Mekenie Pampangga’s Special | Filipino Restaurant

This place is such a gem! The food is amazing with all of em having authentic flavors that instantly take me back to the Philippines. What really makes it special is that it’s family owned. You can feel the love and teamwork in the way they run the restaurant, and the chemistry between them makes the whole experience even better. The vibe is cozy, welcoming, and full of good energy. Honestly, one of the best Filipino spots I’ve ever been to. I’ve already become a regular and I’ll definitely keep coming back!

Home away from home,order ahead of time. I ended up waiting for a 5-minute. The true fact waited an hour to have food ready. Very busy. Sunday Families together ❤️. Services simple. No dessert for after meal. Was looking for Maiz Con Yelo, none. They do have Calamansi, coconut, and tea. During lunch, there is no direct sunlight. Nice and cool inside. First time visit. I have just seen this ' Tortang Talong' Mabuhay ......... home away from Home comfort Food. OMG!???? They charged my card with 22% tip. I didn't realize after they had forgotten my rice. I didn't authorize that amount of tip. Please be careful. Home away from home, and nearly they helped themselves to their own generous tip. Wow! This IS my last time going 2 MEKENIE PAMPANGGA restaurant. "2025 June 01 " ($unday) First time and My very Last time coming. Blah! Their online menu is very outdated. Oremteñg Ina mo. Experience with their cooking. Their Bistek, taste exactly Chicken adobo, but with Beef. Their Kare Kare was with no Bagoñ. Their Pigbet was not even mixed with Home away from the home. Great atmosphere with Kareokee. That is the best home away from Home Experience. Food was alright for yesterday event for drinking. Just upsetting 😡 they helped themselves with 22% tip

First off, I was amazed with the amount of food you'd get for the price. When I ordered a dish for one, it could easily feed 2. The food was simply delicious and id definitely be making this place my go to for filipino food.

A great little find of a Filipino restaurant in Renton, WA. The place is your typical family-owned and family-run place, where mom/cousin cook at the back and daughter manages the front. Friendly folks and quick service. The food is just what a home cook meal in the Philippines would be like. Tortang talong and pork bbq was spot on. Buko pie was freshly made by mom so we just have to get it and it was good. Definitely will be back to try their other fare.

Their Special Pancit Palabok is yum. The Special has crab fat in the gravy and my two other filipino friends were impressed with the dish - 10/10. We ordered KareKare, Adobo Fried Rice, Special Pancit Palabok, and Lumpia. Across the board everything tasted similar to what has been traditionally made growing up. Thanks for the lunch and friendly service!

Nice, hole-in-the-wall, Filipino restaurant. Clean and open atmosphere with Filipino music playing in the background. Although quiet, the servers were nice. The service was prompt, but in all fairness we were only the second table occupied. The food was flavorful. The Calamansi Chicken flavor was well balanced and the Sizzling Sisig was sizzling so much that it was jumping off the hot plate when being served. The garlic rice was a good serving, one that I could not finish. My favorite was the Kare Kare. It came with Bagaong and I didn't even have to ask. The veggies were cooked to perfection and the meat was tender. We ended our meal with the suggestion of Ube Halaya (sorry forgot to take a pic). Although delicious and not too sweet, we were a little put off by how it was served especially after all the other dishes were presented nicely. It was pretty much given to us in a take home plastic container. But nevertheless it was yummy and we'll take taste over presentation. Last but not least their bathroom was clean (extremely important to have especially as a restaurant). The prices were as to be expected for the portions. Overall we were pleased.

Sad that I was there for their last day of business. Joel owner of the restaurant is a friend of mine and been coming here for about a year. Love just about everything I have tried on the menu in the 5-6 times I have been to this restaurant. Favorite mentions like the sinigang, Filipino bistek, the fish dishes they served were amazing... just about everything.... Lumpia and pancit, which is more on the more common side of what you can get from friends/family gatherings. One of my all time favorite Filipino restaurants here in Washington. Sad it has closed 😞

