BILAO

The menu descriptions are vague and the staff weren't much help with descriptions or questions. We ordered what they said was a stir fry and it came to the table as a soup, but it was the best dish we had. Every dish with garlic in it had burnt garlic, making everything taste bitter and burnt. The rice was overcooked and mushy. The worst part was that there were lots of flies and nats in the restaurant.

Ordered bistek on a delivery app and paid $20 only to receive 7 slices of beef. I was so disappointing and upset especially since I was going to serve this for my family lunch. I called the restaurant to ask for more servings because I felt ripped off and even the staff agreed that the portion was small but said that’s the usual portion size and there was nothing they can do. Will never come back here or recommend this to anyone. So disappointed.

It has been a while since I have had Filipino food. Came here on a chilly day during the last week of November, and sat ourselves in the back of the outdoor dining area. We ordered the menudo (cube pork cooked in tomato sauce with potatoes, carrots, bell peppers) , kare- kare (stewed oxtail and tripe in peanut sauce with veggies), and sizzling sisig (finely chopped pork ears, jowls, liver & chili, seasoned with vinegar and spices topped with chicharon & egg). Initially I wanted to order the Chicken Afritada, but they had run out, so we got a dish that was similar to it which was the menudo (instead of chicken, it was pork). The menudo was good and subtle, though I wish there was a little more stuff than broth. The kare-kare was subtle and creamy. I usually like my kare-kare with a strong peanut flavor rather than the creamy flavor. My favorite Filipino pork dish has always been the sizzling sisig. Their sisig, though it was good, it did lack a bit of the citrus/ vinegar flavor. The garlic rice was the perfect medium for all these heavy dishes with the saltiness complimenting the mild flavors of the dishes. We ordered the buko pandan and the halo-halo, which was sweet delight after a hearty meal. Though it was cold outside, it can never be too cold for icy desserts. Next time I come back, I hope I am able to taste their chicken afritada. Fun fact: this restaurant was apparently opened up by a group of healthcare workers (funding healthcare workers + delicious meal = worth the trip)

We bought longsilog, tapsilog, and arrozcaldo for breakfast and later we had shrimp sinigang and inihaw BBQ chicken. All were so delicious and I highly recommend them! Their lumpiang shanghai is really good too! We usually go to Bilao after my doctor's appointment and I believe the location is very convenient to the hospitals - Cornell, HSS, Sloan Kettering, and Mount Sinai. We love supporting local businesses and healthcare workers. The management is a group of nurses which is amazing!

Yummy and affordable Filipino food in Upper East Side. The menu has a variety of dishes to choose and pretty affordable. The food is very well-seasoned. Sisig is so good, highly recommend. The bulalo has a little sourness, while the kare kare has a very strong peanut butter taste. The vegetable dish is creamy from the coconut milk.

Great staff and friendly! Nice atmosphere. I don’t know too much about the cuisine, but all the items I ordered were delicious!

Finally crossed this off the list! I can say the food tastes really authentic and good but have some notable areas of improvement: Pros: Generous portions on both the Crispy Pata, Kare Kare, and Arroz Caldo Delicious Kare Kare, well seasoned and perfectly cooked Crispy Pata Cons: The garlic rice needs serious improvement. This is definitely not how a garlic rice should taste like..checked with friends who recommended the place to me and they agreed this is a major area for improvement. The silogs won't taste as good without excellent garlic rice to start with. The arroz caldo had potential but lacked either salt or fish sauce, easily remedied at home but hoping they can take note of it. The sisig was also dry and sad, can definitely be improved. The packaging was broken for arroz caldo and it spilled over the paper bag. I had to carry these whole bag of order home and I'm just glad it didn't break. Would be a waste of $80. Takes them a long time, to be fair they gave me a heads up that it may take them an hour and I read up the reviews about this so I called an hour ahead to make it a win-win situation. Overall, happy to support the Filipino nurses who own the place and really glad to see a Filipino restaurant uptown! Look forward to trying again soon!

Great neighborhood. Indoor and outdoor seating. No alcohol. I tried many dishes. Pork everything. The pork egg rolls were great. The Lechon was amazing. Deserts were fantastic also. Try this place for sure.

