So good, I had the pork pancit #2b and should have got one to go (I live 40 mins away) but I will next visit. I forgot what my friend had but it was also very good, yes I tasted it. Also, the portions are very generous.
Isla is genuinely one of my absolute favorite places in all of metro Detroit, as a more or less lifelong resident of metro Detroit! It is also one of those places that I can't believe I haven't written a review yet for, so I am making up for the error of my ways today, once and for all! I first discovered Isla half a decade ago when they were one of the restaurants that operated out of Fort Street Galley in downtown Detroit. I had just started a job in downtown Detroit and within that same week, discovered Isla. Ever since, I have never looked back! I would go to get lunch at least once a week (if not more!) from Isla basically every week before the pandemic hit and we started working from home. And then, for a few years while the pandemic was raging, I sort of lost all concept of time and space and realized quite belatedly that Fort Street Galley had closed during the pandemic, so by the time I went back to work in Detroit, Isla was no longer there. But no matter because from the ashes of the pandemic and from Fort Street Galley, Isla rose again and this time in metro Detroit! They are kiddy corner from H Mart in Sterling Heights on Big Beaver/Metro Parkway, so it is always the perfect place to go before or after a proper grocery shop there - it's truly the perfect afternoon! Everything on Isla's menu is so delicious! For those who don't know, Isla is a Filipino-owned restaurant comprised of truly the best Filipino food EVER! It's a husband and wife duo, with the husband being the chef and the wife being the pastry chef, so you definitely want to make sure to get a meal including dessert here - you won't regret it! They are so lovely and personable, always making sure that you're enjoying your food. Isla sometimes has odd hours or limited times where they'll accept phone call aheads, so it's best to check their websites and social media (which they are good about updating) if you can't get through one way or another. But trust that it's worth a trip, regardless of where you're coming from! They have a ton of indoor seating for you to dine in. I oftentimes will take my food to go and even though I'm located about 30 minutes away, it all holds up beautifully once I get home and reheats really well for the next day or following days too! My favorite items on the menu are their Lechon Kawali (crispy slices of pork belly over a massive bed of rice, which you can pour their dinuguan sauce all over) and the Pancit Palabok (SO much shrimp and crab over a soupy bed of rice noodles with crispy chicharron bits on top for some added texture!). The flavors in both of these dishes, and every dish on their menu, are TO DIE FOR! Their Adobo Rice is also absolutely divine and I have so many friends of mine who always will get their adobo rice meals because it's the best they've ever had as well! Isla is always coming out with limited time specials, both for their meals and desserts, so it's always worth a try because everything they've ever made is so delicious! I love trying new things each time, but I am also so tempted to return to my favorites as well (and often do) because they are some of my favorite things I've ever eaten in the area and I crave them all the time! As for desserts, again...every single dessert is DELICIOUS! A fan favorite is the ube cheesecake, which I love, but my personal favorite is the cashew sans rival! If you love meringue, you will LOVE this! The texture and flavors of the cashew sans rival is out of this world!! I truly could go on for 156 more paragraphs, but I'll try to wrap things up! Bottom line, do not sleep on Isla! You will love anything and everything you order here! I almost don't even want to publish this review because what if you all start selling out of my favorite things haha! Something to note, that I've been really wanting to try, is their Sunday brunch! The menu looks so delicious, but I haven't been able to get out there on a Sunday during their brunch hours quite yet! Hopefu
Francine Whu Muhammad
Lovely family owned authentic Filipino restaurant. We tried a stir fried noodle dish, chicken adobo and lechon kiwali (crispy pork belly) and everything was delicious. for dessert the halo halo is a must have and the ube cheesecake was tasty.
