Manila Grill — Restaurant in Home Gardens

Manila Grill Restaurant & Bake Shop is located off the McKinley (South) exit right off the 91 freeway on Magnolia.

They are known for their “Manila Boy Chicken” (Fried Chicken) - and it does taste crispy and fried; however, my personal favorite is their Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew). They make this with lean and fatty pork to give an unctuous mouthfeel - what I feel makes the best Dinuguan. Aside from the texture, the stew is smooth and not clumpy. And the taste leans toward a vinegar flavor, which is perfection for this dish. Top it over a bed of steamed jasmine or Japanese rice, and it is top notch!

Another item I like here is their Deep Fried Bangus (Milkfish). The Bangus is split half, deboned of its main vertebrae, laid flat, and deep fried til “GBD” (golden brown and delicious)! It comes with a side of sawsawan (dipping sauce), kamatis (tomato and onion salad), and grilled Talong (eggplant).

I’ve ordered their Pancit Bihon (Noodles made with Rice Sticks) but, because it’s topped with shrimp, I have to skip on tasting this. It does look and smell delicious.

Manila Grill is a small turo-turo shop (select your food from steamed tables) that also offers a display case of Filipino dessert and pickled papaya (atsara/atchara). They also have some packaged snacks and other products for purchase.

The owner was very personable and friendly. Service was a little slow but, to be fair, it was cooked to order. If you’re in a rush, come back maybe off-peak hours.

Overall, the food here is homestyle Filipino cooking. I hope to be back again and try...

Diamond hole in a wall mom-&-pop Quick Service Restaurant, cafeteria-style.

Choose your (1 or 2) food items from the hot table. You can also do short order (our favorite is the Porkchop).

Say hello to the lone server-owner, (Ate) Nelia when you walk in. She is so warm and friendly, she enjoys chatting with her customers.

Manila Grill has been operating for over 26 years in the same location. You can tell how good the food and service are at this store. Not a lot of tables in the dining area because the majority of customers are either catering or take-out...

Eager to visit the store, I drove all the way from San Bernardino, only to arrive at 10:45 am - an hour and 45 minutes after their stated 9:00 am opening time. To my disappointment, they had no food ready, as they were prioritizing a catering order over serving regular customers. Seeing people leave in frustration, I now understand why - this level of disorganization and poor time management is unacceptable and bad for their business. AVOID...