A nice addition to the UES proving more variety to the restaurants there. They didn't have a lot of things on their menu still because they're working out kitchen logistics. The things that we did get were only okay. The tapsilog was good. The garlic fried rice was a little on the drier side, but the diced tomatoes helped a lot. Pancit palabok was way too salty. My least favorite dish out of the ones I tried. Lechon kawali definitely needed the sauce for maximum flavor. The skin was a little tougher than I would like, and it was a little bit dry. However, the flavor was good. Definitely better Filipino restaurants out there, but the breakfast is good.

Bilao is an Upper East Side Filipino spot with an interesting story regarding it's creation being started by nurses. This place runs out of stuff and is in general very casual so I would recommend calling to make sure they have stuff. I think I remember uploading photos much earlier before getting one of their silogs (pretty positive the dasilog made with fried marinated milkfish/bangus served with a fried egg/garlic rice which was tasty though I've had much better garlic rice.) Anyway, I went here with a few others a while back. They were out of virtually all their fish dishes when we went. I decided to go with Beef Kaldereta/Caldereta which doesn't appear to be on their menu anymore. This is a beef stew cooked with tomato sauce with some veggies and I believe it was maybe $20 something similar which is a bit pricey but it's beef. The beef was tender and pretty tasty. Another person had the Chicken Adobo which I found a tad salty compared to other spots. The last person had Sinigang Na Hipon or a tamarind soup with shrimp and it was just okay being a bit blander than usual. The best dish was actually something we shared which was the Ginataang Sitaw At Kalabasa (spelled Kalbasa on the menu) consisting of string beans, squash, shrimp, and shrimp paste cooked in coconut milk. I love just about every ginataan dish consisting of a variety of things stewed coconut milk and usually shrimp paste/bagoong and this was no exception. The vegetables were cooked down nicely with still some crunch and there was a good amount of shrimp in there also. This was comparable if not better than most of the versions I've had in Woodside and I would highly recommend it. The food here overall is alright. It's kind of hard to recommend certain dishes when the menu abruptly changes based on what's actually available and of the dishes we tried, two were on the very salty end, compared to usual, one was pretty good, and one was outstanding. Mid/low 3.

During my most recent trip to NYC, this may have been my favorite meal here. I don't try Filipino food that often, but every single one of these dishes was delicious! We came on a weekday night and there was no wait to get seated. During the time I was here, there were a good amount of items on the menu that weren't available -- hopefully that has changed so people can get more options to try! Ginisang Ampalaya ($16): This is a dish with bittermelon sautéed in garlic, onion, tomatoes, and egg. I normally don't like bittermelon, but absolutely loved this. The bitterness was manageable and paired well with all the items in it. Lechon Kawali ($22): I haven't had that much lechon before, but this was the best that I've had. It tasted exactly the way I imagined with amazing crispness on top and fattyness on the bottom. The dipping sauces were great at cutting the fat too. Pork Adobo ($17.50): It was my friend's first time trying adobo and this was the perfect dish to try it. The pork was super tender and flavorful. I definitely recommend this place if you're in the area, especially if you're craving Filipino food. Can't wait to come back and try more!

Never really had Filipino food from a sit down restaurant so I was super excited to try! Unfortunately the first time that I went, they were out of so many things that my party ended up leaving because we were asked to make our 4th and 5th choices on the menu (and the staff that day wasn't the most sincere at apologizing?). On second visit, I was delighted to hear the things I wanted to try were available and very much enjoyed the food. The kare kare was surprisingly tasty. The oxtail was super tender and came right off the bones. The peanut sauce was very rich without being too creamy. I loved the addition of little bits of shrimp paste as its umami worked really well the more "neutral" peanut taste. Just wish they gave us more pieces. The pork biagoongan featured also very tender and tasty pork chunks with perfectly cooked eggplant pieces. The ingredients are sauteed with shrimp paste but I found the shrimp paste to be more soy sauce based (vs than strong shrimp flavors). Ended my meal with the classic halo halo. Loved the variety of beans and jelly but wish they used taro instead of mango? ice cream. The staff on my second visit were much friendlier. The space isn't big but as a result gives off very home-y vibes! The food is good but, like another yelper had mentioned, I would recommend calling ahead to make sure the dishes you want are actually available!

The food at this restaurant is fantastic - authentic Filipino comfort food. I've been here a few times and have had the following: -Escabeche - grilled, fresh fish stuffed with spiced vegetables. The fish was tender and flavorful. I hadn't had this dish in a long time and it was nice to have it again. -Lechon Kawali - fried pork belly...this was cooked and seasoned perfectly. This is definitely rich and worth the calories. -Laing - perfectly cooked taro leaves with coconut milk. This was slightly spicy and very delicious. This place is small so plan accordingly. The service is decent. I'd suggest calling ahead of time just to make sure they are open and/or they still have your entree options available, since they sometimes run out of popular dishes.

