Tropical Hut

The food is legit. And for $ 6.99 for 2 entrees and rice (that comes with free refills), small soup and a drink – it’s a no brainier why this place is packed all the time especially during lunch time. Their ala carte lechon belly by the pound is worth it. All the food is displayed cafeteria style and there’s quite a wide array of choices on their menu everyday. Servings are generous, too!
For someone who rarely finds the time to cook, I am quite happy that they chose to open there doors right by me!

Delicious comfort food for a great price. We got the two entrees with rice, soup and soda combo. I went for the beef stew and bitter melon. Both was very flavorful. The bitter melon probably could have been cooked a few more minutes. The soup was very oily and a bit spicy for my liking. I’m new to Filipino food but know I will be enjoying much more of it soon because it’s so good. When we got there, we had no idea what anything was. I was just going to try a brown looking item that I guessed was some sort of meat in sauce, but turned out to be blood. While I do eat all types of meats and organs, I was not looking to be too adventurous that day so I’m glad I asked. Great first time. We’ll be back.

Amazing phillipino diverse food
Pick up or eat in
Instantly ready to eat food
Amazing quantity and quality for the price
Amazing desserts

we bought food last christmas and after right before christmas eve it was spolied! So we returned it and they exchaned it with fresh cooked food!
THANK U

Pancit Bihon with chicken only allllllllll day! I love it! Also with Shrimp tempura on the side. So far, so good

I used to go here a lot, but I had been disappointed lately. The food is not as good as it was. The take out portion has gotten smaller and not as good anymore. I bought a couple of chicken empanada and it was awful, I end up throwing them out. Very disappointed and I will never come back here again.

Large portions with good food and a comfy vibe. Pretty much sums this place up in one sentence. Very friendly staff and don’t worry, you can just point and pick which selections you want. It can get packed here easily at peak times since there’s about 8 tables or so. Food is always freshly cooked and hot.
Can’t really beat a combo for $ 6.99 two sides and a drink + some soup.

First Filippino place closest by me that actually takes debit. Small place but the food was so good! I got the 2 side combo– white rice, barbecue, and pancit. Very delicious. Brought some to my family and they liked it too. Flan was good. Next time I’ll try the Turon. This place is a must try. Definitely coming back

Pork skewers are a MUST try! Absolutely DELICIOUS! Someone brought them to our company potluck and I like them so much I went and picked up 20 to take home for the family. Seriously, so freaking yummy!

Very good Filipino cuisine. Turoturo style. Very nice portion combo meals. Nice People.

I’ve been all over the states and no restaurant does Filipino food like Tropical Hut. Whenever I’m in Jersey, Tropical Hut is on the list of stops! If you want authentic down home Filipino food, go no further. Those of you who live in the area are truly blessed that you have this place to go to. Try the kare kare, adobe, sinigang, try them all! Get a combo! You can’t go wrong. The staff is friendly, helpful and will make sure you are satisfied with the food and service.

Traditional Filipino food. A local favorite of the community and always better choices and selection on the weekends

The braised beef IS THE BOMB! Call them in advance and ask if they have it for the day. You will not regret your drive to taste how Filipino food tastes so FREAKING GOOD! You will come back for more rice! Mabuhay!

I ordered a combo to go, which was $ 6.99 for 2 entrees (I got the pork Bicol express and beef kaldereta), white rice and a drink from their fridge. The selection at the food bar was almost entirely meat-​based, but according to their catering menu they have some veggie dishes as well. There’s also a decent array of packaged foods and baked goods lining the shelves at the front of the store. I grabbed a small ube ensaymada as a sweet ending to a filling, satisfying and inexpensive meal.
The combo is definitely a solid choice if you have a hankering for some homestyle Filipino food and get tired of your usual take-​out options. I’ll have to come back when I’m in the area to explore more of their menu (I spotted a tray of really yummy looking leche flan on my way out).
While I didn’t dine in, I would describe the seating area as a modest space with a handful of tables and a TV, just like every other typical small Filipino restaurant I’ve visited. There’s also a medium-​sized parking lot just for Tropical Hut customers, so if it’s not busy you won’t have any trouble finding a spot.

I got there at lunch hr, it was a line of philipines and asked people what is good, they pointed at things and i picked them pointing at them since nobody speak english. W. e i choose was fantastic! And cheap!

