The 23 best Filipino restaurants in New Jersey, ranked for 2025

New Jersey’s diverse culinary landscape wouldn’t be complete without the cuisine of The Philippines, especially as the state’s growing Filipino population now tops 118,000 residents.

In 1960, the U.S. Census only counted 1,451 Filipinos in New Jersey. But the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which ended the cap on how many immigrants were allowed to enter the country, changed all that.

At the time, New York and New Jersey were short on nurses — one of Filipinos’ leading professions — and towns in North Jersey served as a prime relocation spot due to its proximity to several hospitals, including those across the Hudson River, but with cheaper rent and inexpensive train rides.

As Filipino families settled in, their culture began to inject new flavor into the the Garden State. Chains like Jollibee or Max’s Restaurant may sound familiar but aside from that, there are more than 60 authentic Filipino restaurants in New Jersey today. Many of them are found in the state’s two most Filipino-populated towns: Bergenfield and Jersey City.

At Filipino restaurants, diners can expect to find everything from Filipino barbecue, to chicken or pork adobo (which are first browned in oil, and then marinated and simmered in vinegar, salt, soy sauce, and garlic), to lumpia (spring rolls), and desserts like ube (purple yam) and leche flan.

You may also notice some Filipino restaurants have grocery sections or mini markets in them, which is inspired by sari-sari stores, small family-owned convenience stores typically found in Philippine neighborhoods. It’s a nice touch if you find yourself hankering for any Filipino snacks or groceries on top of the restaurant food you just ordered.

We, Lauren Musni and Saleah Blancaflor, are not only food writers, but also first and second-generation Filipino-Americans. We searched the state for the best Filipino restaurants and compiled a list of the best ones based on flavor, quality and what we believe best represents our culture.

Check out our list below for the 23 greatest Filipino restaurants in New Jersey, ranked. Mabuhay!

23. Kawali Island Restaurant and Grill, Bergenfield

In the Philippines, the word “kawali” translates to “pan-fried” and this restaurant has some of the best of lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly) in Bergen County for the perfect amount of crispiness. They even make and offer lechon pork belly for groups or catering for bigger parties. Some of my other favorite dishes include their lumpia and pancit bihon. Its located right in downtown Bergenfield and while its one of the smaller restaurants, good lechon kawali is hard to find — and that’s one of the reasons it makes the list. (SB)

22. Kabayan, Union

In Tagalog, “kabayan” means “coming from the same country” or “fellow countryman” so it makes sense that this Filipino establishment — which is part-restaurant, part-grocery store — would land in Union’s close-knit Filipino community. It’s difficult to choose a favorite dish from here given that it offers a variety of dishes, but you can never go wrong with the lumpia or pancit (noodle) dishes. (SB)

21. Kamayan Grill, Neptune City

For a variety of Filipino food options near the Shore, look no further than Kamayan Grill, hidden in a strip mall across from Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The restaurant has a daily menu that changes, but typically offers traditional staples like pork or chicken barbecue or chicken adobo. About 10 minutes from bustling Asbury Park, Kamayan Grill is a smart choice for Filipino food on-the-go en route to your beach trip. (SB)

20. Pilipino Grill, Sayreville

For a quick fix of Filipino food, Pilipino Grill is a great spot in Central Jersey. Try their barbecue sticks, where they load skewers with meat, or their bangus, pan-fried to perfect crisp. They are also a fantastic option for catering for large gatherings. I recommend calling ahead of time as wait time can be a little long. (LM)

19. Manila Cafe & Asian Market, Mount Laurel

This two-in-one restaurant and market has all your Filipino needs! While you’re waiting in line at their buffet-style food service, grab your favorite pinoy snacks, cookies and frozen meats. The menu at their buffet changes daily but they update everything on their website. If guests don’t see what they want, items can also be ordered a la carte. Make sure to grab some turon (banana slices and jackfruit rolled in spring roll wrapper then fried and coated with caramelized brown sugar) or a halo-halo (a cold dessert meaning “mix-mix”). (LM)

18. Twelve Truck, Old Bridge

While New Jersey’s first Filipino food truck started in Old Bridge, it travels all over the state providing some of the best Filipino eats on wheels. Twelve Truck offers classics like lumpiang shanghai, Filipino barbecue and pancit while also whipping up other traditional dishes with a twist. I still dream about their lechon spam longanisa rice bowl special that combined all my comfort foods in one dish — lechon (roasted pig), Spam and longanisa (sweet Filipino sausage) atop fried garlic rice and garnished with red cabbage, white sauce, scallions and a fried egg. They’ll most likely have different dishes every time you visit, but that will just keep you coming back. (LM)