I was looking for something a little different for dinner while on the UES...and I was so excited to have landed here. I was intrigued by the origin story of the restaurant - it was started during the pandemic by three nurses who needed the comfort of a Filipino home cooked meal. Without any options, they opened their own place. This small space puts out amazing Filipino food. On the night that I was there, several of the dishes weren't available - but, who cares - that means I'm going to try other options and come back later... We started off with lumpiang (served adorably in a fry basket, and there are many of these delicious crispy rolls to share). We got the escabeche pompano - the sauce was tangy, the pickled vegetables were crisp, and the fish was light and flaky (we picked it clean!) and the grilled pork belly. The pork belly was smoky and the texture was incredible- it was a nice change from the deep-fried pork belly I would normally order. The waiter was extraordinarily nice and explained a few of the dishes we weren't familiar with. Definitely recommend this place for some nice home-style cooking.

Bilao is a good place to stop by if you're in the UES and craving Filipino! Particularly came for the breakfast and I was excited to show my bf some good eats, but when we went they were pretty much out of a majority of their meats for most of their dishes. There was no pork or longganisa. Huuuuge sad face. The waiter said it was a busy week and the next shipment order was not in. Needless to say we were bummed and not as excited for what we ended up ordering. I tried their dasilog- fried milkfish served with an egg, rice, and vinegar sauce. My bf decided to order kare kare.. I felt bad for him because he really wanted the breakfast too, so we'll just have to come back. Both dishes were really good despite not being our first options. They do a good job and definitely have the well-known Filipino hospitality.

Food and portions have gone downhill. Extremely salty and this portion of bistek for $18 is absurd

Glad to have a filipino option in the UES but like the typical ues restaurant, it is quite pricy for some standard or dressed up asian cuisine. However, the meal was still enjoyable. I got their special a while back which was essentially like a beef stew sort of thing; the meat was tender but the potatoes and carrots could have been stewed better - for some reason, they were giving canned soup texture but the flavor of the actual sauce was umami and on the saltier side. LUMPIANG SHANGHAI A filipino classic, i LOVE lumpia and pretty much order it every time it's on the menu. I can't say it's much like the other lumpia i've had in the past since the skin wasn't super crispy and dense kind of like how I'm used to lumpia being, it was more like a conventional asian egg roll skin. Come here if you're craving filipino food and you live in the area, especially if you're not acquainted yet with filipino food! But it's hard to beat a lot of the mom and pop places in woodside queens.

TIP: if you plan on coming here, please call and make sure they have food that you want available. Came here on a Saturday night and anything I wanted to order was not available. First I wanted kare-kare. They ran out. So I decided with sizzling sisig, also out. List of other things that I decided to order that were out: lechon kawali, crispy pata, pork binagoongan. Basically anything worth ordering was out. So I asked the guy for a recommendation and he said pork Adobo or bistek. I ordered the pork adobo and my husband got the Dinuguan. They were both horribly salty and I was not impressed with either dishes. The dinuguan was different from what we had when we were in the Phillipines. The pork adobo was just super salty. I've made chicken adobo in an instapot before and the sauce tasted much better. Garlic rice was unremarkable. The lumpiang Shanghai was the only decent thing we had. Sorely disappointed with our fairly expensive unenjoyable meal. $60 after tips.

I was craving Filipino food and decided to try Bilao out. I was happy to see they give longanisa as a side dish. However, I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the food. I will add that I got the food delivered, so maybe it's different if I went to the actual restaurant. I got the sisig silog and it was wayyy too oily! I couldn't even finish my food because I started to feel nauseous by the amount of oil. The longanisa was also small and overcooked. The portions were small for the price. I really wanted to like this place because I am a Filipino myself, but I personally feel like there are other places with better Filipino food. I'm going to give this place another shot and actually go to the restaurant next time.

I came here to get takeout for dinner on a Sunday afternoon. There's not much Filipino food on the Upper East Side so I thought I would check this place out. I was deciding between sisig and lechon kawali but decided to go with the lechon since it would still taste good when I brought it home after the long train ride (the down side of living in Brooklyn). It took a while to receive my order even though the place was completely empty. When I got home, I was slightly disappointed with the small portion size since it was pretty pricey for the dish ($20). Also, they didn't give me much vinegar liver sauce. The lechon was crispy but a bit underseasoned. Would I go back? Probably not.

