Kabayan Filipino American restaurant

A small little place with big delight! If you are in the mood for authentic Filipino food, then here is the place you want to be. I drove from Virginia to grab some of this deliciousness, and it did not disappoint. It was well worth the trip. Can't wait to stop in again. They are so nice there and make you feel like you are a part of the family. See you soon!

This Pancit was delicious. The conversation with the owner made the food and our visit even more enjoyable. If they had Karioka I would have been in heaven. We will definitely be making a return visit.

My first visit to this spot. Lechón Kawali was delicious. This a takeout which I didn’t check my bag until I got home. I was missing my lumpia. Since I live 30-45 minutes away I guess I’ll have to take the loss. So check your bag before you go!

This place is terrific! Weather you already love filipno food or want to try something new I highly recommend! At $6.99 for rice and 2 viands it's a good value.

The area is blessed with two Filipino cuisine locations. This business and Lumings. For taste, I choose this place. The food is very flavorful and does not feel as fatty/oily as Lumings. Also, Kabayan's combo meal (rice and two entrees) does not break the bank and is a very good value. For those desiring Filipino cuisine: Kabayan: If you prefer flavor and less oily/fatty Lumings: If you prefer BBQ and stuffed seafood Both are 5-star establishments in my book

I enjoyed the chicken pancit. What made the experience better was the customer service. While waiting for my order, I appreciated that she provided some dishes to sample. Definitely recommend giving the restaurant a try.

I don’t know what it was called, but it was pork , it had dark gravy like oxtail. It was real good!🥰

Good honest home cooked filipino food. A little hard to come by in the DC area for this price point. Not much in the way of seating but ok in a pinch. I prefer taking the food home, since I miss filipino comfort food in this area.

Love, love, love this restaurant! Employees have always been hospitable! If the food wasn't already TO DIE FOR, I'd come for the kindness! Son was given samples prior to making his final decision. He ordered an adobe chicken and pork plate with rice. When I say, he tour it up, he tour it up! In addition to his meal, we ordered pork lumpia (should have ordered more) and 2 platters of pancit with chicken. Gifted 1 to my sister-friend who absolutely loves it! Portions are humongous! Employee (owner I think, will have to confirm next time), gave us a bowl of soup, on the house. Outstanding customer service and undeniable great food!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Oops, son couldn't wait for me to take pictures, so I only have pic of the pancit.

Food is actually good. Ordered pork adobo, palabok and fried intestine...Yummy and definitely better than what we have in NJ. That is the good part and should take this place to another level...The problem is that the ambiance is lacking. I mean how hard is it to make the place brighter and more presentable? It is too dark and the decor way too old and eclectic. I think this place could be better than Lumings but Lumings as old looking as it is, is inviting and bright. They have a nice dining area but the two times I was there the lights were off as if you cannot eat there. Turn the lights on and get rid of the old decor...If you were in Jersey you would be the best place. Service is mixed bag and smiles and kindness are key and it was not there initially and it not that busy. She recovered after and I appreciated it so no stars off. She is the face of the store and if she fails at the meet and greet the store will fail. If I could give a 3.5 I would have but it is close to 4...Up the game or fold but if you want to get more popular or raise to the next level start with what my review stated. Definitely good food and a place to meet but could be better.

Went there for some lunch last week. Thought I would try something different, not sure how different it was though. Never been to this spot and look to see what to order. They serve everything cafeteria style where everything is already made. So I ask the lady behind the counter what's good. She says the double chicken not sure but it's some combination of sauce and served with rice. Got home opened the box of food and dug into it. It was a little sweet nothing complicated. Needed more sauce on the rice I may go again and try something else.

Walked in and lady behind counter didn't greet or say hello. Very unwelcoming place off the bat. No prices anywhere so I asked and she said a plate was $12.99 so I requested sisig. She then says it will be $26.99! I changed my order to just pancit to which she says "it will be a 25 minute wait for the pancit." At that point, I walked out.

