Salamat Po Authentic Filipino Cuisine — Restaurant in Libertyville

My mom and I went to this place to have a Mother's Day lunch this past Sunday. We ordered our food from their hot, small buffet. As the restaurant was nearing closing time, the lady at the cashier asked us if we would like to take some food home free of charge. We delightfully agreed and so we took some dishes such as the kare-kare, apritada, pancit palabok, pancit bihon, sinigang, bistek, and pineapple chicken. My mom ate her leftovers from lunch and had some kare-kare later on that evening. The following day, the food did not agree with her system and as a result, she had nausea, diarrhea, and chills leaving her very weak and dehydrated. She is still recovering to this day.

I brought some of my leftovers to share with my co-workers and they said that when they brought it home to reheat, the food smelled rancid and just ended up throwing it away. My suspicion is that their food on display was more than a day old.

The meat dishes need to be cooked thoroughly and safely. My understanding is that those meat dishes are usually slow cooked on a low fire. Any unused food needs to be stored properly.

The exterior and interior of the restaurant look nice and clean, so you would not think that their food was of less quality. They had a nice display of their snacks and desserts. We had the Spanish bread and halo-halo and it tasted good.

They should have the dishes that their menu displays. We initially wanted to order topsilog, which was the first item listed on their menu. The lady cashier said that they were out of that dish. In addition, it looks like more help is needed as I noticed that the lady cashier was going in and out of the kitchen while customers were waiting in line to place their order.

To the owners of this restaurant, if you want this establishment to thrive, the food needs to be handled and cooked properly. Otherwise, the food currently displayed will drive customers away. I had friends and co-workers who were interested in trying this place out, but after my mom's experience, I notified them about the food and unfortunately, they will not be going to this place.

Update (5/27/2024): The food that my mom ate made her very sick to the point where she has been and is currently receiving aggressive, urgent, and intensive medical care and treatment. We regret coming to this restaurant in the first place. Prior to our lunch, she was doing fine. To Joanna, the owner, PLEASE do not allow this to happen to another customer. I will be writing another review on Yelp so that customers are aware when they are checking out restaurants. A complaint will be filed against this restaurant with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Update (5/29/2024): The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has forwarded the complaint to the IL Department of Public Health Office of Health Protection Division of Food, Drugs, and Dairies.

Update (5/31/2024): The IL Department of Public Health Office of Health Protection Division of Food, Drugs, and Dairies has forwarded the complaint to The Food Safety Program Lake County Health Department and Community...

Terrible service!! We placed an order for CHRISTMAS and pick up was today at 4pm! They confirmed our order a day before. My husband went to pick up at 4pm today but the line was way too long. He patiently waited in line for almost 2 hours only to find out that they cannot find our order and didn’t say anything to him. I called them to ask what’s happening and they told me they’d assist him. Out of 5 party tray orders, we only got a tray of sisig and 2 embotidos (out of 4 embotidos)and told us they’dy call if our other orders are ready. These orders are for pick up and not dine in. Why aren’t the orders ready on time? This order is for CHRISTMAS DINNER for our family! How can we find a restaurant that’s open for delivery now? Terrible terrible service! Don’t accept and confirm orders if you don’t know you won’t be able to accomodate all! My husband has disability and he thought he’s only going to pick Up and not wait for 2 hours only to get a partial order! I DO NOT RECOMMEND SALAMAT PO AND WON’T BE COMING BACK!!

I gave this restaurant so many chances and this is the end of it! Few times we came in and they have no more food! They should update their page or website if they’re already sold out. Other times, their food are cold or half of the container are just sauce and very few meat pieces!

Take your business elsewhere. I DO...

I really wanted to like this place and support local business but there is a HUGE concern I have which prevents me from returning to this restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, the food was very good, but they are not following proper food safety protocol at all. I can’t risk getting sick or getting my family sick.

This is a to-go style restaurant that offers pre-made Filipino dishes either a la carte or as a combo with rice and eggs. The “hot” food buffet where you choose what you want to eat is nowhere near hot. Everything, and I do mean everything, was room temperature - the meats, the eggs, the rice, literally everything. The food buffet has a water bath with a heater to keep the food hot enough to prevent bacteria growth, however it was not in use when we visited. No water in the food buffet, nothing. Food poisoning is a very real concern and can get people extremely sick. It makes me wonder if they are aware of common food safety practices. After taking a few bites and realizing the food was not hot at all, we tossed it all in the trash. It wasn’t worth the risk of getting sick.

To the owners: please fix this and be more conscious of food safety. I really want to be a frequent customer and support your business but this has to be addressed first.

Without those food safety concerns, this restaurant would easily be a...