I came back to try a different dish but apparently they don't have more than 50% of what's on their menu. Understandably, it might be hard because it seems slow and quiet They should update and just perhaps have a sign by their front door saying the dishes they have available instead of a whole menu that they cannot provide to customers. In addition, I guess the server saw me counting my cash and indirectly said they prefer or she used the word "appreciate cash payment" as opposed to credit card. I do hope this place picks up and I hope that more dishes come alive!

Read about this new restaurant in The NY Times. It started during COVID by 3 nurses who couldn't find good Filipino food near work. It's gotten rave reviews so I was excited to try my first Filipino food. When I went for lunch around 2:30 probably 1/3 of the menu was sold out - not sure if it was just for the day or the menu is changing up...

I ate here when they opened and liked it a lot. But these days it is not a spot I would recommend. Between the infestation of tiny black flying bugs that land on your food and drop into your drink, and the fact that on any given day they are out of half if what your group orders, I no longer recommend it. I hope that they get themselves back to where they were soon, or they will fail.

Been wanting to compare Bilao with a couple of other Filipino places in the city. Nothing compares to nanay's home cooking but when you need a fix of home flavors its good to know where to go. So first is that this is a small place with tables big enough for 2 or 4 inside and out. The Filipino flag on the awning makes it easy to spot from blocks away. My cousin and i came to try as many dishes as possible and we did a darn good job. Crispy pata, kare kare with shrimp paste condiment, garlic fried rice, pinakbet (vegetable dish), calamansi juice and turon. The dishes were a treat to enjoy and the service was lovely.

Impressive large selection of Filipino eats. There's so much more I need to try! Tried 3 dishes (in order of favorites) and 2 desserts: Lechon Kawali: Seasoned and deep fried pork belly served with garlic and vinegar dipping sauce Dasilog: Fried marinated milk dish served with garlic rice and egg Chicken Inasal: Grilled chicken marinated in calamansi, coconut vinegar, lemongrass and annatto (basically herbs) As long as you're not on a diet and have no pork restriction, get the lechon kawali. It's so crispy and tasty, meaty and scrumptious- I would advise to not eat the entire plate yourself in one seating. It could be a snack great for sharing- anyway it's so delicious and dangerous for your waistline. The fish was different but it's fried and therefore pretty good. The garlic rice was aromatic and flavorful. The chicken didn't offer an experience as impressive as the other two dishes but it was good too. As for desserts, I expected more from the halo halo. It seemed like it was missing condensed milk or something sweet. The buko pandan was excellent - perfect actually.. so milky and rich with coconut and pandan. This complemented, and also pairs nicely with, the halo halo. I would aim to get more pork dishes next time and again the buko pandan!

First time here. Tried it during almost mid-afternoon. So there were a lot of items that's not available such as beef, calamansi juice, Diet Coke, talong (eggplant). We were only able to order tocilog and lechon kawali, but they were both delicious. The garlic fried rice was a bit dry.

Regrettably, my experience with Bilao was far from satisfactory. On the day of my scheduled catering event, I was informed that they couldn't fulfill my lumpia shanghai order due to kitchen issues caused by electrical and gas issues. Later, I discovered that the actual reason was a shortage of staff, as some had called in sick. Trying to contact the business proved challenging, with their phone number being unreliable, and the mailbox consistently full. Despite my reliance on Bilao for the event, I was left with no choice but to scramble for alternatives at the last minute but was left unsuccessful. The manager eventually contacted me and offered that my order could be fulfilled at a later time when they had adequate staff. Additionally, I was promised a 50% refund for the inconvenience. Fast forward to today, and not only have I not received the promised refund, but their business phone number remains non-responsive. I strongly recommend looking elsewhere for your catering needs, unless you're willing to risk the potential of being left empty-handed with poor communication.