17. Reyta’s Filipino Cuisine, Cherry Hill

Hidden on the corner of a strip mall, Reyta’s is a great South Jersey find. Aside from their authentic dishes and small selection of goodies, they offer boodle fights – a Filipino-style of dining where banana leaves are placed on a table and topped with rice and several other food items then eaten with hands. If guests don’t want to commit to a full-on boodle fight, they can order their many family platters (starting at $48.99) where a smaller banana leaf plate with different types of food is brought out and meant to be shared. (LM)

16. Meryendang Pinoy, Jersey City

I always find myself missing street food from back in the Philippines. I’ve resorted to making the dishes at home because it’s they’re so hard to find in New Jersey — until now. Meryendang Pinoy just opened last summer in one of the state’s most competitive food towns, which also happens to be home to one of the state’s biggest Filipino communities, offering beloved street food from the homeland. I love their fried fish balls and pork siomai with toyomansi sauce for something savory. For something sweet, I always order their chocolate scramble — a cocoa twist on the popular dessert, iskrambol. It layers shaved ice, milk, sugar, milk powder and more. (LM)

15. Golden Bread Bakeshop & Grill, Edison

Golden Bread Bakeshop & Grill is one of the first Filipino restaurants I tried when I moved to Edison two years ago, and it’s still one of my favorites to this day. The chicken barbecue skewers are delicious as is the chicken adobo. Last time I went, I grabbed some of the ube flan, too. The staff is extremely friendly, one of my favorite traits of the establishment. Every time I stop in, there’s always two Filipino men who remind me of family members with how welcoming and willing they are to help me with food. (SB)

14. Kafe de Manila, Somerville

This isn’t exactly a restaurant, more like a bakery – but still key to your Filipino excursions! Everything ube (purple yam) can be found here. From ube crinkle cookies, cheesecake, iced float latte, pies, tres leches and biko (sticky rice cake). But what really draws me to this spot is their taho – silken tofu and sago pearls in a simple brown sugar syrup. They often sell this dessert on the street in the Philippines, where a man selling them yells, “taho!” It’s one of my favorite desserts and it was hard to find them fresh in New Jersey — until now! (LM)

13. Pandan Asian Cuisine & Delicacies, Bloomfield

Pandan Asian Cuisine offers a mix of Asian cuisines, but it mainly offers Filipino fare like pancit bihon, pork and chicken adobo flakes, and kare-kare. I love their buko pandan delight, a dessert which features young coconut meat and pandan-flavored Jell-o with cream made from condensed milk and cream cheese. I have a little sentimental value toward this restaurant since it’s the first Filipino restaurant I tried when I lived in Bloomfield and first moved to New Jersey nearly nine years ago. It’s one of the restaurants I always found myself visiting when I missed my parents or had a craving for Filipino food. (SB)

12. Kusina Ni Inang, Hamilton

Kusina Ni Inang translates to “mother’s kitchen” and hey, it makes sense. All the food from this restaurant tastes just like it my mom’s cooking, or my grandma’s home in the Philippines – miss you, Nanay! They were at our Jersey Eats festival in March and guests were buzzing about their food, especially their lumpia shanghai (Filipino spring rolls) and barbecue sticks. However, I loved their sisig (stir fry made from pork jowl, ears and belly plus chicken liver and other seasonings) and it was one of the best things we ate at the festival list. They’ll also be launching their own food truck soon. (LM)

11. Ayala Coffee, Union

The state’s very first Filipino coffee shop opened its flagship Union location in 2021 — brewing coffee with Filipino flavors like ube, leche flan and cassava. They expanded to a bigger location down the street earlier this year – this time, serving more than just coffee. Owners Trixie Jose and Matthew Reyes teamed up with executive chef Alex Ruperto, who also owns Vilma and previously did pop-ups at Ayala’s first location, to craft Filipino-inspired eats at their new cafe. My favorite dish is their “farroz caldo.” The twist on Filipino arroz caldo replaces white rice with farro, all topped with crispy chicken skins, tender chicken thigh, and a soft-boiled egg. They also have an array of Filipino-inspired pastries at their counter including the ube champorado croissant filled with a smooth, thick ube jam. (LM)

10. Plain & Simpol, Metuchen

Plain & Simpol, one of the newer Filipino restaurants in Central Jersey, has a humble storefront with a smaller interior — but don’t let that scare you away from trying it. It’s become one of my go-to Filipino restaurants in the area and has everything from pancit bihon to pork adobo. The restaurant also just recently began offering Filipino breakfast items like tapsilog (beef, garlic fried rice and a fried egg) and spamsilog (three pieces of spam with garlic fried rice and a fried egg). If you’ve got room for dessert, the ube burnt cheesecake and ube cookies are some of the best ube-based items I’ve had in New Jersey.

