Shays Filipino Cafe — Restaurant in Hawaii

5/14/2022 Walked into Shay's 10 minutes after they opened because we were craving Filipino food. Hubby had heard about this place from his co-workers but we both had never tried before. He had Bicol Express and Lumpias and I wanted to try the Fried Bangus.

The guy who took our order was friendly and said it would be a while. Not a problem. We went outside to wait for our takeout order. After about 20 minutes, our food was ready and we were on our way home.

It was hubby and my first time trying Bicol Express and Fried Bangus. He liked the Bicol Express and I took a taste. Strong coconut flavor with spices & seasonings and tender pork. He needed a lot of rice to eat this one. He said he liked the taste but later he said that it was a little too much fat for him. I was surprised because he likes roast pork, chicharons, and other fatty foods. When I asked about his lumpia, he said it was just okay. He's eaten lots of lumpias so after he said that I figured I didn't need to try it.

I enjoyed my Bangus. The fish was fried perfectly and had lots of flavor. It came loaded on the top with chopped tomatoes and raw onions. I loved it and I hate raw onions but I did eat some with the fish. Yum!

I don't think we'll be back because it was pricey-er than I thought it would be for lunch.

4 stars because hubby was not impressed with the lumpia, the pork pieces in the Bicol Express, and the amount of food...

Delicious Filipino food!!!

Not gonna lie, I always get a little nervous eating at Filipino restaurants because I’m used to eating it as home cooking with my family. But Shay’s did not disappoint!

KAMAYAN : This is their set of Lumpia. We got veggie and I LOVE this style of Lumpia. It’s not everything ground together, but small pieces of all the veggies.

CHICKEN ADOBO : So. Freaking. Tender. Omg, amazing. Vinegary, garlicky, saucy, nom.

LECHÓN : Ours came out a bit tough. Some of the skin on the edges I couldn’t quite get through, so I had to cut them off 😔

PANCIT BIHON : Very flavorful and delicious! This was my grandpa’s favorite (he grew up in the Philippines!)

LUMPIA A LA MODE (UBE) : Banana Lumpia served with ube ice cream on top? A dream! The banana lumpia was a treat in itself. I was a little disappointed that the ice cream scoop it came with was only about 1.5” in diameter.

Overall, the food was very tasty- definitely get the adobo! The lumpia to go was a little unfortunate, as it stuck to the bag and they all ripped open (this was only a 5 min drive home). But the flavor was still on point! Definitely recommend...

12/26/23 approx 6pm

Almost everything we wanted to order, they were out and didn't have. We ordered chicken pizza, kids liked it, Sarisari was decent. I ordered the 3 choice, lechon, I had the burnt dried ends, mungo beans, was decent, and gisantis, which was cold and burnt. Husband ordered the pinapaitan, it was decent just, its served in a small bowl hardly any gravy, asked to have more gravy, she adds it to my bowl, which now has a saucer with gravy spilling everywhere. Our 1st server was nice and courteous. The other one needs to work on her customer service 🙄 when she brings our food there is no interest or concerns our bowls were plated sloppy and rice was cold. We left most of the food we ordered and just took home the pizza. Not sure if we'll ever go there again. I recommend you call ahead and make sure they have what you want. My husband said, don't waste your time or money, go to Juliez,...