I learned about this place serving Filipino cuisine, from one of Governor Cuomo's New York State Coronavirus Updates under the "Tonight's Deep Breath Moment" section. Apparently, three Filipino nurses opened up this restaurant after they were unsatisfied by the food options in between shifts. As a lover of Filipino food, this sounded great to me, so I went with a friend for lunch. The spot is small, and the wait for a table for 2 was 1 hour. We decided to order take out, since there was a little park with seating right next to the restaurant. I knew I had to try the Lumpiang Shanghai {which is by far my favorite Filipino dish}. I also decided to get Palabok. The estimate for wait time was 25 minutes, which stretched into 50 minutes. I think the very small staff and kitchen were overwhelmed by the massive amount of customers and orders. We finally received our food, and while I liked the Lumpiang Shanghai, I wasn't a fan of the Palabok. Lumpiang Shanghai are mini pork eggrolls, and was served with sweet chili dipping sauce. They were fairly generous with the amount - approximately 9 of them total. The lumpia was delightfully crispy with plenty of flavor. The meat was nice and tender, as well as juicy and seasoned well. They were delicious, perfect little mouthwatering morsels! The Palabok was rice noodles in shrimp sauce, topped with cooked shrimp, tofu, tinapa and ground chicharon. I expected this to be similar to pancit, but the noodles were white in color, quite thick, and very bland. There were only a few small pieces of shrimp, and the sauce were on top of the noodles, instead of mixed in. The crunchiness of the chicharon was a great touch though, and added to the savory sauce. My friend's Pancit looked much better, so after a few weeks, I returned to give that a try. I also really wanted to get the Halo Halo iced dessert. It was a bit cold out, so I took advantage of indoor dining that day... This was back when indoor dining was still open. The Pancit consisted of sautéed noodles with chicken, shrimp, mixed vegetables in a special sauce. I asked which version was most authentic, and was told Pancit Bihon, so that is the type I ordered. I was extremely pleased with that choice. The noodles were traditional style - Thin, glass, and brown in color. It was chock full of flavorful shrimp, chicken, carrots, snap peas, cabbage, along with slices of egg and green onion on top. Each bite was comforting and tasty. The Halo Halo was made of shaved ice with milk, assorted fruits, beans, jello, and rice crispies with flan and ube ice cream. Absolutely delectable! The ube ice cream on top was wonderfully creamy and sweet, with the pure, yummy taste of ube. The flan was moist, rich, with a slightly caramelized tinge. I was having a hard time trying to eat the ice with the rest of the ingredients, and I learned that it is customary to mix everything together, to enjoy that way. The velvety condensed milk soaked in the ice, combined with all the jelly, coconut, sweet beans, rice crispies, and more, really worked well together. Service was lovely. The waitress was attentive and friendly. I would like to return to have one of the Breakfast meals and Pork Adobo.

Finally crossed this off the list! I can say the food tastes really authentic and good but have some notable areas of improvement: Pros: Generous portions on both the Crispy Pata, Kare Kare, and Arroz Caldo Delicious Kare Kare, well seasoned and perfectly cooked Crispy Pata Cons: The garlic rice needs serious improvement. This is definitely not how a garlic rice should taste like..checked with friends who recommended the place to me and they agreed this is a major area for improvement. The silogs won't taste as good without excellent garlic rice to start with. The arroz caldo had potential but lacked either salt or fish sauce, easily remedied at home but hoping they can take note of it. The sisig was a little dry & sad, definitely can be better The packaging was broken for arroz caldo and it spilled over the paper bag. I had to carry these whole bag of order home and I'm just glad it didn't break. Would be a waste of $80. Takes them a long time, to be fair they gave me a heads up that it may take them an hour and I read up the reviews about this so I called an hour ahead to make it a win-win situation. Overall, happy to support the Filipino nurses who own the place and really glad to see a Filipino restaurant uptown! Look forward to trying again soon!

Service was good! Did not wait too long for the food to cook. The entire restau was clean and staff was pleasant. Most importantly, the food we ordered were great. Definitely will go back!

Just opened in 2020 (August?) by Filipino healthcare workers. December 2020: no beer/liquor licenses yet. Great food, great staff. 4 of us sat in the outdoor dining structure and shared lumpiang shanghai, chicken adobo, kare kare, grilled pork belly and pancit. My friends weren't fond of the oxtail in the kare kare but loved the sauce. I won't be back for dine-in because they kept seating people directly behind me (the chair behind me was only a few inches from mine) instead of 6 feet away minimum. After that I will probably get a test this week just in case. I highly recommend the food so I suggest takeout.

