More Albany Park riches:

Wok Express
3951 W. Lawrence
Tue.-Sat.: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sun.: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Very nice traditional (and inexpensive) Filipino, a couple of tables, mostly take-out, in a wonderfully (and typical of AP) diverse block (doors down from a Lebanese place and a taqueria). Steak trays. Daily specials.

I particularly enjoy the seafood, such as this fried whitefish with a sweet/sour sauce that melds well:



And the chicken/shrimp pansit:



The lumpia is mighty good, too, but they were out when I stopped by this week.

Cheers,
Wade

Mr. T. wrote:Although it is not a restaurant, another option when considering a sampling of Filipino cuisine is Unimart on Dempster just west of Caldwell in Niles. It is a grocery store with a hot buffet in back. You can get most anything there including lechon, fried dried fish (my favorite), lumpia and pancit.

Have been to the Unimart, and it has a lot of very good stuff in the back - you
can do the buffet style I think, as also individual items for about 5 bucks.

As for restaurants in the area - there is a restaurant called Fil-thai in Skokie,
on 4010 West Main Street (bang across from a grocery store called Geetha
Foods, which has a lot of Sri Lankan foodstuffs). This restaurant used to
be a purely Thai restaurant, but is now, as the name indicates, a combination
of Filipino and Thai (the owners are Filipinos I think). The menu has a lot
of Filipino items on it (lots of Pancits, Crispy Pata, Lechon kawali, adobo,
Bikol, Bistec etc. They also cater lots of Filipino dishes.

The interesting thing to me about it was that they do a special breakfast
too - they can make Filipino breakfast items any time of the day (or so they
told me one afternoon when I was there, at any rate), but on Saturday and
Sunday morning they open at 8am and have a "Breakfast Special". That
is, Tapsilog, Longsilog, Tocilog, Cornedbeefsilog - all for 5 bucks apiece.
It is the only day of the week they open late and do breakfast - the rest
of the week they open at 11am and are a regular Thai restaurant with some
Filipino dishes available.

c8w

c8w wrote:As for restaurants in the area - there is a restaurant called Fil-thai in Skokie,
on 4010 West Main Street (bang across from a grocery store called Geetha
Foods, which has a lot of Sri Lankan foodstuffs). This restaurant used to
be a purely Thai restaurant, but is now, as the name indicates, a combination
of Filipino and Thai (the owners are Filipinos I think). The menu has a lot
of Filipino items on it (lots of Pancits, Crispy Pata, Lechon kawali, adobo,
Bikol, Bistec etc.

Thanks for writing on this place. I keep going past when they are closed and wondering about it. (They close at 8:30. ) It seems really tiny. I peeked in through the window and noticed a case full of Village Creamery ice cream.

Fil-Thai Kitchenette
847/677-8154
4010 W. Main St., Skokie

c8w wrote:bang across from a grocery store called Geetha
Foods, which has a lot of Sri Lankan foodstuffs
c8w

Geetha is a pretty interesting place, owners are from kerala and they keep a lot of stuff around you don't see so often, an amazing variety of pickles for example (seer fish, little shallot ones, and many others),a number of different banana/plantain varieties, red rice, as well as fruitcake brought in from cochin

LTH,

Had lunch last week at Isla Pilipina. I've always liked their food, especially 'Mike's' Fried Chicken, which is discussed at length upthread. Isla has a $3.99 rice and two steam table items deal at lunch which seems to be quite popular with Filipino families. I've had this in the past, but the last time there seemed to be a flavor bump. From the included chicken soup, with chunks of chicken, chayote and broccoli, to a stew of coconut milk rich jackfruit with fish.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Isla Pilipina has turned into Trotter's to Go, just that for $3.99 you get clear, distinctive flavor in a simple, clean, easily assessable package. Please note that 'Mike's' fried chicken is not what is on the steam table. Mike's fried chicken is whole chicken that takes about 20-minutes to prepare, and well worth the wait.

Isla Pilipina Steam Table


A couple of doors West a Bosnian pastry shop, Caffee Salsticarna Drina, has opened, I've only tried one thing, a layered slice of cake with nut topping and a very distinctive banana flavor. It was good, not Mindy Segal good, but I'd have to try one or two more items before having a firm opinion about Caffee Salsticarna Drina. There was wall board menu, of which I have no idea what anything means.

Caffee Salsticarna Drina


Caffee Salsticarna Drina Wall Menu.