I was incredibly disappointed with my recent experience. The food was *okay*, but certainly not the caliber I expect from a place claiming to serve Pampanga cuisine. When you advertise that your food comes from Pampanga, you set a certain expectation – the *best* Filipino food. What I received was far from it. My bistek was a measly 4/10 and the portion was ridiculously small. My companions ordered pancit bihon, sisig, and lumpia. While the presentation was undeniably appealing, it was a classic case of being catfished. It looked fantastic, but the taste simply didn't live up to the hype. And to add insult to injury, rice wasn't included with the dishes; we had to pay an extra $1.50 per serving. Seriously? The first red flag, however, should have been a warning. They only accept cash, Venmo, or Zelle. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions about that. In our group of three, only one of us had access to those payment methods, which created an unnecessary hassle. Beyond the mediocre food and the payment issues, the service was absolutely appalling. Our server completely ignored my boss, the third member of our party. He didn't even offer him a drink, and I actually had to ask for a plate and utensils for him! Unbelievable. We ended up paying $80 for three dishes and an appetizer. It was a complete rip-off. To top it all off, the bathroom was disgustingly dirty and lacked even toilet paper. I've attached a photo as proof.

A bit underwhelming. I went to a fair share of Filipino restaurants in the greater Seattle area, from Kent to Everett, but this place didn't quite hit the spot. I went here for a lunch and got the sisig which was quite delightful, a bit heavy as to be expected, but it was strange to see like a sour cream and the flavor profile leaning more like a burger, not something that I am familiar with when I had numerous sisigs in my lifetime. Fortunately, as I was in a rush, the food came quickly, and I was able to enjoy the sisig at a good pace. You pay at the front. At the front, they tried to charge me more, but I quickly caught on. I only paid for the sisig, and as much as I don't like, a side of rice (which now is no longer included, costs $1.50 extra). Additionally, they did NOT have any garlic rice at all! At a Filipino restaurant! They also attempted to charge me extra $2 for egg, which I did not ask (had I been aware of the extra charge, I would've declined). They did remove the egg charge and "compensated" by them pressing the no tip option themselves for this. Just this general experience and not that impressive food discourages me from coming back.

I WOULD DIE FOR THIS PLACE!!! This homestyle Filipino joint is a place a highly recommend to my friends and family. It's so homey and has a loving touch by this family owned Filipino family. Feels like I'm visiting an auntie's house with the Filipino dramas or YouTube playing on the TV lol. I always order the sizzling bangus and we added on calamansi wings, bistek, and sinigang broth. It was a delicious and hearty meal perfect for a foggy day. Staff checked in on us and helped box up our togo! Can't wait to come back :)))

How did I get so lucky to live close to this Filipino restaurant? I've been here a few times and have gotten different dishes each time. But the last time we came here, we got the pork sinigang, bangus sisig., and bistek. The sinigang is one of the dishes we would always get. As always, it was as perfectly sour and the meat was cooked perfectly! The bangus sisig was not overly cooked or doused with sauce so you can still taste the fish. The bistek is the dish that we got for the first time and I was amazed by how well-balanced the sauce was! When my family would cook it, the sauce would normally be too runny or too salty. But at this place, the sauce had a mild sweetness to it and it's slightly thicker that it tastes slightly caramelized! I can't wait to go back here and try other dishes! I'd bring my husband and friends so we can order more than 2 dishes!

Fantastic Filipino food! The best sisig I've ever had and lumpia that brought me back to my childhood! I ordered a side of the sinigang broth as well and love the sour umami from the delicious fatty broth! The staff is super nice and checked in on me as my eyes were rolling back constantly from enjoyment. The restaurant is relaxed and had Netflix going with a funny Filipino drama that I enjoyed very much. Will come back and bring friends!

Hidden gem with a lot of locals eating here. I came here after Erika's IG seattle food eats video . Food was packed with flavors. I'm not an expert with Filipino food but the pork adobo and brisket had my heart; even though the portion was kind of small (adobo). Their meat was fall off the bone soft. We even had the sisig which wasnt overpowering by liver but def smelled like liver; good amount of flavor there as well but can be a little too salty after eating half way. The lechon sadly was my least favorite here and disappointed. It was too oily with too much fat and not enough meat portion to balance the pieces. I felt like I could squeeze out the oil from them. It wasn't crunchy and just soggy. My cousin and I ordered a lot of food and even tried the salmon soup for the first time; we did not expect it to be soo sour; even though the soup is supposed to be that way which is on us. We notice a lot of people who came ordered this soup; heard it's very traditional and popular The service was good but once the restaurant had picked up on people it became really slow. It was hard to get the check with there being one server.

Food overall is good, they have a lot of options to chose from. I liked most of what I ate and would visit again. Parking is pretty easy overall, so not too much of an issue there. I'd say the location overall is a bit odd, but it's not bad or anything. Service was quick and friendly too!

