Milpitas Restaurant Tips by cwest03

Korean BBQ House: Authentic Korean Experience

You won't find much in the way of decoration at this simple Korean BBQ restaurant but what you will find is good food for a reasonable price. Each table has it's own BBQ station and hood where you'll cook the items that you order. The only exception is at lunch time when the kitchen will cook it for you. As expected each meal comes with kimchi which will be replenished when you've run out. They also offer a good selection of Korean beer as well as soju to help wash down your meal.

Favorite Dish: I almost always get the beef bulgogi and sometimes get the short ribs. Both are wonderful wrapped with lettuce and topped with the spicy bean paste. I also recommend the soju if you can take it. It goes well with BBQ.

Address: 260 S. Abel Street, Milpitas

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Take 237 into Milpitas and stay right as Serra splits off just after Chili's. Take a right on Able and it will be on your left right away.

Other Contact: open 11a-10p closed Sun

Phone: 408-263-6705

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim

Banana Leaf: Great Malaysian Food

This hot spot for lunch and dinner is always full of people, wonderful smells and terrific food. You can expect to wait for a table almost any time of the day or night but the food is well worth the wait. The menu is filled with exotic appetizers, entres, drinks and deserts. The portions are pretty good size and the food is high quality. I recommend starting off your experience with the roti. The dip is to die for. Hold onto it tight so the waitress doesn't take it away before you get a chance to use the remainder on your rice. The fried tofu appetizer is also very tasty if you like peanut sauce and the portion is rather large. There are several entrees to choose from and none of the ones that I have had have been dissapointing. The service is friendly so if you have any questions about the menu don't hesitate to ask.

The environment is fairly lively with lots of people talking and having a good time. The restauraunt also features an open kitchen so you can see and smell your food as it's being prepared. You'll most likely be seated at a table right next to another table as they have done a great job of maximizing the room here. Don't expect to have a quiet intemate dinner here.

Address: 182 Ranch Dr

Comparison: about average

Directions: In the McCarthy Ranch Shopping Center.

Phone: 408-719-9811

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 0

Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim

Website: http://www.bananaleaf-usa.com

Barrio Fiesta: Home of Filipino Foods

This was my first experience with Filipino food so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was told that this was one of the better Filipino restaurants in the area so I was pretty excited to go and check it out. The moment that you walk in the door of Barrio Fiesta you're transformed from Milpitas California to a wonderful restaurant in the middle of Manila.

The service is as inviting as the decorations that adorn the walls and ceiling of this place. We were greeted boy our waitress with a smile and we were made to feel at home.

The menu was quite large with lots of selections to chose from. Lumpia was first on our list as we had all at one point or another had that before. Our order came out as a heaping pile of freshly fried rolls with a sweet tangy dipping sauce. Along with the Lumpia we had the skewers of beef (sorry I don't remember the name). These were equally excellent.

For an entree we had three dishes: chicken adobo, chicken coconut curry and a beef stew. This with a side of rice was more than enough food. Everything was of excellent quality and I was very pleased with our selections.

In addition to the dishes that I mentioned they also have a pretty sizeable seafood selection in addition to other chicken, beef and pork dishes. For those who don't eat meat, fear not, there are lots of veggie dishes to pick from as well.

I would definitely go back to Barrio Fiesta. The food was great, the service was friendly and the price wasn't too bad either. One thing that I forgot to mention was that they have live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The night that we were there they had a guy with a keyboard playing all kinds of English favorites. Not exactly what I expected but fun none the less.

Address: 1790 Milmont Dr, Milpitas

Comparison: about average

Phone: 408-934-9902

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim

Website: http://www.mealdeals4u.com/mealdeals4u/ca/milpitas/barriofiesta.htm