Kawali Restaurant

It is a hit or miss depending on the time you go. If you go when the food has been freshly made then you are in for a treat. But if the food has been sitting under the heater for too long the. The fried items will become hard and/​or chewy. So I’ll review it based on it’s best days.
That being all said, the flavors are pretty spot-​on. The items we have ordered are:
Lechon kawalli: when it is fresh it is fatty good, but when it is not, it is hard as a rock.
Sinigang: one of my favorite Filipino dishes & in all honesty, you can’t really go too wrong with it, so I enjoyed it very much.
Apritada: enjoyed that too
Halo halo: Delicious! I’m picky with the stuff that goes in my halo halo, but I liked everything about it. It was a pretty good size too; I had to share it.
I know I’ve tried more items but I can’t remember. I’ll update when I go back.
Customer service was great. Friendly people. One of the owners were there & he checked to see if we enjoyed everything & chatted it up with us also. I liked that a lot.
I personally think they should have lights on their sign so they could be more visible at night & possibly get more traffic. It would be a shame to see them close down. Hopefully the quality of the food doesn’t go down.
If anyone is wondering: Kawalli’s or Little Mama’s? Kawalli’s hands down. I think the only thing Little Mama’s might have on Kawalli’s is the portion size.
I’ve also ordered a party tray of lumpia from them. Very accommodating & reasonably priced. I believe it was $ 48 for 100 pcs! They provide a small tub of dipping sauce AND those little sauce containers & everything! And you don’t have to place the order 24 hours in advance like Little Mama’s; so for last minute parties VERY convenient.

I was so lucky to find a Filipino restaurant nearby my work, especially one so delicious AND authentic.
To cure my homesickness and my cravings for Filipino cuisine I often come and visit Kawali. I was so excited to learn that they serve sinigang — my favorite dish (I often beg my mom to make it for me whenever I return to visit my family).
If you’re looking for a legitimate Filipino experience make sure to go to Kawali. The owners are warm and welcome as most Filipinos are, and their cooking reflects that kind, nurturing nature. They even have TFC playing in the background!

We went there 1^st time. Like the hola-​hola. Curry was good. Cheap price. Clean place. Will be back soon.

Mom and I tried dinner last night at this Filipino restaurant nearby. I wanted to check out why it has some negative reviews.
I should say that if you are not expecting home cooking style and expect cuisine-​style experience then this place is not for you. Home cooking expects some flaws with mom-​style-​cooking ie. meat not tender as expected etc. Note as well that this is a turo-​turo (point out food you want) restaurant.
I give this place 5 stars because it has a homy ambience, friendly staff, and even a Pinoy-​style self’-service corner to get your own sauces (I love the white vinegar concoction), forks-​spoons-​knives, even refreshing water from a filtered dispenser. Added to the ambience is a TV that features your favorite TFC or GMA shows. The place was clean and orderly.
Mom ate mechado. She said that the meat was hard to chew. I tried it but it was fine for me. It tasted like typical home cooking that sometimes is imperfect. I had barbeque that I think was not so tender but still enjoyable for its typical Pinoy taste.
After all’s said and done, I recommend the place. You can’t lose with a combo dish as low as $ 4.99 with rice, one ulam, atchara, and a drink. I plan to try their halo-​halo on my next visit.

We were extremely disappointed in the food! As we were leaving, as if the food wasn’t bad enough, we saw 3 roaches crawling on the walls! We asked to speak to the manager & were told he was «in a meeting»! If we could give this place a –0 stars, we would! Needless to say, we will not be back!

The staff was friendly and the place seemed clean however the food was awful. I feel sad to leave such a terrible review but both my husband and I couldn’t even eat half of our meal (we were starving). We both had stomach aches afterwards and a terrible taste in our mouths. We won’t be going back.

Best Filipino food ever. The pork with liver dish was awesome. The gravy goes so well on rice.

This is the best Filipino food in Round Rock. Everything tastes fresh and authentic. It is also well priced. Their lumpia is especially tasty. My go to place for Filipino lunch.

My husband loved the food, he’s never had Filipino food. Me, being from California and growing up with my Filipino neighbors. The food was good and would’ve loved to try more. But, I’m not a fan of buffet style (open).

The person working was very nice. The place was clean and hygienic but the food was not. I disliked it immensely. We got 5 dishes, a large order of Lumpia egg rolls (only thing we ate), a small order of the deep fried lechon (very greasy and tasteless), pancit noodles (tasteless) and some other dishes. There was one pork dish that tasted like spoiled fish or something.
I’m so sorry to write a bad review but I can’t think of anything I’ve eaten out that tasted this bad to me. I’m sorry. :(

We just moved to the area and we’re looking for a good place to get Filipino food (my husband is Filipino). Kawali was open and nearby so we popped in. The food was great! The owners were there so we got to chat with them. Very friendly! We’ll definitely be back.

I just swung in here for the first time today. I’ve been meaning to come here for months and today was the day.
The young woman who was working behind the counter was very friendly and she took the time to describe each item they had to offer that day. Apparently they have a revolving menu so it changes daily.
I had the beef mechado, and it was stupid delicious! The beef fell apart in my mouth, it was amazing. I also had a drink who’s name I can’t remember, but it had lychee and tapioca in it, and that was also wonderful.
The price was really fair, about 5 bucks for rice, an entrée, and a drink.
Only downfall was the place smelled a bit like gas, they should have that checked out.
I’ll admit, i dont know anything about filipino food, so i have nothong to compare this to, but my mouth was happy! Ill for sure be back.

