Green Banana Leaf South St — Restaurant in Artesia

Pinoy Food run

Green Banana Leaf is a new Filipino/Asian Fusion eatery. However, unlike most Filipino food spots in the area, GBL is a sit down restaurant, with a chic décor, 90's hip hop/R&B playing on the house speakers and Instagram worthy dishes. Not a turo-turo (hot tray, point at what you want) place. Being hipster-ish, prices are higher than the typical Filipino haunts. For our inaugural visit, we were in a hurry and shared two plates.

Molo soup Wow, look at all those wontons! I counted over a dozen wontons by the time we got to the bottom of this huge bowl of soup. Perfect on a cold evening! I could taste the ginger, garlic & onions with every steaming spoonful. I wanted soup (of some sort) and this didn't disappoint.

Quarter chicken combo w/ egg rolls GBL has various fried chicken combos. We chose the quarter chicken combo, which comes with lumpianitas (egg rolls) and choice of steamed rice or garlic fried rice. The lumpianitas were perfectly fried, crunchy & delicious. I usually don't order chicken from restaurants, as I prefer Church's and avoid chicken everywhere else, but the quarter chicken had a deliciously fried crispy skin. However, the portions were rather meager, so I probably wouldn't order their chicken combo again.

Green Banana Leaf has lunch specials during the week, and their extensive menu has a little something for everyone. I was told by the attendant that their most popular dish is their crispy kare kare, which is a combo of their crispy pata (fried pork hock) & kare kare (peanut butter stew). Being a little less than $20, it would have to wait for us, as we weren't looking to stay too long.

Service was good. The staff were friendly & hospitable, quick with refills. Ample seating via tables in the middle and booths around the perimeter. There is also bar seating, as well.

Parking is at the Fresh Catch Supermarket center. Green Banana Leaf is the last business on the left, next to Café 86.

Green Banana Leaf is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The food is definitely on point, and I'm eager to try one of their signature dishes, like the crispy kare kare. Although their prices are higher than I'd want to spend on my ancestral cuisine, having lunch specials is enough to lure me back again & again. "What's for dinner?" is never a concern when there's Green Banana Leaf nearby.

Highly...

Green Banana Leaf is inside a plaza, can be chaotic to find parking on weekend lunch hours as it is near other popular food/ drink places such as bopomofo and 86 cafe.

We ordered arroz caldo ( Filipino chicken ginger congee ), it is pretty good! I like the gingerly taste and warmness. We also ordered the pancit ( stirred fried rice noodle with pork ), the portion is large and we take the rest home after. The combination with the rice noodle, cabbage, pork , green onion and shrimp is pretty tasty. Although the shrimp is a little bit smaller.

Service is pretty good, the lady is friendly, ask to refill our water, saw our table is a little bit dirty and offer to wipe it down for us.

Inside they have a karaoke stage, and projector of music videos, music is lively. We went during lunch and haven’t seen people on stage but the music is soothing to hear. Inside the restaurant is mostly decorated green and red theme- like Christmas lol.

Would...

We had a fantastic dining experience at Green Banana Leaf in Artesia on July 20th. My wife, daughter, son-in-law, and their baby joined me, and the meal was beyond what we expected. The food was full of authentic Filipino flavors — vibrant and delicious.

We shared the Vegan Kare-Kare as our main and added three appetizers. Portions were generous, and the Fried Tofu and Ampalaya Salad were big hits. The Lettuce Wrap tasted great, though we think using a crisper lettuce would improve it even more.

The restaurant has a warm, inviting atmosphere and was very clean and comfortable. Service was exceptional — our server was friendly and attentive. She even went out of her way to find us next door at the market after we accidentally left the baby’s backpack. We really appreciated her kindness and quick action.

Highly recommend Green Banana Leaf for anyone looking to enjoy quality Filipino cuisine in a...