Ima's Chicago
G Reta · 104 Google reviewsIma's Chicago — neighborhood filipino in Irving Park. You can taste the generations behind this. "It was still fresh, hot, a little spicy- just the way I like it" — Will kern [$$]
What 50 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Came from out of town- Michigan. Ima didn't disappoint. I ordered pork sisig. It was still fresh, hot, a little spicy- just the way I like it. Sorry, the pick is after I started to devour it!”
“One of the best filipino shops i have tried. Sisig is really good. Laing is wow! Goto is pak na pak! :) The desserts like leche flan, carioca, turon, halo halo, maja, and cassava cake are the best too. Must try! #Kapampangan foods Located at Seafood City Chicago”
“If you’re looking for dishes that capture the comforting side of Filipino cuisine, bopis and papaitan here at Ima’s never disappoint. Plus the serving is far too generous!!!”
“The puto is amazing at Ima’s! It’s spongy, moist, and subtly sweet. Perfect! I purchased the plain, ube, and pandan and my family was very happy. I spoke whom I believe was the owner and he was very knowledgeable about dietary allergies (gluten-free, dairy-free, nuts). He also explained they make their own rice flour in-house by grinding their own rice. Amazing! They also have a hot bar of food and frozen desserts. Everything is to-go. No dine-in.”
“Recommend the chicken curry and dinuguan. 16oz size is fit for 2 servings, so decently priced at $6 a meal.”
“My first time thought I gave it a try. Taste good just lil pricey.”
“It’s a take out counter. There are a few small tables if one decides to dine in. I decided to try the goto. It was good. I tried dinakdakan (kilawin pork ears) and the meat was tough. I also tried the saging con yelo. I was expecting a simple minatamis na saging with ice. But it came with a scoop of leche flan and dulce de leche on top with pinipig for crunch. Maybe a treat for the uninformed but truly a diabetes cup. Also I couldn't comprehend why the milk was yellow, as in bright yellow. I asked why, they said they added food coloring. It would have been fine but the milk has a taste I'm not familiar with and I did not really like. Later on they said that they add egg yolk to the milk too. Not sure it was the yolk that I was tasting and the consistency of the milk was still thin. But if so, it's just too strange a taste for me. It was $8.75 for a 20 oz cup. They also charge 3.99% when using credit card. For the stuff I had it's a low bar. But having said that I wouldn't hesitate to try other stuff at the shop. The atchara looks good, I might try that next time.”
“Some good homemade Filipino dessert and they also sell food. I like the desserts. The pork meat was salty. The staff was nice and filled up the pork to the top but there's no garlic rice or something rice related to eat the salty meat with. It's located in the heart of the strip mall w plenty of free parking next to seafood city grocery and Maxs Filipino restaurant. Grab and go and also dine in as there are a few tables to eat inside. This is not a place for vegetarian food. Maybe some desserts will be okay though.”
“Menu was underwhelming when it’s right next to seafood city, seems like no point to go here.”
“A taste of back home (sort of). Kapampangan cousine at its most mediocre. At least their bags of chicharon are good, if not a little over-priced. If you don't care about cholesterol and hypertension and all that fun stuff, I recommend their laing, sisig, and atsara, as it is quite decent. Their dinuguan is hit or miss. It's either pretty good or it tastes like paper. The service was interesting. A nice young woman took my order and put it in to-go containers and rang me up, but there was some random little dude, who I'm guessing might be the owner, who just awkwardly stood next to the register like a Terminator and stared at me like I was about to grab the food and run out without paying. Overall, it's not a bad experience. It's a small place with an extremely limited dining area, but it's very clean, and their goods are neatly displayed. If you're new to Filipino cuisine and are looking for a good introduction to Kapampangan food, this is the place to go. That is if you're willing to spend some money, as their prices are a bit high. It's not as good as back home, but it is a reasonable facsimile for the uninitiated.”
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