We ordered pork adobo, lechon paksiw, ginataang langka, crispy pata, and halo-halo for dessert. Pork adobo was just OK but a bit too salty. The spices of the lechon paksiw was on point; however, the pork cuts did not look lechony (if that's even a word) and the fat wad thicker than the meaty part. The best part was the ginataang langka! Everyone enjoyed it and it was cooked to perfection. Can't really mess up crispy pata since it's fried so as expected was good. The final downer was the halo-halo that came with chunky ice instead of fine crushed ice; however, the other ingredient did taste great like back home with ube ice cream on top. This is my personal review from my first hand experience and my opinion may differ to other yelpers.

Somewhere like a year or two ago this place really tanked. Barely any food, staff is always rude for some reason, prices change from day to day. I used to frequent this place often, but it's just not worth it. There are other filipino restaurants just minutes away.

I've been told their filipino dishes are good. However, when I called asking questions, the Filipina lady I was having a conversation with, hung up the phone when she decided she did not want to answer any of my questions anymore. I am very disappointed.

The food is always delicious I've been going here for years and it just dawned on me on how much I actually love this place. So I thought I'd finally get around to giving them a good review and their kudos!

I've never been to the Philippines but I did grow up in California so I know this place is authentic. The food is pretty good but just like all the other Filipino restaurants they can run out of the popular items so it is best to call before you go, especially if you are ordering something that has to be made fresh like the silogs , or fried egg rolls or crispy pata. Sisig is popular with non Filipinos now so I want you to know the sisig here is DELICIOUS!!! Again call ahead for that or you'll be waiting like 20+ mins.

Pretty good food! The first thing I noticed is how generous their portions are. I ordered ordered sisig (because, of course!), side of rice and Buko pandan for dessert. If you haven't had it yet, sisig is a Filipino dish with chopped meat and cartilage bits fried in chiles and other spices. At other places,I've had some gamey tasting sisig, but Kabayan's version was flavorful and not at all gamey. Buko pandan is young coconut in a creamy, green leaf flavor. I really like Kabayan's version because it wasn't too sweet. Sometimes Filipino desserts like buko pandan can be cloying, but their version was just right to me. I also ordered halo halo, which is a dessert filled with ice, milk, candies fruit and ice cream. I'm not usually huge into halo halo because, again, these desserts tend to be too sweet for me, but this too was pretty good. My husband ordered the two entree with rice combo. I didn't get to try his food, but he wolfed it down so I know he enjoyed it. There's nothing fancy about this restaurant, but they serve up some great comfort food. Check them out.

Mediocre lechon kawali, ginisang monggo, garlic fried rice, and buko pandan. The food is bland. It looks like a lot of Filipino nurses come here for lunch so they probably cater to those with metabolic diseases with limited salt and sugar diet.

The food was plentiful, the employees were patient as I decided what I wanted, the Lechon Kawali was cooked while I waited and the food was good.

They were not open until 7 like yelp advertised. Came here at 510 and they were closed :(

Stopped by here the week of May 6th. Haven't been here for a lil bit and it tasted just as it did last time. Had the adobe chicken & sticky rice, Lumpia (don't ask how many orders) and something different adobe chicken w/lemon. While that was being prepared I walked down to the store and picked up some banana leaves for grillin some food. The food was piping HOT and I didn't want it to melt the plastic so I ate a few lumpia's.

First time trying out this carryout Filipino Restaurant. There are some tables to sit and enjoy your food but otherwise you walk up to the counter and pick what food you would like. There was quite a variety but all I wanted was some delicious chicken Adobe! It looked freshly cooked and I made it a combo with some rice. I enjoyed my meal and will be back to try more dishes! You also can order big dishes for events and such.

I have been wanting Lechon for a while but living in south PG that is not an easily available dish. So after looking online I found this spot - it was almost 80 degrees last weekend so I drove on over to get my Lechon! I didn't know what to expect when I walked in, it appears to be two sides, the side that I entered in was more or less the carry-out side...the other was a dining area. So none the less there were two non -English menus on the wall so I asked the lady (Auntie) who was sitting behind the counter/desk area about the crispy pata and the Lechon. She informed me of the price and she along with a younger lady fully explained the menu to me. I inquired about the chicken/pork adobe and they offered me a sample. I mentioned that I found them on YELP and Auntie offered me a free dessert of the Buko Pandan. The folks that work inside of this establishment were very nice, genuine people. Even Uncle (cook) came out and spoke to me. I received my food and opened it up once I arrived home - it was still hot and oh so yummy! That was my first time eating crispy pata, but it was crispy and good. It came with some kind of soy-based sauce that was very tasty as well. The Lechon was very good too and it also came with Lechon sauce. Now I did not take pictures because there a several pics of the items that I ate already on the establishments' profile. But try and stop by if you are in the area, maybe craving for some good food...you wont be disappointed.

