The food was absolutely delicious, with each dish bursting with authentic Filipino flavors. I particularly loved the Lobster, which was cooked to perfection with seasoning that were each distinguishable but not overwhelming. It was so amazing.
The service was excellent, with the staff going above and beyond to ensure that my dining experience was nothing short of exceptional. The ambiance of the restaurant was also lovely, with a cozy and inviting atmosphere that added to the overall experience.
I highly recommend Hiraya to anyone looking for a unique taste of the Philippines right here in Dc. I can't wait to return and try more of their amazing dishes!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
I’ve dined in at Hiraya twice now and each experience was nothing short of amazing! The service, food, and vibes were exceptional. The prawns dish (not pictured - ate too fast) and mushroom Filipino breakfast were absolute standouts – bursting with so much flavor! Chef Paolo's culinary journey shines through in every dish, and I've been consistently impressed. Can't wait to return and explore more of the menu. Go chef P and team!!!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
The downstairs cafe is fun, but the upstairs tasting menu is the real star. For those who drink, the wine pairing is a must-do: Hiraya’s wine selections really make the dishes sing. A good bang for your buck tasting menu, and the chef’s counter is rather large.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
I'll be returning when the full restaurant opens to give an update but when I went in the other day, I was really amazed at the interior design. It was open and I loved the plants blending with natural materials. The service was great and everyone was very nice. I had a mango pastry and it was really good. The drinks are very thought out and the latte art is fun.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Breakfast
Price per person
$1–10
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
I have had the pleasure of trying both the cafe downstairs and sitting at the chef's counter for the December 2023 "Soy Filipino" tasting menu dinner. This review is focused on the latter. There are no words to describe how delicious everything was nor how much pride I had in seeing Filipino success in this way. The flavors make those who grew up eating Filipino food feel at home, and those who are not as familiar with the cuisine feel like they now a part of something special.
The hospitality at the dinner was quintessential pinoy hospitality - it was authentic and we truly felt the joy the *entire staff felt welcoming and feeding us (each and everyone came by and introduced themselves/checked in at some point). Am a forever fan of the talented, humble, and innovative Chef Paolo and his incredible team!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
This was one of the best meals I’ve had in DC hands down. The drinks, the food, the space, every detail is thought out. Chef Paolo and the entire team made us feel special and well taken care of through our meal. Consider us regulars from now on!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Every time I go to Hiraya I want to order everything on the menu! Spectacular ingenuity of sweet and savory Filipino cuisine. The menu is a carnivore’s dream while also having plenty for herbivores to love! The service is great and from the music to the cleanliness, the atmosphere is amazing. Go for coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner aka go anytime and you won’t regret it!
Mahal kita (“I love you” in Tagalog), Hiraya!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Absolutely great service!! Great atmosphere! It was like fine dining meets a cafe. Makulay latte was tasty. Order at the counter, take your number, seat yourself, and self serve your water which is available in a nice glass bottle for the table. The menu causes much to anticipate and the food will not disappoint. Brisket was tender and flavorful. Pastries were absolutely delicious. Had to tip for the excellent service alone! The staff were absolutely professional and went above and beyond. Definitely worth the experience alone but the food was delicious! Will return and recommend!
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
My partner and I attended a soft opening for Hiraya’s upstairs tasting menu. We opted for the 7 courses and were not disappointed.
It’s rare for us to have a dining experience where every course offers something new. The food was inventive, full of flavor and beautifully presented.
Probably the highlight for me was 2 of the appetizers - buchi, a sesame ball with foie gras (I could have had more of that for my whole meal) and kutsinta, a kind of rice cake with caviar. For the mains, I especially loved the scallop pastry with shaved truffles. My partner loved the beef. With the duck (prepared 3 ways) it really felt like a lot of food, and we hadn’t had dessert yet. The floating lotus dessert surprised me by being warm - it’s like a saucier tapioca pudding with a little fruit and pandan jellies in it. It may not look appetizing but it’s total comfort food to this Filipina. We loved the calamansi tart too.
Hiraya could easily get away with serving fewer desserts but who am I to judge? Lol. Our bellies were happily full at the end.
We tried a red wine that was recommended to pair with the duck - I think from Rhône valley. It was perfect. I also tried one of the tamarind cocktails that was delicious. My husband enjoyed the red horse beer, which he hadn’t had before. If we weren’t driving back, I would have loved to try more of the cocktails. The drink menu looked amazing. (This is not surprising after I found out that the general manager came from Preserve in Annapolis where the cocktails are the bomb.)
With this new menu and service, we expected there to be some kinks for them to work out, but there weren’t any. Service was impeccable and you could see that the kitchen staff were enjoying themselves. There’s nothing like Filipino hospitality.
I haven’t been to the cafe downstairs but clearly will be going back - for both the tasting menu upstairs (again), and to try the cafe. Can’t wait to go back!
Me and my friend got into this place before 3PM last tuesday (01/09), excited to taste the food, and see the buzz created by this resto on social media. We were looking to eat the breakfast/lunch menu, but the server told us that they're doing dinner menu already, it's kinda odd and early, in my humble opinion. Waited for a while, we ordered 1 Salo-Salo to be shared. Our Salo-salo consisted of 1 Fried Chicken Inasal to start, 1 Prawns Laing and 1 Pork Chop "Dinuguan" for the 2 choices of main plates and 1 Calamansi Tart for dessert. Then, added 1 ala carte order of Filipino Street BBQ, 2 extra heirloom garlic rice and 1 Black Truffled ensaymada for dessert.
I was totally surprised to be charged an extra $50.00 Salo Salo when i got the check, the nice waiter, when asked for an explanation said, since there's 2 of us sharing the food, the food we ordered has to be made for 2. I did not dispute anymore and proceeded to pay the bill which a 22% service charge was already included. I end up frustratingly paying almost $175.00.
My questions or comments are:
1) Why did the waiter not explain to us that we are going to be charged double ahead of time. Highly questionable practice.
2) If you can only see the pictures of our dishes, the Prawns Laing has 3 pieces of prawns on it, this means one of us has to eat 2 pcs. and the other with 1 pc.
3) The Pork Chop "Dinuguan" looks only 1 regular whole size of pork chop to be shared by 2 people, so in short it means to say if only one diner orders the pork chop, that person will only get half portion of the pork chop?
Our waiter was busy doing the cashier's job and assisting the photographers, and it really affected the service he was providing to us, i have to call him many times for our proper dining needs. Even though this time, we were the only guests in the restaurant.
I'm sad to write this review, but i have to be honest. The food presentation was top-notch, but if you are a filipino or somebody that's familiar with a typical good filipino food, the volume for the price will be surely lacking.
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 4
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 4
Recommended dishes
Filipino Street BBQ
