ILOKANO FLAVORS RESTAURANT

ILOKANO FLAVORS RESTAURANT

Al Barsha

Ilokano Flavors Restaurant is a Filipino restaurant in Al Barsha focused on Ilocano comfort food. Customers come for dishes such as Sinanglaw, Ilocos Empanada and home-style meals, though portion sizes, preparation and service can vary between visits.

Reputation Score
3.9
★★★★☆
160 ratings
5★
68%
4★
3%
3★
4%
2★
4%
1★
21%

Source: Google Maps

The Good Stuff

Showing 2 of 5
01

Home Cooking

Reviews describe rich, balanced food that tastes like home-cooked Ilocano cooking.

02

Chicken Inasal

The grilled chicken inasal is praised for its large portion, flavour and value.

Let's go!

What to Eat at ILOKANO FLAVORS RESTAURANT

Foods and drinks mentioned in reviews of ILOKANO FLAVORS RESTAURANT, ranked by positive reviews minus negative reviews. Zero-score items have no net positive feedback; their labels distinguish neutral-only from mixed feedback.

Food 3

  1. Grilled chicken inasal Net +2
    “Grilled chicken inasal is very good and big portion place is nice and the staff is very friendly”
  2. Puto bumbong Net +2
    “One of the best Filipino spots in Dubai! Generous portions, rich flavors, and authentic filipino foods.. they have delicious ilocos empanada and puto bumbong perfect for your cravings 🤤☺️”
  3. Sinanglaw Net +2
    “A hidden gem! Every dish we ordered was delicious, especially the “Sinanglaw”. The staff were friendly and made us feel right at home. It’s a cozy little place with a big heart. Definitely coming back! Highly recommended!”
Honorable mentions (16)
  1. Banana con yelo Net +1
    “We tried 3 dishes and one desert (by the way rice is perfectly cooked 😋) - beef dinakdakan, sinanglaw, beef sisig and banana con yelo ❤️ all are very well cooked and fantastic.”
  2. Bangus sisig Net +1
    “The bangus sisig is so good as well. Its new for us and it never dissapoint.”
  3. Beef dinakdakan Net +1
    “We tried 3 dishes and one desert (by the way rice is perfectly cooked 😋) - beef dinakdakan, sinanglaw, beef sisig and banana con yelo ❤️ all are very well cooked and fantastic.”
  4. Beef sisig Net +1
    “We tried 3 dishes and one desert (by the way rice is perfectly cooked 😋) - beef dinakdakan, sinanglaw, beef sisig and banana con yelo ❤️ all are very well cooked and fantastic.”
  5. Butterfly chicken Net +1
    “We ordered butterfly chicken which is so good and juicy.”
  6. Chicken curry Net +1
    “Food is tasty, chicken curry is very good and many food servings. Delicious food and friendly staff”
  7. Chicken isaw Net +1
    “4) Chicken Isaw is acceptable.”
  8. Chicken tinola Net +1
    “I ordered chicken tinola and the chicken was used in meal wasn’t a normal chicken, it was a native chicken. I never tried any chicken meal in Dubai, had a native chicken, Taste was fantastic.”
  9. Crispy chicken skin Net +1
    “The crispy chicken skin, however, was really good.”
  10. Fresh fried lumpia Net +1
    “We tried it before via food delivery and we ordered the fresh fried lumpia and it was 10/10. The vinegar dip is perfect.”
  11. Isaw Net +1
    “Oh, and their Isaw was grilled perfectly, plus the vinegar they had was one of the best I've tried!”
  12. Manggo tapioca jelly Net +1
    “The place is quiet small . But clean ❤️But they managed us 7persons ..the food was great except for laing..laing need more time to cook.. we ordered bulalo..balbacua..kare-kare ..garlic shrimp and laing.. the servings is huge. The staff is accommodatin. Over all we will recommend this and for sure we will come back😍😍😍 we will never forget the taste of manggo tapioca jelly and coffee jelly it's perfect 🥰🥰worth the price”
  13. Pancit mix Net +1
    “We tried their Pancit Mix, Ilocos Empanada, Beef Dinakdakan, and Tilapia Silog. The Pancit Mix was delicious, exactly what we were looking for in a pancit, and the serving size was enough for two people.”
  14. Whole fried chicken Net +1
    “The food are served hot, some items will take some time to prepare like the whole fried chicken.”
  15. Proben Net 0

    Mixed feedback

    “Their empanada can be improved but 5 stars cause they offer food in their menu that is not commonly sold in other Filipino restaurants. And their proben is so good🤌💕”
  16. Sopas Net 0

    Mixed feedback

    “I only ordered sopas but it was really delicious and comforting. Creamy, flavorful, and served hot. Simple order but very satisfying. I will come back to try more Ilokano dishes. 😊😁”

Drinks 1

  1. Coffee jelly Net +1
    “The place is quiet small . But clean ❤️But they managed us 7persons ..the food was great except for laing..laing need more time to cook.. we ordered bulalo..balbacua..kare-kare ..garlic shrimp and laing.. the servings is huge. The staff is accommodatin. Over all we will recommend this and for sure we will come back😍😍😍 we will never forget the taste of manggo tapioca jelly and coffee jelly it's perfect 🥰🥰worth the price”
What to Avoid (17)

