Tagalog Dining Phrases and Food Words for Filipino Meals
How to say thank you, delicious and let's eat in Tagalog, plus the Filipino food words behind names like silog, kawali and inasal on the Barrios menu in Halifax.
Barrios Restaurant & Bar
10/21/20263 min read
Tagalog Dining Phrases: A Small Dictionary for Filipino Food in Halifax
You do not need a word of Tagalog to eat at Barrios. English is fine, and nobody minds if you ask what a dish is. But a few Tagalog food words make a Filipino meal more fun, and they explain a lot of the names on our menu.
This is a short dining dictionary from Barrios Kitchen & Bar, the Filipino restaurant at 1571 Barrington Street in downtown Halifax. Tagalog is the language behind Filipino, the national language of the Philippines. The capital letters show which syllable to stress.
Five words to use at the table
Salamat (sa-LA-mat): thank you. Add po, as in salamat po, to make it more polite. Filipinos use po with elders, strangers and anyone they want to show respect to.
Masarap (ma-sa-RAP): delicious. This is how you say delicious in Tagalog. You will also hear the root word on its own, Sarap!, said after a first bite.
Kain tayo (ka-IN ta-YO): let's eat. It is an invitation, and at a Filipino table it is often said to anyone nearby, even someone who was not planning to eat.
Busog: full. Busog na ako means I'm already full.
Isa pa: one more. It works for almost anything, from a drink to another plate of spring rolls.
Rice, and two greetings
Kanin is cooked rice, and at a Filipino meal it is always there. Sinangag is garlic fried rice. At Barrios, extra rice is an add-on: steamed rice is $2.50 and garlic rice is $2.75.
A common greeting you may hear from Filipino friends is kumain ka na? It means have you eaten yet? It is less a question than a way of saying hello and showing you care.
Mabuhay is the word you may see on signs and hear at Filipino events. It is a formal welcome, and it literally means long live, so it also works as a toast.
Food words that come up at a Filipino meal
Ulam: the dish you eat with rice. At a Filipino meal, the rice is the base and the ulam goes with it.
Sawsawan: dipping sauce, usually vinegar or soy based. Our crispy pata and chicken inasal both come with a soy vinegar dip.
Pulutan: food eaten with drinks. Sisig is a classic pulutan.
Merienda: a snack between meals, mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Maanghang: spicy. Maanghang ba? means is it spicy?
Kamayan: eating with your hands, often from a feast laid out on banana leaves. At Barrios, a kamayan feast is only available for private in-house catering, on request, with one to two weeks' notice.
What the names on our menu mean
Many Filipino dish names describe how the food is made. Once you know a few, the menu reads more easily.
Silog: a blend of sinangag, garlic fried rice, and itlog, egg. Our bangsilog, $17, is bangus, milkfish, with garlic fried rice and a sunny side egg. Our beef tapa, $18, comes with garlic rice and two eggs, which makes it a tapsilog.
Kawali: a wok or frying pan. Lechon kawali, $19, is pork belly simmered with spices and then deep-fried until the skin shatters.
Inasal: grilled, in the Visayan languages of the central Philippines. Our chicken inasal, $22, is marinated in citrus, garlic and spices before it goes on the grill.
Pancit: noodles. Pancit bihon, $17, uses thin rice vermicelli.
Torta: an omelette. Our torta, $12, is tortang talong, grilled eggplant in beaten egg, pan-fried.
Pinakbet: from an Ilocano word meaning shrivelled, for vegetables cooked down together. Ours, $14, is mashed squash, stir-fried beans and okra, fried eggplant and crispy tofu. Filipinos usually make it with bagoong, but ours is made without bagoong or fish sauce, so it is vegetarian and vegan-friendly.
How to use them without feeling awkward
Use one word at a time, at a moment where it fits. Say salamat when your food arrives. Try masarap after the first bite of something you like. Say kain tayo when the plates hit the table. Nobody expects perfect pronunciation, and pointing at the menu is always allowed.
Visit Barrios
We are at 1571 Barrington Street, open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 AM, until 9 PM Tuesday to Thursday and 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. Sunday is Filipino brunch from 10:30 AM to 4 PM, and we are closed on Mondays. Book a table or call 902-444-2515. The full menu is online. Prices shown are from our current menu and may change.
Quick answers
How do you say thank you in Tagalog?
Salamat. Salamat po is the more polite form.
How do you say delicious in Tagalog?
Masarap. You will often hear the root word on its own: Sarap!
What does kain tayo mean?
Let's eat. It is an invitation to share the meal.
What does silog mean on a Filipino menu?
It means the dish comes with garlic fried rice and egg. The first part of the name is the main item, like bangus, milkfish, in bangsilog.
Do I need to speak Tagalog to eat at Barrios?
No. English is fine. A few words are just a fun way to connect with the food.