Bad Saint

The wait took 3 hours. No reservations. But since we always do crazy things to check out good food, waiting 3 hours was nothing… We were so curious on what the hype was from all the attention this little gem was getting. Being a filipino and seeing some filipino establishments we thought this may be another filipino establishment with a modern amercanized twist with its dishes, but as we waited outside the aroma just threw us off and it smells like the real home cooked «pinoy» dishes, in short this place is the «real deal». Simple Home Cooked Filipino Food, not some «twisted» version of filipino food. Worth the wait for sure and the staff/​owners are awesome.

Food was exceptional, didn’t care for the very loud music in the background though.
The winning dish was Pyanggang Manok, so spicy so flavorful with a perfect balance of salty and sweetness.
Would love to visit this place again, hopefully when they aren’t cranking some crazy tunes in the background so we can hear ourselves talk.

Mind blown. Bad Saint totally lived up to all the hype for me… complex and bold flavors that make you want to keep eating even if you’re full, unique combinations of ingredients, and noticeable heart and inspiration in the dishes.
The interior of the restaurant is extremely tiny and somewhat cramped, so I can see why it’s really hard to get in! They don’t take reservations so get there early to be seated first, or to put your name down for the second seating at around 7:30 pm (while you wait, you can walk right next door to the hipstery-​cute Room 11 for some cocktails, and Bad Saint will text you when your seats are ready!). There are only a handful of intimately-​spaced tables at the front where there is an open kitchen. In all likelihood you’ll be sitting side-​by-​side with your dining companions near the rear. The bar-​style seats at the rear wall (we were seated here), are lined with mirrors, which creates a much more open feel and is way more pleasant than staring at a wall.
Food: God the food is delish… (but note the menu changes seasonally)
— Shrimp chips with spicy XO sauce: We started off with these and they were nothing super special but a nice throwback to my childhood when I ate tons of shrimp chips. These were puffy and crisp with a dusting of salty seasoning. The Xo sauce wasn’t spicy as promised, but was rich, salty, and flavorful for dipping nonetheless
— Adobo banana hearts: WTF… So i didn’t know what banana hearts were but this dish was amazing. The ripe banana hearts (which are apparently pretty traditional in Filipino cuisine) were soft and served in a vinegary and rich gravy with black peppercorn. I could have just eaten the sauce on top of bowls of rice (Btw, even the rice at Bad Saint is on point — it’s nutty flavored and slightly sticky rice, perfectly cooked).
— Mackerel with ruby red grapefruit, radishes, and coconut cream poured over it: This was served room temperature… refreshing and light, with a tropical flavor to it (due to the citrus paired with the coconut flavor). The mackerel flavor didnt’ really stand out a whole lot though, since the coconut cream was pretty overpowering, but I happen to love coconut milk/​cream flavor so I still liked it.
— Goat stew: GAHhhhh. Best thing we ate. The rich sauce was addictive with a kick to it (though our waitress kept warning us it was super spicy, I didn’t think it was very spicy at all really). The goat was fall-​off-​the-​bone tender. I could eat this alllll day!
I can’t wait to come back!

I had been looking forward to eating here ever since Filipino restaurants started cropping up in the area. Went to Purple Patch and loved everything so I assumed this would be a higher class experience based on all the reviews. Sadly, this was not the case.
No reservations so you need to get there early to get a table. It is, as everyone else has said VERY SMALL! I only counted two tables with 4 seats so be prepared. Everything sounded really good so we ordered a bunch of different stuff because I like trying a lot of different things when I go to a new place.
The red cabbage, coconut, and bird chili salad was by far the best thing we had here. It isn’t very big, but damned if it isn’t super tasty. We had another salad that was fine but nothing special (can’t remember the name). The other app we had was the mackerel with coconut, it was very well received by the only person who eats fish in our party.
The goat dish was fine but was 70% bones… The chicken was quite good, easily the best entrée and had enough to make leftovers. Well spiced with a very nice sauce. Our resident vegetarian had a noodle dish with a lemon sauce and veggies. Very mild, almost bland, and could easily be made at home.
They have an interesting drink selection (soda/​cocktails). I preferred the Red Horse beer. They only had one dessert which was a fruit plate. I was annoyed by the loud pop music. They don’t have any traditional Filipino music they could have played instead?
Again, maybe my expectations were too high but I really thought there was going to be more interesting and different flavors (like Purple Patch). For the amount of waiting and the prices I require some higher level cuisine.
Do not get me wrong, nothing here was bad. They just need to elevate the menu. I saw online that they do not post their menu online since it changes constantly. Maybe we came on the wrong night, hard to say. I would be willing to try again if there were different offerings.