Enjoy,
Gary


Isla Pilipina
2501 W Lawrence Ave
Unit D
Chicago, IL.
773-271-2988

Caffee Salsticarna Drina
2501 W Lawrence
Chicago, IL

Just found the link to their website. The option that Gary got is called Turo-Turo. I haven't been to this place yet, but I want to see if it will bring back childhood memoris..

http://www.islapilipina.com/index.htm

Yah I'm not to sure why they did an overlay but I'm guessing they wanted to cover the ads at the top of the page. Some of the links are broken.

LAZ wrote:

c8w wrote:As for restaurants in the area - there is a restaurant called Fil-thai in Skokie,
on 4010 West Main Street (bang across from a grocery store called Geetha
Foods, which has a lot of Sri Lankan foodstuffs). This restaurant used to
be a purely Thai restaurant, but is now, as the name indicates, a combination
of Filipino and Thai (the owners are Filipinos I think). The menu has a lot
of Filipino items on it (lots of Pancits, Crispy Pata, Lechon kawali, adobo,
Bikol, Bistec etc.

Thanks for writing on this place. I keep going past when they are closed and wondering about it. (They close at 8:30. ) It seems really tiny. I peeked in through the window and noticed a case full of Village Creamery ice cream.

Fil-Thai Kitchenette

Closed.
847/677-8154
4010 W. Main St., Skokie

LAZ wrote:

c8w wrote:As for restaurants in the area - there is a restaurant called Fil-thai in Skokie,
on 4010 West Main Street (bang across from a grocery store called Geetha
Foods, which has a lot of Sri Lankan foodstuffs). This restaurant used to
be a purely Thai restaurant, but is now, as the name indicates, a combination
of Filipino and Thai (the owners are Filipinos I think). The menu has a lot
of Filipino items on it (lots of Pancits, Crispy Pata, Lechon kawali, adobo,
Bikol, Bistec etc.

Thanks for writing on this place. I keep going past when they are closed and wondering about it. (They close at 8:30. ) It seems really tiny. I peeked in through the window and noticed a case full of Village Creamery ice cream.

Fil-Thai Kitchenette


847/677-8154
4010 W. Main St., Skokie

Closed.

In case anyone takes an interest in Isla Pilipina from reading this thread, be sure to read this too.

Isla (former Isla Filipina/Isla Philipina) is now reopened.

I went yesterday.

I was knocked out by the fried pig's foot and taro leaf in coconut milk, but this kitchen turns out a very inconsistent product.

No, GWiv, the handsome transvestite is no longer working there; instead, there is a kitchen full of three good-natured and genuine ladies (at least superficial observations would suggest such).

The place has been remodeled, and is quite pleasant. It's BYOB, and if they can bring their other dishes up to the level of the truly superb pata I had, this place could make a go of it this time around.

Thanks for the heads up David Hammond... I plan on checking this place out with the hubby to try their eats.

A friend of mine just moved here from New Zealand and she is of Filipino descent. I'd love to surprise her by taking her out for some Filipino food. I searched and came up with this old thread - can anyone recommend one of these places over the others or suggest a place not on the list? The list is old so some may be gone by now.....
- Filipiniana Restaurant (847) 298-9332 9060 W Golf Rd Niles, IL 60714
- Barrio Fiesta - 3316 N. Central Ave., Chicago, IL 60635, (312) 282-0885
- Bistro Oriental W. Irving Park Rd. -
- Pampanga Restaurant (773) 763-1781 6407 N Caldwell Ave (Near intersection of N Algonquin Ave and N Caldwell Ave)
- Little Quiapo - 4423 N. Clark St. and Montrose just north of the cemetery
- The Fishpond - opposite Little Quiapo near Clark and Montrose.
- Hon Kee Restaurant in Argyle St. - this is not a Filipino restaurant but serves food that caters to the Filipino palate
- Rambutan - on Belmont and at Milwaukee.
- Sun Wah BBQ in Argyle - serves lechon
- Ma Mon Luk, and Merlyn's on Irving Park Rd. just north of Southport
- Le Saigon de Manila 8211 W. Golf Road. Niles, IL Phone. (847) 663-8323
Thanks!

My experience with Filipino restaurant food is that it's basically Filipino home-style food served to strangers (i.e., restaurant patrons). As such, the places tend to be rather humble, which is nice in and of itself, but if you're taking your friend to a special dinner, you might want the surroundings to tend toward the "nice." Filipiniana is nice, and as I recall they have a decent-sized menu.