Must try: Kare-Kare, Pansit Bihon, and Lumpiang Shanghai! Why: It's been over a decade since I've had Filipino food back in CA and this place just opened on the UES and it's amazing! The Kare-Kare (stewed oxtail and tripe in peanut sauce) was delicious. It looks like curry but tasted like a peanut butter stew and I loved it. The oxtail meat was tender and almost fell off the bone. I also got a variety of oxtail sizes from small to extra large, which I think is neat. The Pansit Bihon (sauteed noodles) said chicken but my order also came with shrimp and sausage, which was a nice surprise. The Lumpiang Shanghai (pork egg rolls) were perfect bite sized appetizers with a nice crunch and tasted great with the sweet chili sauce. I also got the Lechon Kawali (fried pork belly), which was good but not my top choices. I did really like the garlic and vinegar sauce it came with though. Overall, this was a very pleasant meal packed with flavor! Notes: At first, I thought it was overpriced for the portion sizes based on the photos, but there was actually plenty of food! I ended up having left overs for two additional meals the next day. I can't wait to try some other authentic dishes!

New to Filipino food. I am hooked! Love the story of how this restaurant was born. Just want to keep on going back for more.

Food is great but only if u don't mind flies circling around and landing in the food. I had to stop eating. You guys need to fix the problem

I work nearby so I normally order delivery when I'm craving Filipino food. I have ordered numerous times from here. I've had kare kare, laing, and bistek. Their kare kare is a hit or miss. You would think that paying $20 there would be oxtail in it, sometimes there is and sometimes there isn't. I really enjoy their laing. Their bistek is salty and for $18, the portion is small. Now onto why I rate them 3 stars. Being filipina, i LOVE rice. They're really cheap with their rice. The to go container is tiny. Come on, how am I supposed to eat a tall container of kare kare if I don't have enough rice?

A few friends and I decided to try this place on a Sunday evening. I've been here once before and had a decent experience at that time, but this time it was way worse. Most of the menu was not "available." There were literally one or two things in each category that was available that day. We ordered the kare kare, bistek, lumpiang Shanghai and Pancit bihon with garlic rice. The rice and bistek were probably the best part of the meal. The rest simply lacked flavor and didn't taste fresh at all. I took a non-Filipino here and felt that this wasn't a good representation of Filipino cuisine. I guess I should've had lowered expectations as this was the UES. Go to Woodside for good Filipino food. Overall disappointing experience and I wouldn't recommend anyone coming here.

I found myself on the Upper East Side last week. I was pretty excited that I was close enough to Bilbao that I could order food to-go. The space inside is pretty small [I was inside for 2 seconds to get my order], so I can't imagine what it will look like post-pandemic. The outdoor seating area was set up too. I had the Tapsilog [$13.50] which was straight up money. It was satisfying and comfort food at it's best [I say this as someone who is not Filipino but as someone who is familiar with comfort food]. I truly love any kind of meat with rice and eggs. The marinated beef was crispy and flavorful. The rice was fragrant with garlic. Mixing it all together was delightful. The tomatoes and the vinegar, served in a container on the side, brought it all together with a hit of acidity. Maybe because I was there in the late morning, around 11:30AM, it only took approximately 10-15 minutes to get my food from the time that I ordered. Surprisingly, even after I schlepped it all the way back to Brooklyn, close to 30 minutes later, it was still kind of warm and the eggs, slightly runny. Imagine if I ate it as soon as I got it. The portion size to cost seemed fair to me. I look forward to trying other things on the menu when I'm in the area again.

Awesome Filipino food on the upper east side. The sigsig was perfect, exactly what you expect from porky goodness to the runny egg. The pork adobo portion was huge with chunks of fatty stewed pork butt smothered in the vinegary rich sauce

So good! And the best part is that it's relatively close to me and not all the way in Woodside or Jersey City. We stopped by here for a quick meal on a Sunday and there was only a couple of people dining in. We sat in the outside seating area, which felt a bit stuffy but they did have fans all around. There are some tables inside the restaurant as well but we wanted to sit outside because it was nice out. The menu was pretty extensive, but there were many crossed out items that weren't available that day. I was quite sad that I wasn't able to try the pork sisig, but that's okay because I do plan on coming back! We ended up ordering the lumpiang shanghai, dasilog and crispy pata. Everything was great. We took the crispy pata. Everything was so good!! The crispy pata portions were pretty generous as we had to take some leftovers home. Definitely coming back again soon!