Tropical Hut’s $ 6.99 2 entrée + rice + drink combo is da bomb!!! Murang at masarap! (Cheap & delish!) This is seriously one of the best lunch combo bargains you can find in this area and they serve super authentic Pinoy food! I’ve lived in Manila for more than 10 years so I can guarantee you this is as authentic as you can get! Don’t let the no-​frills ghetto interior discourage you from trying this place, the food is very legit and you can find almost any traditional Pinoy food ranging from kare kare, sinigang, lechon, pancit, adobo, lumpia, bulalo, sisig, you name it. You can even get desserts such as halo halo, kutsinta, polvoron, guinataang, puto, and so on which were my childhood favorites. Not everybody is fond of Pinoy food but I love it!
My personal favorites are:
1) bistek (Filipino style beef steak)
2) Sinigang (sour and savory seafood soup cooked with tangy tamarind)
3) adobong pusit (squid dish cooked with squid ink, vinegar, and lots of garlic)
4) halo halo (shaved ice dessert servied with condensed milk, sweet beans, fruits, and ice cream)
If you are going to Burger King and spend $ 7 on a combo meal, you might as well come here and order a tasty authentic Filipino combo meal at Tropical Hut for the same amount of money. Money well spent!

Random, basic and perfect. That’s the three words that best describe this place.
By no means is this place a Jeepney, or for that matter, a Tito Rad’s in Queens. What it reminds of is the former Elvie’s Turo-​Turo on 1^st ave. Very basic in style, because they have concentrated their focus on the food. This style of café is very Filipino so the American visual senses were not thought of when designing this joint. Most Amerians will probably call this place a «dive». For us Filipino’s, it’s just basic. A T. V. was playing a Filipino show while my friend and I ate. The staff seemed like a family and were super friendly. I felt like I was eating at my Tita’s (Aunt’s) house. Win.
The food:
It’s a «turo-​turo» (point-​point) joint so food is pre made and sitting in warming trays. There is also a separate menu that you can order a few items from. We got there close to closing time so the selection was a little picked over, but what we had was still VERY good. We each got the 2 dish combo: you pick two things and it comes with white rice. My friend had the beef stew (Kaldereta) and a chicken curry dish I didn’t know what the name of was… I’m not so sure this was «traditional» Filipino but instead could be just something that was «freestyled». I had the fried milk fish (bangus) and a vegetable pinakbet (okra, bitter mellon, string beans and onions cooked with shrimp paste). We sampled each others food and both agreed it was all good in the hood. Each combo was $ 6 with a soda or water. Cash only after 6:30, which I found odd, but whatever.
In the end, if I’m in the area, I would come back here for cheap traditional Filipino food. It is is a taste of everyday home cooking and reminds me of my childhood growing up in a traditional Filipino house. This is a place you go to when you are on your way home from a long day of work and you don’t want to cook. You may eat there or you may just take it home. It’s like a diner for Filipino’s. We just prefer ours with food that’s already made and ready to go in our mouths in 2 minutes.

Most Filipino restaurants have a signature dish and if I can guess what this restaurant is, it may be the Bicol Express. Although I’m no stranger to beef Tapa, what took me by surprise was that they had pork Tapa. That was bomb diggity. It actually had some fat attached to give a pleasant moistness that beef Tapa normally doesn’t have. I loved it.
What sets this place apart from Jersey City Pinoy restaurants is the free rice refills and Sabaw for your combo. You have to beg JC restaurants to get some of that Sabaw. Tropical Hut gives it as part of the meal. Jersey City restaurants actually raised the price of combos when we had a rice shortage a few years back. These guys are giving it away for free. These people are super nice and welcoming. They are very pleasant, unlike the ghetto Pinays in Jersey City.

Decent meal that is inexpensive.
Definitely research the types of food to eat if you are not familiar with this cuisine.
Combination plate (rice and two entrees) with drink $ 5.99. Had rice with a beef stew type of entrée. You get slightly more rice than entrée.
Nothing fancy, order your food and then find a place to sit down.

Having recently moved from Cali, I can assure you: this is not equivalent to West Coast filipino eats. However, this is sufficient for the filipino cravings I occassionally have. Their prices are good compared to the overpriced ridiculousness of Mama Finas. Anyone who has been there knows that place attempts to be high end, but they’re in denial. Okay, thats beside the point of this restaurant so I’ll get back to the review at hand
Their customer service is nice and friendly. Their selections are few but again I’m comparing that to Cali restaurants and that’s not fair to Jersey folks.
This place will be a repeat for the filipino fix. The price, portions, and people make it worth it.