Kuya Lord

Tucked into a corner space where Melrose meets Western, Kuya Lord operates with the efficiency of a counter-service restaurant but delivers food that far exceeds fast-casual expectations. What started as a pandemic-era pop-up—one of those DM-for-address situations that felt perfectly normal in 2020—has evolved into a proper brick-and-mortar destination that still maintains the warmth and intimacy of its humble beginnings. The chef regularly emerges from the kitchen to chat with diners, sharing stories about growing up in Lucena, Quezon Province, transforming what could be a quick lunch stop into something that feels more like eating at a friend’s house.

The menu offers two main paths: individual rice bowls for solo dining and the generous “Kuya Trays” designed for sharing. These platters arrive loaded with sticky garlic java rice, tangy pickled papaya, fresh tomato salad, and thick pancit noodles that will haunt your dreams in the best way. The proteins are where things get exciting—from smoky wood-fired chicken to prawns drenched in a rich garlic-crab sauce that turns the underlying rice into something transcendent. The lucenachon, a crescent-shaped rolled pork belly with impossibly crispy skin, is essentially a must-order situation every single visit.

This is the kind of place where you’ll inevitably over-order, and that’s actually the point. The $43 Kuya Tray might raise eyebrows at first glance, but it genuinely feeds two to three hungry adults with food to spare. Bring friends or family on your first visit to sample as much as possible—the almond wood-grilled yellowtail collar, the dinner-only specials like laing vol-au-vent with its buttery puff pastry shell—then return solo for those quick weeknight dinners once you’ve identified your favorites.

Don’t leave without trying the calamansi pie, a compact but perfect dessert that puts a Filipino spin on key lime pie with pandan whipped cream adding a floral vanilla note. Whether you’re stopping in for a fast lunch or settling in for a leisurely meal with loved ones, Kuya Lord delivers the kind of cooking that reminds you why eating at small, chef-driven restaurants matters.