Well, here's another point in the negative.
Edith's Place, at Mount Prospect Plaza (Rand and Central, in, duh, Mount Prospect) has Philipino music and dancing, and a lunch special menu.

I ordered Pancit Bihon. It came with alleged egg rolls, which were thankfully limpia. Quite good. But the pancit was probably the most flavorless Asian food I've ever had. It consisted of rice noodle, carrot, celery and romaine lettuce stir fried together with a few dried out pieces of chicken and some plump small shrimp (the only high point). Adding soy sauce and black pepper (the only condiments available to me) didn't relieve it of insipiditude. The lack of attentive service didn't help either. I left most of the food on the plate and paid the only front-of-house person at the register.

Looking the dish up later, it should have had onion and garlic (I swear it didn't) and served with calamansi or lemon (nope).

If you are looking for nice, then Filipinana or Little Quiapo are probably as nice as an authentic Filipino restaurant is going to get.

Filipinana
9060 W Golf Rd
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 298-9332

Little Quiapo
6259 N McCormick
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 279-8861

If you want some modernized renditions of Filipino food, you can go to Sunda, which is a new Asian restaurant. They have a variety of dishes, and some are Filipino. You can get lumpia, pancit canton, adobo pork belly, and crispy pata there. It is expensive though.

Sunda
110 W Illinois St.
Chicago, IL 60654
312-644-0500

And afterwards, if you want a Filipino 'dive' bar experience (i.e. listening to old Filipino men sing karaoke in tagalog, and have decent food) you can go to Queen Alberts. The local filipinos go there, and hey, they have San Mig and Red Bull... Plus, you feel like you're in a small bar in Manila.

Queen Albert's
3506 W Irving Park Rd
(between Drake Ave & St Louis Ave)
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 267-8700

I still like my Ruby's fast food, but it's not open for dinner.

Ruby's Fast Food
3740 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
773-539-2669
Mon - Sat 10am - 6:30pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

It seems that Isla Pilipina reinvented itself since the creation of this thread with a remodeled interior and a brand new menu. I am determined to give it a try next week.

Stay away from Fish Pond. It is strictly buffet and does not sound appropriate for your dinner plans.

TAC Crazy wrote:Stay away from Fish Pond. It is strictly buffet and does not sound appropriate for your dinner plans.

I haven't been to Fish Pond recently - is all-buffet a recent change? When I was there it was a nice, if humble, place, and I ordered off the menu.

nr706 wrote:

TAC Crazy wrote:Stay away from Fish Pond. It is strictly buffet and does not sound appropriate for your dinner plans.

I haven't been to Fish Pond recently - is all-buffet a recent change? When I was there it was a nice, if humble, place, and I ordered off the menu.

You are right. I stand corrected. My problem is that I always went during the days when the dinner buffet is offered and the workers tend to heavily steer patrons toward the deal during those times. It is actually quite a steal if you have the appetite for it.

Tobermory wrote: A friend of mine just moved here from New Zealand and she is of Filipino descent. I'd love to surprise her by taking her out for some Filipino food. I searched and came up with this old thread - can anyone recommend one of these places over the others or suggest a place not on the list? The list is old so some may be gone by now.....
- Filipiniana Restaurant (847) 298-9332 9060 W Golf Rd Niles, IL 60714
- Barrio Fiesta - 3316 N. Central Ave., Chicago, IL 60635, (312) 282-0885
- Bistro Oriental W. Irving Park Rd. -
- Pampanga Restaurant (773) 763-1781 6407 N Caldwell Ave (Near intersection of N Algonquin Ave and N Caldwell Ave)

Please post if you go to Pampanga. Mr. Pie and I went years ago and didn't like it, but they must be doing something right, so maybe we went on an off night.

For strict Filipino food, here's another vote for Little Quiapo. Their buffet is comprehensive, their fried shrimp and squid are great (at least to Filipino palates - it's certainly not S&P shrimp), and they often have lechon for the weekends.

If you want a place that's a little more upscale but more fusion-y, I'd recommend Coobah on Southport. In fact I'd choose it over Little Quiapo for visitors to the States, as they combine dishes that should be new for your guest (latin food) with familiar Filipino elements. It's also way less expensive than Sunda, which I am not a huge fan of to begin with.

As a very proud Manila-born Filipino, I am quite dismayed that there really isn't an interesting, creative, authentic Filipino restaurant that I can bring my out of town guests to in Chicago (say, unlike San Francisco where you have a range of greasy spoon Filipino buffets to really creative, fine dining to choose from).