Love Filipino food. We only ordered a bowl except for the sisig where we ordered a full plate. The lechon kawali was very crispy! The beef steak was also nice. The place isn't big but definitely a good place to eat Filipino food. They always play Filipino movies too. The waiter was attentive and would come refill our water. Overall experience is excellent!

This apparent hidden gem is located in an industrial setting. The restaurant was full when we'd arrived at 12:45pm. The specials for this Saturday was handwritten and handed to us with the menu of homestyle specialty dishes. They were sold out of pancit palabok. Gotta try that next time. KARE KARE: savory peanut sauce forward with a few chunks of pork and ample vegetables that were not wilted or overcooked. It's supposed to be an oxtail dish. I guess it was good that it didn't have bones. The "not so salty" bagoong paste, an essential condiment, really tied everything together. 3.5/5 SISIG: authentic and flavorful. If you enjoy liver, this is a great meat combo dish that sizzles when it gets to your table. Get the extra egg on top. 4/5 HALO HALO: toppings included the usual variety of jellies, shaved ice, milk, crispy dried bananas, ube ice cream, and rice crispies. This classic dessert has lots of ube flavor. I'd like more kaong ( palm nuts) and coconut shreds please. 3.5/5 Please note that rice is a side dish and not included. Each savory dish ordered was not overly salted, so you can customize it to your own liking. Overall, we enjoyed the service, homestyle dishes, and affordable prices. I

Friendly, welcoming atmosphere with big screen entertainment, and the dishes we ordered are not too far off from my mama's cooking. Recommend kare kare- masarap!

Food is just ok for Filipino standards. Service is good. There are better places to go for Filipino food.

If I had to review based on food quality, flavor and presentation alone, I would've given this place a solid 4.75. There were a couple minor things that threw me off. Kare Kare was so yummy--delicious traditional peanut butter flavorful goodness! TONS of meat, veggies and eggplant! Not pictured: bagoong. Would I say this was my favorite Kare Kare ever? Not sure if it beats my Tita's, BUT let's just say theirs is better than another unnamed Filipino establishment in a town nearby. Bulalo - perfect flavor; meat was tender and plentiful. Large family option shown. Closest to my own family homemade bulalo, I think! Loved it. Do wish that they cut the meat away from the large bone since this was served family style but no biggie. Nothing that a trusty Filipino knife (a spoon LOL) couldn't take care of! Lechon kawali (Deep fried pork belly) served with diced tomatoes and their own house special sauce. Sauce was ok but had this semi-cinnamony taste to it (a a fan of cinnamon) but would've preferred it with traditional mang tomas sauce so I mostly ate it plain which was fine since it was super fatty. I liked that some pieces were slightly overcooked as I love the textural difference between the meaty vs fatty parts of the pork belly. Now for the negative Nancy stuff...or negative "Nanay" for my fellow Filipinos (LOL): Drinks listed as calamansi juice, buko or mango juice make me think they are FRESHLY made. Nope - ALL of it was canned. Available desserts? None. Absolutely zero available. We ran out of rice due to my Rice Monster rice loving nephew, so we asked for more. The server took our rice bowl to get us some more, and came back with the same empty bowl and told us that they ran out. I'm not fluent in Tagalog but I clearly understood what she said so I had to ask my sister (who is fluent) to clarify if I heard correctly. They RAN OUT OF RICE. Were they making more? Yes, they just started, but we were practically finished with our meal and I had to catch a flight so we ended up eating the rest of our Filipino meal WITHOUT RICE. Why did they not make more rice earlier, when they realized they were out? The response was, "Because they didn't want to waste the rice." I can't. Hence, this is why I had to drop the review down to a solid 4, and only because the food was that good. My sister's family are regulars here though so I will come back and am hopeful that things will be better! PS please note that cashier/server girl was nice and polite and I don't fault her for any of this. PPS the family size portions were large for a party of 4. We ended up packing up leftovers of the Kare Kare and kawali!

You'll come here because you want good solid Filipino food that is fresh. You definitely won't accidentally find this place. It's in the back of an in descriptive parking lot. Which to me is a little unfortunate because we were really impressed with the freshness of the food and the portion sizes. The only complaint for me was the ukoy. Very heavy and on the oily side. And the sinigang was good but extremely sour. I enjoy my sinigang on the sour side but this definitely pushed us to our limits. You definitely need to eat with rice. The customer service was friendly and the place is small but cute. You really get a good amount for the price. Especially for the "Seattle area" (in quotes bc Renton you know). So overall my rating is you won't find anything groundbreaking here but if you will get fresh Filipino food. And that ain't always easy in a traditional Filipino restaurant setting.

