Kawali Cafe & Reception Center

I have never had such bad service and food at a restaurant. We went there and it was almost completely empty which should have been a red flag for us… had the lumpia which wad ok, and ordered a couple of pork dishes and both tasted rancid and one was frozen in the middle and not fresh at all. I complained to the staff and a woman came over who I am assuming was the manager or something… she proceeded to tell me that I’m completely wrong and that I don’t know what pork belly tastes like, and argued with me when I said that is not what fresh pork tastes like. They offered to re-​fry the pork which I was not interested in-​at that point I was so mad I wanted to leave. I told her I’m not paying for food that is inedible and not fresh and she kept arguing and telling me that I’m wrong and that she would just give us 30% off. Not okay. Horrible food and horrible service.

Having traveled to the Philippines finding good Filipino food is super tough in Utah. Their beef steak brought back memories. Their garlic rice is awesome but I could not give it a full five stars as they did not provide enough rice. Each time we ordered out we had a few people and bought a few different menu items but felt the portions on the rice were really small.
I would say try the place as the food is good, I have not done the eat and stay thing but when picking up and having it delivered the service has always been great.

The restaurant is tucked behind a Kindercare. It’s also a reception center so they told us sitting for the restaurant changes to different rooms depending on which rooms are being used for events. Once you get over the slight weirdness of being in a reception center, the food doesn’t disappoint. We came to check out the Filipino food specifically and to use a Groupon. I think the chef use to be the sushi chef at Kobe on Wasatch Blvd in Salt Lake. So next time we will have to try the sushi as well.
The 4 of us ordered family style: Lumpiang Shanghai, Kare Kare, Beef Steak, Lechon Kawali, Sinigang Baboy and Chicken Adobo… We were hungry and eager to try all of our favorite Filipino foods! All the food was very good. The lumpiang was really good — crispy but not greasy at all. The Kare Kare was great… probably my favorite dish. There were lots of veggies and ox tail and they even brought us some extra shrimp paste on the side. The beef steak was simple but flavorful as if infused with lemon. My only complaint was that there were too many onions. The Lechon was crispy and delicious but slightly chewy. The Sinigang had lots of veggies but could of used more pork meat. The chicken adobo was on point — great sauce and the chicken fell off the bone. We finished almost everything with just enough for lunch for 2 the next day. Unfortunately no halo halo. How can you not have halo halo?! That and no alcohol (it’s BYOB with a corkage fee) was a disappointment. But the delicious food will make us come back again.
The customer service was hit or miss — sometimes very attentive and other times no one could be found. We didn’t mind too much because we were too busy eating. But plan to spend some time there… that is really how Filipino food should be enjoyed.

I enjoy all of the food here. I have been here multiple times now, and each time tried a new sushi roll. Impressed each time. The presentation is always stellar. The Filipino portion of the restaurant has great food also. Win, win. However with the lack of patronage every time I go, I worry that this place won’t be here long.

What an absolute joke this place is… Horrible customer service went for Filipino food got rice white potatoes and a little bit of chicken with nearly raw onion. Staff was rude and unresponsive several times they would just walk by me… never asked if I’d been served. What a total colossal let down. The funny thing is an older gentleman with a chef hat was running around with a camera crew as if though he were shooting a television advertisement spot.
Maybe he needs to think about the quality of food quality of service, cleanliness and maybe he’ll retain some business.
What a joke

This was an ok Filipino restaurant, I believe they were once only a reception center that later added additional hours for restaurant type services. They were actually just hidden behind the Kindercare off 1300 E.
First time I was there, everything came out rather slow. I got some sweet sausage breakfast dish, sausage was cooked nicely and eggs were fine, but the rice was a bit overcooked and tasted crunchy. Pork Sisig was ok, but definitely not for the fat-​phobes. Chicken seems to be the more popular option with a slight crunch but not the extra grease from pork skin. The chicken adobo was just ok, seasoning could have been better. Lechon was a downer, as meats were a bit aged and chewy. You also seem to get very little for the amount you pay for.
They have a karaōke set for those that likes to perform their singing talent on stage, and it seemed like the owner and chef really love to show off talents at times.
Kawali means wok in Filipino, which explains some of the Chinese style cooking and one of the owners being Chinese. Service was definitely up not to par, they were slow and forgetful on your requests, did not seem to care when we complained, yet still smiling when they denied your requests and suggestions… Perhaps they are just carefree ignorant folks, almost gave me the feeling that they are just doing the restaurant for fun and reception center is the main business.

