When friends ask for a unique spot in Philly, I point them to Perla. Perla, located in vibrant part of town, Passyunk, showcases Filipino food in its authentic form. For $50 per person, you are given a ton of food on a huge banana leaf that covers the table. No utensils are provided as the food is meant to be eaten with your hands; however, you may ask the staff for utensils and they will kindly bring a set for you. For the spread, you are given fried pork belly, chicken in a soy and lemongrass marinade, fried whole fish, fried rolls, fried pork, assorted vegetables, and dipping sauces, all on a bed of garlic rice. Fair warning, this gets messy especially with all the oils. No shame in asking for some utensils if you're not comfortable with oily fingers, but I recommend embracing the culture and giving it a try! Everything is super flavorful, especially with the garlic rice. It is on the heavier side because most of the ingredients are fried or stir fried in oil, so come with a large group. I've seen groups ranging from 4 to even 12 here. It's really a great time especially since it's BYO. Come celebrate with your friends! However, I might recommend you try another place for a date night because it gets messy, unless you and your date are cool like that haha I think Perla has its place in Philly. Great food and service, with BYO. Can you beat that? I typically pay a visit when a group of friends are in town or if I want to introduce family to a unique experience. Ignore the calories for the night and indulge!

This might be by far one of the most unique dining experiences I have ever tried. The tables are covered in banana leaves and they offer a set menu that includes everything seen below as well as a delicious dessert. Once you are settled and (hopefully) have washed your hands, the food is served directly onto the leaves and then you're welcome to dig in with your hands. Not only was this experience extremely fun, the food was also incredible! The serving sizes are massive and we all ended up taking home pretty much another meal, so while the price tag might be up there, just remember that the volume of food and the flavor packed into it makes it SO worth it. BYOB was also an added benefit and we thoroughly enjoyed our time here!

Came to Perla for my wedding anniversary and it was exactly what was needed! The chicken was fantastic, it comes with fish, lumpia, rice and lots of vegetables! It also came with some type of sweet bread (I forget the name, but it's so delicious!) The service is also amazing, the waitress tells you about each piece of the dish, and prepares the banana leaves for your meal! The place is super intimate and nice! You can do a family style dinner or a couples dinner. I've been with my friends and my husband! 100% amazing and will be going back again soon.

To eat at Perla is to surrender yourself to an absolute feeding frenzy. This is one of those places that does a small number of things, does them all drool-inducingly well, and doesn't both with much else. You go to Perla and get the Perla meal, just like you would at, say, Marrakesh. But you get that because they know the kitchen knocks it out of the park. What is the Perla meal? Garlic rice, vegetables in a light, non-spicy "curry" sauce, lumpia, wonderfully tender roasted chicken leg/lechon manok, a massive hunk of bone-in pork, a whole fish, and desert. It's all laid out on the table in front of you, with the rice topped with the vegetables and then everything else laid on. And then you use your bare hands to just tear into it and gorge yourself. Obviously this isn't something to go to with people you've just met, given the utensil-less nature of the experience. But with close friends or a partner you're not trying to impress with decorum, this is a highly rewarding feast. I found that, as I went, I really was in something of a frenzy, reaching out and pulling back something delicious to stuff my mouth with with the aplomb of someone who'd just wandered in out of the desert not having eaten a real meal in a few days. Everything they brought out him for me, but if I'm assigning highlight status, I'd give it to the chicken, rice, vegetables, and fish. I was also pleasantly surprised that the desert was a chilled mousse and almond slivers, rather than popular Filipino desert standard halo halo, which I've never really developed much fondness for.

Such good food for such a great price! Nothing feels more celebratory than digging your fingers into rice and deep fried pork belly. They started us off with this bread roll that was deliciously sweet and soft, then followed it up with a heaping pile of fish, pork belly, chicken, and lumpia. There were also curried veggies. I thought the chicken was a bit salty but the rest of the food was excellent, especially when paired with the sauces that were given. My favorite was the whole fish, which came off in tender flaky pieces. It definitely needed the vinegar sauce but was absolutely delicious combined with that and the fragrant garlic rice. Service was also prompt, and we got hand wipes to clean our hands before the dessert of coconut chocolate pudding. I left stuffed and the two of us had two big boxes of leftovers that we brought home too. For the $50 pp price, this can't be beat!

We did the kamayan feast which consisted of garlic fried rice, mixed veggies, chicken, pork, duck, and fish on banana leaves. It is typically eaten with your hands so be prepared to get messy. This was a unique experience that I would recommend everyone to try. Not only was the experience great but the food was spectacular. Everything was seasoned well and the proteins were all tender. The service was great, explained everything that we were eating and got the food out rather quickly. The restaurant is on the smaller side but it makes the environment feel more homey, like you're at a friend's house. A standout restaurant!

Came here with 3 friends on a Sunday evening at 8 pm (reservation required). The servings are obscenely large. Each person gets apportioned a while leg of chicken, large piece of pork belly, and fish to share. There also is a large amount of rice, egg rolls, and vegetables for everyone to share. The chicken was very juicy and the pork belly had a nice crust on it. We each had to take a lot of food leftover. Meal finished with a chocolate mousse. Pretty fun overall experience to enjoy with friends. Interior is quite small and clean.

One of my favorites located in south Philly, plus it's a byob so bring your favorites. Another plus, you have stateside vodka across the street if you want extra after dinner drinks. Now onto the food, authentic Filipino kamayan feast. If you haven't been to one, it's so worth it for the experience in itself. You start off with your table covered in banana leaves. Then the food starts coming poured right onto the table, starting with the rice, then the chicken halves, fried pork, lumpia, whole fish, veggies and finally dessert. Communal style dining Filipino style means you're eating with your hands! We came here for a birthday with a group of 17, brought our own cake. The atmosphere, small but plenty of room, of course gratuity was automatically added but the service was worth every little bit. I came here plus ones, and with groups. Regardless, you'll love the experience, you'll love this place ** I wish I can share videos on here but visit my IG- davidyums to see the reel I made for this place