Azela by Balay Dako is becoming one of our favorite Filipino restaurants, especially for its Negrense-biased flavors and the signature warmth of the Antonio’s group. They have finally opened their first SM branch, and this is one of the restaurants we will brave the traffic and the crazy crowd for in SM North Edsa. The appetizers, soup, main dishes, and desserts are solid, and this is good for a Sunday family lunch or for treating a balikbayan to a memorable Filipino food experience.
Here is our recommendation on what to order to have the best Azela experience:
ABOUT AZELA
Azela by Balay Dako is a heartfelt celebration of Filipino culinary heritage brought to Metro Manila by the Escalante family. Inspired by cherished memories of their grandmother, Lola Azela, and her home in Bacolod, the restaurant serves timeless comfort food crafted with meticulous quality and sincerity. From savory salo-salo plates and rich native soups to nostalgic, traditional desserts, every dish is thoughtfully prepared to evoke the warmth, connection, and unmistakable flavor of home.
AZELA by Balay Dako
Timeless Filipino Flavors, Crafted with Quality
The Block, Level 2, SM City North EDSA Quezon City
(landmark: In front of UNIQLO)
@azela.ph
#AzelaByBalayDako #TimelessFilipinoFlavors
Related Blog Post: AZELA by Balay Dako: First Impressions
PAMPAGANA (Appetizer)
FRIED ASOHOS 520 (large)
Fried salt water Asohos topped with crispy fried garlic
This is our favorite appetizer—it’s like danggit chips with lots of fried garlic, best enjoyed soaked in vinegar.
GAMBAS AL AJILLO 790
Shrimps sauteed with garlic and fresh chili
The shrimps are big, with a garlicky chili kick, and are the right starter to get your appetite going.
ENSALADANG TALONG AT MANGGA 380
Grilled eggplant, green mangoes, tomatoes, salted egg and
red onion, served with a fermented baby shrimp paste
We like eating ensalada at home with salted egg, onions, and tomato, this one with their bagoong and grilled eggplant.
LUMPIANG SHANGHAI 440
Deep-fried spring rolls of ground pork, shrimp,
finely-minced vegetables, served with a sweet chili sauce
The presentation is not nice, but it delivers the flavor you’re looking for and is crunchy. It would be better cut into three for bite-size, less messy eating.
LUMPIANG SHANGHAI WRAP 490
Filled with fried lumpia shanghai, Nuoc Cham dipping sauce
This is a unique innovation from Azela—a lumpiang Shanghai wrapped in Vietnamese spring roll style, both fresh and fried.
PANCIT NI ANTONIO 820 (large)
Stir-fried egg noodles, Chinese chorizo, shrimp,
ground pork, egg and annatto oil
For birthday celebrations, you need noodles to symbolize long life, and this Antonio’s pancit is quite unique, with Chinese chorizo, annatto oil, and generous toppings of shrimp, squid, pork, egg, and garlic.
SOPAS (Soup)
KADYOS BABOY AT LANGKA 1,100 (large)
Sauteed Bacolod beans flavored with pork belly and fresh jackfruit
We ordered a battle of our soup favorites, and this KBL is the family’s favorite, with a unique meat and beans flavor. It is not sour like sinigang and has big chunks of pork belly and fresh jackfruit. It is masarap and has a lot of nutritious kadyos (pigeon pea).
KANSI 900 (large)
An Ilonggo favorite often described as a cross
between Sinigang and Bulalo. This family recipe uses
beef brisket, pork leg, lemongrass, finger chilies, fresh
langka and batuan
Their kansi has the same sourness as sinigang, but with a bulalo twist, served with beef brisket, pork legs, and chunks of fresh langka (jackfruit), and a unique sourness from batuan. A Negrense soup favorite.
SINIGANG NA ULO AT TIYAN NG SALMON SA MISO 980 (large)
Our housemade sour soup made with tamarind and miso paste
We love their sinigang with miso paste and the right sourness from tamarind, with good chunks of salmon head and belly. While this kind of sinigang is available in other Filipino restaurants, it’s better to go for the kansi if you like sour soup.
PANGUNAHING ULAM (Main Dishes)
KARE-KARE KLASIK 1,160 (large)
Ox tail, tripe and knuckles stewed in a peanut puree sauce
with eggplant, pechay and string beans
This is one of the best Kare-Kare in town, perfect with their bagoong (not too sweet, not too salty). We love the rich peanut puree sauce, which you can enjoy with rice and the vegetables. It is served with good chunks of oxtail, lots of tripe, and some knuckles.
BINAGOONGANG BABOY 820 (large)
Pork belly stewed and sauteed in fermented shrimp paste
Wow, this is so good—the pork belly with bagoong already pairs perfectly with the kare-kare. Best eaten with lots of white rice.
CALLOS 590
Beef tripe stew with bell pepper, chickpeas and chorizo
This callos is my wife’s favorite, and I like mine with smaller chunks of beef tripe and a more gelatinous texture.
