Filo Cafe, a new Filipino restaurant, recently had its soft opening on Saturday, Oct. 8. The charming eatery can be found at 4836 Boiling Brook Pkwy in Rockville, part of the Randolph Hills Shopping Center. 

Filo Cafe is a small and local family-owned “mom and pop” business with a great deal of options of Filipino cuisine food on its menu. This includes an all-day breakfast with choices of dishes such as Tapsilog, Tocilog, Longsilog, Porksilog, and more. Silog is a class of Filipino breakfast dishes that contain sinangang (fried rice) and itlog (egg). A Silog dish is served with various meat dishes, and Filo Cafe has plenty to offer when it comes to its meat choices. On the combo portion of the menu, there is another variety of foods served with rice. These combo dishes are Pork Adobo, Chicken Adobo, Lechon Kawali, Sweet and Sour Pampano, and Dinuguan. 

The cafe even lists a “Filo Faves” section on the menu that has cheaper and top-rated options. You can get six pieces of Lumpia Shanghai (egg roll) of your option of pork, chicken, or beef for only seven dollars. Vegetable Lumpa and Fresh Lumpa are also offered for eight and 13 dollars. 

Whether you’re feeling thirsty or just craving a refreshing drink, you can order from their beverage menu which has select tea drinks, coffee drinks, and boba, all of which are affordable and under the price of six dollars. Although the cafe does have a dessert menu, it is not part of the daily menu and is typically available on the weekends or set as a daily special. Halo Halo was previously available as one of the daily special desserts. Halo Halo is a mixed, colorful combination of ingredients that are usually made up of crushed ice, milk, ice cream, ube, jackfruit, beans, and more. 

At the moment, the restaurant is not accepting reservations. Other than being closed on Mondays, the restaurant is still open daily for the public to get a bite of all their delicious food. 

Their tentative hours are from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, with a short close break at 3 p.m. and reopening at 5 p.m. 

We rarely see Filipino cultural food restaurants in the nearby Rockville and Montgomery County areas, so having Filo Cafe helps to bring the community together and opens more eyes to the culture and the food. 

“I’m glad that there are Filipino restaurants nearby because it is a significant part of my heritage and culture that I would love to stay connected to,” sophomore Sophia Mangona said. 

The dishes off of Filo Cafe’s menu have affordable prices ranging from around eight to fifteen dollars. 

Overall, Filo Cafe may be what you’re aiming for and the best option if you are looking to spend a small amount of money on trying a new Filipino dish while simultaneously supporting a local family business.