LAKAY Kusina — Restaurant in Toronto

A Culinary Gem: Unforgettable Dining at Lakay Kusina

Stepping into Lakay Kusina is like being welcomed into a warm family home—a place where the passion for food and community shines. This tiny, intimate Filipino restaurant provided one of the most unique and delightful dining experiences we’ve ever had.

We visited on Saturday, December 7, 2024, arriving a little past 5:30 PM. While we initially called ahead to make a reservation (as recommended online), the friendly staff explained that reservations are only required for their famed "fight boxes," typically for larger groups. Since our party of three didn’t meet the minimum number of diners for the fight box, we were told we could simply walk in.

Finding the restaurant in the dark was a bit tricky as their awning wasn’t lit, but any minor inconvenience was forgotten the moment we stepped inside. We were greeted warmly, like long-lost friends, by a team that exuded genuine joy and hospitality. It truly felt like joining a family dinner.

To our delight, despite not meeting the requirements or having a reservation, the staff generously offered us the fight box experience. And what an experience it was! Our hostess meticulously prepared the spread before us, arranging it directly on banana leaves. Watching her work was mesmerizing—a blend of art and tradition. The final presentation was so stunning that we hesitated to dig in, but only for a moment.

The food itself was extraordinary. Every bite was bursting with authentic flavor and freshness, and the balance of dishes was perfect. Our kids, often hesitant to try new cuisines, couldn’t get enough. They devoured every morsel with delight, and the free ice cream for finishing the fight box was the cherry on top (literally and figuratively!).

The communal dining setup added another layer of charm. In the cozy space, everyone—whether family, friends, or strangers—shares tables, creating an atmosphere of connection and shared enjoyment. It’s a beautiful reminder of how food brings people together.

The restaurant’s menu, including the dishes displayed and the secret Instagram-exclusive options, promises a wealth of culinary treasures to explore. We’re already planning our return to try more of their offerings.

Thank you, Lakay Kusina family, for an evening filled with incredible food, warm hospitality, and unforgettable memories. We’ll see you again soon!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommended for anyone looking to experience the heart and soul of Filipino cuisine in an intimate and...

I've been to Lakay Kusina several times now, enjoying their authentic Filipino Cuisine each time, and getting to know the owner, Ariel, a great guy. The decor of this cozy spot keeps evolving, with tons of memorabilia from the Philippines. It's a warm and cozy spot.

On this visit, a group of fellow food enthusiasts came to try the Kamayan Feast (aka Boodle Fight), most of them for the first time. This style of meal originated from the Philippine Military, where soldiers would eat a great meal to reflect their brotherhood. Traditionally, it's eaten by hand. We observed that tradition and it was fun!

Our meal had lots of components, including BBQ pork skewers, grilled pork belly, grilled fish, fish balls, shrimps, lumpia, turon, grilled eggplant, steamed okra, bakchoy, green beans, garlic rice, and we also had grilled chicken. It was a lot of delicious food and a very enjoyable experience!

In addition to this feast, Lakay Kusina also has several other traditional dishes and foods available. We got to try a couple of them.

Cassava Suman is a Filipino dessert type of treat, made with grated cassava, sugar, and coconut. It is wrapped and cooked in a banana leaf.

Balut is another traditional item that only the most adventurous diner would try. It is a fertilized duck's egg with a developing embryo, cooked and eaten from the shell. Only one of us was brave enough to try it. Ironically, she's Filipina and it was her first time. Nuff respect!!!

Overall, it was a really good evening of delicious food and camaraderie. Thank you, Ariel, for your wonderful hospitality and delicious food! We'll be back!

March 2023

I recently had the pleasure of dining in at Lakay Kusina, thoroughly enjoying their Kamayan Breakfast Feast. If you're unfamiliar, think Filipino combo meal. Wow, what a combo!

Choices include any five of the following: Tapa, Longanisa, Tocino, Tuyo, Bangus, Corned Beef, Tortang Talon, and/or Red Delicious Filipino Hotdogs, all on a bed of Garlic Rice, with your choice of Eggs.

Everything was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. The portions were very generous! I could barely finish the meal.

Beyond the great tasting food, the service was outstanding. Our host, Ariel made us feel like we were dining in his home. The ambiance definitely had a warmth and rustic charm to it. Lakay Kusina actually translates to "My friend's kitchen". It certainly felt that way.

Check them out in Scarborough at Ellesmere and...

I was excited to try this place after seeing the online following it had, plus the positive Google reviews. Unfortunately, we didn't have a good experience.

Takeout service was very slow, even just packing the food that was already out and ready. The older lady that was serving us kept stopping to do another task and then going back to our order. Then when it came time to pay, she charged tax during the no tax break. When asked why we were charged tax, she sighed, said "okay okay I'll take it out" and made it seem like she was doing us a favour. I then noticed that she charged us $16 for the spaghetti we ordered instead of $14 as listed on the menu board. When I asked why, her response was "oh, because it's Filipino spaghetti." We just looked at her confused, thinking yes we knew it was Filipino spaghetti and there were no other kinds of spaghetti listed, she sighed as if irritated and corrected the amount. To add to the situation, the receipt roll ran out and she asked someone from the back to help her change it. The gentleman that came out had food and grease all over his hands and started touching the register and receipt roll without washing his hands. We had witnessed him earlier packing BBQ sticks with his bare hands just a few minutes before.

The whole process took about half an hour. We were told at the end by the owner to call in ahead of time if we were ordering spaghetti because it's made to order, something we weren't told at the beginning. They seemed to be struggling very much with speed - there were people sitting in the restaurant who looked like they were waiting a while and one even asked to get her food packed to-go before receiving it because she had to be somewhere.

The food we got was just okay but one of the dishes we had was very obviously old (binagoongan). The meat was rock hard and inedible.

I feel like this place has potential - the owner seems to genuinely care and their Kamayan dishes looked beautiful. However customer service from staff needs a lot of work and also please stop re-selling old food as noted in other reviews too. I'm not sure if a lot of these high reviews were from bloggers or friends. We won't...