Tita Mia's Filipino Restaurant & Cafe — Restaurant in Maine Township

Update to 2019 review:

Food 4/5: When it first opened for business in 2019, Tita Mia's Filipino Restaurant & Café set out tiny bowls of garlic peanuts. They weren’t placed at table or offered on 26 March 2024. Otherwise, the food from this latest visit was excellent. The base used for the chicken Sotanghon Soup may have included tomato, noticed in part due to the flavor, and also in part due to the reddish-orange hue, of the broth. Perhaps this was used for regional purposes? Daing Bangus was large but never overpowering, making it a joy to nibble at. Lumpia Shanghai was good enough to order for home. Pastries are fantastic and slow new brew coffee pairs very well with them.

Service 3.5/5: Not as fast as it was in 2019 but such are the times. The orders were accurate but additional napkins were not offered for messy eating.

Atmosphere 3.5/5: Same as in 2019, although not as brightly lit.

Any note for future diners? The bill included a "Non Cash Fee" which wasn't much and was presumably for credit card payments. The only complaints for it is (1) it wasn't noticed whether this fee was mentioned in the menu and (2) this fee is automatically set for on the bill before a card -- or cash -- is presented for payment. So basically there's a dining surcharge with a very faulty line item explanation. It is not known whether this is charged for takeout orders.

Now, the 2019 review:

Tita Mia = Aunt of Mine

Is it off to a strong start? Yes! Here's my disorganized review because I'm tapping and swiping from a phone.

The ube cake, which we all shared for dessert, looked delightful and was highly recommended by today's server. A great recommendation, it's sweet and really good!

Also shared for dessert was a humongous halo halo. It was good but not nearly as good as that cake. Shaking that memory off as best I can....

The server said this restaurant is still under a "soft opening" and therefore may change its menu. When it's finalized, that menu will hopefully be posted on the restaurant's website. It's supposed to include Korean dishes along with its already listed Filipino ones.

As we waited for our main course we were given tiny bowls of garlic peanuts. The flavor was light and kept me eating more.

Our main course included an egg roll appetizer shared throughout the meal, pancit palabok (noodles with hard boiled egg slices, shrimp and shrimp sauce), tapsilog (over easy eggs with rice and beef slices, next to a small cup/bowl of vinegar for dipping), and crispy pata (deep fried pork with soy-vinegar sauce provided for dipping).

All were good except for that crispy pata, which wowed our entire group for its simple yet strong presentation, excellent texture, and enticing flavor sans any sauce. That last preference is not very Filipino but should be taken as a compliment, please!

With its food good to great, service at this restaurant is very good. Here's hoping it makes fabulous business. It has a great location with loads of available parking, situated in the same lot as an always-busy Walmart and across from an upcoming Patel Brothers grocery. My only worry is for the staff. I fear it will get far...

The first time my family and I visited this place was on a Saturday afternoon about a month ago. Only few customers were there and the service was fast. My second visit was on a Sunday after church with family & friends. It was very busy although we did not have to wait long to be seated. However, the preparation of our food took quite a long time. The owners, Gary and Mia, were helping their staff as much as they could to accommodate the customers. A family next to us was visibly upset due to the long wait for their food to arrive.

The menu has a wide selection of dishes with reasonable prices. We enjoyed the lumpiang shanghai, palabok, lechon kawali, and lomi soup. Tita Mia's fried chicken was really good, too, although the portion could be larger. The sisig, on the other hand, was not to our liking but the case might be different with the other customers. The halo-halo dessert was delicious! The large order is good for about 6-7 people. The halo-halo is a must!

If waiting in a restaurant for whatever reason (waiting to be seated and/or waiting for your order to be ready) is something that deeply irritates you, then I suggest you visit Tita Mia's on a weekday. On a weekend, you may want to call first to ask if the waiting period is long. In our case, we utilized the waiting period as our time to catch up on things and have fun in the process. Both Mia and Gary were so apologetic and seemed sincere in their words and actions. Their staff was warm and friendly as well. By the way, they also have a bakery so you may want to snack on an ensaymada while waiting.

My family, friends, and I recommend that you give Tita Mia's a try. Overall, the experience was delightful for us although we suggest that more workers are hired during the weekends. Doing so would result in a higher level of satisfaction among customers. If you choose to go there and stay when it's really hectic, expect to wait and try to be patient. After all, it was your choice to stay despite the circumstance and its anticipated outcome. Overall, a great place to be and we will be going...

My sister and I took my dad here after picking him up from Ohare. Straight from the Philippines. This is not our first time here. I will be frank and honest since there's no use beating around the bush. I read other reviews and those who were not quite satisfied received a response from the owner or whoever is in charge of replying. The common theme......"you should have told your waiter" or "you're the only one who complained". The problem with some Filipinos is that they don't always take pride in their service or the food they serve. Not all Filipino restaurants but enough for me to say this from previous experiences. Ok, let's start with the food. We ordered the shrimp pinakbet, special or loaded Mami, chicken tinola, pork lomi, pancit, and white rice. The vegetables of the pinakbet needed to be cooked more, especially the eggplant and okra. I love al dente but these were too al dente they tastes raw. We also asked for alamang (pink salted shrimp paste) 2x to give the dish a bit more flavor and they never came. Mind you it wasn't a busy at the time we were there. The tinola was too greasy and had a mild bitter aftertaste. Very off putting. The pancit was greasy and lacked that Filipino flavor......it needed more celery, garlic, and soy sauce for sure. And why was it overcooked? Pancit is the easiest thing to cook which my mom always said. If she was still alive she would have been p1ssed we're spending money on it. The lomi and mami were fine. The prices were also on the expensive side especially for the serving size. My advice, check on the dishes prepared especially if you have newer cooks. Taste tests are crucial. Also, be open to constructive criticism as it only makes you better. Be consistent on the quality. We are more than just lechon, crispy pata, and lumpias. If the item is on the menu, cook it with Filipino pride. Like you would at home for your loved ones. I will update my review on my next visit. I don't end at...