Kiko’s Cocina de Manila

Catching up on my reviews since being back from vacay. Came here to pickup 2 items on 10/7. Sadly, such overpriced pinoy food IMO for the portions. Chicken adobo for $16 and Gambas for $13.

Ordered from Kiko's on Doordash because I was a little lazy to drive the other day, so please keep in mind that my review is based off of food that had made a 15 minute journey before being eaten!When I heard a new Filipino joint was opening in Irvine, I was ecstatic! There are practically no Filipino joints in Irvine -- if you have that craving you need to drive to Lake Forest or a city more north. It's very nice to now have something in my own city to satisfy that Filipino fix when I am too lazy to cook.As a Filipino myself, I understand that Filipino food can taste extremely different depending on who cooks it. The different regions of the Philippines all cook the same dishes in different ways. Therefore, you should never expect a dish from one restaurant to taste the same at a different restaurant. I ordered the kare-kare, which is my favorite Filipino dish. Their rendition of this creamy peanut dish was pretty good, but not my favorite. The ox-tail was perfectly cooked, but the veggies were overcooked and soggy. The flavor of the sauce was delicious, however I wish they gave more sauce. I particularly didn't like the bagoong (shrimp paste). I'm not sure which kind they use, but if you have some bagoong at home (as most Filipinos do), then I'd recommend to use your own.One thing I'd like to note is that the portions are on the smaller side here. It's definitely only enough for one person, so don't expect to share one meal. However, I think the prices are reasonable for the portion sizes. I will definitely be giving Kiko's other menu items a try in the future!

Everything was great thank you We almost got one of everything and everything was super Saraps . Perfect for a day not having to cook

Today, I ordered the Chicken Adobo and it was very good. The portion is just enough for 1 person which also includes plenty of white rice. So, i can tell the rest of food here is going to be excellent. What I like most about this place is the food is made to order. It's NOT those ones that are on steam tables under heat lamps. Again, this place is strictly a "to go" type place...no sitting area inside and very little sitting area outside.

Underwhelming flavor, overpriced portions, LONG WAIT TIMES, literal robotic service.I went to this "restaurant" to get some Filipino food for dinner. I grew up in the Philippines and I was excited when I saw an up and coming Filipino restaurant in Irvine. I ordered some pretty basic/staple foods for their iconic taste to remind me of home. In hindsight, I wish I used the money I spent on this dinner to buy ingredients and make it myself. The flavor is very muted and the portion sizing is REALLY disappointing. The caldereta portion was so small that it only filled the to-go cup halfway; it only included 3 pieces of potato and 4 pieces of meat. Based on the portion, I would have assumed that it was a half order, but for $18, it's unacceptable!! Since this is a smart kitchen, it's one building to 8 restaurants, takeout only, and no people! The ambiance is non-existent and I have no confidence in who is cooking the food. All of the "attached" restaurants are of different ethnic cuisines, but I suspect that it's one set of staff making all of the orders... meaning that the cook might have never eaten what you ordered! I really wanted to like this experience and tried to look at the bright side. Maybe I'm supporting a local restaurant, maybe I'm eating genuine Filipino food, maybe a smart kitchen is only Kiko's beginning. I came to kikos hopeful and now am eating at home disappointed.

I was excited to see this place show up on Yelp. While I work near other options, I don't really enjoy their food. It's buffet style and just doesn't taste fresh. Kiko's is in Smart Kitchens off of Sky Park Circle. If you've never been, it can be a little confusing. You walk in and are greeted by...TV's, Ring Doorbells, and some ordering screens. If you ordered online and get a text that your food is ready, you can pick it up on the rack right when you walk in. If not, search the walls for the doorbell for Kiko's (it was on the right when I walked in), press the doorbell, and someone will come out. I ordered the Chicken Inasal and lumpia. The chicken had a nice, crispy skin. The flavor was good also! The portion was pretty large. There was a lot of java rice served with it. My only wish was that it had the kalamansi and the dipping sauce. This really would have pulled everything together and made it perfect!As for the lumpia, it was pretty good. I would say it's not my favorite. It is good and others I let try it loved it, but it's just not the way I enjoy it personally. I would definitely suggest others try it though! Most people will LOVE it!Overall, I'm excited to try some of their other options. I have been looking for Lechon Kawali that is decent in the U.S. for years, to no avail. I have a feeling they will nail it! Also, while I make my own kaldereta, I can't wait to try theirs. It would be nice to get it sometime and not have to spend hours preparing it myself!

So excited to have them at Smart Kitchen, just walking distance from work. So far I've tried Lechon Kawali, pork Adobo, Longanisa, Lumpia, Turon and ube ice cream and they all satisfied a childhood craving. Each visit makes me feel more like family. Service has been great each time. My mission is to try every single item from their menu.

Never coming back even though I haven't tried their food waited our order for 20min and they call and said 30 more minutes hahaha funny! Need our refund!

Ordered the sinigang today and it was just as delicious as it was the first time I ordered it last month and when my wife ordered it again two weeks ago. But where did my favorite lechon kiwali go?! Anyways, Keep up the good work and don't ever change the recipe it is SPOT on authentic.

I really enjoyed the food at Kiko's Cocina de Manila. I had the chicken adobo with rice along with lumpia and it was yummy. If you go there it may be helpful to know that the sign on the outside of the restaurant does not say "Kiko's Cocina de Manila" and instead the sign on the outside says "Smart Kitchens." When I walked through the "Smart Kitchens" doors I felt like I had entered a time machine and left the year 2023 and went back to the year 2020. There was no one at the front desk, only a kiosk where I could put my order in. There was a repeating video on a large screen that told customers to put in their order on the kiosk, if they hadn't already ordered online, so they could make contactless payments for their food. On this kiosk we could order food from Kikos Cocina de Manila or a few other restaurants that prepare food at this location under the "Smart Kitchens" umbrella. Once you order your food online or on the kiosk, you just wait until someone comes out with your food and places it on the counter or on the shelves where they can be picked up in a contactless way. If you want to check the status of your food from Kiko's it's best to call them on the phone, and they can give you and estimate of how much longer it will take. There is very limited seating at this location, so plan on eating elsewhere.