Halo-Halo Kitchen

I’ve eaten here a handful of times whenever I’m in the area and craving Filipino food. The food is ok, pretty standard fare nothing memorable. My biggest complaint is the service. No table service here so how hard could it be to be friendly to paying customers as you scoop greasy Filipino food onto their plate? Can’t quite figure out if they’re snobby or unhappy or both. The restaurant is located in a low-​end strip mall so don’t come here with high expectations.

Got ripped off. Not only is it expensive but the amount they serve is «fun-​size»… Good enough for a toddler…
Taste was at best, so-​so… the dude manning the counter had a frown on his face… just like the bitter melon my buddy ordered

The Philippino food here is the best in town by far! All the dishes are great and the halo-​halo is sooo yummy. My wife cooks awesome Philippino food so I am a Tough critic. We will only come to one restaurant in Phoenix for Philippino food. That is Halo-​Halo Kitchen!

Good tasting food but chincey small overpriced portions. Paid $ 9.00 for a 2 item plate. I asked server for half rice/​pancit. Server removed half my rice said $ 1.00 extra, no problem. She barely gave me a spoonful of noodles and 1ice cream scoop of rice. My wife wanted pancit instead of rice on a 1 item plate and was told $ 1.00 more, again no problem a different server removed the one small scoop of rice and added barely a serving spoon of noodles. I looked at my 2 item plate $ 9.00 and asked for another scoop of rice as I was hungry and plate was anemic and told .50 more??? I passed, I have been eating Filipino food for last 30+ years in a variety of Filipino Establishments from HI to LV and never been treated to such skimpy tight wad portions or up charges for noodles w rice. $ 16.00 for lunch = 1 2 item plate and 1 1 item plate w 2 ice waters. I have eaten at this location a couple times prior and never had issues with portion control, will probably NEVER return. Not worth the frustration, hassle w server or cost.

I highly recommend the avocado shakes. They are on addiction level of good. We well be back.

After five years of not seeing one of my best friends from serving an LDS Mission in the Philippines, we finally reunited and celebrated by eating at Halo Halo Kitchen. We were at first, skeptical about it because we don’t know of many good Filipino restaurants, but after eating here, we are glad to say that this was a wonderful experience and we will be back again.
I personally had the Tosilog with a Sarsi and finished it off with, of course, a halo halo. The Tocino was the best I’ve had since returning home from my mission and the Sarsi topped it off really well. It has been over five years since I’ve tasted halo halo and I have to say that it was exactly as I remembered it.
There are so many things on this menu I want to taste and compare to my memories back in the Philippines. I am almost guaranteed that these recipes will be as good and authentic as any Filipino Karinderia I can recall.

I’m new to the area so I gave this place a try. I think the three item combo was a bit pricy for the amount of food that I got. I had it to go & ordered chocolate meat (it was too runny and lacking flavor), the mung bean soup did not have flavor and needed a bit of salt, & I thought the beef steak would be better but all three entrees did not do justice for what the place is hyped up to be. I’m not sure if I’ll give this place a try again, but I believe in second chances. So we shall see. Sorry Halo-​Halo kitchen, but you may need to step up your game a bit, & if I can recommend something, your customer service needs to get better & smile at your customers. It don’t cost nothing.

Filipino style, period. It’s the Filipino version of the standard American diner. Small cafeteria type buffet with good basic authentic dishes. Pork and Chicken Adobo, Menudo, Pancit etc.
Divey little place that welcomes you home each time you visit. Never been there for their evening services but with the full bar and Kareoke machine I’m sure it gets hopping.
They have great Halo Halo and the prices are reasonable. I’ll stop in every time I visit Phoenix.
You can watch the Filipino dramas from the many TV’s on the wall. I’m sure they convert to Kareoke monitors later on.

Usually, I am not one to venture out to find Filipino dining establishments. Growing up eating Filipino food, I have had my fair share of different ways that the dishes are made. Therefore, I’m a little biased. Yes, sorry — I am and I think the best restaurant ever is in Las Vegas at my mom’s kitchen.
So anyway, I’m not in Vegas and I really was craving Filipino food so bad! I noticed one of my Unilocal friends checked in to Halo Halo kitchen so I was motivated to check it out too!
The restaurant was pretty easy to find and we walked in — you can either order from the buffet area and pick one, two or three items or order from the pictures on the wall. I was so hungry that I decided to go for the three item: Kare Kare, chicken adobo, and Pancit (2 scoops of rice are included). I also purchased a halo halo special, chicharon, and ube candy. I was so excited!
We sat down and the pancit was good, I also enjoyed the Kare Kare, but the chicken adobo I wasn’t a big fan of. The adobo just had different or added ingredients that I’m not used to (which is usually soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves).
Anyway, the halo halo was yummy and it brought me back to my childhood days! A day later– I decided to try the ube candy and needless to say, they were no longer edible. Normally, ube candy has a purple color. This candy had a grey/​green color. I took one bite and I knew right away that it was no longer good so I tossed the whole thing.
Overall, if you are curious and want to try something new, I encourage the visit! Also, if you want to fill your Filipino craving, this will definitely hit the spot too!