I found the hidden gem of Filipino food! It's a little hard to find, and quite frankly I was apprehensive because the area didn't seem to be well traveled or inhabited, but I felt daring and unafraid on this day. It's an annual tradition in honor of my Filipino mother, that on the anniversary of her passing I eat Filipino food. I felt it was a good year to change it up and try a new restaurant, from the usual (and very good) Kent establishment, so I came to Mekenie. So glad I did! Unlike the surrounding area, once inside the restaurant has an island vibe, is clean and well laid out. The staff is friendly and the food is fantastic! Check it out!

Mmm. Good comfort food! We ordered kare kare, pinakbet, sisig and torta talong. They have a big menu and I can't wait to go back to try more.

I don't live in Renton, but I was there for an appointment today, and I came upon this place. It was AMAZING!! My mom is Filipina and I grew up with all the staples of Filipino food, and I was so happy to have lunch here. I ordered the pinakbet (without bitter melon) and it was AMAZING. It's a stew with veggies and protein, in a shrimpy broth. The veggies were perfectly cooked, the broth was balanced, and it was perfect. I also got to try their Kare Kare (a stew of vegetables and beef in a rich peanut sauce) which was also solid, and I love that it came with high quality bagoong (a shrimp paste condiment that you must eat with Kare Kare). I also had the sinigang broth, because it's my fave, AND, I ordered house made achara (papaya salad) mostly to take home because that too, is bomb! I ordered a lot, but mostly because I wanted to have leftovers. For dessert, I ordered the halo halo, and it was AMAZING! The service was lovely, the food was like eating at home, and the restaurant is great. I will definitely come back when I'm in Renton!

This place came highly recommended! We decided to try it for ourselves. Positives: Food was fresh. There was a variety of authentic Filipino foods. Service was friendly and respectful. Bathroom was decent. Negatives: Location was a bit hidden. They ran out of some things on the menu. It was a supply chain issue and some foods sold out by the time we got there around 2:30 pm.

This food is wonderful. We shared this amazing meal with two friends and it fed our souls. We wish we could have dined in person and will be sure to do so next time. We enjoyed: Sissig: pork and lemon-this was brightly and tartly flavored, with a chewy texture. A great way to start all this food! Bistek: dark broth. The meat was so tender, and the broth was very complex. It was the right balance of salty and savory. The marinated potatoes in this dish were the best!!! Kare-Kare: this dish came with a shrimp paste. This was my favorite of the entrees. It also made the best leftovers. It is good with rice, naan, on steamed veggies...the peanut sauce is satisfying and versatile, and the beef melts in your mouth. Turon-these fried bananas are out of this world good. Who doesn't love deep fried bananas with caramel sauce? These are sweet without being TOO sweet. I would get everything I had in this order again in a second! The quality was excellent on the day we ordered AND the leftovers.

Kare kare was to soupy and meat was too fatty. Service is good. Location a bit out of the way.

It took us a while to visit Mekenie, I do have a Filipino chef at home so sometimes it's hard to compare other Filipino dishes to the home cooked meals at home. But when Chef is tired and doesn't want to cook I think Mekenie is a great alternative. We got both Chef and my mom's taste buds to verify that the dishes are pretty darn good. We have tried multiple dishes here over the last month. There are slight variations in spice or flavor as is expected - like no one makes adobo exactly how you would. Things we will always go back for: The Kare Kare - great sauce, nice amount of veggies and meats and big portion on the family size. The Bangus Sisig - super cravable boneless milkfish (bangus) with a bit of spice, a rich sauce, and some citrus to squeeze on top The Sinigang soup - you can ask for a side of broth with any meal or order the full thing with a the meat and veggies super good on a cold day! The restaurant is fairly small with a lot of tables squeezed into their space. Order and pay and they will bring everything to you. We have found that when you order by phone for pick up the amounts are roughly the same so totally cool to grab your goodies to go!

