flavorful with a deep and rich peanut sauce topped with lots of eggplant, string beans and bok choy.
The tuna belly came with a small cucumber and tomato side salad that isn’t just there for design– it compliments the fish very well.
To end the dish was a unique Maja Blanca with fresh fruits, toasted coconut and a strawberry jam. While this is not traditional, give it a try. The sweetness of the berries do not overpower the maja, rather it enhances the coconut goodness.

I love Payag. If you’re looking to eat at a nice place serving great tasting Filipino food, this is one of the best places to be in.
Usually, Filipino restaurants look too crappy, not this one. They actually care about the appearance of their restaurant unlike others. You go in to a nice big and open space full of tables for maybe up to 50 people. The place is decorated with Filipino made stuff that i think actually came from the Philippines. You’ll feel right at home while dining here (if you’re from the Philippines).
I’ve been here a bunch of times and ive tried almost the whole menu from calamari, adobo, sinigang, kaldereta, chop suey, pancit (s), bulalo, bulalo steak (my fave), garlic rice, pork bbq, lechon kawali, halohalo, flan, their desert platter and anything else you can think of. They’re all good. The only thing that would make me choose another place and not here is price point. They’re a bit on the expensive side. Not too mucb, but they’re other places walking distance where you can order the same food. Probably not as great, but who am i to judge.
They have live bands on weekends… Friday and Saturday I think. Always fun to go. You will most likely have to pay 5, 10 or 15 bucks (who knows, depends on the band) per person to get in and dine. Just a warning. Either way, still a great place.
Order the bulalo steak!

Great food and service here! The staff was super friendly and hooked us up with an amazing waffle. The Kare Kare was delicious as well. Check it oht

Genuinely confused by the rating for this place!
Everyone I know LOVES it here! To begin, Payag has great service. Everyone is kind and welcoming, and your table has a bell on it, which is awkward at first, but actually super convienant so you aren’t interupted but still get what you need! We went on valentines day, and was gifted with complimentary chocolate dipped

My friends and I stumbled over here for post-​octopus – I mean, post-​Sik Gaek – dessert and drinks. What is it about Southeast Asian flavors after East Asian flavors that just hits the spot? Maybe it’s because octopus does not figure into the equation. Sorry, I digress…
We got:
Coconut Lychee Martini: Tropical, fruity goodness. Doctors recommend two servings per day
Kalamansi Margarita: An essential part of a balanced alcohol diet
Pinay Shake: You gotta get your calcium somehow, right?
Payag Dessert Trio (Maja Blanca, Jackfruit Toron, Buko Pandan): Nutritionists say you should eat the rainbow when it comes to produce. I believe that extends to desserts too. Eat the rainbow. The delicious, moist, sweet, creamy, decadent rainbow…
Avocado Cheesecake: Avocados are a superfood that taste extra delicious in cheese form. Antioxidants, baby

Was my second time here but 1^st time reviewing this restaurant. The first time I enjoyed my foods and the experience; yesterday when we returned (perhaps a yr later) the food was very blan yet über salty. We pretty much re-​ordered all the same foods we ordered in the past. Last time I ordered the tuna belly and this time I ordered the tuna belly. My tuna belly was mushy on the inside with layers or charcoal on the outside. Also, they were moving band equipment and kept telling us to move our chairs as we were trying to eat.

Resturant is nice… But the food is not great specially the Kare Kare it taste so watery, the chicken and pork adobo is really oily. So that’s why I gave them a 2 star

The place looks nice… food, too. But how the food doesnt taste great.
I ordered several dishes so i can compare each one. I ordered pork belly, sisig, beef tagalog, lumpia, pacit, halo halo, coconut lychee shake w tapioca pearls and a coffee mocha.
The only dish i enjoyed was the pork belly with rice. The pork was cooked and tender and the skin was crispy. No complaints there.
The sisig was soggy and i hated feeling the cartilage when i chewed. Beef tagalog had a strange after taste – salty then tangy. The lumpia was mediocre – i have made better. The pancit had an unusual mix if veggies in it. It didnt taste bad, but it wasnt great either. The halo halo was alright as well. The coconut lychee was good but was made with a mix. The balls were super hard. The coffee mocha was alright. Cant really mess up instant coffee.
Service is great since there’s a call bell on the table. The place looks nice and is clean. The service is great because of the call bell. If these werent factored in, i would have given a 1 star.
I hope they make the food better here, otherwise i dont see it doing well.

This place is a disappointment. Nothing here is made fresh to order — we tried ordering the palabok with no meat just shrimp since my sister is a pescatarian but the server told us they already mix the meat and shrimp in bulk. We asked if they could customize her palabok but he said no and referred her to the tuna belly. –_​– If she wanted tuna belly, she would have ordered it. The server didn’t seem knowledgeable at all in regards to their menu — he told her she could get the pancit bihon because it didn’t have meat. It says on the menu that there is pork in it. Overall would never come here again.

