Reviews for Mama Fina’s in New York, NY

We went here to explore what this Filipino restaurant has to offer. The food was pretty good, but there was some imbalance... between the number of meaty and oil dishes versus light-hearted and vegetable-based dishes. It would be good if you go hereafter a big workout, otherwise it would be too heavy. Sisig Pusit (Squid) was very crispy and oil, and blended well with theaccompanying garlic rice. However the crispy pork belly in adobo sauce, while crispy on the skin and soft, it was a bit saltyand would have been much better if rice also came with it, or the dish could use some greens to lighten the heaviness. Servicewas okay, not much interaction since you had to order at the front. Food came decently quickly, but we also went 30 minutesbefore closing. We did wait a bit for the check but no one came and it turned out we had to pay at the front as well. Overall,it was a decent experience and we did walk 30 minutes to get there so the heaviness was not felt. Read more

This sisig was THE BEST sisig I’ve ever had in my life good lord. I don’t think you need to go anywhere else for authentic... full flavor Filipino food. Crunchy, salty, savory, full bodied, this was a textual masterpiece and captured the essence ofFilipino cuisine. That halo halo is also by far one of the best ones I’ve had in the city. I highly recommend this place, thefood really speaks for itself. Read more

This was actually my first time having a full experience of filipino meal. I must say, everything was up to standard, flavor,... taste everything was there. Uber halo-halo my favorite ???? plus it looks so pretty. The only thing I would add, is it would besuch a better experience/ drink with SHAVED ICE, instead of crush ice. It would make a big difference. Taron were good. Friedmilk fish (disalog) was delicious with garlic rice, sunny side-up egg, with veggies. Can't wait till we come back and try moredishes on the menu. Read more

Sisig was a bit of a letdown. It is not of the same taste and quality as the NJ location. I think this one has mayo in their... recipe. I found most of what we ordered to be a bit on the salty side. I would have to echo a previous reviewer that serviceleaves much to be desired. I know its especially hard to hire service staff in these times. You need to train your staff tocommunicate better. You can't have them just assume that the customer is finished eating and have them take the plates and foodaway. Teach them also to smile, greet and be friendlier. Read more

A nice Filipino restaurant with good ambiance, certainly not a hole in the wall. Service is attentive and fairly quick. The... food, while may not be as good as in the motherland, are certainly authentic and about as good as you can get in the US. Portionsizes are quite reasonable for the price. The pork sisig is proper and crunchy. The sinigang is nice and tangy. The gambas,lumpia, turon, and halo2 are alright too (see photos for portion sizes, the halo2 portion was particularly large) Read more

In short, this is a mismanaged restaurant that serves greasy food. I came on a Thursday evening on behalf of my company to... scout this restaurant for October's Filipino American Heritage Month. My overall experience was very disappointing and not closeto the 4-star reputation they have online. The photo of their Crispy Palabok Noodles shows the greasy mess beneath a convincingfaçade. You can see the grease caked onto the utensils and noodles themselves. Most of it is from the pork/skin itself whichcould greatly enhance the flavor, but sadly it simply doesn't taste good. I literally couldn't finish the rest of it as I feltmy cholesterol rising. I will give credit to the Halo Halo dessert I had afterwards. The ice-cream portion was very nice andthe rest was of typical quality. One can tell that the manager/owner of this restaurant is ignorant to the level of standardthey should maintain. The air vents and light fixtures were all layered with dust. The tile floor across the entire restaurantwas caked with dark grime that caused everyone's feet to stick. Clearly, it is too much effort to simply mop the floor everynight with a cleaning agent. Lastly, and this is the kicker, the stairs leading below the restaurant channeled the smell ofsewage to the entire building. The smell was more pungent than if I had walked onto the street and stood over a stormdrain. When you spend $45 for two dishes in Manhattan you'd expect a relatively nice experience. This restaurant did notdeliver and is on a trajectory to lose their 4-star reputation. I hope they turn things around and adopt better standards. Read more

Authentic Filipino dishes especially the sisig choices (pork, chicken, squid). These are my favorites and if you haven't tasted... any Filipino dish yet, you can't go wrong with these. There are plenty of food in the menu. You have to try each to experiencethe different flavors. Service and staff are fast. They tend to their customers your entire stay. The restaurant is along 167Avenue A, New York 10009. Parking is along the street. This restaurant is only on the 1st floor. It is spacious and plenty oftables from front area to middle and back. Tables caters from 2 guests to 4 and more. Will definitely recommend this place. $$ Read more

Was hunting for an authentic Filipino food restaurant in the city and stumbled across this awesome gem! I had never had Sisig... before so was curious to try it. I got the crispy pork Sisig and upgraded to the garlic rice and a fresh mango smoothie. I alsogot the halo halo for desert. The crispy pork Sisig was soooooo good! No wonder it’s one of the most popular items on theirmenu. The portion sizes are massive so bring an empty stomach! The halo halo is definitely big enough to be shared by 2-3 peopleas well. The staff were super friendly and willing to talk through the menu with a newbie like me. Will definitely be back formore! Read more