This review is a bit late due to life haha.I called on February 27th, my birthday, to order food that I was so excited for. I talked to a man, I didn't get his name I believe he is the owner. I politely asked him how the Pork Adobo was made. He very nicely explained to me how it was made and the difference between the cooking of the Pork Adobo vs the Chicken Adobo. I was sold. I order the Lechon Pork as well, but I knew 100% that I was getting that, so I had no questions.My mom went to pick up the food for me because she was in the area. She went in and chatted with the gentlemen I talked to. Told him it was my birthday and how excited I've been to try Filipino food because I am an avid Asian food lover. My mom saw a lady, I believe is his wife, making a cake & adding toppings on it. Then he came and asked my mom if my birthday was today. She said yes. She saw him grab a candle and a piece of tape. He taped the candle onto the container. They gave my mom a piece of cake for me, for my birthday. When my mother returned home and told me this I was almost in tears. You do not experience things like that these days. & I instantly felt connected to them and their food before I even tasted it.On to the food...I ate the cake first because it was cold and was melting a little bit haha. It was chocolate with something inside of it, I'm not sure haha. But it was the most delicious cake I've ever had & I do not like cake much. It was so rich and decadent. I know it isn't a cheap piece of cake, but now I will order it the next time I get their food.The Pork Adobo was the best pork dish I seriously have ever had. I have never had such a delicious, tender, flavorful dish. If you let it sit for a little bit, don't worry it'll stay HOT! The juices from the adobo will seep into the rice & WOW! Every grain of rice becomes a little flavor bomb. This is why I love Asian food. FLAVOR is never lacking if it's authentic. The Lechon was a crunchy fatty piece of heaven! Even the pieces without fat that were maybe a tiny bit dry, were still delicious. & I didn't care that there were some drier pieces because 98% of them were fatty and it was a good contrast. Not so dry you need to drink something, might I add haha.Honestly, for my expectations? They were met 100 times over. Every single bite was delicious. I believe the price is more than fair for how much you get and how delicious the food is. You can taste the love and you can taste how much they care about their culture. The best way to experience a culture is through their food and after having Isla, I feel so connected to the culture and am utterly in love with it. I want to try something different next time just to experience more, but the Pork Adobo continues to call my name. Hopefully I will be able to order from there again soon!Thank you for making my birthday feel so warm and making me feel special by the kind gesture of the oh so delicious piece of cake! Please never stop cooking and definitely next stop baking! Next time I will be dining in and bringing my toddler who also enjoyed the food and she's very picky haha.Thank you again & I apologize for such a lengthy review, but you guys truly deserve it.-Jae
I got the chicken inasal and it was delicious. Excellently crisp roasted skin on the small half chicken, and I loved the crunchy garlic bits that came on the rice. The gingery side dish that it came with was good too. They do have seating available, but the food still comes in to-go containers and plastic cutlery. At least that did make it easy to pack up leftovers.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Estefanny Cueto
This is a Filipino cuisine that is made with fresh ingredients and I truly enjoy dining in this restaurant! ?Me and my boyfriend loved the food! Definitely coming back.
Came here and they said it was closed when on the website it says they were open.
M M
Fantastic desserts! I'd been searching for a restaurant that offers something other than the same old tired desserts offered everywhere these days such as brownie with ice cream, carrot cake, cheesecake, creme brulee. We tried them all and they didn't disappoint.
Jennifer F
Really enjoyed eating here at Isla. The food is sooo good! I had lechon kawali with dinuguan sauce, satisfaction in every bite and the batchoy has its authentic flavor, beef is fork tender soo yummy. My husband had the adobo and he liked it he said it was flavorful. and the halo halo was the cherry on top, everything was delish. I wish we live close , we drove almost 4 hours to eat here and I must say it didnt disappoint! The owner is really nice as well very friendly. thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buko Halo Halo, Pork Adobo with White Rice Bowl, Lechon Pork Kawali, Egg Noodles with Beef
Mae Dacer
I don't usually leave reviews but this restaurant deserves my time. You actually get more for your money for their gourmet food. I ordered palabok and pancit bihon. They just put a lot of shrimp and a lot of chicken. So worth it!! Wish I was able to take picture of my food but It was all gone. LolSo delicious!!! Will recommend this to all foodie out there! Check this restaurant out!
The food was great! The service was the best, really friendly and super dedicated. Shootout to Kuya JP!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Adobo with White Rice Bowl
Lara Jane Hadlocon
My husband and I enjoyed our lunch at Isla. I personally love how well the chicken was fried and how moist the baked spaghetti is. The halo-halo is a must-try with shaved iced buko on a coconut shell topped with home-made ice cream and flavorful toppings. We had a nice conversation with JP, the chef/owner and he seems unbothered with the growing Filipino cuisine competition in the area, but rather optimistic and encouraging of the increasing representation of ethnic cuisines. We need more of that spirit, supporting one another and helping folks keep their local businesses successful. Kudos, Isla!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Hayden S.
