Manila Eats

I am on a roll of great eats and hidden gems. Located in what I consider to be nowhere (seriously, I re-routed my GPS twice thinking it couldn't possibly be correct), this delicious restaurant serving Filipino food clearly knows what they are doing.My friend and I arrived right when they opened. You order at the front counter, and I love that you can see all the food available, like a buffet, which is so helpful when ordering unfamiliar items. They have an every day combo special, which is your choice of two, smaller portion entrees, served with white rice and soda. For my entrees I ordered Chicken Adobo and Ginataang Sitaw and Kalabasa; a fancy name for shrimp curry with squash and green beans in coconut milk.The dining room is adjacent to the food counter with plenty of tables, and lots of fans around to help keep the room cooler. A woman was set up this Saturday morning performing live music - loudly - but pleasantly.The food was amazing, with my particular favorite being the chicken. The meat was so tender and juicy, you didn't even need a knife to cut it. And the sauce was not too thick, but not too watery. I also really enjoyed the curry - nice flavor, plus the shrimp were huge.Of course we split dessert. A flan, which was to die for. And a 3 layered rice cake gelled dessert called Sapin Sapin. This too was great, though the flan was better.All in all, so good, I can't wait to go back. Next on my list to try are the whole fried fish and the halo halo. And maybe a portion of Adobo togo.

The food here was AMAZING I can't find one bad thing about it. This is a very nice building with what I would describe as cafeteria style food. Everything is already made you can see what you like and it comes with ALOT of rice. The person behind the counter was very nice, this was my first time and he was very patient. I wish I would have gotten some of the pork adobo because the sauce was amazing with the rice. Everything was cooked perfectly I also had Flan but didn't snap a picture but that was also amazing

This Eats now move to permanent location. They use to only have food truck. Now the have restaurant front location next to port of Tampa. Love it. Since they move to the permanent location, their offer of the food choices also increases. Now they serve two meat or veggies combo dish for less than $15. I think this is a good choice. We got two combo and one a la carte. The two meat we have is the fried intestines chicharon, adobo chicken, braised pork belly, Bistek. I like braise pork belly. We got the fried pork belly as a la carte. Skin fried to crispy. Our desert is Sapin Sapin - three layers rice cake. Delicious and not too sweet. The combo also come with a drink. I like this air condition dinning hall. Love to eat there.

Stopped by on a Wednesday afternoon. Staff was friendly and food was delicious. The chicken adobo was full or flavor and so tender you can separate the meat with your spoon. The pork sinigang was flavorful too and meat was tender. The building has plenty of seating, is cool inside, and a nice space to enjoy your food. Would eat here again.

I'm so happy to have found this place! There were several things I wanted to try, but opted for the pork adobo and WOW. The meat was tender and flavorful and the portions were generous. This is one of my favorite dishes my grandmother would make for me and I'm so glad I know an authentic place to go to when I need my fix. I couldn't leave without trying their Halo Halo and it didn't disappoint. Loved the flan and ube ice cream on top! The staff + owners were extremely friendly as well and truly cared about each person's experience at their restaurant. I'll definitely be coming back.

First time trying Filipino food and it was amazing. My kids had 3 servings of lumpia and the lechon with rice was big enough to serve 2 adults easily. We also tried the Halo Halo and sapin sapin. We will be back.

THIS IS A HIDDEN GEM! This place is a MUST TRY! The food is super delicious and the price is SUPER reasonable for the quality and quantity you get! I love their sour soup with the pork. Their service here is super friendly and welcoming. They welcome you with a smile on their faces and give you the best meal! And don't forget their dessert! The flan goes so well with their halo halo! So refreshing for the Florida summer! They make sure to fill as much fruits and jello for their halo halo! The atmosphere is also very homey. You feel like home coming here. There's plenty of tables and chairs for parties and to spend time with friends/family. Come on Sunday because it's KARAOKE Sunday! Must try if you're in the area! Highly highly recommended!