Okay came here with three girlfriends on a rainy spring night, we checked in with the host about 6:30pm and she said the wait was only about 30 minutes. We were able to grab a drink next door and 30 minutes later we got a table!
Hungry girls we ordered a bunch stuff on the menu — the traditional salad with peanuts, the ginisang tuyla (clams) and the kanding maranao (goat). The salad was pretty good, nothing out of this world. The goat had a great flavor, it was super tasty with the individual rice bowls that you receive. The clam dish was served with these Chinese donuts which were crispy and somewhat greasy. The broth for the clam dish however was very flavorful. We were still hungry after those three dishes so we also ordered the branzino that was not on the menu. That by far was the best dish! Nice crispy skin, moist fish and just seasoned so well with fresh herbs.
My friend and I each had a Filipino cocktail and for dessert we got this warm rice thing in coconut milk. I never hard a warm rice dessert, it was okay, just not my cup of tea. Overall this place is really cozy cool. The service was nice but not over the top.

I love to check out new places according to the Washingtonian top 100 list and this place pop out! I swing by to Bad Saint after gym around 7pm on a Friday night and drove home. I didnt get text until around 915pm. Yeah wait is long because the place is small but really cozy.
For drink, I got the willy santos with filipino’s rum and it was delicate. All of the entrees are served family style. Me and my sister shared the Branzino with spicy green and maggi vinaigrette and rice. Jesus, this is one of the best fried fish I’ve ever eaten in my life and it was deboned too. We also got the pancit noodle with mushroom and lemon oil, equally delicious. Portions are big and enough to share, you will walk out full.
The party next to us ordered the Ukoy aka shrimp fritters and we cant help but stared at it til they offered us to try LOL. Wonderful service and highly recommended!

Yes it’s one of those places where you have to wait in line and then throw ur name on a wait list. There is only 24 seats in the place with most of them along side the window or wall or the kitchen. The kitchen was open so you really get the sense of community in the restaurant which is what Filipino is all about.
However, this place delivers. They’re pretty on point with the time estimate though. Best recommended to arrive at 5 to put your name down. We arrived at 545 to have a 3 hour wait. Room 11 next door is fairly cozy so it wasn’t such a terrible wait.
If you’ve had Filipino food, you’re familiar with large portions. Bad saint is actually smaller portions but that gives you an opportunity to order so much variety!
We got the adobo pusit… AMAZING…so tasty… def my favorite dish of the night. It was rich, tasty with a little vinegary kick. Perfection. Manila clams were savory and got the tuna jaw. This is not often made so it was a nice delicacy. Well grilled but not burnt! Ukoy topped off the night… super crispy with just the right amount of salt. We finished the night off with bilo bilo… it was perfect… not too creamy and not too sweet but just the right touch for the end of the meal.
Wait staff was very friendly and sensitive to customers needs. Great attitude and enthusiastic about each persons experience.
Hats off to bad saint… best Filipino in the area and well executed.