It’s an upscale type of Filipino Restaurant. Small space but great service. Theh have a minimal list of dishes but most of it are good especially their bulalo, grilled pork chop, lechon kawali and kinilaw. I love their pineapple with coconut juice.
IG: jangabane

My first time dining at Payag was the worst dining experience of my life.
I am Filipino and I enjoy dining at the restaurants near Payag such as Ihawan, Krystal’s, and Tito Rad’s. I expected a better experience with Payag as they have a brand new building and the ambience has a nice feel to it. However, their food is grossly overpriced for its taste, and their service was just awful.
Let me tell you my story.
I come here with several people to listen to my friends and my brother because they were performing there. Every table had a beeper to let the server know that you need assistance whose operation and purpose was ignored by the servers who just stood there staring at a blank space. I start calling him but I realize that the music is too loud that he can’t hear me so I raise my hand as high as I can but the server sees another table using the beeper and he helps the other table. WOW.
Eventually he finally turned his attention to our table.
Looking at their selections on the menu, the prices are a little higher than those offered in other Filipino restaurants. Of course I would expect the food to be better but no. Their orders were priced at around $ 10 – 20 and some orders cost more. None of the food was worth the price. A Filipino mom cooking food for a party can cook Filipino food better than what Payag offers.
Now things start going haywire after we received the check. I ordered gulaman (a sweet drink) and on the menu it said that the price was $ 4. We were charged $ 5 for it so I ask our waiter. He looks at the menu looking confused and tells us that «This is our new price.»
Well why didn’t you put it on the menu?
He asks, «Well don’t you have a dollar?»
LOL! Excuse me? Well that’s a dollar off your tip, sir.
My girlfriend and I decide to pay our check by just paying for our own orders. At this point I just wanted this night to be over. Coming out of the restaurant with several people that I know, they all had a similar experience that night.
Next morning my girlfriend checks her bank account and finds that Payag has charged her for our whole check, plus her split of the food! Luckily her bank immediately resolved the issue.
We will never go back to this restaurant ever again.

The thing about Filipino food is that you have to grow up eating Philippine food to really love it or be open to trying all kinds of food to really enjoy Filipino food. Filipinos offer one of the most unique and underrated foods that some people are trying to make it the next big thing which is why you may see restaurants of it in Manhattan, but if you’re looking for Authentic Filipino food to try come to Queens. PAYAG is a little further from the Filipino community from which I grew up in Woodside, 70 street.
With that said, I have eaten here a few times. I remembered to keep this place in mind because when I went here the first time, my friends loved the boneless crispy pata, which is definitely something they do right.
The most recent visit I can think of is on October 4 2014. I ate here with my siblings and brother in law. We were celebrating my brother’s birthday. It was rainy but we found street parking easily. There was at least 2 or 3 other tables filled with people. It wasn’t a busy day. My siblings and I ordered a lot.
I usually get lechon kawali which I feel they do decent on. I think they could make the skin on the softer side. They had mango and guyabana shakes which is definitely delicious. I think guyabana is the way to go because the mango sometimes taste like they put too much ice and loses the mango flavor. One of the things we also ordered is the Sizzling Sisig which was delicious! Definitely a must order if you like Sisig and the taste of different pig parts. Squeeze the lime/​lemon on the Sisig and you are good to go. Kinilaw Na Tanigue is another dish worth trying if you like ceviche. They make it with coconut milk. I feel the way they make it here is done right as the sauce has the right amount of flavor of coconut. I highly recommend it! Another dish that my family loves to eat is dinuguan, which is pigs blood. Before you are grossed out by this, it is definitely a tasty dish if cooked right. However, I don’t think they hit the spot on this dish. They could make it a little spicy which would add flavor to it. I feel most Filipino restaurants miss the spot when it comes to this dish and the only time I really love this dish is when my Father makes it. To really love it, you need him to make it. Well I think this review is getting too long and we ate too much and ordered so much. This place is definitely worth trying! Order some of the things I listed and you’ll probably have a satisfied belly. I posted all of my photos from this place on instagram when I came here, but I’ll post some photos here as well.

One of the Filipino restaurants who offers live entertainment. Last night, the children of one of our close friends entertained us for a cover charge of $ 10 as it was a scheduled event. If no scheduled event, free admission, still, they have in house entertainers. It was packed last night. Nice place, nice staff, had trouble looking for parking though. They have nice party place downstairs. Perfect for special event.
I tried the place calamari for my appetizer and langkatini (jackfruit) for my drinks. Their sauce for calamari was superb. Did not like much my martini– jackfruit is not suited with the alcohol (for me).
Over all experience, above average, will come back again

Did you try the sisig? It’s usually a snack to enjoy with a good beer. Pork snout, liver and ear served on a sizzling plate with kalamansi (equivalent to lime) and an egg over easy.
The food here is very good, as was the service. The fried chicken here was very tasty (crispy/​crunchy om the outside, juicy and moist inside) and is served with banana ketchup on the side.
I highly recommend trying the avocado shake. It is one of those drinks you either love or hate.

My mother in law and I ate here for brunch together since she’s been wanting to try the food. I never knew this was here in queens since I’m used to being around 69^th street area.
I really liked the ambiance and setting of the place since it had a lot of modern and culture designs mixed together. I liked the table how it looked like bamboo and the wall décor too.
We ordered 4 dishes– kare-​kare, mahi-​mahi soup, tuna belly I think grilled; that was mom in laws dish which I didn’t get to try. Oh and I ordered first lumpia shanghai since it’s my ultimate favorite appetizer. The lumpia shanghai from here was not good at all, it wasn’t as tasty as the other lumpia shanghai’s have had from my moms home cooked version or even from Renee’s kitchenette. My dish was the kare-​kare which is oxtail with vegetables in a peanut sauce. It wasn’t great, very soupy and had to use more shrimp paste for more flavor and I usually hold back on the shrimp paste since it’s too salty.
I really wanted to like this place but if it weren’t for the ambiance and setting, i wouldn’t return but I will try this place again and order something else. The service was great but the food I ordered was not up to par. I’m sad about the lumpia shanghai since that’s my favorite filipino egg rolls ever!