I've had Mekenie Pampangga's Special bookmarked for awhile. I recently was having a Filipino centric culinary run with home cooking plus Gracie's Cuisine in Everett, Bunsoy in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, Strita Kitchen in Smokey Point/Arlington, Archipelago dinner at Cafe Nordo in Seattle's Pioneer Square, so decided it was time to try Mekenie's for a late lunch on 2/16/22. Thank goodness for Google gps and human gps, as my son had been here before which enabled me to locate this restaurant. It is in an obscure, off the beaten path location adjacent to a playfield in Renton. C19 proof of vaccination is checked upon entry prior to being seated. There are daily specials posted and a variety of Filipino favorites featured in their menu. We were provided ice water and we also had chilled mango juice ($1.99) and a Pepsi ($1.77) with glasses of ice. Definitely well hydrated! Entrees selected were Torta Talong ($8.99), small order of Kare Kare ($14.97), small order of three BBQ Pork Skewers ($11.99). We were also provided with two orders of steamed rice and one order of upgraded garlic rice ($1.50). I appreciated the small condiment serving of bagoong to go with the Kare Kare. Likewise, there was a nice garnish provided with the Torta Talong and skewers comprised of diced mango? diced papaya? tomato, salted egg. I had also asked for Shrimp Okoy, but it was not available during our early afternoon lunch visit. Generous sized shareable entrees, whether small or large sized, definitely enough for leftovers to take home. So despite the popular region of Pampanga, why only four stars? The dining room felt really cramped even though it was just us and later another pair who also dined on site. No other folks came through for onsite dining or takeout. The large flat screen was on with some Filipino teleseria. Taglish drama at fairly loud volume was a bit distracting. But heck, it's a vibe I've experienced at another restaurant site in Bremerton, lol. Also, our wait person was polite and okay, but lacked much enthusiasm. No opportunity to upsell other items or tell us about specials, the pastry case, etc. The environment gave the feel of just eat, pay up, and leave. And while the cuisine was tasty, it wasn't palate dazzling. Driving to/from Shoreline all the way to Renton, thankfully there was another stop we made afterwards in Southcenter/Tukwila, but I wouldn't make an exclusive stop to revisit. This is in comparison to another Filipino spot in Kent or my recent visit to another spot up in Smokey Point/Arlington, either I would return to given the opportunity. Likewise, home cooking is also preferred.

I'd like to preface that I am not too familiar with Filipino food. Over the years I've had mainstream dishes (pancit, lumpia, chicken adobo, sinigang) but not too many of what might be considered home-style dishes. The restaurant is small but has ample seating inside with a large screen tv which they had a show playing. The gal who took our order and rang us up was nice. Cleanliness is so-so. We ordered the pork lumpia, deep fried pork belly, and pancit palabok (shrimp sauce over rice noodles). Didn't think to add in a fresh component this time. Lumpia were great and the deep fried pork was alright (lacked seasoning but the tomato mango mixture on the side helped). Now if you do not like shrimp, the pancit palabok is NOT for you. It has a strong flavor of small dried shrimp (you know if you know) and overpowers all other components of this dish. Squeeze that lemon over the top and you might want to ask for more. It helped in brightening the flavor of the savory dish. Since I was unfamiliar with the flavor, I think it just wasn't for me. Maybe we had switched a couple of the dishes to something else, we would consider going back but for now it's not likely high in our list - only because we are unfamiliar with what else to try.

Best Pinoy food ever!!! Everything was super delicious! The bangus siding was exceptional

Food was fantastic. I can't speak to authenticity, but the sizzling minced boneless milk fish (sizzling Bangus) was delicious and a totally new food and flavor experience! Can't wait to come again!

Ordered the sigsig, pork adobo, lumpia. Not sure what the hype was. We sat down at our table and took 1 hour by the time we got our food. Understaffed for sure. Sigsig tasted like wet dog, undercooked. I couldn't eat more than a few bites before I nearly vomited. Pork adobo was not pork adobo. The meat was not tender whatsoever and was extremely salty. Lumpia was much more chewy than it should be, almost like they were frozen or something. I had high expectations here, but it was a total upset.

** Review strictly based on just their halo halo Yummm! My favorite and go to spot for halo halo. Forget chow king and jollibee, this place is the real deal for your craving. They jam pack it with toppings, ube ice cream, flan, and condensed milk and it just hits different on a hot summer day! Everytime I go here for it, it's always consistent with the flavor and is worth the drive.

