I was told about this restaurant by one of the Filipino nurses I know. I decided to give it a try and unfortunately that wasn't a wise decision. This business is more of a takeout style restaurant. They have the food prepared and sitting under heat lamps and there's a decent selection. The owners are a young couple and are friendly but that is the only positive thing about this business. I had an assortment of food including pancit, lumpia Shanghai, adobo and beef mercado. The price was not inexpensive but the food quality just wasn't up to snuff. The pancit was dry and lacking in any taste. The lumpia was burnt and didn't have much inside other than vegetables. The adobo which is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines was sad and tasted old and terrible. I also shared the food with a friend who is Filipino and she was absolutely not impressed. She said this was the worst Filipino food she's ever triled. As for me I tried didn't like it and won't be back.
Sauerkraut V.
Tara Mangan Keni is a Filipino Restaurant which serves food that is perfect for a good colon cleansing. The food served at this restaurant is so atrocious and nasty that it is definitely not worthy of human consumption. It is also pretty much guaranteed to give you diarrhoea and worse. The sanitary conditions are also very questionable. The restaurant is very small with a few tables. One table was occupied with children playing video games and an older woman as if this was a daycare centre. They were not eating any food. The Dinaguan which is chocolate meat nearly caused me to vomit. It had such a putrid smell like sewage and I couldn't taste it because of the stench. The dish was definitely rotten. The Shanghai style lumpia was also not good and was stuffed with nothing but corn. I'm also very familiar with this type of food because of my family members who are from Hawaii where Filipino cuisine is very popular. I also have many friends who are of Filipino origin and I have had amazing food at their homes. This restaurant was a huge disappointment and I won't be returning. As for the positive reviews on this restaurant their experiences is definitely nothing like what I experienced. Zero stars should be an option!!
Baron V.
Tara Mangan Keni is a Filipino restaurant in Marina, California that rips people off. The food is absolutely disgusting and is not edible and not fit to even serve my dogs. The chicken Adobo is $hit and nothing but bones. There was no chicken meat on the bones. The Adobo sauce may as well be water because it has no taste. The Lumpia which costs $1.50 each is gross and had nothing but corn and green beans and carrots. No chicken, no beef or pork. The white rice is not even cooked thoroughly and still has uncooked rice kernels. The owners must really be idiots if they are incapable of cooking rice in an electric rice cooker. I don't know what the Hell kind of Filipino crap they are serving but it's not worth the price and everything is going into the trash. I paid $ 65 for horrible food that no one would eat. I will never recommend this disgusting business and advise anyone else to pass on this $hithole. I will also notify my credit card company and place an immediate stop payment for the garbage I received. I only tasted the sauce and I have the worst headache as well as having heartburn and nausea. I hope like Hell that I don't end up with food poisoning which seems highly probable.
Dexter F.
I ordered a two combo entree to go: pancit with pork adobo and deep fried shrimp. The pancit was good but I feel like it is missing something. I need to compare it with others in the area. The pork adobo was good and the meat was tender. The fries shrimp was good and moist inside. Ordering was similar to the previous restaurant. Linda of like a buffet style or a quick serve. The restaurant is brighter and new wall dressings. Still it only has a few two top seats. I generally ont Ly get it to go. I think if you're in a pinch for Filipino food this can be a good spot for you. IMHO: I wish they were open longer, closing at 6 pm limits the possibilities of late diners.
Lee M.
Was in Marina craving Filipino food and tried this place. Ordered 1 entree combo for $12.99. Steamed rice and Pancit was ok-portion of rice to Pancit was off. Too much rice and not enough Pancit. Also ordered 2 pork Lumpia-was not cooked long enough and was lukewarm to cold on the inside. Was previously frozen. Other items were displayed buffet style behind the counter behind glass. Did not look appetizing which I decided to not try the pork Adobo, which is another one of my favorites. Service was pleasant and two people working behind the counter-basically an order-to-go kinda place. Ambiance was none-nowhere to sit and lots of clutter everywhere -I ended up eating in my car. As a local and Filipino I was not impressed and I have tasted better-I won't be back-I will try other options next time. This place is formally Lola's Kucina.
Jennifer N.