Stopped here for lunch with one of my coworkers who goes here often. The decor is as if you were in your own family's house/ kitchen, very low key. They have a super large menu so there is plenty to choose from, but call ahead if it's towards the end of the day, they run out of things often since they make just for the day what they need. The adobo chicken and rice I ordered was good, very salty and lots of oil! Still has bones in so be careful! Really large plates! Overall they were very welcoming and I might be back to try something else

I like this place. I came in for lunch and got the chicken adobo, lechon, and steamed rice. It was really good! I just moved here from LA, and miss Filipino food since moving here, and this place scratched the itch. The staff was very friendly, and they went through all the items they had available for lunch that day. The chicken was seasoned really well, and the lechon was nice and crispy....but it did need a little more flavor. I also requested that the adobo sauce please be drizzled over the rice because....duh. You should always do that, BTW, otherwise you're doing it wrong. They have sisig on the menu, which they had just run out of that day. I was bummed, but I will be back to try it. Note that some of the more specialty items are a little more expensive. It's a really casual spot with some tables and chairs, but not much decoration-wise. I wouldn't bring a date here or anything, but I would get some takeout...eat it at home, or in my case, in the office. I am pretty stoked this place is so close to my job. I will be back to try some of their other items.

I was finally able to sit down and have a meal in this place. So now I update my review for Kabayan in Fort Washington, Maryland. For those who hadn't read my previous review - they were not open on a Friday evening at dinnertime and I was none too pleased. Last night however I happened to be visiting some friends in the neighborhood and this time I called ahead to make sure they would be open. They said they are open until 7pm. I guess that goes for every day except Friday. Whatever. Now for the review. I would say that this establishment is just about in the middle and what one should expect for Filipino restaurants around DC. As our usual practice we got the two entree w/ rice meal. My wife had the sisig and dinuguan, I opted for the apritada and lechon kawale. I'm in luck, apritada happens to be one of my favorites! My wife wasn't impressed with her order though. She said it was "just ok". I tried her sisig and agreed. I thought it lacked the spicy kick that I usually expect from good sisig that I crave when I'm in country. I took her word on the dinuguan - there are some selections that even my adventurous palate can't handle. The lechon kawale was crispy but kinda dry and cold...typical for turo-turo that's been sitting out. The apritada on the other hand was pretty good. I liked the sauce, it was thick and tangy. The meat was moist and delicious with not too much bone. The prices were reasonable, a two entree meal is $5.79 but meals are served on styrofoam with plastic cutlery. The ambiance is bright, open and clean. There are tables with a television showing Filipino programming while you eat. The best part of our visit was the halo-halo. I do think they might have the best halo-halo around Washington. It's super sweet and full of all sorts of chunky ingredients. If you visit Kabayan...make sure you order the halo-halo. They have two versions: regular and special. The special comes with a scoop of ube ice cream. I would recommend this place for those visiting the Fort Washington area. It's a good spot for average Filipino food. Just make sure if you are visiting for dinner that you call ahead and make sure they are open! I have a feeling they make day-to-day decisions on whether to stay open based on the amount of business they are getting. (Additional Photos Uploaded).

This hole in the wall homely comfort market style restaurant was very wholesome.. you can see the food being prepared in the back and they kept a full entrees on the line. I was safe and had the adobo which I felt could had a little more sweet flavor but it was very tasty and they were very generous. I tried the mystery drink Halo Halo attached to photo and it was surely mysterious. If you are no adventurous i wouldnt have it. It looks tasty in pictures but it is full of wierd textures and quite flavorless.. A huge disappointment. The grocery has many ethnic treat including a sweet chili sauce I'd beem search for.. Lastly I had to order lumpia and sure enough they were nothing far from fabulous. HAND ROLLED to order they were piping hot and tasty...