SISIG NA BABOY 600 (large)
Chopped Pork face garnished with
onions and chilis, served on a hot cast iron platter
Our kids’ favorite, served on a sizzling platter with chunks of chicharon, a bit of red onions, and chili. Masarap talaga.
CRISPY PATA 1,260 (large)
Deep-fried imported pork shank, brined overnight
in salt, ginger, lemongrass and bay leaf
This was the usual crispy pasta done right, with the crispy skin separated and served on top for an extra crunchy experience.
LAING NA GABI AT TOKWA 580 (large)
Tofu wrapped in taro leaves and braised in coconut milk
We love the creaminess of the laing from the coconut milk sauce, with just the right chili kick, and this one is mixed with tofu.
PANGHIMAGAS (Desserts)
I must say, Azela has some of the best Filipino desserts in Manila. This is the kind of sweet ending Filipino meals are known for.
Calamansi 170
Mangga at Sago 190
Avocado Milkshake 350
We usually order drinks towards the end of the meal so it does not ruin your appetite. Their avocado shake is the best.
PUTO BUMBONG 140
Rice cakes steamed in bamboo, topped with butter, coconut and muscovado sugar
I don’t usually like puto bumbong because it is not done right, but Azela does it well. It’s masarap, especially with a bit of butter, coconut, muscovado, and cheese that completes the flavor.
BIBINGKA SPECIAL 290
Housemade and traditionally prepared rice cake
Their bibingka is also the best, with a soft, malasa texture, and served with butter and coconut.
HALO-HALO KLASIKO 260
A traditional dessert of sweetened red and white beans, nata de coco, kaong,
ube jam, sweetened banana, water chestnuts, leche flan, milk, shaved ice,
topped with scoops of Housemade Macapuno and Ube ice creams with crispy pinipig
The halo-halo has evolved with many different toppings, but this classic version is still the best—especially when you know the ingredients are house-made, and their ice cream is also quite good.
LECHE FLAN 140
Flan of milk and egg yolks, topped with layer of soft caramel
This is leche flan done right—not overly sweet, with a soft caramel sweetness and a creamy egg yolk flavor.
TURON CON LANGKA AT SAGING 70/pc
A dessert spring roll filled with jackfruit and banana
It looks simple, but the banana is quite tender and enjoyable to bite into, with a crunchy turon wrapper.
BANANA CON LECHE 160
Sweetened saba with milk, yema, leche flan and shaved ice
This is our recent dessert favorite in Azela—sweetened banana served with shaved ice, milk, and bits of leche flan and yema.
GINUMIS 160
Layers of tapioca pearls, gelatin cubes and
roasted rice flakes, served with coconut milk,
brown sugar syrup and shaved ice
The ginumis is just okay; the Milky Way version is still better.
ANTONIO’S HOUSEMADE SORBETES 220
Avocado, Barako, Sugar-Free Barako, Buko Pandan, Chocnut, Cookies & Cream,
Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate, Lychee Sorbet, Macapuno, Mango, Panna,
Pineapple Coconut, Quezo, Sweet Corn, Taho , Ube, Ube Macapuno, Ube Quezo
You should not miss Antonio’s sorbetes—it’s extra creamy, not icy, and packed with flavor.
The best piaya in town, especially when hot off the grill!
TAHO — The best sorbetes flavor: tofu ice cream served with small pearls and muscovado sugar, evoking childhood memories.
PANA, COOKIES & CREAM, TAHO
We like to mix and match the sorbetes, and each serving is a 120g scoop. You can order it with the cone but I like it with piaya.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, we love Azela. It’s at par with Milky Way in terms of classic Filipino dishes, but even better because it serves homemade Negrense food that you don’t need to fly to Bacolod for.
The classic Filipino dishes are solid—from kare-kare, sisig, and crispy pata, to desserts like puto bumbong, bibingka, and halo-halo. For something uniquely Azela, order the fried asohos for appetizer, Kadyos, Baboy at Langka (KBL) for soup, Pancit ni Antonio’s for noodles, and binagoongan baboy paired with kare-kare. For dessert, try the taho ice cream with piaya, banana con leche, and avocado shake. Budget about 1,000/head.
The branch at SM North Edsa is the best because it has its own restroom versus the one in Robinson’s Malate which does not have one. Also, there’s a PEDRO nearby where you can buy pasalubong for your balikbayan fam. You can park your car on the 3rd level of The Block which has a nearby access to Azela which is important for senior citizens.
AZELA by Balay Dako
Timeless Filipino Flavors, Crafted with Quality
The Block, Level 2, SM City North EDSA Quezon City
(landmark: In front of UNIQLO)
@azela.ph
#AzelaByBalayDako #TimelessFilipinoFlavors
Related Blog Post: AZELA by Balay Dako: First Impressions
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Disclosure: This article was written entirely by a human—reflecting my own biases, opinions, and insights—with grammar and clarity checked using AI assistance. Thanks to Antonio’s Group for inviting us to the media pre-opening.
p.s. Pedro is just around the corner in the middle aisle booths.
