I first heard of Kuya Lord back in its pop-up days, and I was happy to see it evolve into a full-fledged restaurant. I've had a few meals and this newer location, and I've had a solid experience overall. It's a relatively modest space, so during peak hours you may need to wait to find a table. It's also communal seating with long tables, and I found it to be a welcoming environment. I've tried two of the rice bowls (one with lucenachon and the other with grilled sweet sausage), and I thought both were tasty and filling meals. The lucenachon had a crispy exterior combined with tender meat, and both dishes came with pickled papaya and a tomato and cucumber salad. While prices are maybe higher than your average casual restaurant, I appreciated the food quality.

I had the pleasure of visiting Kuya Lord Filipino Restaurant in Los Angeles, and it was truly an outstanding experience. Specializing in Southern Tagalog Region cuisine, the restaurant showcases classic Filipino cooking techniques that Chef Maynard has refined throughout his impressive culinary career. The commitment to using fresh, seasonal ingredients shines through in every bite. The restaurant itself has a cozy, elevated fast-casual vibe with communal seating. It's a first-come, first-served setup, so no table reservations are available. I ordered the beef tapsilog rice bowl, a perfect balance of savoury and tangy flavours, and couldn't resist trying the calamansi pie (a Filipino take on key lime pie)--both were absolutely delicious. It's clear that word has spread since Chef Maynard won his James Beard Award for California cuisine. I waited about an hour in line to order and another 15 minutes for my food to be prepared, but the time flew by thanks to the friendly atmosphere. Everyone in line seemed excited to be there, and I even struck up conversations with a few fellow diners. One of the highlights was seeing Chef Maynard himself working in the open kitchen, putting the same passion into every dish as you'd expect from an award-winning chef. The service was equally impressive--warm, welcoming, and efficient despite the crowd. If you're ready to embrace a bit of a wait for an unforgettable meal, Kuya Lord is absolutely worth it. I can't wait to return and explore more of the menu. Highly recommend!

There's a reason Chef Lord is multi awarded. This place deserves all the flowers. Me and my sister pulled up right when they opened at 11 on a Sunday. We found parking right across the street- the biggest win in the area. It was fully crowded when we got inside. Every table was taken. We ended up sitting at the awkward middle space. Luckily, a family of four left just as we were waiting for our order. First off, the whole space is so clean and tidy. I took notice of the fact that people really cleaned up after themselves as soon as they finished their meal. No one left their table a mess. We shared the lechon kawali rice bowl and the laing. That laing was so good I had to order and extra bowl of rice. I told my sister it tasted like what my mother would make or the way it was made for us in Bicol. The lechon was fire, but I was more of a fan of everything it came with. That pickled achara was my jam. I'm coming back for all them breakfast items. Salamat

Makes total sense why Kuya Lord won the coveted James Beard Award. The smell of this food is inviting and makes you salivate and the staff knows they are good while still maintaining the filipino hospitality spirit. I will be dreaming of this food and this will be a staple restaurant for me when I visit LA

Went here last to try the spot where the James Beard Award for 2024 was presented to Chef Maynard Llera Had tried some of the food at Eeeeatscon and was not impressed, and had made up my mind then to try it in person. And here we are.... on to the food! We started with the Lucenachon, which is a show roasted pork belly. Pieces are small, but very tender with a nice crispy skin on top. Some skin pieces were crispier than others, and some were a little chewy, but it was flavorful. The Pork Mami was interesting, as I was feeling like ramen lately so decided to try it. The broth had a really nice flavor, and the noodles were on the thicker end, a little aldente, but were nice. The eggs always hit in any type of ramen. The pork, however, was thinly sliced and really didn't stand out. Finally we had the Lechon Kawali Rice Bowl. The rice was very good, a java garlic rice, which, to me, was so much better than standard white rice. The pork was also cooked well and the salad was a mix of pickled green papaya, tomato and cucumber. The sweet of the papaya and sour of the vinegar paired well Overall, much better than what I had from them at Eeeeatscon, food was cooked well and textures were nice. If you're in the mood for Filipino food, and around the area, definitely give it a try

Finally got to try a little bit of Kuya Lord's menu a few weeks back. My parents had gotten take-out. My dad had been craving lechon kawali and found themselves near Melrose & Western. They ordered a Kuya Tray and that came with twice cooked pork belly, 2 cups of java rice, pickled papaya & their chami noodles. I gotta say that their lechon kawali was delicious. Even considering transit time as it was take-out and that I reheated in the toaster over. The twice cooked pork belly was tender and the skin was thin and crispy. How did they do that? How was it so thin?? Flavor was good, moist lechon, cracker-like skin... winner. The spiced vinegar dipping sauce was good & not overpowering. I almost always eat my lechon kawali with Mang Tomas sauce but I found myself going back & forth with their vinegar. The pancit chami was really tasty. The menu describes it as sweet & spicy egg wheat noodles with carrots, cabbage and fish cake. I hadn't had pancit chami before but the flavors were familiar and comforting. For Filipino food, it's the highest of compliments. The java rice was delicious. My mother makes java rice at times, usually paired with broiled chicken so I really enjoyed Kuya Lord's version. Busy busy busy is what I heard. They were busy before the James Beard and even moreso now. Well deserved.... street parking only.

