Merienda Café - Grayslake, Illinois

Mae M.

We’ve been to this place four times now—three of those visits were on consecutive days! 😅 My mom discovered this café during the summer last year, and we were impressed by the quality of the food and the generous portions. Not only is the food delicious, but it’s also incredibly satisfying.

Even though we live 45 minutes away, we made it a point to visit again during our stay at Great Wolf Lodge. My husband was so impressed that we ended up having lunch and dinner here, then came back the next day for breakfast before heading home.

Their silogs are not only satisfyingly good, but their milk teas are also delicious, and the service is exceptional. We’ll definitely return whenever we’re in the area!

Mc C.

Fantastic food and excellent service! Highly recommend their Tapa Fries and Tapa Silog—anything with tapa is a must-try! Their Filipino marinated BBQ chicken is also delicious. My wife and I live 40+ minutes away, but we never hesitate to make the drive when we’re craving their food. She also loved their drinks with boba.

The service is top-notch—they check in to make sure you’re enjoying your meal, and even the male chef came out to see how we liked the food. A great experience all around! Definitely worth the trip!

Kee V.

This was my first time trying Filipino cuisine and it was a wonderful experience! I was initially impressed with the excellent service and Jimmy took the time to explain the menu to us. The food arrived quickly; we ordered the Ribeye and Crispy Fish and they were both delicious. We were so impressed with everything that we ordered som pastries to go and we'll definitely be back.

Eric W.

This place is amazing! Great atmosphere, customer service oriented staff, and the food came out fast, was hot, and tasted great. Pictured below is the bulgogi beef loaded fries and the salt and pepper (spicy) lightly breaded wings. Will be coming back!

nick A.

Called in a To-Go order
The worker who answered to phone was very helpful and informative. Also they gave me a call back when my order was ready.

I ordered the Adobo ribs silog and bulgogi loaded fries. For the amount of food and quality I received I feel like the price fair, my total was $37.35.

The Adobo Ribs Silog with eggs and garlic fried had great flavors. The ribs were cook perfectly and came off the bone easily. slightly fatty but melt in your mouth good.

Bulgogi Loaded Fries were also had amazing flavors. The regular spicy sauce was perfect for me. The fry to meat ratio was spot on. I personally like the fries they use cause they are flakey on the outside and soft on the outside. The meat was marinated perfectly.

My order was double bagged and stayed hot for a hour+ after I picked it up for lunch .

Also adding a few pictures of the menu they had

Christine S.

Update post grand opening. Been here a couple times since grand opening, and they redeemed themselves👍🙌. This place is my go-to for halo-halo!

Grand opening, so expect to wait (30-45 mins). Cozy location with tropical vibe, casual dining but music was too loud for conversation, so you’ll ended up yelling at each other (which almost normal if you’re Filipino 😂).

Great selection of breakfast food. We loved them all, but expect layers of oil and grease (again, normal for pinoy food). Adobo ribs and fries was the hit for the family. Fries were actually perfect crispness.

Ordered Dirty Ube Ice latte, not impressed. But we’ll definitely try the other drinks next time.

Overall, great place and highly recommend to come back after the hype👍😁!

Priscilla L.

Everything is so delicious! This kind of quality takes time, come with time to wait for them to make your food fresh! The drinks have all been delicious, they make their own ube in house and it's fantastic. Simple foods at their finest. Staff is polite and attentive. Their rewards program is pretty generous and stacks up quickly with a few visits! Halo halo is the best I've ever had!!
5/3 just tried the CBSilog and it's soo amazing! The beef is tender like pot roast, and the tomato and onions are perfectly incorporated.

Sarah R.

We are from NE IN, and I desperately wish we had a cafe just like this at home! Everything was wonderful. The food, service, decor, absolutely perfect! We had a bit of everything and it was hard to choose a favorite dish. A person in our group had a sesame allergy, and the staff was able to immediately tell them what dishes to avoid. Our mom is from the Philippines, so it was a great way to spend an early Mother’s Day lunch. Thank you!!