The food here is delicious! While not exactly the Filipino food I was raised on it is still very very good :)
So good, I had the pork pancit #2b and should have got one to go (I live 40 mins away) but I will next visit. I forgot what my friend had but it was also very good, yes I tasted it. Also, the portions are very generous.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pancit Bihon, Tropical Ube Cake
Isla is genuinely one of my absolute favorite places in all of metro Detroit, as a more or less lifelong resident of metro Detroit! It is also one of those places that I can't believe I haven't written a review yet for, so I am making up for the error of my ways today, once and for all! I first discovered Isla half a decade ago when they were one of the restaurants that operated out of Fort Street Galley in downtown Detroit. I had just started a job in downtown Detroit and within that same week, discovered Isla. Ever since, I have never looked back! I would go to get lunch at least once a week (if not more!) from Isla basically every week before the pandemic hit and we started working from home. And then, for a few years while the pandemic was raging, I sort of lost all concept of time and space and realized quite belatedly that Fort Street Galley had closed during the pandemic, so by the time I went back to work in Detroit, Isla was no longer there. But no matter because from the ashes of the pandemic and from Fort Street Galley, Isla rose again and this time in metro Detroit! They are kiddy corner from H Mart in Sterling Heights on Big Beaver/Metro Parkway, so it is always the perfect place to go before or after a proper grocery shop there - it's truly the perfect afternoon! Everything on Isla's menu is so delicious! For those who don't know, Isla is a Filipino-owned restaurant comprised of truly the best Filipino food EVER! It's a husband and wife duo, with the husband being the chef and the wife being the pastry chef, so you definitely want to make sure to get a meal including dessert here - you won't regret it! They are so lovely and personable, always making sure that you're enjoying your food. Isla sometimes has odd hours or limited times where they'll accept phone call aheads, so it's best to check their websites and social media (which they are good about updating) if you can't get through one way or another. But trust that it's worth a trip, regardless of where you're coming from! They have a ton of indoor seating for you to dine in. I oftentimes will take my food to go and even though I'm located about 30 minutes away, it all holds up beautifully once I get home and reheats really well for the next day or following days too! My favorite items on the menu are their Lechon Kawali (crispy slices of pork belly over a massive bed of rice, which you can pour their dinuguan sauce all over) and the Pancit Palabok (SO much shrimp and crab over a soupy bed of rice noodles with crispy chicharron bits on top for some added texture!). The flavors in both of these dishes, and every dish on their menu, are TO DIE FOR! Their Adobo Rice is also absolutely divine and I have so many friends of mine who always will get their adobo rice meals because it's the best they've ever had as well! Isla is always coming out with limited time specials, both for their meals and desserts, so it's always worth a try because everything they've ever made is so delicious! I love trying new things each time, but I am also so tempted to return to my favorites as well (and often do) because they are some of my favorite things I've ever eaten in the area and I crave them all the time! As for desserts, again...every single dessert is DELICIOUS! A fan favorite is the ube cheesecake, which I love, but my personal favorite is the cashew sans rival! If you love meringue, you will LOVE this! The texture and flavors of the cashew sans rival is out of this world!! I truly could go on for 156 more paragraphs, but I'll try to wrap things up! Bottom line, do not sleep on Isla! You will love anything and everything you order here! I almost don't even want to publish this review because what if you all start selling out of my favorite things haha! Something to note, that I've been really wanting to try, is their Sunday brunch! The menu looks so delicious, but I haven't been able to get out there on a Sunday during their brunch hours quite yet! Hopefu
Lovely family owned authentic Filipino restaurant. We tried a stir fried noodle dish, chicken adobo and lechon kiwali (crispy pork belly) and everything was delicious. for dessert the halo halo is a must have and the ube cheesecake was tasty.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Buko Halo Halo, Lechon Pork Kawali
This review is a bit late due to life haha.I called on February 27th, my birthday, to order food that I was so excited for. I talked to a man, I didn't get his name I believe he is the owner. I politely asked him how the Pork Adobo was made. He very nicely explained to me how it was made and the difference between the cooking of the Pork Adobo vs the Chicken Adobo. I was sold. I order the Lechon Pork as well, but I knew 100% that I was getting that, so I had no questions.My mom went to pick up the food for me because she was in the area. She went in and chatted with the gentlemen I talked to. Told him it was my birthday and how excited I've been to try Filipino food because I am an avid Asian food lover. My mom saw a lady, I believe is his wife, making a cake & adding toppings on it. Then he came and asked my mom if my birthday was today. She said yes. She saw him grab a candle and a piece of tape. He taped the candle onto the container. They gave my mom a piece of cake for me, for my birthday. When my mother