Ma Mon Luk

Aurelia Rama-Tumengkol

2.0

This has been one of the oldest restaurants operating in MNL so I expected a lot and there's nothing really special at all. Good customer service though! :)

Chriselda

4.0

Despite the heat and humidity, it was a real treat to eat mami from this 'institution'. Yes, its glory is faded based on the yellowing newspaper articles hanging on the walls, the crumbling facade, creaky chairs and elderly staff. One sip, one bite, though, and it should transport you to your memories of how mami and siopao Ought to taste like.Menu is limited to their specials- mami, siopao, siomai. The mami is still umami-licious (not too greasy), the asado siopao is not your typical sauce-laden fare but real Chinese asado chunks. My daughter declared it 'too porky' even. :) The siomai is gigantic, at 50p for two pieces, it was a good deal.Service was attentive and accommodating enough. Carlo was a real good wait staff, quick to serve as well. The older staff not so much- it almost felt like they were avoiding looking at us in case we needed something.If you're up for a bit of good food and an even healthier dose of nostalgia, drop by R Ma Mon Luk.

Dita Juniati

3.0

I love their bola bola siopao. However, I'm not a fan of their mami. The taste of the soup is lacking but the noodles were very well-made. The serving is pretty big.The place needs renovation.Will definitely order their siopao again!

Levita Dameati

3.0

The place is not that good. No air conditioner. Nothing special with the Mami , but it cost much. The siopao for me was great it's so big and lots of meat. However I haven't tried the siopao of Kowloon some say it's better. I will try that soon.

Janeeva Kaila Verceles

3.0

I get it that people complain about the restaurant's utter lack of comfortable air conditioning and humidity. But hey, that's one of the experiences you get from dining at Ma Mon Luk, aside from the fact that it's one of Manila's oldest restaurants that's still existing.My first time here in this place when my date took me here after our botched visit to Bahay Nakpil-Bautista (which was closed for the day). We ordered the mami and the asado siopao.The mami had pork and chicken toppings. In itself, it smelled rather malodorous and tasted weird to me. But I guessed those were the traditional Chinese flavors. To mask the rather unpleasant taste, I added it with kalamansi juice and lots and lots and LOTS of ground black pepper. Maybe to a few uninitiated diners like me, their mami had an acquired taste. The noodles though were good, firm, and rather "springy," especially when they were just served right on the table and didn't stay in the broth for too long. Aside from the noodles, the tasty pork was also the redeeming factor of this dish.But with their asado siopao, it was love at first bite! I didn't finish the siopao as I decided to take the remaining half of it, and then eat it later (which I did, inside the van while riding home). It was too big for me to finish it at one sitting and besides, my belly was already full from eating their mami. It was so sulit. 👍At least it was a pleasure dining at Ma Mon Luk. I got to experience to dine the old-school Manila way. 😊

Choy NiEsha

3.0

This is definitely an acquired taste. The noodles are very bland for me. Apparently you have to add siopao sauce. My grandfather loved this place. I think these days the younger generation go out of curiousity (it smells like wet used socks, and the atmosphere is straight out of a Chinese gangster mahjong parlor). Older patrons (and this place is always busy) probably prefer this light flavor as opposed to the new mami and ramen places which they might find too rich. Me, I’m just not impressed, even with half a bottle of siopao sauce thrown in. The siopao, however, is excellent! It’s like pulled pork asado. I would come back for this. Unfortunately they ran out of siomai so I couldn’t review that. Remember, this is the original R Ma Mon Luk in Quiapo between the church and Raon.

Grace Fulgencio-Go

3.0

I really love the classic taste of their special mami and siopao which is my all time favorite. The downsides are the waiters seems to ignore you at times, you need to really call their attention just to order and the cleanliness of the place is not so appealing.

Julius Llorando

5.0

Went to visit Quiapo Church on an ordinary day. It was our first time to brave there. Because of the things we've heard about the people around.We rode tricycle to Quiapo Church. After a little prayer inside, we agreed to ride the MRT after. Sadly, we don't know where Recto Station is located. But God is good all the time. We saw a policeman, and asked him where Recto Station is. He pointed us the direction. And we walked on the sidewalk of Recto Avenue. We were so scared because it was an elbow to elbow. And worse, we felt like all eyes were on us.After walking about a minute, we came upon a much wider sidewalk. And the fear inside me instantly dropped. I immediately stopped and looked up at the name of the establishment... The formerly famous Ma Mon Luk.What else could we do. But to set aside the fear and look for a table. We shared the bowl of chicken mami and a giant siopao.Newspaper cut-outs are framed and hanged all over the walls. You can see even the former powerful people frequented this place just for their noodles. Now I know how famous Ma Mon Luk was before. And it's very sad how it become.We were already full when we left for the station. It's just a stone throw away, so we're not that scared anymore.Now I already know the taste of Ma Mon Luk's, when my father will again tell his story.I gave a 5 star not because of the food (3 star for the mami and siopao, 1 star for the place,) but because of our experience.

Emmanuel Damian

4.0

Whenever i visit quiapo, i cannot miss this place.The place where Mami and siopao is invented.The place needs cleaning though.But still food is great and that is why this is a go to place for people who truly love mami and siopao.Tip. Mix the siopao sauce with your mami..

Neysa Nurannisa

4.0

I honestly first heard about Ma Mon Luk in the blockbuster movie, "Ang Dalawang Mrs Reyes." And so, I got interested.After attending mass in Quiapo Church, Kathy, Michael (high school friends) and I decided to eat at Ma Mon Luk to try their mami and siopao.We ordered special mami and special siopao. A bowl of mami was good enough for the three of us. It was cheap as it was only 120.00; they even gave us extra soup. I find the staff keen on details. Why? We ordered a bowl only. They could've assumed it was just for one person but they were gracious enough in giving us two extra bowls with noodle soup in it.I get why people would say that it was bland. Of course, for noodle houses, they usually serve it with less flavor because it's up to you to use their condiments; you can eat it depending on your preference.It's been a while since I last had a taste of siopao and so my first bite into its softness was a welcome experience.It was a bit humid inside but there are electric fans and wall fans all over the place.I'd go back for that siopao!