Friendly Filipino welcome? Check. Adobo? Check. Lumpiang? Check. Required Filipino talent show on tv? Check. Yes, this place is the real deal. Very clean and colorful. Had the pansit, adobo, and lumpiang for $ 10 and had to take half of it home. It’s the kind of place and people that make me want to hang out here. No room in my belly for the delicious looking desserts, but I’ll be back for that.

I wasn’t very impressed with this place. My family and I tried it out one day on a whim. My husband is Filipino, and his Lala is an outstanding cook, and I have mastered a few dishes myself. So, maybe my expectations are too high.
One of the things about the place that I didn’t realize, is they have a different menu each day. I was REALLY wanting pancit canton, but we were there on a day when they weren’t serving that. Nothing else sounded good to me either. I went ahead and got adobo, but I felt that the adobo I make is quite a bit better. Maybe I should have tried something new. My kids all got bbq pork, and were satisfied. Nothing we ate seemed fresh though. All 5 of us eating agreed that the food was just «meh.»
I feel my lack of a good experience could have been my own doing. Going in with a certain craving for pancit canton, and having to settle just didn’t make for a pleasant meal. The service, and prices are pretty good. So, if I was still in the area, I would give Kawali one more chance; I would make sure to go with the intentions of trying something new or on the day they are serving pancit canton though.

I was happy to finally see another Filipino food restaurant open up in Round Rock! This place is only about 10 min away from home and I was excited! I’ve tried a few of their dishes and some were really good, while others were just okay. Their sinigang dish lacked flavoring and was really missing that sour tamarind taste that you’re suppose to get from the dish. Their kare-​kare however is pretty good but isn’t served with ox-​tail, though im fine with that since I don’t want to deal with the bones always.
Sadly the food isn’t made to order and just sits in warming pans till theyve run out for the day. Unsure if they replenish through the day as I’ve once walked in wanting a certain food only to find they had ran out. No plans on making a new batch was mentioned. All in all it’s an okay place for Filipino food.

First, I went for Sushi. I went to Kawali for dessert. I ended up having dinner.
My wife and I visited her on a whim on a Friday evening after paying $ 40 for Sushi. The bites that the manager sampled me of their signature dishes were more flavorful than anything I had at the Sushi restaurant.
My wife picked up a bowl of their Caldaretta. I promptly ate most of it. Sorry dear. Spicy, but not too spicy, flavorful stew.
I went with the halo halo because I was here for dessert after all. Condensed milk, exotic fruits, tapioca pearls, ice cream. A creamy and sweet treat that that hit the spot. It’s the kind of dessert that is great for a husband and wife to share. I forgot the part about sharing with my wife though.

We were driving around after a long day looking for something yummy, when we discovered Kawali. Really we were enticed by the pictures of yummy desserts in the Unilocal reviews, and the fact that this was about a half mile from us
When we went in, we spoke to the owner who was super friendly, let us taste pretty much everything, and delivered me the most amazing beef stew (although I forgot the name) ever. Spicy, with veggies, and tasty meat, and a side of rice, and a drink with tapioca pearls. For 5 bucks. Needless to say, thats like my fav kind of food, so I was more then satisfied.
My husband got the halo halo, a delicious mix of ice, fruit, ice ream and some surprises at the bottom.
Will visit here again for sure. Support local!

Hidden surprise in Round Rock. Authentic Filipino restaurant, Kawali serves homecooked Southeast Asian fare. «Kawali» means Wok in tagalog. On Gattis at Greenlawn, in a non-​descript plaza is Kawali Restaurant, a warm and friendly restaurant that serves a different menu each day. They serve food buffet style (like Panda Express) and serves the food each day until they run out.
Use their web site to see what the menu of the day is — helps to navigate the choices. Tonight I had chicken adobo (very good), beef mechado (very very good), and crispy lumpiang Shanghai (Filipino spring rolls). I also had a beautifully cooked slice of eggplant that looked like a fish fillet. The only disappointment was the pork lechon that was a little dry after sitting under the heat lamp.
I ordered my food to go. Kawali sells most of its dishes by size. The lechon was sold by weight. A very large assortment of food for two came under $ 18,
Friendly helpful service, Kawali is a really nice surprise and alternative for people who love Asian food and are looking to expand their taste experience beyond the local Chinese and Japanese restaurants.

I gave their halo halo a 4 star. I have only been here 1 time and have not had a chance to eat anything else. The staff is friendly and the place was clean. The Halo halo is delicious. Had ube, ice cream, beans, flan and gummy stuff. I was supposed to share but got carried away and ate it all. I will definitely be back to eat.

I have really come to appreciate this place… Although it will never be «like Mom’s» it sure does hit the spot when I want some Filipino food! I’ve had a few dishes here and although most are different to what I’m accustomed to, the flavor has been fairly good. I was a bit disappointed in their pansit palabok as they only gave one shrimp per order. I also didn’t like their pianono as it was overly moist (and priced!). I would have to say that their Pork BBQ has become one of my favorites. If you see and want something specific that is listed on their daily menu, I would suggest calling as it is subject to change without notice. Nothing like craving some beef nilaga but having to settle for pork sinigang (true story-​happened to me today). Anywhoo this place doesn’t have the best ambiance, but it is clean, employees are nice, and the food and prices are good. I’m glad they are in my hood!
Oh and they give waaaaay too much rice!