After dropping by the next door post office, we needed to grab a late lunch. Had a craving for some Filipino food and found this place just at the next building though the location is a little tucked away and off a beaten path. We were immediately greeted upon entering. There were 4 other tables besides us and the girl waiting on us was great. She was friendly and quick to check up on everyone. Unfortunately they ran out of some of the items that we wanted to order so we didn't get to try some of the interesting dishes on the menu. We shared the lumpia for appetizer, it was crunchy and delicious with its pork and veggie filling. I love the thin & tall shape of the lumpia as it's more bite-sized. I got the Bistek for main and upgraded to their garlic rice. Omg the aroma of the dish was heavenly, the presentation was great too. However, the Bistek was way, way too salty for me.. I think they overdid the soy and calamansi. I did enjoy the sliced fried potatoes and the onion was soft with a little crunch plus the beef was tender, but the sauce just absolutely ruined the dish for me and the portion was on the small side. On the contrary, the deep fried pork belly that my husband ordered was super crispy, tender and moist but was lacking of flavor - even with a generous helping of the mang tomas dipping sauce. Though the side of mango salad was fresh and great to balance out the fattiness of the pork belly. There seems to be a poor air circulation though. The kitchen essentially is in the same room with the dining room although it's separated by half a wall and behind a privacy curtain, all the odor from all the cooking and frying just lingers in the air inside the room and sticks to your hair and clothing. It isn't a big deal for most people but it's just huge a pet peeve of mine. However, we came hungry and left feeling full. Happy to have stopped by and tried them out but most likely would try other options when in the area before returning here again next time.

The server was very nice, the food was okay and it's a little bit too pricey compared to other Filipino restaurants. Just a heads up, before paying make sure to check what you paying, they accidentally charged me with something that we didn't ordered, I just found out when I checked my itemized receipt on our way home.

Every time I have a craving for Filipino food I drive south and come here. The food is soo good it reminds me of my mama's cooking. They're are always super friendly and always super delicious. Today I ordered the pinakbet and boy oh boy it was delicious! I are every bit of it! Since I'm watching my carbs I didn't order any rice but the pinakbet was exactly how I remember it to be... veggies crisp and seasoned to perfection. It was that good!!

This place has been on my list for a while as it seems to be well rated for Filipino food. It's located in an unassuming strip mall in Renton. We ordered the breakfast special with corned beef and the kare kare. There were only 4 pieces of beef in the kare kare and it wasn't even that tender. The green beans tasted like frozen ones defrosted and were definitely not freshly blanched. The eggplant slices and sauce were good. The dish didn't feel worth $15. The breakfast special was really greasy. I saw pools of grease on the plate. The garlic fried rice was bland and need more salt and garlic pieces. The eggs had runny yolks but the bottoms were not crispy. Corned beef was average. Portion was on the smaller side. It was just more rice than anything. I will continue trying out more Filipino places but this is not my current favorite.

I really want to love it , but it's just alright. Its partially because of the way everything in general was, like the service, taste and cleanliness. When we got there the place felt every tight and disorganized . I'm not sure if they were moving things but a lot of items and furniture was on top of one another and just looks pretty bulky. The entrance is pretty but once you sit down you need to make sure no one hits you because people can swiftly just touch you if they walk by. The next table we're not 6 feet away it's just like their next to us, so it felt a little uneasy. The lechon we ordered was pretty salty but the sisig was pretty good. Otherwise, maybe we came in a bad time , but it wasn't the best first impression for us overall . Although, we are willing to try it out again in the future.

Filipino restaurants are shockingly hard to find in the greater Seattle area! Renton's Mekenies pampangan special is one of the few free standing (not in or around southcenter mall) places in south king county. Stuff tried: Pork adobo: i crave this the most when i miss home cooking and heck, its pretty easy to make so shame on me for not just cooking it myself! The version here is a little on the sour side for me and meat is not as tender as i would like. Never mind the added potatoes which i prefer not to have in adobo. Shrimp okoy:this is a great crunchtastic treat! Sort of an over battered seafood fritter with whole shrimp imbedded inside! Lechon kawali: should be much crispier than this. As some other reviewers have mentioned, the skin is too chewy and not crunchy enough. With take out the only option now, maybe venting the take out container so skin doesnt soften up? Bulalo: good version of this classic beef shank/bone marrow soup. The broth is so good with beefy richness! It is unfancy as it should be with hunks of beef shank, bone marrow bones, cabbage and corn! Overall, decent filipino food with some hits and misses. I might focus in on the dishes unique to Pampanga which is likely their forte next time!

