If you’re looking for adventurous dishes and never-tasted-before foods, consider trying Filipino cuisine. Rich flavors, exotic fruit and vegetables, and fresh seafood are combined to create exciting flavors. When you dine at a Filipino restaurant for the first time, consider trying a few of these delicious traditional dishes.

Filipino Dishes Every First-Timer Should Try

1. Adobo

Adobo is the most famous dish from the Philippines, and it’s a staple on nearly every restaurant menu. Usually made with pork or chicken, the meat is flavored with soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves, garlic, and black pepper. Sometimes, chili pepper is added to give the dish an extra kick of spiciness. The meat is marinated in adobo sauce, then fried or cooked into a stew.

2. Pancit

Pancit is a noodle dish and a staple of street-food cuisine. While you can use any kind of noodle in the recipe, the most common variety is spaghetti-like and semitransparent. The noodles are layered with many delicious toppings, such as seafood, pork, tofu, and vegetables, then served with a savory sauce.

3. Lechon

Lechon is a suckling pig that’s been seasoned with several spices, including pepper, onions, and lemongrass. It’s slow-cooked on a spit to create a tender, juicy texture. Many restaurants use this meat in various dishes, like sinigang or lechon kawali.

4. Pork Guisantes

This simple yet delicious dish is a one-pot meal that mixes tender pork with peas in a garlicky, tomato sauce. Some restaurants add more vegetables to turn it into a stew-type dish.

5. Dinuguan

This dish is ideal for the more adventurous eater. Dinuguan is pork cooked in pig’s blood. Although regular pork meat can be used, traditional restaurants typically cook with pork offal, which consists of the intestines, kidneys, lungs, heart, snout, or ears.

If you’ want to try any of these tasty dishes, head to Da Ultimate Grindz Hawaii, in Waipahu. This family-owned restaurant specializes in Filipino and local, Asian-inspired cuisine, offering tasty entrees, like garlic shrimp and steamed shoyu ginger fish. View their menu online, or call (808) 888-3872 to ask about today’s specials. Read customer reviews on Yelp, or connect with the team on Instagram for the latest news and updates.