Tambayan

$17.91 (with tax+tip) for three pieces of lumpia that does not even taste like lumpia?? Now i get the 3.7 star review they have. I don't even get why they received awards when the food doesn't even taste that good? I mean it could be better but considering its the only Filipino food in Reading Market, makes sense. Not to be rude to the people working, they are hard workers for sure. But its a disappointment to serve subpar dishes to the only Filipino food in the area. My Filipino friends have told me about this place but i still wanted to taste it for myself, guess i should've listened.

Amazing breakfast!! So tasty. The steak was seasoned so perfectly, we wanted more! This was our first stop on a two day food tour of Philly and we kept coming back to this and saying it was the perfect way to start. Highly recommend! Thank you, Kathy!!

I came here a couple weeks ago with my dad. We got the ube pandesal to take home and it was AMAZING! So soft and sweet and delicious. I wish I got more, I'm craving it so bad I even had a dream about it! Will definitely be back soon!

Finally had a chance to try the restaurant out. I come to Philly for business and always missed out on this place. Came in today on a Sunday so was able to finally eat on-site. Food came fast and everything was delicious. I didn’t realized the skewers and lumpia came with rice so had plenty of food leftover to bring back to my hotel. The palabok was so huge and tasty. Would definitely come back.

Tambayan is a Filipino spot tucked in the back of Reading Terminal Market near the restrooms. I only tried the halo-halo, so I can’t speak for the full menu, but it was definitely on the overly sweet side — even for a dessert that’s supposed to be sweet. At $14, it felt a bit overpriced, definitely leaning into tourist trap territory. Service was moderately quick considering how many people were in line, and the steamed buns in the front display looked fresh and inviting. My partner, who’s familiar with Filipino food, said the halo-halo was pretty authentic, just a little too sweet for his taste too. There’s limited seating — mostly standing spots up front — and unfortunately, you do catch occasional whiffs from the nearby bathrooms, especially on warmer days. I’d come back to try the savory dishes, but I’d skip the dessert next time.

Fried spam with a sunny side egg and garlic rice is an iconic meal in the Philippines. I’m happy to have found it!

I was first attracted to the amount of Ube sweets they offered! I decided on the Ube bread roll, which they warmed up for me as I checked out. It was soft, slightly dense with just a subtle sweetness with a light Ube flavor. I enjoyed it as a lesser-sweet treat. A few hours later I decided to try their Chicken Adobo. It’s subjective, but theirs tasted EXACTLY what I grew up on except they fine tuned it to add a few more touches that I wish I could do with mine. I was so surprised on how well it tasted, balanced, and very flavorful. It felt like a homemade dish vs a restaurant kitchen, which is how all Filipino food should taste like. I really enjoyed every bit of it! Customer service was very friendly both times I ordered. I travel frequently for work and I’ll definitely be back! But if you find yourself in Reading Terminal Market, try this spot! This a great place for those who are new or knowledgeable of Filipino food!

Ordered tapsilog i was so excited. Ordered sinigang too. Thought its gonna be like wow since i saw photos of the owner being a chef with a lot of medals but as i look at it closely “oh its just fun run/marathon medals” lol. Tapsilog - the meat didnt taste anything at all. Plus u put romaine lettuce on a tapsilog dish is brutal. Im sorry. Sinigang didnt taste like a real sinigang. Its just bad. Im talking about bad food. This one star is for the chinese lady who works there shes amazing.. Go somewhere else if youre. Filipino whos craving for a filipino food. The worst $50 ive ever spent in my life.