Full disclaimer, I’m 100% Phil-​Am with my family owning a restaurant in Manila; in addition I grew up in Jersey City and recently moved from Southern California. With that said, I’ve tasted and have had access to some of the best Filipino cuisine out there.
I went with my boyfriend and we ordered a three piece plate (with rice) lechon, pork adobo and pancit. The basics. My expectations were low, not because the restaurant is a hole in the wall but because the food simply did not look appetizing. The pancit was gray and the lechon was dripping in oil.
I ate it anyway… If you’re simply looking for a nostalgic bite of the homeland, it’ll be a very faint shadow of what you’re looking for. But frankly with limited options in the area, you have the choice to eat here or cook at home. Choose wisely.

Best Filipino food on this side of the States.
Initially a «turo-​turo» style restaurant where they have different daily selections that they make all day and you just walk up and pick what to put on your plate. While they still do that, they’ve expanded their menu with various appetizers, «Pulutan» dishes (food to eat while drinking alcohol), and the ever so popular «Silog» plates, which are different meats served with garlic rice and eggs. Some favorites are the sizzling Sisig and the Tapsilog.
Also with the name Halo-​Halo Kitchen one can expect, well… Halo-​Halo. one of the most (if not the most) popular Filipino desserts. Sweet, delicious and refreshing. Along with desserts, they also sell Philippine-​brand chips and candy that bring you that much more closer and connected to the Filipino culture.
It’s a great establishment owned by a respectable family that is quite involved in the Filipino community in Arizona. Aside from serving amazing food, they offer passport and money transfer to their Filipino customers. H2K has become a staple in the Filipino community in the Phoenix Area.

TL;DR (out of 5):
In a state with very little cultural/​culinary diversity, I was surprised to find the Southeast Asian hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant that is Halo-​Halo Kitchen. With a variety of traditional options from silog to full entrees to fun snacks and drinks, Halo-​Halo has brought the Filipino dinner table to central Phoenix. Although the oily, diet-​overlooking fare isn’t for everyone, it’s definitely on my list of go-to’s in PHX.
Food: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Price: 4
Service: 4
Décor: 2
I gave this restaurant 4-​stars overall even though my experience with the food was more deserving of 3-​stars due to the fact that I went into the restaurant around 4:30 after skipping lunch. Unsurprisingly, the food (served in a Panda Express-​like fashion) was not the freshest. I ordered the 3-​combo plate, which comes with two scoops of rice, and chose lechon kawali, chicken adobo, and pork dinuguan (pork and pig’s blood stew).
The lechon, which I had heard so much of, was understandably sub-​par, due to the fact that it had probably been sitting under a heat lamp for quite some time. The meat was flavorful and tender, which was my main expectation. However, the fat was not soft enough, and the skin was not crispy; they were both relatively chewy. I would expect that a fresh order of lechon kawali would have been much better. The sauce that it came with was nice, although I’m guessing it’s essentially a reduction of the pan drippings from the pork with vinegar and other flavors — but good nonetheless.
The chicken adobo was jam-​packed with flavor. There was a peppery-​ness and sweetness that balanced really well. The chicken itself was falling off the bone and the bones themselves broke apart when I bit into them (although I’m unsure as to whether or not that’s a good thing).
I was hesitant to order the dinuguan because it looked quite heavy, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the heaviness of the pork blood was counteracted by the tanginess of both vinegar and banana peppers in the stew. The pork meat itself wasn’t half bad, but I think it had been cooking for a little bit too long as it was kind of tough.
Overall, the food was little too oily for my liking (even for Southeast Asian food) and the foods were a little too saucy, but the flavors were all there. And like I said, for a hole-​in-​the-​wall Filipino restaurant in central Phoenix, Halo-​Halo is doing pretty darn well.
The atmosphere was fine — since I went in at a weird time, the restaurant was essentially empty. The mom and children who shuffled in after me seemed quite excited to be there, so that’s a good sign. The décor was unsurprising for a hole-​in-​the-​wall Filipino restaurant; very similar to a mexican restaurant, there were cheap tables and chairs organized randomly in dining area with red tile and decorations galore. I didn’t really expect too much in terms of the restaurant’s aesthetic from the get-​go. The woman who boxed up my food for me was nice though; she explained what each of the options were and seemed happy enough to be there.
3-​entrée plate: $ 10
— rice
— lechon kawali
— chicken adobo
— dinuguan
Next time, I’ll have to try their fresh lechon kawali and maybe their silog. I’m sure that ordering a taro smoothie or something of that sort would also help to cut through the heaviness of their food.