Having said that, I would vote for Isla Filipinina if you're planning to just stay in the city. I live close by and it's my go-to Filipino restaurant. I would recommend the Kare-Kare (oxtail stew), the Pancit Bihon or Canton, Crispy Chicken (if she knows Filipino fried chicken, she would know this), and the Bicol Express (peppers, pork, seafood with coconut sauce). I'm not a big fan of their Adobo, which is disappointing, since this is the national dish and really should be done with expertise by any Filipino cook.

If you're planning to hightail it to the suburbs, absolutely make the trek to Filipiniana in Niles. The Sunday buffet is great and puts Fishpond, Litte Quiapo, and all the city greasy spoons to shame.

Just want to give a "bump" to this great little neighborhood spot-
with THE BEST MUSIC of any Phillipino Restaurant I've ever been-
and - some mighty attractive, friendly waitstaff- that are truely expert at
their food- and how they are able to express that knowledge and passion
for their cuisine.

I had the lunch special today- the EehawEehaw (which means Charcoal- Charcoal, I believe) Pork Strips.
The well plated dish was preceded by a wonderful soup- with a clear pork belly flavored broth,
countered by sour (tamarind) edge. Very Tasty, this soup is also available as an Entree with either Shrimp and of Chicken!
The lunch special plate that I had- was a large serving of white rice- the charcoal seared strips of marinated pork,
with plenty of "crispy bits" (yumm!) PLUS 4 nicely fried Lumpia (small diameter eggrolls) and a sweet/hot dipping sauce,
and a slice of perfectly ripened Cantaloupe Melon.

The Lunch special price is $5.99.
Quite a Value!

http://www.islapilipina.com/menu/index.html

Isla
2501 W Lawrence Ave, Unit D
Chicago, IL 60625
773 271 2988

fusionfan wrote:... I would vote for Isla Filipinina if you're planning to just stay in the city. I live close by and it's my go-to Filipino restaurant. I would recommend the Kare-Kare (oxtail stew), the Pancit Bihon or Canton, Crispy Chicken (if she knows Filipino fried chicken, she would know this), and the Bicol Express (peppers, pork, seafood with coconut sauce). I'm not a big fan of their Adobo, which is disappointing, since this is the national dish and really should be done with expertise by any Filipino cook.

I recently coordinated a 14 person dinner at Isla Filipinina, one of the guests was born/raised in Manila until after college when he moved to the States. He too was impressed with the Kare-kare which is his go to meal here. I had the Bicol Express which for some reason most were not interested in, that is until I shared tastes of my dish !!

Our Filipino friend found it odd that Bicol Express was being served for a main dinner course as he used to enjoy it after a night of drinking in Manila. I also enjoyed a taste of the kare-kare, so much so that it will be a for sure order item next time we go. Speaking of next time we go, I hope to enjoy the much discussed chicken.

I thought the Adobo was good but I'm not a great judge of adobo.

Our large group enjoyed the fresh made lumpia, at $5 for 20, tough to go wrong.

Being BYOB is a nice plus, the waitstaff was more than happy to keep our beers chilled in the fridge until we needed them.

i've gotta rave about my lunch at isla pilipina a few weeks ago. normally i'm not someone who chooses the 'lunch special' in places like chinese restaurants, as the choices within that category tend to be very safe ones. but not being terribly familiar with filipino food (though i was a big fan of the late Rambutan), i opted for it. what a great deal-and what terrific food. i'll have to echo Hombre de Acero's review- the pork broth with daikon and a little pork was outstanding. the grilled pork strips equally so. the lumpia were crunchy and not terribly greasy. if i had a complaint, it's a minor one. we each received a condiment sized cup of ube ice cream (bright purple) on the plate with the pork. if you don't eat it right away, it 'll be a bowl of purple soup by the time you've finished your lunch. i'd have preferred if they brought it out with the check. but i intend to go back, probably for more grilled pork. what a lunch for $5.99! justjoan

Funny Joan you posted. I went today for lunch for my first visit.

Two of us. 22 bucks includes tax. Lunches for each of us, 2 appetizers and my friend had a mango juice.

Fishes, adobo, lumpia, rice.

I'm new to Pinoy food. Great flavors, fresh ingredients and attentive staff, cozy surroundings, off street parking.

I'll be back there soon.