Unfortunately, this place was such a bad experience. Took around an hour to receive our food. I got the pork adobo and it was super underwhelming, 4-5 really small pieces of pork. The pork wasn't tender at all, the flavor was not great and it was extremely salty. Lumpia was a bit chewy and honestly seemed like it may have been frozen.

Authentic Filipino food. Very best in the area. Try everything on the menu, you won't be disappointed. Lots of free parking. Nice clean restaurant.

Been craving for sisig and since pampanga is my home town why not? So my friends and i went for dinner we didn't order much we just had sisig kare-kare and lumpias. Sisig- 9/10 it was really good! Just maybe a little pricey for that portion. Kare-kare- 3/10 it taste good but it was too greasy and we barely found meat in it so we just thought it might just be a veggie kare kare Lumpias- 10/10 it was worth the price and taste really good. Overall would still comeback to try more dishes just hope the food and portions would improve.

When two people walk into a restaurant and need a table for six, IT'S GAME ON!! There are a few great Filipino restos in the area, but this one is my favorite. It just reminds me of being in the Philippines. The go-to dish is the sisig bangus.. usually we get one for the table and one to-go. It's the crowd pleaser!! I wish they had fresh juice but it's all canned and the hot tea is Lipton. Everything food wise tho is really delicious so you can't go wrong.. I try to order as many veggie dishes (pinakbet, ginataang sitaw) as I can and they're all tasty. Also: Okoy was really crispy and flavorful. Kare kare is not too fatty or too sweet. Pancit was my friend's second favorite (to the bangus, of course). The servers are very nice. Oh! And I love the movies and shows that they play in the dining area. Like I said, feels Iike you're in the Philippines. :) I would request they add laing to their menu and this place would be my personal Heaven. :) ..but I know it's not from Pampangga. People of Pampangga can cook!! This place is no exception. Happy bellies. Every time.

It was very delicious! It was very tasty! My family and I went there for breakfast. We ordered the longonisa, Tostito, and bangus plate. The garlic rice was good and so was eggs. Thank you very much!

Food is pretty good I like the meat loaf and meat on a stick they do breakfast is good also rice has a bunch of garlic in it to be warn

Love this place! My family & I enjoyed the food & dessert! Customer service was also great! 10/10 Will definitely be back again! :)

RIP OFF, do not waste your money, wayyyy over priced for the amount of food, plus the bbq pork they have on a stick, it's terrible, they give u 3 sticks for $13.99 and the size is comparable to a small crayola marker, dry under seasoned meat, go to seafood city n get the bbq on a stick instead of this crap but damn, if ur gonna charge inflation prices please keep quality (taste) the same

This is place is my go to place whenever i want food that makes me miss home! Owner is Kapampangan who also owns the barbershop down the road. Aside from that food here is amazing!. Customer service is superb! Manyaman talaga keni! Mangan na kau!

Food was outstanding and am definitely coming back with the family. Every dish we ordered was great with the exception of the meat in the Kare Kare (wasn't soft) but everything else was so great that it made up for that!

Ordered thru doordash my order was leaking everywhere i ordered something with soup and they put it in a box instead of a soup container and it's not even a styrofoam. Never seen any other restaurant put a soup in a box. I ordered 2 extra rice on the side and only gave me one. Ordered some tortang talong and it was extra greasy. Ordered crispy pata but it looks like just a regular pork belly. This is my second time ordering here and i was not really impressed the first time either. I just thought i would give it a second try and still disappointed food not well packed food ain't that great either . It's overrated!

This place is Very, Very Good!! My 2nd time coming here and it didn't disappoint this time, either! Everything taste fresh and comes out hot. The ginger rice is amazing and the service is great. Will be back many, many times!!!