Finally, Manila Eats turned into a brick and mortar store. It locates 1.4 miles south of Tampa IKEA. The food was very delicious. The combo meal deal let me pick two entree, one base-rice or noodle and pick one drink from the refrigerator for 14.99. I liked the fried noodle, chicken, and the Chicharon. They were big portion and very good. The sitting area was new, big and clean. In the glass display case, there are many delicious dessert options. The sapin sapin we had was good. The owner was nice and service was friendly. We don't live close but for their delicious food, it's worth the drive.

Came to there new location on 22nd street... much bigger than their previous spot with a nice dining room area. Tried their Pork Dinuguan, Pork Sisig and Lechon... The Dinuguan is more of an acquired taste but having grown up eating something similar, I liked it. The Sisig is a classic and was good. The Lechon wasn't quite what I had expected, the flavor was very good, but the skin was a little too hard and tough for me to enjoy. They have an extensive menu that changes daily... I saw alot of little signs of the different dishes and thought they offered all of it, they do, but only on specific days. They didn't have my personal fave, the Bichol Express (especially when its spicy), but do try it if you see it...You do order from the counter with a display a different dishes and then you either pick up it up right there or they call your number out to pick up. Then you bring it over to the dining area to enjoy... I don't think they offer table service but its hard to confuse that since the moment you walk in you see all the food in front of you.

I'm kicking myself for not going to Manila Eats sooner. It's not exactly close to me, but it's close enough. It's a stationary food truck on Tucker Jones Rd in Riverview. The road is hidden off a stretch of Highway 301. It's just past Symmes Rd if you're heading south on 301. You'll miss that right turn at Tucker Jones if you're not paying attention to the road signs. You've gone too far if you find yourself near Rhodine Rd. There's plenty of parking. They have an outdoor patio with a large table and some bench seating.It's very popular! I've been there on a Thursday at opening time and didn't have to wait. It was super busy this past Friday after noon. It's probably best to call ahead and pick it up. They really do get slammed with orders. Also, keep in mind that they may close before 8:00 pm. They sell what they have until it's gone. They post their daily menu on their FB site and give updates to Manila Eaters when they are sold out. What I've had so far has been great. The lumpia is so reminiscent of what we would get from the wives club when stationed overseas. It also reminded us of our former neighbor who would occasionally bring them over to us after frying it up for her family. So delicious! They make Pork Adobo, but it's not a daily offering. It was great! It's meaty, saucy, and tasty. I also liked the Binagoongang Talong (eggplant with shrimp paste) which was good. It also had chunks of pork belly. The Lechon Kawali was super comforting and tasty. It's a very large portion that I shared with my husband. We both agreed that the lechon and the lumpia are very addicting. I think the only negative was the white rice served with the food. It was very plain. Maybe it's supposed to be that way, or I'm just use to making my own jasmine rice. This didn't taste like jasmine or basmati.I saved the best for last. The star of the show was the Halo Halo dessert. I tried it based off of a friend's recommendation. She was so right. It was amazing! It has so many different flavors all rolled into one dessert. I looked at interviews with Veronica (the owner) and was surprised to find out that she grows her own ube and makes her own ice cream. The leche flan in the dessert was so creamy. The caramelized plantain and sweet potato mixed with 2 different kinds of beans and jack fruit also added so much flavor. Wow! I honestly didn't think I would love it as much, but I do. I drank half of it on the way home in the car. The ice cream surprisingly held up because of the shaved ice around it. I'd go back a million times just for that.I do want to try other Filipino dishes. I wanted to try the Chicharon Bulaklak. I'm adventurous that way, but I can understand why the owner was hesitant to sell it to me. She kindly described it to my inner gringa self. I say that with laughter. I mean, it's a delicacy and she didn't think I would like it. She's probably right. Maybe she'll let me try it one day. Hahaha!