I love Purple Patch, so I came to Bad Saint with extremely high expectations, especially with all the hype surrounding its opening and the inability to get a goddamn table here most days. Finally, I was able to visit this restaurant on Wednesday, and honestly, the food is actually as great as everyone says it is. My friend and I ordered the ukoy, lumpiang sariwa, kinilaw, and adobong dilaw, finishing with bilo bilo for dessert. Everything was fantastic, with the exception of the kinilaw; we weren’t particularly wowed by it. Coconut really dominated the dish, and we really couldn’t taste anything else.
Despite being underwhelmed by the kinilaw, everything else was so good that it didn’t really matter. The ukoy was the highlight of the meal and hit a perfect balance between being crispy and chewy. I also loved the bilo bilo, and it brought me back to eating at family gatherings when I was a kid back in Southern California.
Visit this restaurant as soon as you can, you won’t be disappointed. Get there early and be prepared to grab a couple drinks at Room 11 while you wait.

I don’t usually find myself smiling and all happy after eating a meal in DC. I have been disappointed so many times in DC, so much so I have resigned myself to expect mediocre as good and good as amazing.
Walking by Bad Saints and seeing the lines for weeks on end did not phase me as I honestly expected it to be DC average or DC good but über expensive.
Today I walked by and there wasn’t a line and the wait was around 10 minutes (don’t get too excited, it was only 10 minutes because I was eating alone but some people were told a 3 hour wait); the place is really small, so it makes sense.
Now on to my food review!
I had the mackerel to start; it was the perfect dish if you are longing for summer to arrive. Cool temperature and distinctively rich with the coconut milk and the fresh fruit slices. I recommend it but maybe two people could share it because you absolutely do not want to get full before the main dishes.
I sat at the bar right across from the chefs; best seat in the house!!!
While artfully devouring the mackerel, they brought a skin app for me to enjoy as well, deliciousness! Spicy and crunchy but balanced by the coolness of the mackerel.
For the main dish I got the goat at the recommendation of the waitress. I was smiling with the appetizers but the goat made me happy and brought me back to the best tasting home kitchen in the world, my mother’s of course. The goat was tender, spicy (not hot spicy) and had broad range of tastes that combined to create an AMAZING dish!
The order of business was fresh ingredients. Everything was so fresh you could taste every single ingredients individually and as a meal.
This place brings home cooking with unparalleled sophistication to DC. Price wise it is a bit more expensive but worth every single penny because the chefs cook with love (I missed seeing that) and the portion size is pretty great.
The dessert, bilo bilo I think was to die for. I’ll stop talking. Just go there already!!!
I cannot wait to go back to this place. I’m in love. First time in DC!

My wife and my friends surprised me for my bday dinner at this place. I was super stoked to see that they served Filipino food. We did have to wait a while for a seating, and according to my wife, she had to wait a while just to have her name written down for dinner.
It is a very small space; hence, the long wait. I loved the hostess because she spoke Tagalog. Two of our servers described the dishes well, but it was a little difficult to follow due to a very Americanized version of the food.
Now, I do love supporting Filipino restaurants because my mom is all the way in the state of Washington so I can’t have great Filipino food all the time. Normally, Filipino restaurants are costly and so the prices were expected. The menu is very limited as well. We ordered the pancit, adobo, and dinuguan. Of course, I can’t help but compare it to my mom’s cooking. It’s good food, just not my favorite. Definitely worth trying out; I just don’t know if I’ll be back.
Super friendly servers. Awesome atmosphere. Great first and only experience.

This place was lovely. Just left (belly still full of yummy food).
I tried the banana hearts (5 stars; so so so good), the bitter melon (3 stars; I quite liked it but it was just too bitter for me) and the pancit noodles (4 stars; more than satisfactory, but not mind-​blowing). My dude had the goat (⁴⁄₅). We also the citrus-​y chia seed dessert, which was light, palette cleansing and delightful, just like our server Amanda said. It was my birthday and they also gave us these Filipino faux brownie things that had just enough cocoa and nuts.
Service and Atmosphere: 5 stars.
We showed up at 5:10 and were seated promptly after they opened at 5:30pm. It’d be worth being first in line in order to sit at the table facing the kitchen. Seems like they need to fill the whole dining room before they take names for later in the evening. So there were some folks waiting in line with us who were disappointed at how the process worked.

