Grill 21 — Restaurant in New York

The prices were decent for what you get. We ordered lumpiang shanghai (ground pork spring rolls), daing na bangus (fried fish) with garlic rice, pancit bihon (thin rice noodles with shrimp), halo halo special with ube ice cream, and leche flan. These are our go-to dishes when we have Filipino food. The two desserts were excellent: halo halo had a lot of tasty toppings, and flan was thick and creamy. The fish was pretty good--crispy on outside and soft inside. Flavorful. Garlic rice wasn't really what we expected, literally just rice with some garlic in it--not a strong flavor. The noodles were okay. A little greasy. The rolls were the only things that were disappointing--not very flavorful, just a little salt. I've definitely had better.

Waitress was attentive. Atmosphere was cute. Clean. Bathroom was clean. Did did take a little while to come out, probably because it was prime take-out time for lunch.

If I could give it half a star, I would say this is...

The food was really good. I’m from California where Silogs is so easy to find but have moved to the north east since. This has been the best Filipino breakfast I’ve had here. One thing I’ll say is the utensil pack they give you doesn’t come with a spoon which is weird as a Filipino lol. And they don’t do tomatoes and patis with their silog but she did bring a couple slices of tomatoes out after I asked for them.

The only downside to this place is the server we had this morning was really really rude. Lol didn’t smile at us once. No small talk. No asking how the food was. We even made the joke of the food was so good that nothing was left behind and she just kept a stone cold face. She even had an attitude when we asked if we can do patio seating even though there wasn’t a single customer there.

Still, I have to support Filipino businesses. Just hope the review falls in the right lap so she can have an...

If you are looking for a venue to host a large party, Grill 21 can definitely accomodate. Filipinos love to throw parties. Asking for a table for 16 is not unheard of. However, keep in mind that Grill 21 is about the size of a small studio or bedroom. Two large parties for the night and the restaurant is full.

The food is great. We ordered the party type food of pancit, adobo, sisig, pancit molo soup, etc. Portions are made for sharing family style. Much of the food is fried and greasy but oh so delicious. The soup comes in a giant bowl. It can serve quite a few. The restaurant allows dessert to be brought in from the outside. There is outside seating available when the weather is good.

Great restaurant, funny owners, hospitable, and authentic Filipino food. It's a rare combination but it is found...