I can't seem to stay away from this place! This is my all time favorite Filipino restaurant. I live in VA but I will continue to patronage Kabayan. The chicken adobo is the best I've ever had....hands down!! The turon (deep fried plantain in an egg role wrapper drizzled with honey) is delicious too! I bought a few pieces of Turon to share with my colleagues and they are hooked. They will never know what the chicken adobo taste like unless they visit the restaurant because that is where I draw the line at sharing, lol. Kabayan also has a lemon chicken dish I'm just now trying for the the second time. It's a great rival to the chicken adobo and is starting to become a fav. The chicken adobo is vinegar based. I normally get a double, one serving of each. The last time I ate both servings in one sitting, but I paced myself this time and actually saved some for dinner/the family. Kabayan has several meal options including pork, fish, etc, but I stick with the chicken because I don't eat beef or pork, but if I did, I'm confident I would like it because this place is just that good. The flavors are infused in every bite and the meat is so succulent and moist. If you're unsure about a dish, they will let you sample items. They also have some dishes you can order in advance such as the Kare-Kare, peanut based Oxtail stew, (when I ate beef I was addicted to this dish) and the Pancit (the noodles are similar to ramen noodles w/o the liquid but with chicken or veggies). Start with the lemon or chicken Adobo if you are unsure of what you should order. Also get there before lunch time (11ish) because the food goes quickly and once it's gone, it's gone. They also have a cute little dining area in case you want to eat your food there, which I recommend you should, especially while it's nice and hot. Grab a bottle of coconut water from the cooler to compliment your meal, you won't be disappointed.

My parents are retired in Florida so Kabayan is the next best thing to mom's homemade dishes. They always have a variety of fresh delicacies on their hot bar. The people who work here are so friendly and are generous with the food. If you're not familiar with Filipino food get the combo & sample the variety. It's not spicy like Thai food. But you won't be disappointed. The halo-halo dessert is pretty awesome!

Good portion of food, great food and great price! Our only favorite filipino restaurant in the area!

The small shopping center where this restaurant brings back memories of my childhood, when my Lola and I would walk from the house to this area to pick up goodies. Now I occasionally come here with my dad's family, so it has a family bonding element to it. The food is comfort food; you can order almost any filipino dish that you want. I love their menudo, sinigang, pancit bihon. It's simple seating with plastic silverware and styrofoam. I know that isn't the most environmentally friendly, but it does reinforce the nostalgia of family gatherings when there would be tables upon tables of metal trays of more than enough food for everyone to eat. There is always a stream of customers coming and going for takeout or sit down, so sometimes it can be a bit chaotic and take awhile for your order to be brought up and rung up.

Im not sure if this place is out of business but the hours state it's open but it's closed and the place is closed. If this changes I might come back...

After years of having to sneak in my friends families bbq's and family gatherings just to partake in some Filipino delights, I've found this hidden gem. They had everything i wanted and needed and it's appropriately priced and delicious. I will be back next week and every week after that.

We showed up an hour before close and ordered lumpia. In Tagalog, they complained that they had to reheat the oil just for our order. Forget this place. Go to Lumings down the street. It's much cleaner with better food and service.

The best Pancit Bihon I have ever had! The rest of their dishes are delicious too. Reasonable prices and good portion. I'm definitely coming back.

My mom and I LOVED this place! Reminds me of my own mom's homemade Filipino cooking. And this place got the thumps up from her as well. For only $18 during lunchtime, we were able to get two combos (each with two different hot foods), complimentary sinigang soup, and coconut juice with coconut pulp (buko)! Inexpensive, delicious, and authentic. Everyday they make different selections of food, so they rotate with the ready-to-eat options at the front, but they do accommodate to "fast-orders" which is a menu you'll see facing above the register if you want something you don't see at the food trays.

