Manila Oriental Market

I haven’t had authentic Filipino food for a while since I had lived in Vienna, Austria for the last two years. They’re about as common out there as Austrian restaurants are in Arizona. Anyway, here in Northern Virginia/​Washington DC, there is a substantial Filipino population, and this place did not disappoint. My first time here, I had some crispy pork (lechon), some «dinuguan» (pork blood stew), and a large heap of white rice to compliment these dishes. One morning for breakfast, I had «longsilog» (longanisa sausage, which is like a sweet/​savory fried sausage, scrambled eggs, and garlic fried rice), which was so good. And today, before leaving Virginia to fly back out West, I tried the pork «pata» adobo (made with pork hocks), and a side order of sinigang soup (Filipino hot and sour soup with meat and veggies). It’s just heaven.
The dishes may vary from day to day, and what might be available one afternoon may not be available the next. So that’s why I had to knock it down one star, to be absolutely fair about it. But the food is excellent and the service is friendly.

The choices and prices of their groceries are reasonable. The food in the restaurant tastes good, but my biggest complaint is the cook/​chef always is too busy to cook my «made to order» meal. I’ve been there a few times and ordered either «tapsilog» or «longsilog» and got the «oh the cook said he is busy and can’t cook your food» answer from the server. Luckily, they have other viands to choose from. It’s just annoying when you set your mind on something to eat and get that kind of response. Mind you, this happens regularly. Aside from that, this is a good place to shop and eat.

Among all the Filipino groceries with ready cooked food, this place is the best in NOVA. They are so friendly, store is clean and the shelves are filled, always. More power!

When in the DC, Fall Church, Arlington or Fairfax area and looking for a Filipino restaurant this is the place to be. On Saturday they have dinuguan on there menu and not a single fat in it all meat.

Lechon kawali. 2 stars. Burnt edges
Afritada. ²⁄₂ stars overcooked
Kaldereta 2 stars tasted more like mechado
Mongo 0 stars overcooked. Taste was not good
Puto. 5 stars str of the evening
GG 4 stars
Market selection — goldilocks! Yoohoo!

Went in for Palms corned beef, they had plenty! Husband enjoyed the BBQ chicken skewer from the hot food line. Will definitely go back!

I agree with the other people who posted reviews… food is very good. The owner Christie was so friendly and very accommodating. They also have a good selection of Filipino products in their grocery. So if you are ever in Springfield, VA make sure to check out this place.

Awesome Filipino restaurant never had bad service always great food deafening will recommend for friends to go

Was in the mood for home cooking and this totally hit the spot. Classic turo turo, great selection. I had lechon kawali and kare kare, both were delicious. And they hook it up with a little cup of bagoong. Writing this post is making me crave it right now…

The lechon kawali was great, the skin was crispy and not too much fat. The beef caldereta was very tender and tasty. Good sized portions too.
Hindi lasang benta! Parang lutong bahay!
Both dishes, a cup of rice and, a bottle of water, all for $ 8.25.
The lady behind the counter was super nice and very polite. I’m sure I’ll come back whenever I’m in the Springfield area.

I’ve been wanting to try more Filipino joints, and I happened to be nearby this place. It’s behind the more prominent shopping center off of Old Keene Mill, but still easy to get to. Half of the establishment is a restaurant with plenty of seating. I ordered adobo and menudo, my comfort foods.
The other half of the place is a typical grocery store. I picked up some frozen Siopao and Pancit noodles too. No one else is going to care but me, but I was saddened that they didn’t have Tito Al’s Choice pancit noodles. I bought some brand I wasn’t familiar with.
The reason I give three stars was that I thought their hot food was just so so. The adobo chicken was pretty dry, and I got a lot of bay leaves to pick out of my food. The menudo was better than the adobo I think.

