Mel’s Chibugan

By far the best Filipino infusion food I’ve ever eaten!!! great service awesome hospitality people are very nice. You will be seeing me more often! Thanks guys

Hello if you are going to eat at Mel’s Chibugan the place has got renovated and turned into Island Flavor a Filipino cusine with different owners, same location, and currently open. The new owners are very welcoming and cater most Filipino cusines. The food quality has gone up very high and so has the grade level to an A and the prices are very reasonable with big portions.

Everything we’ve had here has been delicious. The staff was great as well. The portions are great, the prices are good. Its a family owned business, and u can tell in the cooking– it’s good food !!!

Working in the Brea-​area, once in a while I need a Filipino fast food fix but I usually have to go to Anaheim or Buena Park for good Filipino food. I’ve read the reviews for Mel’s Chibugan in La Mirada (which is closer) but was never motivated to try it. One day, I was close to Mel’s and decided to look in and see if anything appealed to me. Typical hole-​in-​the-​wall, mom & pop fast food/​small bodega featuring Filipino products… nothing fancy but clean. The lady at the counter that greeted me was very friendly and attentive. Unlike most Filipino places, she did not assume I was Filipino and took the time to show me what was available and explained what each dish was. It was lunch time and the food looked fresh and appealing. I decided to go with Bistek (or beef steak) and Kare-​Kare. It was kinda of pricey for a 2-​item meal ($ 8 w/​tax) but portions were generous. But the food was actually pretty tasty. The bistek was a little over cooked but the flavor of both dishes was good! Good enough to come back. Next time I’ll try a 1-​item combo for $ 5. Not the greatest but good for Filipino fast food!

Pretty good Filipino spot. Pinky Pinay in Cerritos is better but in the la Miranda, la habra area this is the closest thing. I would def go back

Yuck! :/​I went inside & checked what they got… Oh, man, this Filipino fast food is disgusting that’s why this place was graded «D». Luckily, I found out there are more best Filipino eatery here in Orange County especially in Cerritos, Artesia, such as Pinoy-​Pinay, Gerry’s Grill, Josephine’s, Salu-​Salo Grill…

Like going to grandma’s house. All authentic cooking. Very friendly staff. Clean and the food is tasty and delicious. I also like their basic selection of groceries. Everything is fresh with their wide variety of food.

So far this place call Mel’s Chibugan Filipino Fast Food & Market is clean, friendly and the foods is good but the prices is to pricey. When I order 3 items the waitress/​cashier they serve small portions of items on my plate and the totals of my bill cost me $ 15.00 plus taxes. If they charge more money on their items they should at least add more portions foods on your plate.

Was running errands and came across this place, looks good and clean. Only thing is that they didn’t have a lot of the items on the menu or I had to wait a long time for them. I could only go by the food I’ve had at Filipino friends homes and this food was just so so. Also the service can be a little nicer, I understand this get lost in translation but as an avid goer to Thai town and China town I’ve never had any problems.

Not the most pleasant experience; my food was cold and what I did eat was flavorless. I really enjoy Filipino food and this spot is not a place to go to if your looking for tasty Filipino food. Blah! Dive spot, more like a fast food Chinese restaurant.

Set up was not impressive. Staff were ok. Very limited food selection… rather on the pricey end. small portions… they have the basic pantry foods for you to buy… Even their halo halo was mediocre.
Sorry, Would have given Mel’s Chibugan a better rating but. there was NOTHING really special here. And I do not plan on coming back.

I love their food esp. their banana chips (the best in the world), even if you have no teeth, you will enjoy the crunchy & tasty banana chips. Lot’s of parking, friendly staff. I highly recommend this place to all of you, at least try it once.

Had lunch here for the first time. The food selection was limited and did not look very appetizing (not to me at least). So I played it safe and just ordered a 1 item combo, 2 pork barbeque skewers and white rice. The total cost including tax, $ 5.38. The rice was hot but the bbq pork was cold. I did not like it at all. The counter guy was very friendly and polite though. It’s a small place with approx. 5 tables that seats 6. It also has a little Filipino convenience store inside the restaurant. I might try this place again. Perhaps I just went on a bad day? Plenty of parking and for the most part, the place looks clean.