I Always get the longanisa combo which comes with the fried egg and garlic rice ..must try

I just love their Kare-kare . It's got the authentic pinoy taste prepared just like the sumptuous dish you'll eat at fiestas in the Philippines. They don't shortchange their customers so they really use ox tail meat in cooking it. Great taste!

If i could give 0 stars I would -I've been here once before with my entire family food was good but I just went there today with family (family of 4) we got there at 5pm and they close at 7. THEY HAVE NO FOOD! . They had 3 things on their menu saying out of - so we started naming other things on the menu that didn't have that sign and the rude old lady behind the counter kept saying "we dont have that we don't have that we don't have that either" like wtf why are you even still opened if you have literally no food ... I ended up ordering 1 halo halo after I got mine another angry customer next to us ordered one too then they said "were out" this restaurant is a joke. I would definitely never come back to this restaurant again.

**READ COMPLETELY** LoL This place is more like a family kitchen LoL They don't always make/have what you see on the menu, I've gone numerous times trying to get the beef stew and they never seem to have it... (How dare you offer such a delicious dish only once then never have it again!) Every time I ask what day they'll have it they tell me two different days, I call on these said days and get the runaround some more. Once you understand how this operates you'll possibly give it a try. LMAO Their food is as close to authentic, home cooked Filipino that I've ever had in the DMV area. I've even taken a Filipino friend and she was very impressed. If you don't do pork this ain't the place for you. LoL Everything I've tried is DELICIOUS! They post that they're open til 7 but I've gone at 6 and they were pretty much wrapping up for the day. I asked was she closed, she said no, but I asked after if they had adobo and a number of other dishes and they said no. 0_o OK so that pretty much means your closed if you don't have food. -_- I treat this place like grandma's house... No expectations, no disappointment. I call ahead now to see what they have before driving there. But it's pretty awesome when they do!

Got four entree, definetly found the best place for filipino food in the area. Coming back for sure to try the others.

Visiting some family in the area, we stopped by Kabayan for lunch. Showing up 13 people deep, because that's how filipino families roll, we packed an entire corner of the small restaurant. The decor is what you would expect from any family owned, Filipino joint. Very simple. The food was decent, I had a hankering for the arroz caldo where the rest of my family ordered lumpia, tilapia, adobo, and pancit. The arroz caldo was good, but it made me wonder if it was made from a packet. It was a bit watery, and I'm used to my arroz caldo being lumpy and rice-filled. Also, it lacked safron. The other dishes were good, but it would have probably been equally as good if cooked at home or at a family party. If I'm jonesin for some filipino food, I'd probably just end up cooking it at home rather then returning. What I want from a Filipino restaurant, is something with a twist, recipes that I can't make myself!

Located in a quiet residential area off Oxon Hill near the beltway, it was easy to find. Soon as you enter the place, the owners greet you in Filipino. I ordered the two item combo which came with a lot of white rice. We ordered the pork adobo, and the pinakbit. The pork probably needed at least another hour to cook for further tenderness because it wasn't too fatty which I prefer anyway. And the pinakbit was flavorful with bagoong. I'm sure the menu items varies but that day they also had bbq chicken, fried fish, curry chicken, and afritada. They also provide a nilaga which is pretty standard in most Filipino turo turo places, unfortunately one thing lacking at Manila Oriental, which makes me a fan. Their halo halo is cold, creamy, sweet, and filling. It's filled with all of the goodies you expect such as plantains, jackfruit, creamed corn, sweet red beans, kaong, topped with my favorite ube ice cream. Look, it's not a fancy place but you get friendly service and "homemade" food. Dine in if you can while you watch Filipino TV amongst fellow FIlipinos.

Update: I've tried the chicken adobo, and the bisteak; both superb. Call ahead and order a combo set aside for pickup!

This place is the best turo-turo (cafeteria style) in the DC area and I have been to all of them several times. The food is Ilocano, which is one of the largest ethnic groups in the Philippines. First, their binagoongan (pork in shrimp paste) is the best, plain and simple. Very meaty with the perfect amount of bagaoong (shrimp paste) to flavor the dish but not overwhelm. Their caldereta (beef stew) is also very meaty and the sauce is a perfect balance of salty and sweet. I also love their deep fried milkfish belly. I could eat that everyday. I also had their squash with green beans in coconut sauce. Mind blown!!! It was so good! Finally, I think their Halo-halo (crushed ice and sweet bean dessert) is one of the best. Great ingredients!

