I was at lunch today with Willie, and agree that that fish doesn't look at all the same. The entire meal was quite awesome and I'm glad that I finally tried this place. So good in fact, and looking back at the original pictures, I think a moderator should separate the new isla posts from the old. The milkfish had such an awesome char that I was sure they must use charcoal, but I asked to find out they cook it over lava rocks.





The fried chicken was perhaps the biggest surprise. It was fried so perfectly that the skin puffed up exactly like chicharones. The light dusting of spices was subtle and the flavor reminded me of something like Harold's.

Stopped by for their incredible lunch special today-
a super value of tastiness @ $5.95 -
Soup is a nice balance of savory and sour (from the Tamarind)-very hearty and filling,


Sinigang Soup by Man_of Steel, on Flickr

Next up came our Lunch Special Entree- a boneless Chicken Thigh meat preparation of slightly sweet Chicken Teryaki

Chicken Teryaki + Lumpia + Rice by Man_of Steel, on Flickr

and we also ordered an additional plate of Garlic Rice to share.....

Garlic Rice by Man_of Steel, on Flickr

We left fully sated,
and on the way out had a very nice chat w/Ray-
The Owner who also does amazing Charity work with disabled kids and adults -
enabling them to create MicroEnterprises- creating Entrepreneurs.
http://www.artfullygifted.org

Isla Filipino Restaurant
2501 W Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
773.271.2988

laikom wrote:The fried chicken was perhaps the biggest surprise. It was fried so perfectly that the skin puffed up exactly like chicharones. The light dusting of spices was subtle and the flavor reminded me of something like Harold's.

After a multi-year absence lunch today has me kicking myself. Agree 100% on the fried chicken!

Isla Pilipina, Fried Chicken



Enjoyed the rest of lunch lumpia, pork and shrimp cooked in coconut milk with milkfish the only item I'd have to be convinced to order again. Just two of us or crispy pata would have been in the mix.

Inexpensive, delicious, great service, friendly, happy to have Isla back in rotation. Thanks for the reintroduction Laikom.

Isla Pilipina, count me a fan!

I've become a fan of Isla's lunch specials, one of the most pleasant $6 lunches around. The choices are limited (though the short menu rotates weekly) but you get a nicely rounded meal. Here's a typical menu, featuring sausage, chicken, pork and fish.



Each compact but satisfying lunch opens with a cup of soup—sinigang on this particular day. Sour (sour!) and peppery tamarind broth holds large chunks of tomato, green beans and daikon. Simple and good.





The plates come with a small pile of lumpia with a sweet dipping sauce, a scoop of good rice, and on this day, inihaw pork with its cup of seasoned vinegar. Sweet and salty marinated pork is expertly grilled to yield a crunchy, caramelized exterior and still-juicy insides. That little cup of leche flan might look like a comically small portion, but the stuff's so rich that it's perfect for me. Friendly service, good music, and interesting artwork add to the appeal.

Isla Pilipina
2501 W Lawrence Av
Chicago
773-271-2988
http://www.islapilipina.com/

Amen!

Went to Isla for some of the Sinigang Soup (helped as a cold remedy) and was amazed at the crowd walking
outa there with huge take-away bags.....he does alot of "To Go"-
outta there- quite a bustling lil spot.

I want to remind those who like beer (hello?) and Philippino Street Food - that this Friday- the 25th of April-
Ray Espiritu is teaming up w/ The Ale Syndicate Brewery in Chicago's GREEN Building on Diversey Blvd @ The Kennedy Expwy.

They will be offering a special street food menu -with prices around $5 an item and you can get as much or as little as you want. As long as you come in with a mix-6pack from the liquor store next door by Ale Syndicate, you got access to the menu.

Some items will be a caramelized plantain on a stick (and honestly- I forgot the others Ray mentioned2me - but- it'll be GOOD!)
just GO!

Isla
2501 W Lawrence Ave,
Chicago, IL 60625
773. 271.2988

Hombre de Acero wrote:I want to remind those who like beer (hello?) and Philippino Street Food - that this Friday- the 25th of April- Ray Espiritu is teaming up w/ The Ale Syndicate Brewery in Chicago's GREEN Building on Diversey Blvd @ The Kennedy Expwy.

I realize you probably know that the dinner is at Isla Filipino's location on Lawrence, not the GREEN building in mention, but you worded it in such a way that I thought maybe I made a mistake, so I thought let anyone wondering know. I have a reservation for friday night, and am really excited about it. For the adventurous type, it may be of interest that they are also serving Balut. For the less adventurous, it's good to know that it's optional.

I'm not sure if this is the full street food offering, but they have listed:
Kwek Kwek - quail egg tempura
Balut - duck embryo in shell
Banana Cue - Caramelized Plantain Skewer
Fish Balls - Pollock fish balls

Laikom and I had a really satisfying meal at Isla last week. It had been my first time, and we tried to order a few different things that he hadn't had previously as well.