Extra star for the kare kare!
Like a typical Filipino mother, my husband’s mom sent him home with a Tupperware container of oxtail stew (aka: kare kare) for me to eat since I was unable to visit them that weekend.
I’ve had a not-​so-​great experience with the hot food bar at Manila Oriental before, but this was effing fantastic. Kare Kare is not an easy dish to create and is often ruined due to impatience since you need to slow cook the meat, skim the fat, and other un-​fun stuff. This one was chock full of creamy peanut sauce, fresh veggies, and super tender meat. It’s super legit and even features tripe (I ate around it as I have been doing since I was a child).
Even though this is my favorite Filipino dish, I have not attempted to create this at home because 1) oxtail is expensive and 2) nobody has time for that. I got to give props where credit is due because this was just as good as Nanay’s.
Plus — - take out bagoong. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Yumm!!! Best place to eat Pinoy food in the area in my opinion. They have a lot of menu available (entrée and merienda) for quick Pinoy cravings.

The place is okay but I took home some pancit noodles and there was something in it that was disgusting that you would never believe.

I remember this store back in falls church days. The owners are extremely nice. The café is great for homemade filipino food. I love love love the kare-​kare with bagoong and rice. The market still needs work.
Reason why I am giving it three:
Café
Ambiance: Casual and normal for filipino fast dining. Sanitation is needed.
Food: Good while it is still hot and fresh.
Customer Service: Nice but a bit pushy especially to those who are unfamiliar with the process. Need a bit improvement.
Store
My major complaint is the bakery left out. I caught several not once but several moldy breads… that is unacceptable. So when purchasing, check the food! Another minor thing, limited products compare to years before. Everything else is still good.

I like this place for several reasons: magnolia/​selecta ice cream, pan de sal, they have what makes my mom happy (pan de coco & hopia), bbq sticks… but I LOVE this place because of the one thing I have the right to review: the lechon kawali, which I was hooked on for several days a week (every week) last month. It is my ultimate take me back to childhood birthdays food. I couldn’t do without it. I know, moderation. However, you wouldn’t understand unless you can appreciate well as i do the salted and deep fried pork belly and the difficulty of making that baby blistery crisp without being too hard or greasy. I tried making it at home and no youtube video could ever deliver me to the same result. Typing this only reminds me to get some tomorrow…
If you want a taste of the Philippines, grab a bite from their steam table & then top it off with our famously rich purple ice cream!

This was my 1^st time having Filipino food in a restaurant. I’m giving it 3 stars for food but 5 stars for service! When we arrived they could tell by our faces we had no idea what to get or what the food was. The woman stopped what she was doing and explained every item, offered samples, and suggestions. I enjoyed my food (the chicken) but my friend did not enjoy his meal. Everything was prepared perfectly but the seasoning was not for him. The portion size was good and the inexpensiveness was even better :)! As noted the food eating section is very small and VERY packed! Luckily we were able to get a seat. Other patrons had to stand while enjoying their meal.
After eating we walked around the store and once again someone tried to help us decide what treats to buy.
My review isn’t that great bc I really don’t know this type of food so I can’t make comparisons on how I think it should taste, but if you like experimenting I would def give it a try. The customer service was very good and I would return again to try something else.

Stopped by this spot last weekend to pick up a few goods to have dinner at a friend’s place. Just like any Filipino spot this is a grocery store and restaurant.
The restaurant itself was very simple. Nothing special about the decoration. You just roll in, order your food cafeteria style and eat away. One thing that was new to me was that you paid by weight. I’m used to seeing Filipino spots sell things by the size of the container.
We ordered pancit, lechón, laing and daing na bangus (fried fish).
The lechón was the standout of everything. 9 out of 10 times I get sick to my stomach with lechón because of all the grease. This wasn’t the case. I pretty much ate half the entire $ 10 package (think of a to go at a restaurant full of lechón… that’s what you get for $ 10). The bangus was pretty good, too. You really can’t go wrong with fried fish mixed with vinegar.
Prices were a little steep but that’s NoVa for you. All four things along with a few other items came out to $ 60 and fed four of us with plenty left for days and days of leftovers.

