KUSINA A Pinoy Turo Turo Restaurant — Restaurant in Mounds View

Easily a 5 star and no way I would give it any lower than such based on my multiple visits within just less than two months. Not only did they have amazing tasteful and economical food, but also they have very heartwarming service that I thought elevated the experience. For everyone within proximity to Mounds View, this is a must go, and a place that visitors need to make a regular stop for eating out.

Pretty much everything was the best I have ever had in terms of Filipino cuisine. The chicken adobo was so flavorful that the rice they gave was arguably not enough because the broth was addictive. I could taste all the vinegar and the bay leaf. The chicken was so tender that each bite was so easy. Dinuguan was above expectations on how pig blood would've tasted, especially since it was served without being made into sausages. The longganisa basically were some of the best sausages I have had, and easily reminded me of back home in Asia when I used to have street vendor sausages. The pancit was plain enough to be a nice addition to all the meat they had, and adding lemon would give it another layer of flavor that didn't come in conflict with all kinds of meat taste. For just $1, one can turn their entrées into combo meals with pancit included, and that was just amazing. The lechon kawali had some amazingly crispy and flavorful pork belly, and there was an abundant amount, which I knew must be heaven for crispy pork belly lovers. The halo-halo was huge and of course, very sweet since it contained a lot of exceedingly sweet stuff like ube ice cream, flan, condensed milk, etc., and I loved it.

Another highlight was that the server continuously came to our table to check on us with a smile, constantly trying to ensure that we were in a good place. Our server that gave us the halo-halo also made sure we knew how to eat it, because one would need to mix it up. Upon observation, the server would ask every single table the same question, which I thought was very attentive! Finally, the owner, whom I had already met twice, proactively introduced us about the history of the restaurant and its connection to Cebu, which I highly appreciated as well. Overall, service was so on point, that even for someone like me who doesn't put too much emphasis on service usually, I couldn't help but to mention it in this review.

The only thing I would point out is that this place definitely does not have a lot of food options for vegetarians and vegans, and specifically caters to pork lovers, which I know is due to Filipino cuisine as a whole rather than the restaurant itself, so just a note for those that don't eat pork, be prepared to have limited options as a result. Regardless, this would be a place I would recommend anyone to visit multiple times. Even as I write this, I confidently say that I will for sure return here even if I live far away from...

Place is clean, bright, and well decorated. We went around 1pm on a weekend and the place was packed. Luckily, the lunch rush seemed to be ending by the time our food came out, so we were able to grab and table and sit.

It’s a walk up counter where you place your order. Most of the food is already premade and ready to be served. It was our first time, so we ordered the combo of the day, the chicken rice adobo, and a halo halo to share.

Staff are very friendly, but it can be a bit overwhelming your first time. The menu font is pretty small on the TV behind the counter and everyone is waiting behind you to place their orders… Wish they had some paper copies of the menu, so that we could step to the side and look everything over before ordering. We stood there for a while before we just went with the combo they recommended.

Skewers were great!! Very flavorful. Lumpia came with sweet and sour sauce. They didn’t give a lot of noodles with the combo meal, but it was probably because it was a special. Luckily, we also ordered the chicken rice and was able to get full from that.

Chicken was a bit salty, to be honest, but so soft it fell off the bone. They gave 3 whole pieces of chicken, so it’s a filling meal. A tip would be to order an extra side of rice to mellow out some of the saltiness. We saw another table do the exact same thing.

Wish there was a spicy option. We didn’t see any hot sauce packets / bottles near the self-serve utensils / water station.

Halo halo was great. A server brought it out to us and explained to us in detail how to make it. I thought it was a bit pricey ($13) for 1 cup, but they do make their own ube ice cream and flan, so I appreciate the efforts. It ended being the perfect amount for 2 people.

Once you’re done eating, you can place your plates and trays in the bins by the door. They’re quick to wipe your table after you get up to free it up for the next table / customer.

Overall, great experience. Good food, clean restaurant, so it’s super nice to be able to get some authentic filipino food in Minnesota. We will come again on a hopefully less crowded day, so we can take our time looking at the menu and trying...

I felt so at home here, from the delicious food to the wonderful service. My husband and I finally made it in this past weekend and it did not disappoint. Kusina is worth the drive to Mounds View! This is a fantastic representation of what Filipino food can offer in the Twin Cities.

Turo turo is my favorite kind of Filipino restaurant because you're able to see what you're getting. Turo turo means "point point" because you point to what you want. The owner is so sweet. We didn't need much help with the menu since we knew exactly what we wanted but I overheard her helping plenty of people and it was just so nice. Exactly what we mean by "Philippine hospitality!"

We got 2 combo plates: one of them with chicken adobo as the entree and the other plate with the pork menudo. We also ordered lumpia. Everything was absolutely delicious. Adobo can be cooked in SO many different ways and this one hit the spot for me. I'm used to a little bit more vinegar (my mom cooked with a lot of it) but I wouldn't rate them down at all for this as it's a personal taste thing. I got 2 pieces of large chicken thighs and I savored every last bite. The menudo tasted so delicious and so close to my mom's! The serving of rice was exactly what it should be. The pancit was yummy as well. The lumpia was long and yummy and I have 0 complaints about it.

This restaurant is also attached to the Filipino market and you can just hit the market after you're done. It's a perfect marriage of businesses.

I cannot wait to come back here and try their other items. I can cook at home but let me tell you, it's so nice to be able to eat out and STILL have the taste of home....