It's been awhile since I've eaten at MEKENIE PAMPANGGA'S SPECIAL RESTAURANT in Renton since it's a bit out of the way for me. I happened to be in the area today so my kids and I stopped in for lunch. I'm excited to say that Mekenie consistently serves bomb Filipino food. Unfortunately, there's not very many quality Filipino restaurants here in Washington State with table service. There are several OK ones and they're mostly the "turo turo" fast food kind with the food typically sitting under heat lamps. If you truly want quality, authentic, homestyle Filipino comfort food at reasonable prices. You need to drive the extra few miles and head south (if you're coming from Seattle) to this family-owned and family-run restaurant. The owners are so nice and even hooked us up with a free Lumpia by reminding me to check-in to my Yelp account to redeem their offer. I indulged in a favorite dish that I don't (and shouldn't) eat often called Lechon Kawali (Deep Fried Pork Belly) w/ a side of Garlic Fried Rice. It was the perfect blend of crispy and fatty goodness dipped in yummy "Mang Tomas Lechon Sauce". This dish is definitely an artery-busting guilty pleasure but it was so good and made my day... all in moderation, right?!?! My little kid got the Lonsilog which is a classic Filipino Breakfast dish and composed of Sweet Cured Pork Sausage, 2 eggs, and Garlic Fried Rice. The big kid got Chicken Adobo with Garlic Fried Rice. We also shared a plate of Lumpia (Crispy Vegetable and Pork Eggrolls) served with sweet and sour dipping sauce. This meal was such a treat and reminded me of my childhood growing up with my Mom and Lola's (Grandma's) delicious Filipino homecooking. Support a stellar small business and try Mekenie today... and remember to check-in to Yelp to redeem their coupon for a free Lumpia. Check out my Instagram page that I share with my friend Steph: @2HungryMamas

Welcoming and friendly service at this small Filipino restaurant. The food was fresh and was delicious. Definitely a place to go if people are looking for a good Filipino restaurant that at are not one of those "point point" places.

Mekenie is a homey, family-owned restaurant that's worth giving a shot. We decided to stop by for lunch since we were already in the area. It's located in a small and slightly run down parking lot, but parking is easy. I'm not an expert in Filipino cuisine, so it was comforting to see that this new restaurant had a steady stream of diners, some of which appeared to be regulars. We ordered an appetizer, 2 dishes with the upgraded garlic rice for $1 extra, and dessert. My thoughts on what we ordered: Lumpia: Our appetizer was free by checking into Yelp! Lumpia came out super hot and was nice and crispy. It didn't have a ton of filling but was really crunchy and nice to munch on while we waited for the rest of our order. Can't complain about that! The sauce wasn't anything special--just some sweet chili sauce from the bottle. Garlic rice: I'd say this was worth the upgrade. Nice and fragrant, and the crispy fried garlic on top made it so addicting. Lechon kawali: This was crispy, but also chewy... which tells me that it could have been crispier. Not the best I've had, but by no means the worst. I'd recommend something else over this. Adobo: My bf ordered this and I tried a bite. It had a nice flavor but wasn't as tender as some others I've tried. Halo halo: Huge portion but they didn't really fill it up with all the jellies. I prefer Red Ribbon's because I like the ratio of toppings better.

After a long run, we decided to check this place out. The outside does not look very inviting as it is in a very deserted strip mall next to a gun shop facing against the main Street. However, the interior feels homey, clean, and comfortable. We ordered the tocilog, the shrimp okoy (free with yelp check in) and a small bowl of bulalo. Tocilog - I love the flavor of the pork, it reminds me of longanesa sausages. The egg was cooked perfectly as it was still a little runny on the inside, and the rice had a nice balance of garlic in it. The only thing was that I wish they had given us a nice or cut the pork smaller as they were big pieces of pork. The egg could also use some salt. Okoy - holy crap this was a humongous. Each piece came with a piece of shrimp and they were fried nicely. It has the nice crispy exterior and then soft interior. This one needs some salt/seasoning as well. Bulalo - it looks very simple, but the flavor is so nice. You get the taste of the bone that was use to create the broth and it is definitely something I can drink at every meal. Definitely would order this next time but as the entree to get the meat and veggies that goes along with it. Price was very reasonable given the portion and people there was super nice. Have already told people about this place and will definitely come back myself!

Our favorites are their kare-kare and sisig. Best in town! Customer service is consistently excellent. Pork bbq is a little smaller than it used to be but still very flavorful! Highly recommended if you are craving Filipino food. PS try their ube waffle! So good!

Wow . Wow wow wow. I got in touch with Monna last minute for a 65th birthday celebration to organize. She was so helpful and so accommodating. We were able to successfully host a birthday lunch! The service and ambience is wonderful. The food was hot, fresh and ready by the time our party started. On time! ready to serve! Next, the quality of the food, so so fresh and clean tasting. You can tell the meat and vegetables, rice and noodles were all freshly prepared with so so much love and detail. Presentation was beautiful . 1000% satisfied on every aspect of my experience here and can not wait to fly back up to Seattle to eat her food again. My favorite dishes were the kawali pork, kare kare and si sig. I'm getting hungry now writing this review. Thank you again every one at Mekenie's restaurants and especially Monna. You guys are the best!