I got a chance to try this place out this weekend. Things to note there was a wait but they have a few tables both indoor and outdoor seating. Taking a star away for slow service. They need more help since they are so busy. I'll be back to give it another try. Favorites were: tocilog, pinakbet, lumpia shanghai. want to try: lechon kawali

This place has it all. My friend and I stopped in at 2 on the afternoon on a Sunday. They had a limited menu but that wasn't a problem. The restaurant was also pretty empty, so service was quick. Our server asked if we wanted mango juice to start and it seriously hit the spot. We ordered Lumpiang Shanghai, which was hot and tasty. Then our Lechon and Escabeche followed. Both were excellent. The lechon was juicy, crispy and had a delicious liver sauce served alongside. The esabeche was unbelievably delicious. The vegetables on top were phenomenal. Our server, Dice (sp?) made the experience. He asked us if we wanted a larger table and he even asked if we liked the music. Please go and support them!! They were closed due to the Hurricane at the beginning of September and are still putting out excellent quality food. You will not regret it!!

I tried this restaurant today. The staff is very eager to help and take your order. Although I liked the other 2 dishes, I made a mistake ordering their sisig. Most disappointing I have ever had. But - the grilled pork belly and ampalaya is very good. They used big shrimps mixed in their ampalaya eith egg. The place needs a little bit more ambience to separate them from other Filipino restaurants. It's not bad. I forgot to take photos of the other dishes.

One nice and cozy small restaurant in the heart of NY we enjoyed our dinner at this place though the menu was limited, the hostess advised us in advance when we called that some of the food in the menu were not available. The food was delicious and fresh upon ordering, we were also very hungry that night so we really gobbled up all that delicious food

The first and only FilAm food place with the golden hits like Arroz caldo, lechon kawali, laing, dasilog, pork bbq , crispy pata , lumpia , halo halo for dessert and so much more. Get the vinegar and minced garlic. Sarap! Mabuhay! Filipino food like at home and service with a smile.

I don't usually write reviews, but I HAVE to support this restaurant. The food was incredible - every bite was bursting with flavors that cover every bit of your taste buds. If you're a fan of crispy pork, do not miss out on the Crispy Pata. Otherwise, you really can't go wrong with anything you order here. My only complaint is that they're out of a lot of items on their menu, but that's how you know it's good!

They have AMAZING, authentic Filipino cuisine here! I hadn't really tried much Filipino cuisine before this, and man was I missing out. Everything was fantastic! I can't wait to return! We tried: *Bulalo - Slow-cooked beef shanks in bone marrow soup with vegetables and corn *Lechon Kawali -Seasoned and deep-fried pork belly served with a garlic-vinegar dipping sauce *Pansit Canton - Sauteed noodles with chicken, shrimp and mix vegetables in a special sauce *Turon - Plantain eggrolls paired with mango ice cream Everything was packed with flavor, seasoned perfectly, and cooked to perfection. The beef shanks and deep-fried pork were so tender and juicy. I need to know what the special sauce is mixed with the noodles because that was to die for. And the plantain egg rolls paired with mango ice cream were the perfect way to cap off the night.

We ordered the sinigang na baboy and lechon kawali. I had no complaints. Everything tasted great. I especially loved the lechon kawali. It was so crispy yet very tender at the same time.

First time trying Bilao and I was unimpressed. The menu had dishes highlighted with a marker, which we assumed were "must try" dishes, since they were mostly Filipino staples. But when we went to order, we were disappointed to find out that the highlighted dishes meant the kitchen was out. Most of the dishes we wanted to try were highlighted so we ended up having to switch our order last minute. If there's a dish you really want, I would suggest calling ahead to make sure they even have it. But the dishes we did try were decent. Some of them were extremely salty though, especially the bistek and pork adobo. They provided pitchers of water, cups of ice, and plastic cups to pour the water into. One of my ice cubes had something in it, I ended up not drinking the water, which didn't help with the saltiness. The ambiance was a little awkward, there was no music playing except when their phones rang, which they seemed to let ring a few times too many times (and at a loud volume) before picking up. There were also a lot of small flies in the bathroom and a few in the dining room, we were swatting some away from our food. I don't think I would bother making the trip out here again.

I'm a big fan. this restaurant was founded by Filipino nurses who couldn't find a restaurant serving homestyle Filipino food near the numerous clinics in the area. the outdoor seating may not look like much, but it was very warm on a cold day and not entirely boxed in, which is good for air circulation. I ordered the dasilog (fried milk fish breakfast) and loved it! the egg was perfectly cooked, the fish was very tasty and not too difficult to eat, and the garlic rice our table of 4 also split an appetizer, which had fried tofu and pork belly in a soupy sauce. full of flavor, and the texture of fried pork belly is to die for. overall, the price was quite reasonable.