Bad Saint has been the subject of rave reviews from patrons and critics alike, thus building up an immense hype about having a meal there. As a Filipino, it seemed like it was a culinary Mecca, and all had to make the pilgrimage. I came in with incredibly high expectations, which were satisfied by the dessert, but not quite by the rest of the meal.
Kinilaw Na Pugita — ²⁄₅
I really wanted to like this dish, the octopus had a perfect melt in your mouth texture, however there was far too much salt. The octopus, marinated in a vinegar and oil sauce, and accented wth fingerling potatoes, could have been decent if it weren’t for the excessive saltiness. Skip this dish when you go.
Adobo Puso Ng Saging — ⁴⁄₅
The adobo, consisting of banana flower and tofu skins, was really delicious. The traditional vinegar and soy sauce marinade was implemented very well.
Ukoy — ³⁄₅
The presentation is rather untraditional, it came as a nest rather than small fritters. The root veg and shrimp were all cooked well, and the amount of batter was just right.
Gulay — ²⁄₅
Sooooo much salt, like the kinilaw, only this time it was from preserved black beans, something quite unusual. The vegetables were cooked nicely, though.
Ensaladang Sitrus — ⁵⁄₅
This was my absolute favorite part of the meal. The dessert, consisting of assorted citrus slices in a coconut water chia seed syrup was light, complex, and absolutely gorgeous. The presentation was reminiscent of an island in the sea. It was one of the best, and most innovative desserts I had ever had.

The gist: Get there at 5pm or earlier. Wait in line. Put your name in for a later seating. Go home, change, have a drink and head back to Bad Saint. Obviously doesn’t apply if you live far, but I went this past weekend and was shocked at the number of people far back in the line that were outraged they weren’t in the first seating! Who really wants to eat dinner at 5:30pm, anyways!
The layout: People say this place is tiny and it is! There are only 2 tables that accommodate parties of 3 or 4, and even then, I would say 4 people would get tight. Every other seat is a counter style, either up against the 11^th street window, in front of the kitchen, or against a mirrored wall in the back. If you don’t like sitting counter style, this is not the place for you. It feels super fun to be so close to the kitchen and watch all the action take place We had the 2 seats right at the bar. The only downside was the super cold draft that hit us whenever a new party walked it, but our waiter/​bartender was fantastic and we really enjoyed interacting with him.
Food: Honestly, so delicious! Everything people say and more! And the ambiance is great too, very hip and cool. We ordered the whole fried fish, which was awesome. Better than the one at Doi Moi, much more flavorful and the salad-​thing it came with was refreshing. My favorite dish of the whole night was the clams, which had the most luscious broth and delicious sausages. We asked for more rice to soak up the broth. Also got a bok choy dish which was very good. Finally a noodle dish (cant remember the name) that was my least fave, still good, just I would pass next time. I was with a pescatarian so we didn’t order any of the meat, but next time I’de love to come with a bigger group so we can try more things!
I felt like we ordered a ton of food and each had a delicious cocktail, and the bill ended up being around $ 100 I think, not bad at all for such a delicious and fun meal!

