Nestled in a cozy spot, this Filipino eatery sizzles with famous lechon belly and delectable dishes like adobo and lumpia that keep locals coming back.
"Chef Javier Fernandez has amassed a massive Maryland following for his signature lechon. With its crispy skin and moist, well-seasoned meat, the roasted pork belly tastes as good out of a to-go container as it does in the store. One could subsist on lechon alone, but don’t miss out on the crispy adobo fried chicken sandwich, lumpia, and bowls full of pancit or grilled adobo chicken on takeout or delivery. This summer, the team debuted Lapu Lapu in Gaithersburg with pan de sal breakfast sandwiches and ube soft serve. Stay tuned for Fernandez’s forthcoming Extra Rice DMV at Chevy Chase’s new food hall." - Pat Padua, Tierney Plumb
"Pork is the star of the show at this hip Filipino strip mall storefront—whether it’s ground and mixed with shrimp to stuff crackly batons of lumpia, braised and fried crisp to top rice bowls, or added to silky coconut-simmered spinach and kale laing. But the main attraction is right there in the name: lechón, glorious lechón. We’re talking rich slow-cooked pork belly redolent of heady lemongrass and ginger and crowned with mahogany shards of beyond-crunchy skin." - ByAmiel Stanek
"Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly is a Filipino restaurant located outside of Rockville, known for its namesake pork belly dish. The restaurant reopened for takeout during the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting its communal feasts into a kinamot takeout special. The restaurant has a tiny space with just 23 seats, which is why it continues to offer takeout only. Kuya Ja’s stands out in the DMV area for its unique trussed, slow-roasted pork belly with lemongrass and garlic, featuring a distinctly crispy skin. Chef Javier Fernandez, who has a background in French cuisine, was inspired by his father and family traditions to start the business. The restaurant has expanded its takeout menu to include lechon manok, a version of rotisserie chicken, which is a popular dish in the Philippines." - Pat Padua
"There’s more than lechon belly on the menu at this Filipino street food spot. Look for $5 specials on barbecued beef skewers — called tuhog — on Mondays, chorizo cheese fries on Tuesdays, Filipino sweet spaghetti on Wednesdays, and crispy adobo chicken bar on Thursdays. You can also catch Kuya Ja’s all summer at Smorgasburg, where it’s serving Filipino-style whole roasted chicken, as well as grilled chicken and lechon belly sandwiches." - Lenore Adkins
"Making the list at number 10 is Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly, part of D.C.’s burgeoning Philippine restaurant scene. Sietsema naturally praises the restaurant’s eponymous dish, slow-cooked pork, saying that it boasts 'mahogany skin that breaks apart like glass.' He also says the restaurant’s lumpia are the best around, and praises the chicken adobo. Sietsema is calling out to adventurous eaters, saying the restaurant’s sisig (stir-fry of pigs ears, headcheese and chile and spices) is 'funky, fiery and fabulous.'" - Alison Baitz