We drive here every weekend for the fried tilapia, beef machado, lumpia shanghai, beef nilaga, pancit, lechon, pork sinigang...everything is good!! If you need your Filipino food fix, this is the place to go to for all the options!
Dimple D.
I really wanted to like this place, but it was not a great experience. Ordered the chicharrones and lumpia and both tasted like they had been fried in old oil. The lumpia was mostly black. The poncit was old, dry and tasted like old rotten cabbage. The pork adobo was perfectly flavored but very greasy. Sadly, I was sick within an hour of eating here.
David DeMers
Great meal and awesome service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marilyn Guzman
Love the food and selections. Friendly and great customer service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Duong N.
Great tasting Filipino food! So much food for very reasonable price. The owners are very friendly and even shared some tasting of sour soup for us that was yummy!
Yes, this is the old Lola's Kusina but it's not. It's brighter inside and there's some new owners or at least some new management. It's amazing what some paint and lighting can do. It's like the same menu but all of the entrées we bought tonight were less salty and still tasted delicious. Both the chicken and pork adobo were tender and seasoned well. The pancit was moist not dried out like a lot of places. This is new, made in house garlic chili crisp. They spooned me up a small sample and it was delicious. Oh, it's made with olive oil...nice. Super nice couple running the show, fast with answers to food questions and genuine with see you agains. Last words...that's a lot of food!
Val Calderon
Food was not too salty or bland… service was exceptional. Folks are friendly and accommodating which makes you feel at home. Price was reasonable with nice selection of Filipino dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lena T.
Quick, comforting and delicious Filipino food at a reasonable price. What more can you ask for...
Teo E.
Second day getting lunch from Tara Mangan Mekeni. Folks are really nice and the food is really really good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to go for Filipino food.
Left handed Therapist
Food was decent. I had pork adobo that is quite oily yet lacking in soy and vinegar taste. I also could not taste the bay leaf. I also had pork menudo which was again, overly oily but taste pretty good. Both pork could use a time in pressure cooker or more boil time. It takes quite some chew to be able to swallow. Lastly, I ordered lumpiang Shanghai and I find the insides undercooked. There is a mild sour taste in terms of the filling which I find odd since it’s a fresh batch. They could absolutely improve with the oil usage and flavor profile. Quite unfortunate as well since price range is on the higher end, you expect better flavor profile and quality.
I was told about this restaurant by one of the Filipino nurses I know. I decided to give it a try and unfortunately that wasn't a wise decision. This business is more of a takeout style restaurant. They have the food prepared and sitting under heat lamps and there's a decent selection. The owners are a young couple and are friendly but that is the only positive thing about this business. I had an assortment of food including pancit, lumpia Shanghai, adobo and beef mercado. The price was not inexpensive but the food quality just wasn't up to snuff. The pancit was dry and lacking in any taste. The lumpia was burnt and didn't have much inside other than vegetables. The adobo which is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines was sad and tasted old and terrible. I also shared the food with a friend who is Filipino and she was absolutely not impressed. She said this was the worst Filipino food she's ever triled. As for me I tried didn't like it and won't be back.
Tara Mangan Keni is a Filipino Restaurant which serves food that is perfect for a good colon cleansing. The food served at this restaurant is so atrocious and nasty that it is definitely not worthy of human consumption. It is also pretty much guaranteed to give you diarrhoea and worse. The sanitary conditions are also very questionable. The restaurant is very small with a few tables. One table was occupied with children playing video games and an older woman as if this was a daycare centre. They were not eating any food. The Dinaguan which is chocolate meat nearly caused me to vomit. It had such a putrid smell like sewage and I couldn't taste it because of the stench. The dish was definitely rotten. The Shanghai style lumpia was also not good and was stuffed with nothing but corn. I'm also very familiar with this type of food because of my family members who are from Hawaii where Filipino cuisine is very popular. I also have many friends who are of Filipino origin and I have had amazing food at their homes. This restaurant was a huge disappointment and I won't be returning. As for the positive reviews on this restaurant their experiences is definitely nothing like what I experienced. Zero stars should be an option!!
