Isla Cocina Pilipina Serves Filipino-Style Lechon and More

Phone: 323-474-6012
Status: Opened April 6
Compared to Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese, there's a dearth of Filipino food in Los Angeles. Here to add some more crispy pork into the LA melting pot, Isla Cocina Pilipina. For lunch, the pulled Lechon stands out among the sandwiches and lunch specials. An otherwise easy to overlook beef burrito is a multicultural bundle that pulls from Mexican, Cuban, and Filipino cuisine: fried plantain and fried egg enhance the vegetable, rice, and meat filling. There's more pork for dinner: Longanisa, chops, and leg. Crispy fried chicken skin makes an appearance (one wonders why it's so often forgotten); it feels like a healthy alternative to chicharrón. The dipping sauces and spices run along the edges of spicy and sweet with salt and vinegar to punch it all up. Sugarcane soda and traditional desserts complete the menu. Now open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.