Ok… So I wasn’t crazy about the food, the beef stew was good but overall not my favorite place. We tried the pancit and it was a little too much lemon for my taste. The lumpia are not crunchy and don’t have a great deal of flavor.
So why did this place rate a 4 star you ask? Read on my fellow Unilocalers…
The market you have to walk through to get to the food and deli is superb!!!
The older lady that works there (I imagine she is one of the owners) came to help me find some different stuff for a couple different dishes and started to dishes and recipe variations… She had some phenomenal ideas, was super helpful with all their products that were in different languages (not English hehe :-) and odd fact we share our bizarre allergy for cilantro!
They have great prices compared to the average supermarket, you can get some great help, and if you are lucky… A great new idea for dinner… And my General’s Chicken was great… Next on my list Spicy Garlic Sauce!!! Yummmm!!!
Thanks Bunches

Good food and warm welcome! We love the beef caldereta (a tomato based beef + potato n veg stew) and lechon kawali (crisp chunks of pork belly strata) dipped in sweet breadcrumb sauce. Kids seem to like the pancit and adobo. Whatever floats your boat, top it off by a veritable cup of halo halo and you’ve succeeded in taking a local food trip to the Philippines. Gets four stars for having a great variety of services and food, in a clean and spacious environment.
Update 2÷28÷14
I was disappointed when I came by the other day and the cafeteria was cold. It wasn’t warmed up before being added to the steam table. It was later in the day so a part of me can understand, but brings my four star review to a star review for inconsistency. Tip is: Do try to come in during earlier lunch hours!

Props to the hot food they serve and the delicious selections. I’ve had the following dishes and they don’t disappoint. I usually get the combo of two dishes w/​rice and pay less than $ 7 for a good size amount of food.
Here’s my tried and true dishes:
lechon kawali-​best in the area I believe!
dinuguan
beef caldereta
tinola
tilapia
sinigang
My wish list for the hot food (not just for pre-​order for some of them)
brown rice
tocino
palabok
green salad
They have a sign that you can order crispy pata, so I think I’ll try that on the weekend.
This place used to be located off of 7 and I used to hit it for lunch, but its a good thing its a hike away or I’d be there more often.

This place was recommended by Kimberly V. but I must say, I was disappointed. The lechon was good, but the pancit tasted like lemon and the lumpia are sub-​par. They also have a beef stew that is tasty. My wife’s favorite things are pancit and lumpia for us, this place is a no go. Now the market on the other hand has a lot of stuff for a small shop and I can see myself stopping in and getting some things from time to time… and some lechon.
I know a few other people that love this place, but we have been eating Filipino style food in Hampton Roads for the past 11 years or so and this is just way different. Did I mention that the lechon was tasty though? Maybe we had an off night, I will return to check though.

I came here because I was in desperate need of some mamasita packets. lol
Such a convenient location, friendly staff, and large/​well stocked store.
Everything is organized, so items are easy to find. You can mostly find filipino items, but I noticed they stock a few Thai/​korean items as well. (I regret not buying their tom yum soup paste, I might have to make a trip back for that =P)
Bonus for their freezer section of Magnolia Ice cream! my fave =D

Manila Oriental has built a solid reputation and avid following by the Northern Virginia Filipino community for years. They finally outgrew their previous location and moved into Springfield to meet demand. Problem is, they have become so popular that they may have to expand again soon.
If you come on the weekends, the place is usually packed and you might have to wait to find a seat. The hot food is the draw. They serve the best Filipino food on this side of the Potomac except for the kind cooked by Lola and Nanay (Grandma and Mom) at home. They are still your best bet for great Philippine cuisine in northern Virginia.
Half of the business is grocery, the other half is the eatery. The same owners from the Bailey’s Crossroads location are here and they have always been some of the best people you ever want to meet. If you come from California or New York, you might thumb your nose at their offerings, but if you are in Virginia and need your Filipino fix, Manila Oriental is as good as it gets.