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This easy-to-miss eatery a few blocks from the United Nations prides itself on serving "homestyle Filipino cuisine." Judging by the number of Filipinos who stop by to dine in or, more often, take out, it delivers on its claim. With coral-colored walls and a green painted floor, the narrow main space is cheerful and tiny, with just six tables and a few stools at the counter. (A back room is also open for lunch.) A small but steady crowd streams in for chicken adobo, a stewy dish of dark meat and spices, and the lighter sariwa rolls, crêpe-wrapped shrimp and veggies with a sweet peanut sauce. The crispy fried milkfish lives up to its reputation as a delicacy (don't forget to eat the cheeks!), and bitter melon adds an unexpected tang to Bicol Express, a vegetable-and-coconut-milk medley. Locals wash it all down with a can of Sarsi, a Filipino root beer, to get a taste of home—and so should you. — Melena Ryzik

Daing na bangus, $16.95; bicol express, $9.95