Amazing Filipino food in the phoenix area. I have been looking for a good spot in Phoenix and the food along with the service I have experienced here, make it amongst my favorite places to go when I’m craving my moms cooking.
From the pancit, dinuguang, lumpia, adobo and lechon I can’t ever decide what to eat. They serve as a 1, 2 or 3 item meal but also have the option to purchase single servings in various sizes.
Craving some good Filipino food… stop by

11÷18÷15
Returned this morning to use the second Groupon I purchased, which was to expire today. This is Mom’s and my second visit (our first was in July, when sister and her two kids were visiting, so they accompanied us then). Mom and I weren’t impressed with the meal we had then, which included dinuguan, lechon paksiw, longsilog (longganisa, which is similar to chorizo, and «itlog,» which translates to «egg,» and fried rice dish), lechon kawali, and porksilog (pork chop, eggs, and rice). I believe we even ordered a BBQ item, and asked for a side of rice (two scoops for $ 1), which were then rung up together as one two-​item dish that cost an extra $ 2 over what we initially ordered as a la carte! I decided to give the woman (the owner?) the benefit of the doubt and didn’t complain. Everything was greasy and bland. Sister liked her longganisa dish very much, though, since it had been a long time since she last had it.
Fast-​forward to today’s breakfast of longsilog for me, with a side of tocino, and a tapsilog (tapas, eggs, and fried rice), with a side of bangus (fried milkfish) for Mom, and a Halo-​Halo special ($ 1 more than the regular order of Halo-​Halo), and again everything was greasy (Mom actually did what I suggested and patted down the meats with tissue paper to soak up some of the grease!) and bland. Sad to say, but the only thing we both enjoyed was the «Halo-​halo Especial.»
We thought the tiny scoop (between a quarter of a scoop to a third of a scoop’ish) of ube ice cream looked pitiful, but I didn’t really feel like speaking to the woman/​owner up front anymore, since this was going to be our last visit here.
While we were waiting for our food to arrive, Mom was asking whether we should order some crispy pata, or lechon kawali to go, but by the end of our meal, she’d changed her mind. Two very disappointing experiences, with each roundtrip costing us forty-​eight miles of travel! Very sad to say that we will not be supporting this Filipino-​owned «turo-​turo» business in the future. :(
#790

Best Filipino food in Phoenix. I recommend the coconut chicken, lechon and chicken adobo. The sauces are homemade and always fresh and warm. It is quite a drive if coming from east valley, Temp. But totally worth the drive. The prices are very reasonable for such a variety of selection.
As a flip this is closest to grandma’s cooking.

Disclaimer: I knew nothing about Filipino food outside of adobo and lumpia before coming here. I’m a total noob.
But I know what I like, and I like Halo-​Halo Kitchen. There are really several types of foods here:
The stews: Some, like pork adobo or menudo are more familiar. I had the chicken pastel, with potatoes and carrots simmered in a savory coconut milk mixture. It was alright. Just be sure to watch out for bones! Getting a little sharp piece out of nowhere was a surprise, but it’s all good. Then there’s my favorite – beef kare kare. Beef in a peanut butter sauce, with a very strong little side of salted shrimp paste to top it off with. I like both flavors individually, but can’t say I agree with them going together! All this with two generous mounds of rice for $ 7.00 is INSANELY good.
Oh, and there was the dinuguan as well, or pork roasted in garlic and blood. Yes, it sounds weird! But it’s not that bad. don’t be a wuss ;-)
There are breakfast plates (read: silog menu), that have various grilled meats with rice and egg. Served all day! :-D
There’s the deep-​fried Filipino junk food like lumpia, which were alright. I’ll for sure come back for the sisig fries!
Then there’s the American menu if you wanna be basic AF
Save room for desert. The Halo-​Halo is intimidating and probably has a billion grams of sugar, but I’m down.
Service is very friendly, but it’s got the super local, laid back vibe to it in which employees are talking among themselves, on their phones, or watching TV while they serve you. Some people are irked by it, but I feel like I’m eating at someone’s house. Groovy.
Other oddities include the really cool bar that appears absolutely STOCKED. My pal tells me it’s so that customers can party hard on karaōke nights. This place has just about everything you could ask for!