Bad Saint still has long lines and people willing to be on a wait-​list for 3 hours. It is a very small place, serving maybe 25’ish patrons at a time. But the food: it is unlike any Filipino restaurant in the DMV. Perhaps even on the East Coast.
While there are a good handful of Pinoy restos in the DMV, Bad Saint’s only counterpart in DC proper is Purple Patch, right down the street. While PP’s concept is centered around home cooking with recipes from the chef’s mother, Bad Saint takes Filipino food outside of Auntie’s familial kitchen and to a place where each of their dishes would be at least $ 30 a pop in the pomp and circumstance of Manhattan. And when I saw Bad Saint takes Filipino food outside of Auntie’s kitchen, I mean that they take it to a whole new zip code.
The Kinilaw is a cannot-​miss. I can tell you that few things about it reminded me of the kinilaw I’ve eaten all my life. It is a Filipino-​style ceviche (usually vinegar versus citrus to cook). But it tastes oyster sweet, with just the right hint of bitter from the grapefruit. Savory, yes, but could’ve easily been dessert. This was the best dish I had on this evening. As a Filipino, I’ve never tasted kinilaw interpreted in this way and I approve with two very fat thumbs up!
The Dinuguan might’ve been the most traditional dish I had here. And that’s not a bad thing. Essentially a blood stew, they tenderized the pork very well as it broke into small pieces easily. The jalapeño did it’s job valiantly, being neither over or underwhelming in adding spice.
The Ukoy was this humongous portion. Never seen anything like that. It was hard to take a bite into, aka fit in my mouth. I wasn’t too wild about it, but my dinner mates went gaga over it.
Finally, the Ampalaya dish. I have a very special place in my heart for amapalaya or bitter melon. I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is absolutely comfort food. And Bad Saint did it justice, while placing their spin on this traditional Pinoy offering. Coupled with their red rice, the kind of rice I grew up eating in Cebu, it was the dish that most made me feel like this was truly a Filipino restaurant.

This is my 101^st review and it’s a good one. .. presenting Bad Saint. Bad Saint is Filipino cuisine hip fine dining.
After having a really crappy beyond my control extended weekend, I wanted to get Filipino comfort food and spun the dice since I’ve been here two other times with no luck.
They say third time is the charm! Unfortunately, a very good friend couldn’t make it today. We tried going here twice before, but either never made the waitlist or it was closed. Anyhow, thanks to snowpocalypse 2016, I was able to make it today and I was third in line.
The queue is very organized and they let each party enter the door in an orderly matter and ask if they have food allergies and such. After these food allergy questions, the hostess led me to a bar stool.
Anyhow, a cute waitress brought me the menu and it didn’t take too long to decide what I wanted. I ordered ampalaya (bitter melon) as an appetizer, a rice platter, diniguan, and a sweet porridge dessert. As with anything, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will post several later.
The service was ⁵⁄₅ star and the staff always made sure water was filled up. The décor is spot-​on and the place is well kept and clean.
Anyhow, all the food was great, but I have to give the nod to the diniguan! It was cooked perfectly with a good spice level.
As a surprise, they brought me 2 putos (salt/​sweet rice cakes) and a slice of champorado (chocolate and rice porridge but solidified).
On top of that I ordered their only dessert on the menu and it was really good. This dessert porridge was sweet, but not too sweet and the fruit provided a good complement.
I would highly recommend this restaurant and definitely one of the hip dining choices in the area. I am definitely going to bring my family here and I hope my friend makes it here at some point too.
Tip: Get there early on the weekday [check the days on their website when they are open as my Pinay friend didn’t the first time and we were bummed].

Wow! Completely blown away. Growing up I’ve eaten my share of pancit, lumpia and lechon but the flavors were always masked by lots of oil and grease. Bad Saint has made me reconsider Filipino food as a possible new fav.
We happened to be around Columbia heights around 5pm. I checked my bookmarks and noted that Bad Saint was in the neighborhood. We slowly meandered over to Bad Saint bc I didn’t realize there would be a line. Next time I will run straight there and get in line.
If you’re one of the first 24 people there you will probably get the first seating. After that, the hostess (Genevieve — also part owner) will schedule you for the second seating which will be around 7:15 — 7:30pm. Head over to Bar 11 for some yummy gin drinks and they will text you when ready.
We ordered the pancit, ginisang tuyla (clams and sausage in a yummy spicy sauce) and ukoy (shrimp fritters made with sweet potato). Devoured the meal so fast bc we were so hungry! Make sure to ask for the shrimp chips because they come with an amazing chilli paste that can be added to the pancit and the ukoy. Loved the flavors — complex and bold. Pancit had a slightly vinegar lemon aftertaste. The broth for the clams was fresh, light and spicy. And the ukoy was perfectly fried but didn’t feel heavy or greasy.
We were stuffed but wanted to get the dessert. The bilo bilo reminded me of a Vietnamese Che– the same type of sweetness but liked the additional crunch of the toppings and texture of the apples.
We will definitely be back to try the other items!