Exactly, «eek, methinks not»!
The management and customer service at this place is horrid! They are not honoring a Groupon we bought; Simple as that.
Just bad business. From what I am reading on other reviews, it looks like we’re not alone.

Can’t say much about the food however, as a business an its customer service, its ranks 1 Star.
I purchased a Groupon for Kawali Café. I called initially to make a reservation and was told, «sorry but we are under construction… please call back in a week.»
We did call back and only get voicemail saying «leave a message, we’ll call you back.»
Well, we’ve left a couple messages and have tried calling several times throughout different time of day and week and never got a call back or answer.
Now, the voice mailbox is full and no messages can be left. Our Groupon expiring and we’ll be unable to use it.
To keep it real, I’m sure a business that wasn’t ready for the power of Groupon maybe overwhelmed when sooooo many Groupons are purchased and business just went up 10, 20 or 50 fold… understandable that they couldn’t keep up.
BUT, reach out and tell the truth! Work overtime and follow thru with calling customers back!
I will never spend my money here and will spread the word.
Kawali Café, you failed.

I am very disappointed how they run this restaurant. Attempted to make reservation on the phone and only got voicemail. Left A FEW messages and no return phone call back. How do you RUN a restaurant with no one answering any phone calls?! I can’t imagine their customer service.
This is certainly NOT a good first impression. Poor quality on customer service, imagine the food.
I grew up on a Filipino restaurant back in jersey, this is NOT good.

I want everyone to BEWARE that this place will go out of their way and believe it’s OK to write in their own tips and charge you whatever.
I went here a few weeks ago. We were the only people in the restaurant at the time. SERVICE WAS ABSOLUTELY SLOW! While we were waiting a while for our food, two other guests arrived which made the service even slower.
The food was ok when it finally came. I was so very upset at how long we had to wait just for some lumpia appetizers and the ONE entrée we ordered which was Chicken Adobo.
I was so upset at how slow it was that I decided they did not deserve a tip at all.
My check total was $ 23.31, I wrote that in for the total amount and signed the check.
I later checked my bank account and found out that they charged me $ 28.31. They felt the damn nerve to write in their own tip without my permission.
The $ 5 tip doesn’t bother me, what bothers me is that they had the nerve to write it in themselves.
I called in and spoke to the «owner» and she just tries to play dumb.
I really want everyone to know to be aware that they do this and to always check their charges from this damn place.
They will never earn my business again after this shit they pulled.

I drove a long way to get here-​the food is great but the service could use some help. Only one waiter for 7 tables — I had to seat myself. The waiter was very friendly just seemed overwhelmed. It’s located off a small street so easy to miss. The food is great. Sushi/​Filipino food is kind of an interesting pairing… Lechon and singing baboy-​masarap

I came here for the 2^nd time for my birthday and I got to say, it was even better than the first time! Not only was the food amazing as usual (we ordered the pork sinigang (the best dish on the menu in my opinion, pork sisig (rich, meaty, tangy, crispy and delicious, the pancit palabok, pork adobo and loads of rice. Getting a variety of dishes and sharing is the true Pinoy way) but they sure made me feel special on my birthday. Alex the sushi chef is the funniest Asian man ever and was very happy to make me a special birthday treat with cake and beautifully carved fruit. Then as if delicious Filipino food and dessert weren’t enough, they let us have a jolly old time singing karaōke and dancing around. I definitely will be coming back many more times for the food, the people, and the great Filipino hospitality. Kawali café is an experience everyone must have!

Not from Utah at all and was visiting for a wedding. Two good Filipino friends insisted on trying this place out. One of the best dining experiences I have had!
Location was south of salt lake city about 15 mins. It is tucked in a side street and honestly looks like someone’s house. The actual restaurant area would be in a downstairs den.
Food was authentic and amazing. My 2 Filipino friends ordered adobo chicken, kari kari, si siap, and lechon. All were done very well and if you like fried pork the lechon was exquiste. The sauce for the adobo chicken was great again something to write home about.
The service was ok. The server was a young kid that occasionally had to be reminded of certain items. The owner was extremely friendly and chatted with us for a while. Also threw in a free cake dish because it was mother’s day (we were all guys).

Hidden gem. In a neighborhood across from a church. Weird parking lot. Very nice inside. There’s a reception hall at the top and the seating area a few steps down. We were greeted nicely at the door, seated promptly. Service was very good and fast. Chicken adobo was tasty and so was the pancit. Received a very nice surprise from the chef. Great experience will definitely come here again.