returned home and told me this I was almost in tears. You do not experience things like that these days. & I instantly felt connected to them and their food before I even tasted it.On to the food...I ate the cake first because it was cold and was melting a little bit haha. It was chocolate with something inside of it, I'm not sure haha. But it was the most delicious cake I've ever had & I do not like cake much. It was so rich and decadent. I know it isn't a cheap piece of cake, but now I will order it the next time I get their food.The Pork Adobo was the best pork dish I seriously have ever had. I have never had such a delicious, tender, flavorful dish. If you let it sit for a little bit, don't worry it'll stay HOT! The juices from the adobo will seep into the rice & WOW! Every grain of rice becomes a little flavor bomb. This is why I love Asian food. FLAVOR is never lacking if it's authentic. The Lechon was a crunchy fatty piece of heaven! Even the pieces without fat that were maybe a tiny bit dry, were still delicious. & I didn't care that there were some drier pieces because 98% of them were fatty and it was a good contrast. Not so dry you need to drink something, might I add haha.Honestly, for my expectations? They were met 100 times over. Every single bite was delicious. I believe the price is more than fair for how much you get and how delicious the food is. You can taste the love and you can taste how much they care about their culture. The best way to experience a culture is through their food and after having Isla, I feel so connected to the culture and am utterly in love with it. I want to try something different next time just to experience more, but the Pork Adobo continues to call my name. Hopefully I will be able to order from there again soon!Thank you for making my birthday feel so warm and making me feel special by the kind gesture of the oh so delicious piece of cake! Please never stop cooking and definitely next stop baking! Next time I will be dining in and bringing my toddler who also enjoyed the food and she's very picky haha.Thank you again & I apologize for such a lengthy review, but you guys truly deserve it.-Jae
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Yema Cake, Adobo, Lechon Pork Kawali
I got the chicken inasal and it was delicious. Excellently crisp roasted skin on the small half chicken, and I loved the crunchy garlic bits that came on the rice. The gingery side dish that it came with was good too. They do have seating available, but the food still comes in to-go containers and plastic cutlery. At least that did make it easy to pack up leftovers.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a Filipino cuisine that is made with fresh ingredients and I truly enjoy dining in this restaurant! ?Me and my boyfriend loved the food! Definitely coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buko Halo Halo, Tropical Ube Cake, Chicken Inasal, Pancit Palabok
Came here and they said it was closed when on the website it says they were open.
Fantastic desserts! I'd been searching for a restaurant that offers something other than the same old tired desserts offered everywhere these days such as brownie with ice cream, carrot cake, cheesecake, creme brulee. We tried them all and they didn't disappoint.
Really enjoyed eating here at Isla. The food is sooo good! I had lechon kawali with dinuguan sauce, satisfaction in every bite and the batchoy has its authentic flavor, beef is fork tender soo yummy. My husband had the adobo and he liked it he said it was flavorful. and the halo halo was the cherry on top, everything was delish. I wish we live close , we drove almost 4 hours to eat here and I must say it didnt disappoint! The owner is really nice as well very friendly. thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buko Halo Halo, Pork Adobo with White Rice Bowl, Lechon Pork Kawali, Egg Noodles with Beef
I don't usually leave reviews but this restaurant deserves my time. You actually get more for your money for their gourmet food. I ordered palabok and pancit bihon. They just put a lot of shrimp and a lot of chicken. So worth it!! Wish I was able to take picture of my food but It was all gone. LolSo delicious!!! Will recommend this to all foodie out there! Check this restaurant out!
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was great! The service was the best, really friendly and super dedicated. Shootout to Kuya JP!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Adobo with White Rice Bowl
My husband and I enjoyed our lunch at Isla. I personally love how well the chicken was fried and how moist the baked spaghetti is. The halo-halo is a must-try with shaved iced buko on a coconut shell topped with home-made ice cream and flavorful toppings. We had a nice conversation with JP, the chef/owner and he seems unbothered with the growing Filipino cuisine competition in the area, but rather optimistic and encouraging of the increasing representation of ethnic cuisines. We need more of that spirit, supporting one another and helping folks keep their local businesses successful. Kudos, Isla!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
The food here is delicious! While not exactly the Filipino food I was raised on it is still very very good :)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buko Halo Halo, Chicken Adobo, Tropical Ube Cake, Adobo
Amazing food and service. First time trying Filipino food and this did not disappoint. Love the calm relaxed atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is the absolute best pork belly that I have ever had! I was so hungry I had to pull over and eat in the parking lot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lechon Pork Kawali