This place felt like home. We are always searching for wonderful Filipino eateries and were blown away by this one! Each dish was made with love and you could easily spot that. The staff were friendly, too. The dishes we got were the arroz caldo and tinapsilog. Both were bursting with flavor and such a great start to the day. The arroz caldo is brought to you with smaller bowls to be shared with the table, but I ate it as my main entree instead because I love this dish so much. My husband could not stop raving over how delicious his milk fish was. We will be coming again every time we visit NYC. And then we ended our great meals with Halo Halo - perfection.

This is definitely my second and last try with this place. Had to give it another shot but it got worse. Ordered over the phone for pickup to save me some time from my lunch break but no, as soon as I got here, the receptionist guy told me that my order was not available so he had to crossed it out (didn't even bother to let me know beforehand via phone call). I had to order something else for my coworker and had to wait 10 mins. Majority of the choices from their menu are not available so I ordered palabok instead. It was so disappointing and too bland, not even saucy. Overpriced food and quality is not great. Stay away from this place. Palabok - 0/5 *Turon - 0/5 *The size of turon is tiny and per order comes with 2 pcs for $10. R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S Kind of burnt as well.

This gem of a restaurant not only has some of the best Filipino food in the city, but it also has some of the best servers and kitchen staff around. Whether you're looking for a morning bite, or an evening feast - Bilao will cater to meet your needs. Stumbled upon this UES spot a few weeks back after craving Filipino food and receiving a recommendation from a friend. Ordered the Lechon Kawali, Kare-Kare, and Chicken BBQ skewers and was beyond impressed by the delicious flavor combinations, portion size, and dish presentation. The Lechon was fried in such a way that it melts in your mouth, but had a delightfully flaky exterior to provide the perfect crunch (best pork belly dish I've ever had - hands down). The Kare-Kare broth was super flavorful, with hints of peanut and spices, and the oxtail meat was cooked to perfection. The skewers were a great tasting snack, with the dipping sauces complimenting nicely. I've been back often to reorder these dishes, and try new ones - you cannot go wrong with any item on their menu. Compliments to the chefs preparing this awesome food, and compliments to the servers (mine was named Neo) for being attentive, friendly, and compassionate toward all of the customers that enter into this fine establishment. Definitely will continue to be back.

These are some of the photos every time I go to Bilao. And the tocino that I ordered, burned and chewy. Not tasty at all.

I was not aware of this place until last week a friend of mine told me how delicious it was. I thought I had to go to the East Village or something to eat the authentic Filipino cuisine! 4 starts inly because they did not have the food I wanted to order. Sold out, they said. But with the " limited choice " I had to pick from, it was really good ! We ordered a pork , shrimp, & chicken dishes & it quickly disappeared from the table! I support the local business & this will definitely be one of it! Must Try!

REVIEW BY ONE VERY HAPPY FILIPINO GIRL! I'm from California and living in New York and far from my mom makes me miss her cooking. Sometimes you just need that Filipino comfort food and Bilao did not disappoint! We ordered the Pansit Bihon, Bistek, Kare Kare, Lumpia and Halo Halo for dessert. I am veryyyyyy picky about my Filipino food and have been constantly underwhelmed by restaurant Filipino food. But Bilao hits the nail on the head. All of it was delicious and I think it is very well priced for the amount you get. The Kare Kare alone fed me 3x in the form of leftovers! I don't even like Halo Halo but I was really in the mood for Filipino that I ordered it and I actually honestly liked it! So delicious. Will be coming back over and over again.

We went there today to eat. The food is just okay but my concerned is there was a lot of flies like mosquitos and fruit flies, disgusting! Eatery must be clean, right?

Bilao is straight up Filipino comfort food. It's not trying to "elevate" the cuisine or make it more intriguing to a hipper, western target. It's simply the food you'd find in a Filipino home cook's kitchen or at more hole-in-the-wall Filipino market/restaurant combos. The menu is fairly extensive and the portions are generous. One crispy pata can feed a family of four. The standouts to me so far have been the kare-kare (beef stew with peanut base) and escabeche (fried whole fish with sweet and sour sauce). Go with a group and try a bunch of dishes, opting for the garlic rice, where able. The dine-in service can get slow. On a recent visit, I noticed they were slammed with take-out orders. The press about Bilao will surely bring in more curious diners, though I think their base will be Filipinos looking for a taste of home without having to leave Manhattan.