I don’t do many reviews, but this is new and it is the only authentic filipino food in Utah that I know of — and it reminds me of the filipino food I have had in Vegas — maybe a little better. The location and building is not in a location with other restaurants — its off the road and tucked back a little bit because they host parties, weddings and other events up stairs and the restaurant is down stairs. The wait staff was great and very friendly, mostly filipino. During lunch there wasn’t many people in the restaurant, not sure what it is like at dinner.
We ordered the pork adobo and kaldereta, the kaldereta was pretty good, but the pork adobo was the best I’ve had in a long time — it wasn’t greasy, had great flavor and the pork wasn’t tough– it’s even better than my Nanay’s (my wife is filipino).
They also have karaōke, wasn’t in use during lunch thankfully — but I didn’t see alcohol on the menu so not sure if karaōke happens during dining hours, probably only receptions.

Came in to see how well this place has been since I last visited it in December.
We were the only ones in the restaurant, it was so cold inside I wished I had worn a jacket.
Food came out very slow once it was ordered. The pork adobo tasted a bit old and not much flavor to it. The bulalo soup was excellent and so was the garlic rice. The pancit was decent and the lumpiang Shanghai was way over fried and not good at all.
After we were packing up ready to leave a group of people came in and I heard the hostess tell them they should have called for a reservation. Seriously? A completely vacant restaurant and they needed to call for reservations?
Still need to try their breakfast, maybe later when it warms up so I don’t have to sit in the cold.

If I could give this place zero stars I definitely would. If you look at all my reviews I only review places that deserve a good review but there is always an exception.
We went on a Friday night. It wasn’t busy but the lady seemed annoyed we didn’t have reservations. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and assumed she was just having an off day. As the night continued I saw another host seat a party at their table then she came & told the party they had to move tables in a bossy unapologetic way. Very unprofessional.
My son ordered guava juice, he took a sip & spit it out because it was awfully sweet & just had a weird taste to it. Mind you my son loves guava juice & has had it everywhere offered. The lumpia shanghai was overlooked. The kare kare was awful!!! Sad because this is my favorite Filipino dish & I was excited to try it but how dare you even call that kare kare it tasted nothing like peanut butter more like water & a brown cream. My husband ordered the chicken adobo & asked me to try it because it didn’t taste anything like my moms and he was right it was basically soy sauce & garlic. Where’s the vinegar?! We even tried their sushi with unagi and was yet again sadly disappointed the rice fell off & the unagi had an awful after taste. We were quite scared to eat the rest in fear that we would get sick.
The interior felt like I was stuck in the late 80’s early 90’s.
Everything about this place irked me to the point of no return. What a sad attempt of a restaurant.

I REALLY had high hopes for this place. Being a new and temporary resident of Salt Lake City, I was very excited to finally see a Filipino restaurant open up. I’m from San Diego, where there is a high concentration of Filipinos, therefore a high concentration of Filipino restaurants/​eateries, what-​have-​yous. That being said, I’m almost 100% sure my roots played a big part on my having great expectations for Kawali Café. As a Filipino-​American, I basically grew up on food native to the Philippines and since my parents and grandparents are from Pampanga– a province renowned for its influence on Filipino cuisine– my tastebuds are genetically inclined to know great Filipino food.
I’ll say two things about the atmosphere: dated and smoky. But my main focus here is the food. My husband and I ordered Lumpiang Shanghai as a starter (we originally wanted Lumpiang Prito, but they were out) along with Pancit with chicken, Kaldareta, and lastly Beef Steak or ‘Bisteak’. To drink, I had a flat Sprite.
After ordering we waited about 45 minutes before our first dish came out, which was the Pancit followed by our appetizer, the Lumpiang Shanghai. The Pancit was okay, but the Lumpia was a little too well done, the meat inside was extremely dry and wasn’t mixed with any other ingredients like carrots or water chestnuts, something you’d usually see in Lumpiang Shanghai. Next came the Kaldareta, which was a little more promising, since the beef was nice and tender. But the overall dish was way too salty and had too much pepper.
When the Beef Steak finally came out, I already knew it wasn’t going to be great because although it LOOKED like Beef Steak, it didn’t have that familiar citrus-​y soy sauce-​y aroma. And not surprisingly, it didn’t taste like it. Not to mention the beef was way too tough, it just had to be sent back. Both my husband and I could barely cut it, and to chew on it was like chewing on leather.
I hate to write such a poor review, but I felt compelled to do so. The service wasn’t anything that went above and beyond. My drink came out during the middle of our meal, but I am happy that we didn’t have to pay for the Beef Steak. Sadly, we left still hungry, disappointed, and smelling like we’ve been cooking in the kitchen all day.

