“Tuloy po kayo.”

“Tuloy po kayo” is a Talaglog phrase for “Please come in” and Kuya Lord is definitely a place one will want to go into. This Filipino restaurant located in Hollywood has been part of Los Angeles Times 101 Best Restaurants as well as has been included in Bon Appetit Mag’s Best Restaurants!

The brains behind Kuya Lord is Chef Lord Maynard. This Filipino Chef is not new to the LA restaurant scene as he once worked for Bestia as their sous chef and later on he became director for the h.wood group; a hospitality and lifestyle company that oversees several upscale nightlife and restaurant venues in LA. Just this 2024; Chef Lord Maynard was named Best Chef in California by the James Beard Foundation.

All the accolades and awards; definitely got me curious to check this place out and not to mention; I am always up for supporting the Filipino food scene.

This place consists of a small menu of several Filipino classic dishes. One can find Litson Manok (almond wood grilled chicken with garlic chili oil), Laing (taro leaves braised in coconut milk, bonito flakes and pickled Thai chili) and Pancit Sontanghon (vermicelli noodle with shredded chicken, celery, cabbage, carrots, snowpeas, green beans, shitake mushroom and fish sauce) on the menu. Most folks however come here for the pork dishes; primarily the Lucenachon; a slow roasted pork belly dish. The Lucenachon is Chef Lord Maynard’s speciality. He comes from Lucena City in the Philippines and the Lucenachon is his tribute to his hometown. The lucenachon consists of carved pork belly that came from a gigantic roll of pork belly that is stuffed with lemondgrass and red onion and slow roasted.

I got the Lucenachon as part of the Kuya Tray; a delightful tray that is perfect for sharing. It comes with with java garlic rice, chami noodles, achara.

It is no wonder that the Lucenachon has placed Kuya Lord on the map. The pork belly was perfectly slow roasted and I loved how tender the pork was. I got a wonderful crunch when I bit into the skin too. Tender on the inside; crispy on the outside. This was one good entree!

I am always happy to see Filipino restaurants be recognized for their amazing cuisine. “Tuloy po kayo” and enter Kuya Lord to experience the amazing flavors of the Philippines here in Los Angeles!

For more smiles please see my Yelp Review on Kuya Lord.,