Tara Mangan Keni is a Filipino restaurant in Marina, California that rips people off. The food is absolutely disgusting and is not edible and not fit to even serve my dogs. The chicken Adobo is $hit and nothing but bones. There was no chicken meat on the bones. The Adobo sauce may as well be water because it has no taste. The Lumpia which costs $1.50 each is gross and had nothing but corn and green beans and carrots. No chicken, no beef or pork. The white rice is not even cooked thoroughly and still has uncooked rice kernels. The owners must really be idiots if they are incapable of cooking rice in an electric rice cooker. I don't know what the Hell kind of Filipino crap they are serving but it's not worth the price and everything is going into the trash. I paid $ 65 for horrible food that no one would eat. I will never recommend this disgusting business and advise anyone else to pass on this $hithole. I will also notify my credit card company and place an immediate stop payment for the garbage I received. I only tasted the sauce and I have the worst headache as well as having heartburn and nausea. I hope like Hell that I don't end up with food poisoning which seems highly probable.
I ordered a two combo entree to go: pancit with pork adobo and deep fried shrimp. The pancit was good but I feel like it is missing something. I need to compare it with others in the area. The pork adobo was good and the meat was tender. The fries shrimp was good and moist inside. Ordering was similar to the previous restaurant. Linda of like a buffet style or a quick serve. The restaurant is brighter and new wall dressings. Still it only has a few two top seats. I generally ont Ly get it to go. I think if you're in a pinch for Filipino food this can be a good spot for you. IMHO: I wish they were open longer, closing at 6 pm limits the possibilities of late diners.
Was in Marina craving Filipino food and tried this place. Ordered 1 entree combo for $12.99. Steamed rice and Pancit was ok-portion of rice to Pancit was off. Too much rice and not enough Pancit. Also ordered 2 pork Lumpia-was not cooked long enough and was lukewarm to cold on the inside. Was previously frozen. Other items were displayed buffet style behind the counter behind glass. Did not look appetizing which I decided to not try the pork Adobo, which is another one of my favorites. Service was pleasant and two people working behind the counter-basically an order-to-go kinda place. Ambiance was none-nowhere to sit and lots of clutter everywhere -I ended up eating in my car. As a local and Filipino I was not impressed and I have tasted better-I won't be back-I will try other options next time. This place is formally Lola's Kucina.
We drive here every weekend for the fried tilapia, beef machado, lumpia shanghai, beef nilaga, pancit, lechon, pork sinigang...everything is good!! If you need your Filipino food fix, this is the place to go to for all the options!
I really wanted to like this place, but it was not a great experience. Ordered the chicharrones and lumpia and both tasted like they had been fried in old oil. The lumpia was mostly black. The poncit was old, dry and tasted like old rotten cabbage. The pork adobo was perfectly flavored but very greasy. Sadly, I was sick within an hour of eating here.
Great meal and awesome service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love the food and selections. Friendly and great customer service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great tasting Filipino food! So much food for very reasonable price. The owners are very friendly and even shared some tasting of sour soup for us that was yummy!
Restaurantji Recommends
Yes, this is the old Lola's Kusina but it's not. It's brighter inside and there's some new owners or at least some new management. It's amazing what some paint and lighting can do. It's like the same menu but all of the entrées we bought tonight were less salty and still tasted delicious. Both the chicken and pork adobo were tender and seasoned well. The pancit was moist not dried out like a lot of places. This is new, made in house garlic chili crisp. They spooned me up a small sample and it was delicious. Oh, it's made with olive oil...nice. Super nice couple running the show, fast with answers to food questions and genuine with see you agains. Last words...that's a lot of food!
Food was not too salty or bland… service was exceptional. Folks are friendly and accommodating which makes you feel at home. Price was reasonable with nice selection of Filipino dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Quick, comforting and delicious Filipino food at a reasonable price. What more can you ask for...
Second day getting lunch from Tara Mangan Mekeni. Folks are really nice and the food is really really good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to go for Filipino food.
Food was decent. I had pork adobo that is quite oily yet lacking in soy and vinegar taste. I also could not taste the bay leaf. I also had pork menudo which was again, overly oily but taste pretty good. Both pork could use a time in pressure cooker or more boil time. It takes quite some chew to be able to swallow. Lastly, I ordered lumpiang Shanghai and I find the insides undercooked. There is a mild sour taste in terms of the filling which I find odd since it’s a fresh batch. They could absolutely improve with the oil usage and flavor profile. Quite unfortunate as well since price range is on the higher end, you expect better flavor profile and quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4