Woooohooooo! No more trips to Las Vegas for great tasting Filipino food. We have already one here in Utah! Where do I start? OK, the place… The restaurant is a converted big house off the main roads. They have decors, chairs, and paintings that makes you feel at home. We came on a Friday night and we were surprised to see a good number of people having dinner. The acoustics is good and it’s not very noisy. Maybe not on a Thursday night. Since it’s Karaōke night every Thursday :)
The staffs… Everyone’s friendly and helpful. You’ll be welcomed by the owner’s sweet and friendly smiles. The food… They offer Sushi’s and of course, Filipino dishes. Yeah, it’s a surprise combination — Japanese and Filipino. But, I believe one of the owner is Japanese. We tried both of their must have big maki’s (forgot the name, but it said so in their menu — must have) and both were very tasty. For starters we ordered Lumpiang Shanghai (spring rolls) — which were really great. Chicken Sisig — a healthy option vs the original pork ears and Calamare — same as any other calamare. Although i noticed they have bigger squids.
For our main course, we had Pancit Bihon (rice noodles) — highly recommended, Pinakbet — mixed vegetables with pork sauteed in shrimp paste — a little on the salty side for us. You can switch with Kare-​kare (vegetable) — this will have the shrimp paste as a side so you can set to your preference. Lechon Kawali (fried pork belly) — very good. I just wish they had more of the pork liver sauce. Chicken Adobo — a must have if you’ll be eating Filipino food. And Sinigang na Bangus — Milk fish in tamarind soup. This soup has the shrimp and pork option as well. Yeah, we weren’t that hungry :) I really would like to taste everything in their menu, but that’ll be another day. We’ll definitely would come back during their Thursday Videoke night.
Don’t be intimidated with the menu names above, you’ll get a lot of help from the staffs and even the owner. The menu will have their pictures and descriptions as well. Go and pay them a visit and you’ll definitely have one or two favorites that will suite your taste buds. We haven’t even got to dessert since we’re so full after all the eating. Plus their breakfast menu — OMG, can’t wait for spring/​summer! I saw a great spot already outside — front and backyard for breakfast al fresco!

Haaaaaaaaalo halo! A FILIPINO restaurant in UTAH?! Whoooooo hoo! I was recommended to come here by a fellow Filipino coworker who vouches for this place’s authenticity! No lines, seated immediately, and there is karaōke for everyone who wants to sing! The chef and waiters were all very friendly and helpful.
Ivane, Tony, Jenny and I came here for a late lunch/​early dinner last week and the food was great! We all shared the chicken sigsig, lonsilog (sweet sausage breakfast), kare kare (peanut butter soup), and palabok.
Chicken sigsig was good. It had the charred, crisp characteristics of sigsig while being covered in creamy mayo and onion galore, but still leaner and less weird (ears, organs, etc) than the pork sigsig. Try this if you like deep fried scraps.
Lonsilog consisted of 2 easy over eggs, garlic rice, and a few pieces of the sweet sausage. It was just okay in my opinion. I wasn’t impressed by this particular dish. The garlic rice wasn’t very garlicy and was kind of soggy in texture. Try this if you just want something small and fatty.
Kare kare is a peanut butter based stew and was yummy, especially with the huge container of rice that came with it! There was a good amount of veggies in here as well Try this (if you like peanut butter).
Palabok had yummy meat & seasoning, but the noodles weren’t quite as good. The noodles seemed too thick and fake, almost like Shirataki noodles. It distracted tasters from the yummy sauce and made the dish rubbery and bland. I’d avoid this unless you’re a palabok fanatic with a higher tolerance for weirdness.
Things to try next time: Karaōke, bringing alcohol in ($ 8 corkage fee), and sinigang.
–1 star: They have a limited menu that doesn’t include halo halo or anything ube! When we came, they didn’t have several things on their menu, including all the desserts. I feel kinda bad about taking away a star, but I’ll come back again & re-​rate if needed! :)
Tip 1: Love to karaōke? Come here to sing free! If you don’t, the chef will. :)
Tip 2: Be wary of time when coming here because they close at 6p, so don’t expect to grab dinner here!