Lumpia Shanghai Deep fried mini eggrolls served with sweet & sour sauce: pork, egg, jicama, green onions, carrots, soy sauce, love.

Not new for Laikom, but I was told you can't go a meal without ordering these. I concur.

Laing sa gata Taro leaves with pork and shrimp cooked in coconut milk

Really, really nice.

Lechon Kawali Deep fried pork belly served with Filipino style gravy


To the surprise of nobody that knows me, this was my favorite of the day. I was a little afraid it might be a bit too salty, but this was perfect. Laikom was nice enough to let me take the leftovers, which were eaten as soon as I got home from the restaurant. I'm weak.

Crispy Chicken Breaded, deep fried chicken with a side of banana ketchup

Eh...Not saying this wasn't good chicken, but in a restaurant where nearly everything blew me away, this elicited just a shrug from me.

Kare - Kare Beef oxtail and green beans in peanut sauce; with a side of shrimp brine paste

Too much eggplant and not enough oxtail, but I'm only saying that because I fucking love oxtail and hate eggplant. This dish was awesome.

Can't wait to get back.

Though I'm still mourning the loss of Laughing Bird (closed for reasons that I believe are unrelated to the quality of its food or its crowds), I'm happy to live about a minute walk from Isla Pilipina. But I wasn't always so excited. If you haven't been to Isla Pilipina in the last year or two, it's really about time you return. This place has really upped its game and is now putting out some stellar food.

Some of the highlights of recent meals: the grilled Inahaw pork - the nicely seasoned grilled pork is fantastic on its own, but add the accompanying vinegar and this pretty much equals or exceeds most grilled pork dishes I've had at Asian restaurants.

Pancit Palabok - (pictured on the previous page) - They say this has a tofu sauce, and perhaps that doesn't quite do the dish justice. A lot of delicious flavors here, including garlic, scrambled eggs, calamari and fish (or fish paste or sauce), and ultimately very comforting.

Inihaw Bangus - I'll echo Laikom's praise for the grilled milkfish. Beautifully grilled and charred, but moist, tender and even more delicious with the accompanying vinegar.

Garlic rice - sometimes the most simple dishes are the most pleasing. No, this doesn't rival the magnificent (and oh so simple) rice at Embeya, but it's really damn good. While your food will come with white rice, don't miss out on the delicious garlic rice.

And of course, the wonderful halo halo - a great finish to any meal here. There's a lot more to love here, and based on my more recent meals, I'm sure I'll be returning to enjoy them.

I totally agreed with the title of this thread until I ate at Isla Pilipina. For whatever reason, my only encounters with the cuisine were their lumpia, Longanisa and various pork dishes, none of which ever excited me. However, this really broadened my view of the cuisine.

Sinigang - We got the vegetable only one. This was a great soup. It reminded me of some of the sour soups in vietnamese cuisine (canh chua) and I loved the copious vegetables. I really wonder if the protein would add anything here.

Pancit Palabok - I was excited to eat this, but found it a bit dull considering the description. Still satisfying though.

Guinataang Gulay at Hipon - They didn't have the taro leaf dish, so we got this instead. I find it hard to believe it was a downgrade. This was amazing with kabocha squash I could actually enjoy. I usually find them dry and stringy, but here they just soaked up the delicious coconut cream sauce. The shrimps in this dish are superfluous, I wish I could order it straight vegetarian with a price decrease.

Kare Kare - My first taste of this was a a bit disappointing. My second was phenomenal. The difference was the shrimp brine paste. This dish is more than the sum of its parts, the shrimp brine paste is absolutely essential to enhance the peanut sauce. The oxtails have a nice browned flavor while still being gelatinous and tender. My wife thought they should have mixed the shrimp brine paste into the sauce for you as it was a bit difficult to appropriately portion for each bite. Also, once again I love the surfet of delicious vegetables.

This place was awesome with unique food and a great price with awesome vegetables (a weakpoint at many places). I can't to try more of the menu.

Sadly, the owners of ISLA have ended The Lunch Special.

When I asked why....
I was told they discovered they were losing money from offering it.
Still very busy nonetheless - a busload of Phillipino Seniors were enjoying themselves earlier this week,
when we had some great Adobo (Pork and Chicken- made spicy on special request)
Savory Grilled BBQ Pork Skewers Appetizers and very tasty BBQ Chicken........
Still great food, just no more "special" deal.

Really REALLY never hoped to be the bearer of this news but per their Facebook page, Isla is shutting down at the end of the month with eyes toward a potential downtown move in the future.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158443243620312&id=155712765311&__tn__=%2As%2As-R

They'll still be open for delivery/ carry out for the next 2 weeks. I know I'll be taking advantage more than once in the days ahead.