I love Isla Pilipina. Their adobo is not quite traditional chicken adobo, but it's truly excellent in every way. And their garlic fried rice is wonderful. The service is always very good, too. And they have always been very accomodating to families with children.

I have generally avoided even trying Filipino restaurants because my good friend of Filipino descent has always told me that they're usually not very good. However, he recently moved to the St. Ben's neighborhood, just a short distance away from Isla Pilipina, and he decided to check the place out. His initial impressions were favorable and he suggested that we meet there last week to, as he put it, "check it for consistency." Not having much of a baseline for Filipino cuisine, I didn't know what to expect but I thought the meal was excellent . . .


Isla Pilipina - 2501 W Lawrence, Chicago



Lion Head
I was going to save this for a 'Guess The Restaurant' thread but decided to post it here instead. I'm sure there's a story behind it but I didn't get a chance to ask anyone about it. Being a Leo, I found it a bit creepy (but still kind of cool).



Lumpia Shanghai | deep fried mini eggrolls served with sweet & sour sauce: pork, egg, jicama, green onions, carrots, soy sauce and love
This and all subsequent descriptions are taken directly from their menu, so I'm not necessarliy editorializing when I list "love" as one of the ingredients. These were very good but not quite as tasty as the ones I've enjoyed from RC Oriental Outlet Store in Lincolnwood.



Pancit Palabok | tofu sauce made with garlic, fish and onions garnished with calamari and scrambled egg over thin noodles
I loved the funkiness of the flavors here and the varied textures. A great dish.



Kare-Kare | beef ox tail, tripe, and green beans in peanut sauce with a side of shrimp brine paste
Excellent, tender braised ox tails in a peanut-buttery sauce that wasn't over the top at all. The ultra-funky shrimp brine paste was a perfect condiment that offset the richness of the dish very well.



Tortang Talong | eggplant omelet
It's hard to see in this picture but this delicious omelet is actually made in a whole eggplant that's been butterflied out.



Inihaw Bangus | grilled, marinated whole milkfish
I loved the flavors here and the tart-sour-spicy sauce served with the fish was terrific but the fish itself was a bit dry for me. I'm guessing that's just the nature of this preparation, so it was probably right on point.



Crispy Pata | deep fried pork knuckle
What's not to love here? Awesome, crispy-skinned pork knuckle, deep-fried to perfection. The skin ended up being crackin' hard but totally delectable, and the meat beneath it was tender, juicy and flavorful. I could not stop eating this.

My friend was pleased with the meal and thought that it was every bit as good as his previous meals there. That said, he mentioned another Filipino place, Little Quiapo, that he feels is more "hardcore." That place has a steam table, which he does not recommend. Instead, he advises, order from the menu, especially with a larger group. I'm hoping to do that very soon but I'll also be back to Isla Pilipina. We barely scratched the surface of their menu at this outing and the fact that it's byo is also quite appealing.

=R=

Isla Pilipina
2501 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 271-2988

RC Oriental
3935 W Touhy Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
(847) 674-2120

Little Quiapo
6259 N McCormick Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 279-8861

....and as ronnie's excellent pictures show, isla pilipina also takes great care with presentation. this place is terrific. and don't forget the lunch special- it's quite a deal at $5.99.

In the first segment on Splendid Table, there is a discussion on Filipino food:
http://www.splendidtable.org/episode/533

ronnie_suburban wrote:
Inihaw Bangus | grilled, marinated whole milkfish
I loved the flavors here and the tart-sour-spicy sauce served with the fish was terrific but the fish itself was a bit dry for me. I'm guessing that's just the nature of this preparation, so it was probably right on point.

actually compared to what the LTH group had for lunch today, the fish in your photo looks overcooked. The grilled milkfish today was white w/charred marks of being grilled, & it was moist. DELICIOUS !

The almost obligatory lumpia shanghai are a tasty starter. For another starter, our group split the crispy chicken, the skin everyone agreed was almost like chicken chicharrones in texture. Meat was a bit dry. Served with banana ketchup, we ordered some hot sauce to go with on side.

Tortang Talong - eggplant omelet - was a big hit for me as I love eggplant. I mentioned to the group that I make an oyster omelet for dinner ever other week or so, substituting an eggplant omelet here & there will be a delicious welcome to my kitchen.

Laing sa gata or Taro leaves with pork and shrimp cooked in coconut milk, had the taste of coconut milk w/o being overwhelming or too sweet. I think the group really liked this dish.