9. Tropical Hut Philippine Cuisine, several locations

This restaurant and market’s first location in Old Bridge was my go-to spot when I used to live nearby and now they operate four other locations in the state – Hazlet, Kendall Park, Maywood and Parsippany. They offer almost all of my favorite Filipino snacks and groceries, plus several dishes available in their buffet-style counter in the back of the store. I always order their crispy pata (deep fried pig leg) served with my favorite soy-vinegar dip and their dininguan. (LM)

8. Luzviminda Grocery and Restaurant, Woodbridge

Luzviminda, found in the Fords section of Woodbridge, has plenty of options for Filipino cuisine, but the one thing I cannot stop raving about is the chicken adobo and garlic rice. Chicken adobo is typically defined by its savory and tangy taste with a small hint of sweetness, and Luzviminda’s take offers the perfect amount of flavors, reminding me of the kind my family makes. (SB)

7. Next Door Provisions, Jersey City

When I think of this restaurant, I think Filipino food reimagined. Chef Ruby Felix crafts these fusion-focused dishes without sacrificing all the beautiful and authentic flavors of Filipino cuisine. I can’t get enough of their kare-kare mafaldini, taking the classic Filipino peanut butter stew and mixing it with a ribbon-shaped pasta. Additionally, their brunch menu features the popular Filipino pastry, bibingka, and transforms it into a pancake. They also hold public kamayan feasts/boodle fights every two months in collaboration with Jason Marasigan, a.k.a @chefblackbeard on Instagram. (LM)

6. Red Ribbon Bakeshop, Jersey City

Red Ribbon is a popular bakery chain in the Philippines and lucky for us, there’s one location in New Jersey! Whenever I come here, I always stock up on all my favorite Filipino pastries like butter mamón (a small, light chiffon cake) or slices of my favorite yema (caramel-like custard) cake. For more savory, I usually order the pancit palabok (noodle dish with a rich pork and shrimp sauce). (LM)

5. Philippine Bread House, Jersey City

The Philippine Bread House is the prime destination for all things bread, sweets, you name it. They make the best pandesal (Filipino bread rolls). Whenever I’m in the area, my parents always ask me to snag at least three bags of pandesal for them. It makes for the perfect breakfast – warmed up with a little bit of butter in the center. I also make sure to load up on their ensaymada, a spiral-shaped sweet yeast dough sometimes stuffed with ube, topped with sugar and grated cheese. (LM)

4. Mama Fina’s, Hackensack

In the Philippines, traditional sisig is made from pork jowl and ears, pork belly, and chicken liver and is typically seasoned with seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chili peppers. In more contemporary restaurants, sisig is offered with the same seasoning, but with a variety of protein options like salmon or tofu. Mama Fina’s has two locations — one in New York City and another in Hackensack. When I tried the location in New York’s East Village a few years ago, it was some of the best sisig I’ve had so I had to give the Hackensack location a shot. And, I can tell you, it is just as good if not better in the Garden State. This location also has a grocery section, which is a bonus. (SB)

3. Little Quiapo, Jersey City

Owned by Filipino-American Elizabeth Atendido, this authentic eatery has been serving the Jersey City community since 1992. The restaurant’s name was inspired by a district in Manila – the country’s capital. Guests can’t go wrong with ordering anything here but I usually get my favorite – tapsilog, a traditional breakfast plate of thinly-sliced beef that has been cured or dried, a fried egg and garlic rice. Sometimes, I substitute the beef for lechon kawali for that little extra crunch. (LM)

2. Leo’s Barbecue, South Plainfield

Like many of the restaurants on this list, Leo’s Barbecue offers a similar cafeteria-style setup with a small section to buy Filipino snacks and foods, but the one thing that stands out to me is the barbecue. Sure, the restaurant’s palabok is some of my favorite noodles in all of the Garden State, but the Filipino barbecue is the best I’ve had in the state as well — and that alone ranks it high on this list. (SB)

1. Bamboo Grill, Bergenfield

Ask any Filipino who lives in New Jersey, chances are they’ve heard of Bamboo Grill, located in the most Filipino-dense town in the state. The long-standing establishment owned by Lito and Lynette de Guzman has been open since 1996. Their huge menu seems to have it all, including sinigang (tamarind-based stew), pork adobo, chicken tinola (chicken cooked in a broth with ginger chayote) and inihaw na pusit (jumbo cooked squid in a sweet and spicy sauce).

Keep in mind before visiting: the portions are huge. The restaurant mainly focuses on family-style dining, which is very common in the Philippines. So make sure to grab your family and close friends to enjoy the food with. Bamboo Grill was also named as the best place to eat Filipino food in New Jersey by Food & Wine in 2022. (LM)

Related coverage

• N.J.’s 1st Filipino coffee shop expands to offer delicious food. Here’s what to try.
• Purple food is everywhere now. It’s an insult to my Filipino culture.
• Inside an epic Filipino kamayan feast, where all you need is your hands

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Lauren Musni may be reached at lmusni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Laurengmusni and on Instagram. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Saleah Blancaflor may be reached at sblancaflor@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @saleyley and Instagram.