I've heard about this for a while, now that Chef Maynard and team earned the James Beard award I definitely had to make an effort now I'm in LA as a visitor now. AMBIANCE: Parking: It's El Lay so parking can be tight, generally street and metered parking. Seating: Inside seating, pretty limited, good for maybe 5-6 small/medium groups. Room for 30 people total. Feels: You're in Downtown LA so do expect a lot of hustle and bustle. The spot itself is small and intimate. I like the decor that pays homage to Filipino culture long with Chef Maynard's curation of cooking influences. It's nice to read all the articles written about him and his restaurant and the Filipino music brought a nice touch. Great for a family meal, catching up with friends, or a solo food adventure. FOOD: Lechon Kawali Rice Bowl (Recommend) A comforting familiar meal, cheat meal as it Filipino's popular crunchy and savory pork. It was soft, crunchy, and juicy. What elevated it more was the java garlic rice and Filipino kimchi. Solid but looking at my neighbor's plate I'd gor for the lucenachon for a different experience Pork Mami (Filipino Ramen) (Recommend) Ramen is Japanese quick-cooking noodles with meat and vegetables. I was curious about this one, and it comfortably delivered. It didn't have that strong umami like Japanese ramen but it was moreover simple and filling. Wouldn't be a go to but definitely see it enjoyable during a cold rainy day. Simple delights of good broth, pork slices, noodles, cabbage, egg, and green onions. Add the chili oil for some kick! Honey Calamansi Juice (Recommend) I've had calamansi juice but this one was different, most likely it was because of the sweetness of the honey to help balance out the sourness of the calamansi. A refreshing delight! CUSTOMER SERVICE: Riley was my server, props to them for holding down a beast of a line! Maintaining professionalism and good service. TL; DR OVERALL: 5 Stars. Masarap Masarap Masarap (Delicious)! Food hits home and you can experience the "elevation" to these home comfort Filipino food which makes it all worth the price (especially with this LA cost). Aside from that, pleasant experience. I'm going to bring a friend or two next time to help me sample out the menu such as their Chicharon Bulaklak, lucenachon, longanisa, pansit (something cooked really fast) chami (noodles in Chinese). I look forward to coming back. Until then, I wish Chef Kuya Maynard Llera and team all the best! #FilipinoFoodMovement TIPS: * Sooo many choices, bring a friend to mix and match flavors. * https://abc7.com/post/filippino-restaurant-kuya-lords-owner-receives-james-beard/14986104/

Impressive...best chef in California. I heard about this back in San Diego and made the two to three hour drive to try it out. It's Filipino cuisine taken to a higher level. The quality of the ingredients stood out for me which I noticed when I took my first bite. The sweet gem salad was a large serving and was outstanding. It had a creamy green dressing that was not overpowering. The salad was well balanced. The lucenachon was moist and tender with very crispy skin. This was the best Filipino pork belly I've eaten. The java garlic rice had a beautiful deep yellow color and was simple and tasty. The restaurant is small and casual. It was quiet on an early Friday evening so eating dinner without a crowd was nice. The front staff were genuinely friendly and welcoming and I appreciated the recommendation for the lucenachon. It was definitely worth the long drive.

Kuya Lord is a place that I have been anticipating trying for a couple of months. I found out about them from Eater LA and that Chef Maynard received a James Beard award for his award winning food. If you give this place a try, you will see why this place is so critically acclaimed. The location reminds me of a home kitchen and there is nice decor in a quick serve setting. Be advised though that there is no public restroom that I'm aware of. The quality, uniqueness of the food speaks for itself. I order the half chicken, Pancit Sotangohn & Calmansi Pie (of course!) the price similar to what you would pay at a restaurant, the quality speaks for itself. Both dishes and dessert even with a half chicken could feed two depending on how hungry you are. The best way to describe the dishes was flavorful with amazing quality and cooked perfectly. The chicken cook was flawless and the lemon grass sauce gave it kick. Both that in the noodles had a fair amount of kick to it but amazing flavor combinations. The food takes a little bit of time to cook if you're ordering on the site but well worth the wait. What I also liked is though I got it to go and had an hour drive, it still was hot & ready to eat by the time I got home. Overall one of the best Filipino food I've ever had. The staff is very friendly and chef Maynard happened to be there. He seemed very gracious and delighted to meet all the people who really savored his recipes. What can I say one of the top 2 meals I've tasted in 2024!