Kusina Pinoy Bistro — Restaurant in New York

Rude staff and management. Shame, the food is good but be careful that they don’t ask for money for a cover charge that was never mention upon getting settled and eating. They interrupted the meal and demanded cash. I see that as petty and very upset with the whole situation. The whole situation was rudely handled and was a cheap way of doing business. We never said that I wasn’t going to pay the cover. But since we were already in the middle of eating, I wasn’t going to just stop eating and go to the nearest amt so I asked if it would be ok to pay after I eat or put it in the bill. I told him u could at least wait since u didn’t mention anything upon entering. We didn’t just get there. Drinks and food were in the table already and literally in the middle of eating. Now it’s like we are trapped. Can’t just leave bc we ordered food already and in the middle of eating already. The guy acted as if he wanted me to Stop eating, go get cash from the atm and come back? Like what the hell. I felt trapped bc u are saying we owe a cover but we are well into dinner and drinks so it took u that long to figure that out and now u demand cash now? He had spoken to my dad before me and my father had kindly said that he will pay after the meal. But he continued to hover over the table like he’s waiting for something so then I stood up and ask what he said to my dad bc he was still standing there. It’s a loud and small environment so I get up and speak to him. He was trying to be a wise guy and tell me he “if my manager wants me to collect cash I’m going to do it.” So I asked who’s his manager bc and where he was? so I go to talk to him same rude and petty attitude. He Didn’t want to hear the situation. I was trying to explain that I will give you the money but just let us finish eating first but I also pointed out that interrupting my dinner for a cover charge that wasn’t know before being seated and staff hovering over the table like he was going to wait until something was produced was a bad way to handle it. The place itself takes card. I would had been fine putting the cost in the dinner but nope. Nope he just said don’t pay just eat and go in a a very rude manner like just eat and get out of here. I am livid at this point and has lost my appetite but I didn’t want to interrupt my parents eating. We ordered beers when they seated us so when I asked for a second one they refused bc we didn’t pay the cover yet. That’s when I asked for the check and left. Didn’t pay the cover bc there is no point to it. It’s not like paying the cover gives us a pass for a open bar. U still have to pay for the beer. So cover charge or not, I’m still paying for the beer. So didn’t see the logic of not serving me a beer if u was going to pay for it anyway. U served me my first beer and put it on the bill so what’s the difference here. Yes, using a card is extra money for the business. So I do understand the benefit of using cash. But again. And another example of distasteful pettiness. I paid for the food and that was it. This whole experience was petty and cheap. It wasn’t even about the money. My father went to go explain and apologize for the whole thing while I was paying the bill. but the guy that approached us gave more attitude and his main concern was paying the stupid cover charge and got my father upset. We tried to do the right thing. We didn’t deserve to be treated in such a manner. This whole thing could had gone differently if it wasn't for the pettiness, lack of respect, and distasteful customer service from staff...

This “new” restaurant was formerly called Promdi but then it was bought out by new owners and renamed Kusina Pinoy Bistro. The layout has stayed the same. There’s a full-sized bar and waiting area at the front, tables on either side of the restaurant and the open kitchen in the back. They did update some of the décor which makes it feel more modern and classier. I really liked the wood paneling with the leather seats in the main area and the touches of red throughout the restaurant. They have two screens that plays filipino songs and on weekends they have karaoke.

We came on a Sunday for lunch and we noticed that there were already two big groups eating inside. It’s nice to see that they can accommodate big groups here. The restaurant is child friendly and has highchairs available but alas, no changing tables in the bathroom.

I must say that the service was top notch. The waiters and hostess were all very attentive and friendly. We got our water refilled 3- or 4-times during lunch. The manager came by towards the end of the meal to chat with us. And a couple of the wait staff came by several times to check up on us during the meal.

We ordered Lumpia Shanghai, Kusina Bistek, crispy pata, garlic fried rice, spicy Laing, crispy halo-halo and Sago’t Gulaman. I really like the plating and presentation of the dishes we ordered but did think that some of it was overprice.

I found the sago drink to be a little bit too sweet. I felt it could have used more ice to help dilute the flavor. The lumpia shanghai was very good and not too greasy. It came with the usual sweet and sour dipping sauce from a bottle. The bistek was my least favorite dish of the whole meal. The meat, while tasty, was incredibly tough. And the portion was so small, barely enough for one person. Strangely, it came with a huge side of white rice. Still, I would not recommend this dish. The crispy pata was also on the small side but quite good. It had a nice crunchy skin and the meat was not too fatty. It did not come with the usual pickled veggies but only with a small dipping of soy sauce. Too bad because it really needed that acidity from the pickled veggies to cut through all the heavy meat flavor. The spicy Laing was a real pretty dish to look at. It sort of had the “deconstructed” look with the taro leaves on one side and the sauce on the other. This is not the normal way it is served but I thought it was quite interesting. The dish had a nice punch but was not too spicy. I could tell from the taste that they used canned taro leaves which gives a strange after taste in your mouth. My companions like this dish, me not so much. The garlic fried rice was quite yummy, but I really wanted it to be more garlicky—just a personal preference. The best part of the meal for me was the dessert, the crispy halo-halo. This came in a tall glass and had very good flavor. You could really taste the taro in it, and I loved the crunchy rice topping. It was a bargain at $7. I would come back just to order just this.

I’m guessing they are still experimenting with the menu since they are a new restaurant. I’ll probably come back and give them another try but will...

I don't have Filipino food very often, so I was very intrigued to try this place out for the first time. What drew me to Kusina Pinoy was the giant calamari that they offered, but of course that was not the only thing we ordered. I came here on a Friday night with a group of friends. We made reservations and was immediately seated. Since it was a Friday night, they had a live band playing. There is a donation of $10 a head because of that. The band was great and kept the mood going throughout the whole restaurant. As for the food: Giant Calamari - delicious! The only thing is, it was a little hassle to cut each piece off ourselves. the breading kept falling off, but it was still crispy and tasted great. Pork Sisig - comes out on a sizzling platter, so definitely eat it as soon as possible so it doesn't get burnt! We were waiting for the rest of the items to come out, so it did get overcooked a tiny bit. Regardless, the flavors were there. Chicken skin - I don't normally eat this, but I heard that it is very popular. Very crispy and fresh. Shrimp with salted egg - one of my favorites! Amazing flavors and the shrimps were big. we each ordered garlic rice without knowing how much was in one order. If you don't plan on eating too much, you can definitely share it. There was a perfect amount of garlic in the rice! lumpia - fresh and crispy with tons of flavor. can't go wrong. The drinks were wonderful too. There are so many options to choose from and I like how they put their own Filipino tasted into each drink. Will definitely return one day when I am craving some sisig or...