Disclaimer: I have not been to the restaurant!
Now, one thing that I do is plan. I plan parties; I plan dinners and brunches; I plan outings. Halo-​Halo Kitchen does not seem to work well with this practice.
Firstly, when attempting to make a reservation for our party, we were told reservations could only be made two days in advance. Really? I mean, yes, that’s something, but what good is a two day reservation as opposed to just showing up? If I can’t make solid plans, at least a week in advance, then it’s not worth my anticipation.
Despite the refusal to accept reservations outside of 48 hours in advance, we decided to hold our breath and set a night for dinner and karaōke. Well, while eagerly awaiting Karaōke night, we called to make our reservation and, apparently, the «EVERY Friday Karaōke» isn’t actually _​every_​Friday. So, the date that we’ve set aside and arranged with friends for the past two weeks has come to a startling halt. Our much anticipated Karaōke night is no more.
While I’d still love to try the food, do not make plans based on Halo-​Halo kitchen unless you like the rush of everything possibly falling apart!

Love this place my go to for filipino food in phoenix and right by my place. So far the only filling place in phx i’V
I love the kare kare and the palabock not the best since we are spoiled in SF with really amazing filipino food.
For phoenix, lola’s home cooking missed I’ll take it!
Also they have boba yay!!! lots of parking
i also like their halo halo on a hot day and bagnus (milk fish fried with vinegar marinade)
SARAP SARAP (yum in taglog)
wish it was cheaper and a little less fat added on servings with more lean meat, but it is made traditionally.

If you’re looking for fancy dining, this is not where to go. If you’re looking for humble, yet tasty Pilipino dishes from a small restaurant, then go here.
Most of the food is cooked already, so all you have to do is point at what you want. It’s like going to Pilipino family party except you have to pay to eat. :(
I only went here for brunch, so far, and got some tapsilog. Basically, some garlic fried rice, beef, and a fried egg. I definitely had flashbacks to my childhood. The nostalgia is probably why I enjoyed it so much, but if I’m brutally honest, the food is just ok. I will be back though to try the rest of the main dishes.

This restaurant was everything I had hoped for. and more! I tried filipino food for the first time in August (what, there aren’t a lot of filipino options in Minnesota.) and I absofrickenlutely loved everything I had. I was so excited to see an authentic filipino option in the heart of Phoenix. The restaurant has an ala carte menu and a regular menu with a ton of options. I opted for a «three option» meal and got the lechon, coconut chicken, and this fried shrimp pancake thing. I’m sorry, I have no idea what it was called. On top of that, I also got the special Halo-​Halo, lumpia shanghai, and the sisig fries.
I can honestly say everything I had was amazing and if I could, I would eat there every day. You can tell the food is made with fresh ingredients and not any of that frozen or prepackaged nonsense. The girl at the counter was very sweet and patient in explaining the different food options to us.
Here is my review of the food I had:
–Lechon: the best part, tender pork, crispy skin, awesome sauce.
–Coconut chicken: creamy, mild, coconutty without being dessert like, and full of dark meat.
–Shrimp thing: wish it would have been crispier but great flavor
–Special halo-​halo: a dessert on steroids, it was like a «kitchen sink» type of dessert where there were a bunch of deliciousness thrown into a cup… from what I can remember there was aloe, coconut jelly, taro ice cream, corn flakes, coconut milk, shaved ice, flan, red beans, pinto beans, grass jelly… and probably a lot more I am missing.
–lumpia shanghai: crispy, flavorful, light, and great with the sweet chili sauce
–sisig fries: amazingness smothered in more amazingness… this was coated shoestring fries double fried to a crisp with sisig, sour cream, onions, and chopped up pork on top. THE BEST.
The owner of the restaurant stopped in to decorate and check on things and I have to note that she was actually the highlight of Halo Halo Kitchen. There was a fly in the restaurant and she spent a good 10 minutes chasing it around with a swatter and made sure it didn’t go near our table. She complimented me on my phone case and we ended up talking about ebay and online shopping for a while. The restaurant has a bar like set up but there was a Filipino drama playing on the flat screens LOL. I honestly felt like I was at a fun relatives house chowing down on awesome food and catching up on soaps. It was so great.