For those who don't know the culture, I fear they would rate this place too harsh. I'm Filipino and have been to plenty of these type of restaurants - I think the term used in the Philippines is "turo-turo" which means "point- point". This place is like any other Filipino food place in the area, the food already made and you just point to what you want like you'd do at any fast food Chinese place in the mall. My point, you can't deduct points for this type of display. The food itself is good. I like that I can get things I wouldn't otherwise make at home. I can cook Filipino food, but there are certain kinds I refuse to learn how to make for fear of not wanting to eat it if I did make it. Some ingredients are best kept secret in my book. I recommend this place as a good intro to Filipino food - safe bets, adobo and pancit. Always a crowd pleaser for those who are afraid to try ethinic food.

Stopped by there about 45 minutes before closing and was told the kitchen was closed. Only food available was the scraps they had on the counter. And was told we would still have to pay full price. No way, went to Ledo's Pizza instead.

Craving some Filipino food after a day spent at Mount Vernon. I did a quick search, and Kabayan came up. We made a quick drive over to Maryland to give it a try, and I'm glad we did. The prices are very reasonable, the portions are huge, and the food tastes good. It really hit the spot for my craving. If I lived in the area, I would eat here regularly.

Rob Christensen Good dinner; Letson kawali. Sinegang and white rice at Kababayan Restaurant in Fort Washington, MD. Naawa pa ang isa sa kanila at binigyan pa ako ng ride pa balik sa hotel, mahirap kasi sa bus. Thank you, thank you. If you are ever in that part of Maryland. Please patronize their turo-turo style cafe. Malinamnam pa ang luto at mura ang presyo.

I found this place tucked into a strip mall. This place is no frills! You get your food (adobo, lechon, fish, vegetables) mostly from the steam table but they make the lumpia and pancit to order. I've had better but the DC area doesn't have much Filipino food to begin with. They have a seating area but there is no table service

I like this place because it's pretty much your basic Filipino turo-turo style restaurant with adobo, dinuguan, etc. (turo literally means point, referring to how you point to the food that you like) ...I personally love all of their gata (coconut milk) dishes. I recently tried their Ginataang Langka (Jackfruit stewed in Coconut Milk). I was skeptical at first, but it was good. I would eat it again. Their Dinuguan (Blood Stew) isn't terrible, but it isn't the best. I've had better elsewhere. It was definitely lacking vinegar or peppers... something I can't figure out. Overall, this place is good... just not good enough for five stars in my book.

We got there within business hours but they were closing up shop already! They barely had anything...so the basically cooked up what they had left. The food was so so...of the 3-4items we got..only 1 was decent. Iwould prob never come here again.

First of all, be aware the restaurant is located in an area that is not the best. I ordered pork lumpia and chicken pancit. My family is Filipino and I grew up in an area heavily populated with Filipinos, and I have never seen lumpia like that before. It was not good. The pancit was just okay. I've had a lot better. I wanted to leave in a hurry, because the place was not clean, and there were clumps of hair on the floor. Was really hoping for better but will not return.

Pros: Hefty portion sizes, but a bit over-priced. Sample pre-made dishes. Patient staff to assist with ordering. Cons: Too much oil usage. Meat wasn't as tender as should be.

best Filipino food in the Area, thoroughly enjoyed my lunch and look forward to going back again and again and again

There's not a Filipino restaurant close to my neighborhood in Lorton VA so when my fiancee had business at the Harley dealership, we happened to check out this place. They gave us heaps of good food at a very reasonable price (lunch price for 2 dinner-size entrees). I am not kidding when I say I had 5 meals out of these 2 entrees. The sisig was kinda spicy (but I think that's the way it's supposed to be cooked). The pancit was good (I just wish I had asked for some patis or fish sauce to complement the taste). Hey, it's a Fil-Am place so they can't just season the food for Filipinos, right? I will definitely come back to try other entrees. BTW, I couldn't give them 5 stars because they were out of lechon!