Philadelphia, PA - Filipino cuisine is synonymous with bold, savory, or sweet dishes rooted in personal experiences and flavors. It represents a longing for home, an emotion that drove migrant workers to send record sums back home.
Where to Eat Filipino Food in Philadelphia
From food carts and restaurants, philippine cuisine has taken root throughout America. By creating cultural enclaves that would otherwise fade into American life's chaotic backdrop, these eateries help sustain culture enclaves that might otherwise vanish in an otherwise homogenous society.
1. Perla East Passyunk
Lou Boquila has created this East Passyunk BYO restaurant to honor her mother, serving modern Filipino flavors with French influences - think seared Rohan duck in an Adobo "jus" or Chitarra pasta with Short Rib Menudo and Eggplant Puree as two examples.
2. Tabachoy in Bella Vista
Tabachoy is an impressive addition to Philadelphia's Philippine dining scene, offering delicious Caesar salads featuring bagoong shrimp paste with Napa cabbage and mustard greens, or trying their grilled chicken combo topped with shaved cured duck yolks.
3. Tambayan in Center City
Kathy Mirano brings hearty recipes from childhood into Reading Terminal Market through a diner-style lunch counter, offering homemade hand pies, hearty bowls of arroz caldo, and succulent meat skewers that taste like home cooking.
4. Tita Emmie's in Brewerytown
Raquel Villanueva Dang's Tita Emmie's started as a pop-up kusina that, before COVID, brought together groups of strangers for Filipino cuisine experiences.
5. Jollibee's University City
As soon as news broke of Jollibee's establishment in the Drexel complex, Filipino students cheered its arrival. The Philippines-based chain is known for its burgers, fried chicken, spaghetti & Filipino dishes.