Bad Saint represents what I love about DC.
This is a city that has enough clout and support to nurture the great talent of emerging chefs — or all artists, rather, without overwhelming us with the paradox of choice and chains (even though we still have a lot). It’s a city with a small town feel — so you have the opportunity to discover gems like Bad Saint that have so much to offer with their creativity.
The night that I went, I was a bit rushed because of another engagement, but the staff was beyond kind and attentive. The waitress offered excellent recommendations and explained to us every dish as they arrived.
We started with the Kinilaw. My filipino friend ordered this — I’ve never tried it before. It’s a delightful combo of mackerel fish with grapefruit and coconut cream. If you loved the uniqueness of Rose’s Luxury’s pork lychee appetizer, you will be blown out of the park by this starter! It’s even better. The Kinilaw is both refreshingly light and creamy in one bite.
The Pancit Noodles were also delicious. It was like eating home cooking made by the wise hands of a grandma (I mean that it the best way. Obviously all the chefs here seem young and hip). The dish had a zing to it, perhaps lime, and plenty of colorful veggies and wood ear.
We also tried the Sinigang with shrimp and salmon (beautiful), Dinuguan braised pork, Clams with chinese sausage, Lumpiang Eggrolls (a little more skin than I would’ve liked) and purple rice. The dishes in total were not too expensive. They also have dessert options and a diverse selection of drinks.
Indeed, there’s a super long line to get here. What do you expect. Go early to put your number down and grab a drink at nearby El Chucho! Supposedly Monday early nights and rainy days are the least crowded, but it’s always bustling when I go by.

After being bookmarked since their grand opening in 2015, our group decided to give Bad Saint a try. With over 4.5 stars and 68+ reviews, we were sold.
Carefully dissecting the Unilocal reviews, we agreed to arrive 45 minutes prior to their 5:30PM opening. Upon arriving, there was already a line down the street. OK — so we wait! After about 1.5 hours of waiting, we finally got to the front, and of course, we already knew we were not going to get the first seating (the restaurant is pretty small and cozy itself– at the most 20 seating). We received our estimated seating time for a party of 4 at 9PM. Obviously, since we made the trip out here we decided to grab drinks and appetizers around the area (Maple and El Chucho). When dining at El Chucho, we received a text from Bad Saint saying that our time will not be available at 8−830PM — great!
Upon arriving back to Bad Saint, we were told that our table is currently being cleaned — AWESOME. Since someone in our party was in the bathroom, we had to wait until she was done (everyone in the party must be present in order to be seated) which was understandable since the tables here have a quick turnaround.
On to the menu items. We were told that the menu will be changing often, we received the winter menu.
For drinks we ordered: Willy Santos, Bailisong, their red wine, and white wine selection. Willy Santos was a bit sweet, but manageable. I would not recommend their red wine if you are ordering their seafood items.
For our entrees we decided to order three dishes to share and possibly more if were still hungry. They ran out of Ukoy (freshwater shrimp fitters) by the time we ordered. BOO. But here is what we decided to get:
1. Pinkabet $ 16 — Porkbelly and shrimp sauteed in a bowl — the flavoring was enjoyable, but a bit salty — 3.5÷5
2. PINIRITONG ISDA $ 28– Whole fried branzinos — the presentation was a bit different than the usual flat platted branzinos at other restaurant, this branzino was rolled up! Although we enjoyed the «fried» and «crunchy» textured, it was very hard to continue eating it because it was very salty. I think the sauce was very overpowering along with the vinegar in the salad. Was not expecting it. ²⁄₅
3. GINISANG GULAY $ 14 — romanesco, kalette, baby squash — we did not even see 1 squash in the dish! It was definitely tastier than the other items we ordered. ⁴⁄₅.
After finishing our dishes, we decided we had enough and wanted the check. Prior to receiving our check we noticed the table next to us ordering a plate of SHRIMP CRACKER! Something we have been eyeing on Unilocal but was NOT on the menu. We asked if we could have that… for dessert! We were very upset that it was not mentioned to us, but maybe they have a secret menu? Who knows. It was brought out and we ate it. It was enjoyable.
Overall, I think this place was very «hyped up». With the time waiting, I would have already waited for Rose Luxury. I may return to bad saint, but only to try the UKOY that they were out that night.

