NYC hidden dining gems: Lahi offers no-frills, nose-to-tail Filipino fare
Whether it’s Thai, Japanese, Chinese or even Vietnamese, most New Yorkers have their loyal go-to spots for their favorite Asian cuisines. When it comes to Filipino fare, however, most New Yorkers couldn’t even name one. Allow us to suggest Lahi in Elmhurst, Queens.
Filipino food hasn’t hit the same mainstream marks that other Asian cuisines have. Maybe this is a good thing, like a best-kept secret for those who know just how magical pinakbet and dinuguan are, but it’s also a shame that so many people are missing out. Luckily for New Yorkers who are both in on the secret and those who want to be, Lahi hits the spot.
Lahi started as a popup, originally named “Hapagkainan,” at night markets throughout New York. Head chef Henry Matibag and wife Agnes realized customers struggled to pronounce their business’ name, so they changed it to Lahi.
They now have a brick-and-mortar storefront and recently celebrated five years in business.
In the spirit of reinventing traditional Filipino dishes, Henry, who makes all of Lahi’s sauces inhouse, transformed one of the Philippines’ most popular dishes, sisig, into a handheld taco. The crispy shell stuffed with chopped pig jowl and ears is the perfect on-the-go snack and by far the most popular dish on the menu.
The deliciousness certainly doesn’t stop there. Looking around the restaurant, tables are filled with dishes like nilagang tadyang, a hearty soup loaded with monstrous and tender beef ribs, and kare kare, a thick, rich, peanut stew flavored with tripe, pork, oxtail and an array of vegetables. The kare kare is served with bagoong, a fermented shrimp paste. Add small drops of the condiment to the kare kare until it reaches peak umami.
Leaving nothing to waste, Lahi serves up pork dishes such as chicharon bulaklak, a popular Filipino snack of pork intestine fried to look like a flower, and crispy pata, or crispy pork knuckle. The lechon, or roasted pig, is served alongside an earthy sauce made of pig liver and is best washed down with a tall glass of calamansi juice.
If you’re not interested in pork, you certainly won’t be limited in your ordering. Adobo chicken, a classic Filipino dish consisting of chicken simmered in soy sauce, various spices and vinegar, generously priced at $14.99, is a must.
While sisig typically consists of pork, Lahi innovatively offers both a milkfish version, sisig bangus ($19.99), and a chicken sisig ($14.99), meaning you can still get those classic Filipino flavors without eating Ms. Piggy.
No visit to Lahi is complete without halo halo, or “mix mix” in Tagalog. The chaotically colorful dessert of the Philippines consists of ube ice cream, ube halaya (purple yam jam), shaved ice, tapioca balls, jackfruit, condensed milk, a sole square of leche flan and colorful jellies. Don’t be that person and ask what’s in it — just dig in.
Good food can transport diners out of their everyday surroundings to somewhere new. Lahi is proof you don’t need a passport to travel when you’re in New York City’s most diverse borough.
Address: 51-24 Van Loon St, Elmhurst, N.Y. 11373
Phone: (929) 296-0277
Price range: Appetizers $9 to $13; main dishes $15 to $20
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
No reservations; takeout, delivery and dine-in available
Kaitlyn Rosati is a New York City-based food and travel journalist. She is constantly on the hunt to find the city’s best hidden gems, allowing New Yorkers to travel far without ever leaving the boroughs. Have a suggestion for a great hidden dining gem in your neighborhood? Reach out to Kaitlyn with your recommendations at nomannomad.net@gmail.com.
