Quick Bites
- Ihawan (40-06 70th St) — The BBQ institution, open since 1995, specializing in Kapampangan cuisine
- Renee’s Kitchenette & Grill (69-14 Roosevelt Ave) — Homestyle Filipino cooking since 1992, famous for sisig and sinigang
- Tito Rad’s Grill (49-10 Queens Blvd) — Adobo and kare-kare done right in a warm, welcoming spot
- Kusina Pinoy Bistro (69-16 Roosevelt Ave) — Giant calamari and seafood feasts
- Papa’s Kitchen (3707 83rd St, Jackson Heights) — Nothing over $8, silogs all day
Welcome to Little Manila
Step off the 7 train at 69th Street in Woodside and you are standing in the heart of one of the most important Filipino food neighborhoods in America. Known locally as Little Manila, this stretch of Roosevelt Avenue and the surrounding blocks is home to a concentration of Filipino restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores that has been feeding the community — and adventurous eaters from across the city — for decades.
Filipino cuisine is one of the most exciting and underrated food traditions in NYC. It is bold, sour, sweet, salty, and funky, often all at once. Think vinegar-braised meats, coconut milk stews, grilled skewers basted in banana ketchup, and desserts built on ube (purple yam) and coconut. If you have never explored it beyond lumpia at a party, Woodside is where you fix that.
The Essentials: Where to Start
Ihawan — The BBQ King
40-06 70th Street, Woodside, NY 11377
Open since 1995, Ihawan is the restaurant most New Yorkers think of when they think of Filipino food in Queens — and for good reason. This family-owned institution specializes in Kapampangan cuisine (from the Pampanga province, widely considered the culinary capital of the Philippines) and has been perfecting its grilled meats for over 30 years.
The move here is the BBQ pork skewers — sweet, smoky, and slightly charred, served with a tangy vinegar dipping sauce. But do not sleep on the ginataang langka (jackfruit simmered in coconut milk), a rich, savory-sweet stew that is pure comfort food. Their halo-halo — the iconic shaved ice dessert piled with beans, jellies, ube ice cream, leche flan, and more — is one of the best in the city, especially on a hot day. The place is cash-friendly and no-frills. You come for the food, not the ambiance.
Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10:30am–8:30pm; Sat–Sun 9:30am–8:30pm; Closed Wed
Renee’s Kitchenette & Grill — The Homestyle Hero
69-14 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, NY 11377
Renee’s has been a Roosevelt Avenue anchor since 1992, and it feels like walking into someone’s lola’s kitchen — if lola happened to be an incredible cook feeding the whole neighborhood. The menu runs deep: grilled items, silogs (garlic rice + egg + your protein of choice), soups, and enough pork dishes to make your cardiologist nervous.
Start with the sizzling sisig — chopped pork face and belly served on a hot plate with egg and calamansi, crackling and savory and addictive. The sinigang na baboy (sour pork soup with tamarind and taro root) is the dish that converts skeptics into Filipino food obsessives. Their Mixed Grill — a combination plate with BBQ pork, BBQ chicken, longanisa, pork belly, and housemade atchara (pickled papaya) — is a feast for the price.
Hours: Mon, Wed–Fri 10am–7pm; Sat–Sun 9am–7pm; Closed Tue
Tito Rad’s Grill — The Comfort Zone
49-10 Queens Boulevard, Woodside, NY 11377
Tito Rad’s is the kind of place where every dish tastes like it was made by someone who really cares. The adobong baboy — pork braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and bay leaves — is textbook perfect, the kind of deeply savory, slightly tangy braise that defines Filipino home cooking. Their kare-kare (oxtail peanut stew with vegetables) gets a modern twist while staying true to tradition. The sisig here is made entirely from pork belly, giving it an extra-rich, crispy edge. Friendly staff, generous portions, and the kind of warm hospitality that makes you want to come back every week.
Go Deeper
Kusina Pinoy Bistro — The Seafood Spot
69-16 Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, NY 11377
Right next door to Renee’s on Roosevelt Ave, Kusina takes a slightly more polished approach to Filipino cooking without losing any of the soul. The star here is the calamares gigantes — giant fried squid that arrives golden and crispy, big enough to share (but you will not want to). Their bulalo (bone marrow beef soup) is rich and deeply beefy, perfect for a chilly Queens evening. The seafood dishes across the board are excellent — try the pompano if it is available. Everything arrives piping hot, portions are generous, and the space is clean and welcoming.
Papa’s Kitchen — The Budget King
3707 83rd Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Technically just outside Woodside in neighboring Jackson Heights, Papa’s Kitchen deserves a mention because nothing on the menu is over $8. Let that sink in. For NYC, that is almost unbelievable. The silogs are the move — garlic fried rice, a fried egg, and your choice of protein (longsilog with longanisa sausage is the classic). Their ube pancakes bring the purple yam flavor to breakfast, and the mango halo-halo is a sweet, refreshing finale. This is one of the best cheap eats in all of Queens.
Lahi — The Elmhurst Extension
51-24 Van Loon Street, Elmhurst, NY 11373
A short hop from Woodside into Elmhurst, Lahi is worth the detour for their lumpia (Filipino spring rolls, shatteringly crispy) and lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly that shatters when you cut into it). Their avocado shakes are thick, creamy, and the perfect counterpoint to all that crispy pork. A solid pick for anyone doing a Filipino food crawl through western Queens.
What to Order If You Are New to Filipino Food
If this is your first Filipino food adventure, here is a starter playbook:
Adobo — The national dish. Meat braised in vinegar and soy sauce. Impossible not to love. Sisig — Sizzling chopped pork with egg and citrus. The ultimate bar snack elevated to an art form. Sinigang — Sour soup with tamarind. Bright, warming, and unlike anything in other cuisines. Lumpia — Filipino spring rolls. Crispy, savory, and always the first thing to disappear at any gathering. Halo-halo — Shaved ice with everything. Trust the process.
Getting There
Take the 7 train to 69th Street (Woodside) and you are right in the middle of the action. Roosevelt Avenue is the main artery — walk it east to west and you will pass most of the restaurants on this list. The whole strip is walkable in about 20 minutes, making it easy to do a multi-stop food crawl. For Papa’s Kitchen, continue one stop to 82nd Street–Jackson Heights.
For more neighborhood food guides, check out our affordable brunch guide to Astoria and our Georgian food deep dive across all five boroughs.
All restaurants verified as open as of April 2026. Hours and menus may change — call ahead for the latest.