Food 17

  1. Tapsilog Net −1
    “1. We ordered Tapsilog and the meat was salty. Fortunately they have served us vinegar so it ease down our palate.”
  2. Bangsilog Net −1
    “2. Bangsilog is somehow not that appetizing too as it was only fried with either cornstarch or flour. Just a suggestion to keep it as “daing” style, i think it will be more flavorful.”
  3. Beef kaldereta Net −1
    “Taste is really bad for the sopas. The beef kaldereta is too hard to chew.”
  4. Binagoongan chicken Net −1
    “We also ordered pakbet and binagoongan chicken, but both dishes were prepared almost the same way and lacked distinct flavor.”
  5. Bopis Net −1
    “We also ordered the Bopis but sadly we didnt like it as it was sweet.”
  6. Denengdeng Net −1
    “The denengdeng was unpleasant, and at one point I even thought I mistakenly ordered two soups because of how it looked.”
  7. Empanadas Net −1
    “Empanadas 6/10”
  8. Fish paksiw Net −1
    “The staff were also singing which felt unprofessional I ordered fish paksiw, but it tasted overly sweet—which is not how paksiw should taste.”
  9. Ginataang langka Net −1
    “We also ordered Ginataang Langka which is so different for the langka that we know as Tagalog. Their langka is soupy and not creamy( probably no coconut cream) like normal.”
  10. Goto Net −1
    “I've been ordering food here since i discovered them on noon app. But recently i ordered "GOTO" And lo and behold , i saw something that shouldn't be included on my food. It's like a larvae or pupa, idk what kind of insect is this. This is disgusting I throw my food right away!”
  11. Grilled squids Net −1
    “1) Grilled Squids are almost burnt, however, upon eating it is uncooked and taste like spoiled 🤢🤮”
  12. Ilokano empanada Net −1
    “There is always room for improvement...Order the ilokano empanada for delivery as expected and not eaten immediately( given not crunchy oitside anymore) which is understandble for me,,,,but the wrapper itself is too thick,the feeling is not a good combination..”
  13. Okoy Net −1
    “Their okoy was salty to some of our group, but it was fine to me, didn’t feature many vegetables though, and it was more fried flour than vegetable.”
  14. Pakbet Net −1
    “We also ordered pakbet and binagoongan chicken, but both dishes were prepared almost the same way and lacked distinct flavor.”
  15. Pansit bihon Net −1
    “3) Pansit Bihon doesn’t have any vegetables and taste like soy sauce 🤢”
  16. Solo bangus sisig Net −1
    “WORST FOOD DELIVERY EXPERIENCE! I ordered solo bangus sisig and they delivered meal with rice! and bangus sisig with fishbone? seriously. DONT SERVR BANGUS SISIG WITH FISHBONE!”
  17. Laing Net −3
    “Laing 5/10”

Tips for a Better Visit

Showing 2 of 5
1

Bring Small Groups. The cramped indoor layout is more manageable for two people than for a larger family group.

2

Confirm Availability. Check that Ilocos Empanada is available before travelling, as one nearby diner was told it had sold out on arrival.

Plan the visit

Practical details

Al Barsha First - Al Barsha - Dubai
Al Barsha First - Al Barsha, Dubai
Mon9:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Tue9:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Wed9:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Thu9:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Fri9:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Sat9:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Sun10:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Get directions

Common Concerns

Showing 2 of 5

Food Inconsistency

Preparation varies sharply: reviews mention undercooked fish, raw dishes and tough meat.

Delivery Texture

Ilocos Empanada has arrived soggy through delivery instead of crisp.

DXB
LOCAL

The Bottom Line

Ilokano Flavors Restaurant is a small Filipino dining spot in Al Barsha with a clear Ilocano focus. You can come for dishes such as Sinanglaw, chicken inasal, Ilocos Empanada and halo-halo, with several diners describing the food as home-style and suitable for sharing. Chicken inasal is noted for its large, tasty portion, while Sinanglaw and halo-halo are among the more distinctive picks.

The strongest experiences are not completely consistent. Fresh fried lumpia has been praised with a 10/10 rating and a particularly good vinegar dip, but other reviews describe undercooked fish, tough meat, bland bulalo and laing that needed more cooking. The Ilocos Empanada also divides opinion: some customers love it, while one Ilocano diner found the monggo filling unlike the expected papaya-based version.

The restaurant is quiet and friendly when things run smoothly, but the indoor room is cramped, especially for groups of four or more. Service delays are a recurring concern, so allow extra time and ask about dishes with longer preparation times. Delivery is the riskier option: empanadas have arrived soggy, WhatsApp messages have gone unanswered, and one Talabat order was cancelled after nearly an hour.

A review reported free one-hour parking in front. Customer-mentioned prices include AED 20 for an Ilocos Empanada and AED 40 for beef dinakdakan.

People Also Search