My mom and my husband is a fan of Mel’s Chibugan. We go here every weekend to get our dinner or brunch. I’m gonna make a little comparison of Mel’s Chibugan to the other leading pinoy fast food to describe how it taste. Of course you will only get it if you know and eat at Pinoy-​Pinay and Toto’s Lechon which you can find in West Covina.
I think if you are Filipino you’ll love the food here. They serve good food. (aside from Toto’s Lechon w/​c I love also). Plus they give generous amounts for cheaper price. (cheaper than Toto’s Lechon and Pinoy-​Pinay)
–They serve delicious Kare-​Kare (better than the one in Pinoy-​Pinay).
–They serve the best Lechon Macau ever! You’ll find it crispy on the outside, tender in the middle and just plain delicious! Somehow, it’s less greasy too! Bombbbbbb!!! I think Hispanic and Chinese will love this (since latino have Chicharones or Chicharon, and Chinese have Crispy Deep Fried Pork and Suckling Pig w/​c is kind of the same), cause it’s just crispy and tender at the same time. They cook it perfect!
Sinigang– (pork belly in a sour soup) The soup is good I must say, but I don’t think it’s that tender enough. It should be tender based on traditional cooking.
Dinuguan– (pork blood stew) I don’t eat this but my husband said it is delicious.
Giniling– (sauteed ground pork) it’s good but when I had it the ground pork they used has kind of fowl taste. I only had it one time though. But don’t get me wrong, how they made it, it taste good. I’s just the meat they used that time I guess.
Food is about $ 5 for a any 2 item combo, rice and small drink included. Every morning they serve Jeprox until it sells out. Really crispy. They also sometimes have «Balut».
This is a fast-​food w/​a mini grocery stuff inside. Very convenient. But I don’t suggest you eating in here. I think you’ll enjoy the food more when you bring it home and warm everything up. We put the Lechon Macau in the toaster to make it warm, and as if you just cooked it perfect.

With Filipino Express moving further down Beach Blvd, Mel’s Chibugan now stands alone as the Filipino point point joint in La Mirada.
Like most point point joints, you first select whether you want rice or pancit or half/​half and then you choose either 1 or 2 items depending on how hungry you’re. They definitely don’t skimp on the portions here so if you’re looking to make that combo two meals, you won’t be disappointed.
Menu changes on a daily basis but you’ll find the basics here including: Pork and Chicken Adobo, Fish/​Beef/​Pork Sinigan, Dinuguan, Pork/​Chicken BBQ. Fried Tilapia, Menudo, Kaldereta, Lechon Kawali, etc.
I’m a pork guy so I tend to go with whatever pork dish they’re serving. I only wish that they served Sisig more. I never see it when I go.
The place also doubles up as a mini market and you can buy snacks like Clover chips, Shrimp Chips, Chicharon (w/​and w/​out meat), etc.
Like other point point joints (and most filipino food in general) the food is extremely greasy and many dishes are on the salty side. For all you health freaks, this is not the place for you.
With that being said, this is a solid point point joint and I prefer it over Filipino Express. It’s not as good as Pinoy Pinay in Artesia/​Cerritos, but hey it’s only 3 mins. from my house.
Tip: Don’t forget to order Sago at Gulaman to drink!

La Mirada and the surrounding cities in general lack filipino eateries. So I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into Mel’s (by Marshall’s) a couple of days ago while visiting my parents. I had gone here 3 years ago, and it use to be a small filipino market; NOW they have a long counter full of filipino dishes! There was so much to choose from. I had my eye on their beef mechado, fish sinigang, and beef sinigang (which I ended up buying). It was delicious! about $ 5 for a large foam container, and $ 11 for an XL container. They had a container of fresh balut too, but I wasn’t feeling it that day.
They still have a small market going of filipino brand items. and the lady at the counter was very nice and eager to help.
Fair warning, $ 10 minimum to use ATM.

I was around the area and had forgotten about this little hole in the wall place. I don’t think there are many filipino food places in this city. So today, I’ve been on my filipino food crave, I decided to try them out.
I was disappointed at first to see the little selection they do have. Sure they had your regular adobo, longanisa, fried tilapia, mongo, and I forget the names of the others. Anyway, to be blunt, the food is under flavored and doesnt give me the desire to want to come back.
I gave it a 2 star for the friendly service and convenience since they sell your typical pantry must haves.

If you looking for a quick Filipino fix, this place is your best bet. They like to give you more food than the to go box can fit, but that’s what the yellow lab is for.
Cheap, good and friendly, try it out if you live around La Mirada.

Not alot of places to go in my area to eat filipino food, unless i drive to Cerritos. The food is good, the service is friendly. The lady remembered us the second time we went there.
My son loves the lumpia and the wife likes the chicken adobo. I’m a little bit more daring and order the diniguan & kare kare. I also utilize their catering service and get their 100 piece lumpia for family gatherings.

Perhaps in another lifetime I could have been a filipino. I like karaōke. I like to dance. I love some good chicken adobo!
I came in here to grab a quick bite to eat and I was curious. I wanted to know if there was really some good filipino eats in my own backyard. I wouldn’t have to go over to Cerritos anymore to do the whole «point point» method of getting something to eat.
«Point Point» Method: Picking out a few items for your combo from behind the glass counter by pointing and asking «What is that?»
This is a new establishment, it’s very humble and simple but the food looks really good… and it is! I started simple with some rice, pancit and chicken adobo. The woman behind the counter was so gracious and very hospitable… very much like when I vist the homes of my friends. «Do you want two scoops of rice, or just one?» she asked. One was more than enough! I already felt like I was with friends.
They do catering at Mel’s and there are shelves lining the wall where you can pick up some snack likes shrimp chips or a bottle of spicy vinegar to dress up your own steam rice at home.
I hung out and had my lunch, dousing my plate with vinegar and a little soy sauce… scooping up the juicy goodness with my fork AND spoon. I was asked «Where did you learn to eat filipino food? Are you half filipino?»
I wish!
There’s good food here and good service… come by and visit. I hope to see this place around for a while.