You must go to Bad Saint…
For a different experience, for some of the most flavorful dishes you’ll ever sample, and if you appreciate culinary creativity coupled with dedication to the art of tradition, you must go to Bad Saint. Heads above any other Filipino restaurant or most restaurants I’ve been to!
The restaurant is small and the hyper kitchen activity is exciting to witness. Chef Tom Cunanan and his staff tirelessly flip, chop, flavor in the midst of fire, flames, smoke and steam. Oohhh. Aaahhh. Is that dish ours? All dishes are served hot and seared, with wonderful variation of textures and flavors: crispy and soft, firm and melted, savory and sweet, spicy with acid. The sauces are to-​die-​for and the wait staff completely understand why we wanted to keep the remnant sauces from prior dishes to soak into the rice. Oh my goodness. I can’t stop moaning.
We had all the Carne dishes to share and also the pancit.
Lumpiang 5 stars: I have many Filipino friends and have had my fair share of lumpia. These were really good and so crispy fragrant.
Adobong butat buboy 5 stars: soft braised pork tails akin to oxtail but with a smooth creamy umami pork flavor in a sauce that we keep throughout the whole meal. Drool.
Pancit 4stars: I hear that chef changes this dish from time to time and this wasn’t my favorite dish but still excellent.
Bilo bilo 5 stars: my Filipino friends say this dessert here is really really good. I don’t have much experience with it but the mix of cream and sweet with toasted crunchiness is such a different dessert– I couldn’t put down my spoon.
I love the fact that this place is really popular but they don’t make you stand in line to advertise the hype like some other places. There’s so much buzz about them that they could make you wait in line if they wanted to. Instead, they take your cell number and you can go chill somewhere else as you wait for a text. Be forewarned that they only have tables for up to four people so go ahead and be picky — choose your favorite three people and go!

Amazing!
We got here around 4:45pm on a Wednesday and was 7^th in line. This place opens at 5:30pm. That’s gotta be saying something. (The first time we came here was a Saturday at 7:25pm, and there were no seats available for the night. The hostess was very nice and took our number in case any spot opened up so that was cool. I mean listen, you can’t fault the restaurant for being so awesome that you can’t get seated. That’s not the restaurant’s fault. If you really wanted to eat there, be like the other people that came early and was seated and ate an awesome dinner.) But I digress… On to the review!
The place is very small — I believe 25 seats. But since it’s that small, you can see everything that happens in the kitchen. Very cool watching the chefs do what they do.
Our waiter was so nice, explaining to us how the items on the menu are. We ordered 7 dishes. Ready? Go!
Pancit — noodle dish that was a-​mazing! Very flavorful but not overpowering. Not really that heavy but definitely would be filling if you ate the whole thing. Get it!
Ukoy — shrimp and sweet potato fritters. Very crunchy with two huge shrimps in each fritter. You get two per order. Really good! Dip it in the sauce — that’s a must!
Lumpia — it was ok. I guess since we make it all the time, it didn’t stand out. Still good though.
Adobong pusit — my fave of the night. This actually had a little kick to it compared to home made. The sauce was so good, we ate it with the rice when all the squid meat was gone. A must!
Adobong buntot na baboy — pig tail — not really adobo in my humble opinion, but still delicious. There’s coconut milk in the mix so definitely different but refreshing. Loved the mix of flavors.
Pinoritong Isda — fried branzino — my other fave. Crispy, flavorful without being too salty. Yum!
For dessert, they had bilo-​bilo — purple rice in coconut cream or milk with pinipig (puffed rice) for some awesome crunchiness — so good!
Awesome waiter, awesome atmosphere. I will definitely be back — early, so I can get a seat. :)