Reading Terminal welcomes 1st Filipino restaurant, Tambayan

Philadelphia, Pa -- Tambayan is believed to be the first spot in Reading Terminal Market's nearly 130-year-history to serve Filipino fare.

Signature dishes include the pancit- a fried rice-based noodle mixed with vegetables and either shrimp, pork or chicken, fresh lumpia -an egg roll stuffed with vegetables and dipped in owner, Kathy Mirano's homemade sauce, and her BBQ.

Mirano is a proud native of Batangas a province near the capital of Manila. She came to the United States 26 years ago and has worked in the market for 21 of those years.

During the pandemic, she started selling small cakes to doctors and nurses at Jefferson Hospital. She called her virtual business Runners Sweets and Treats because "I'm an addicted runner, ultra-marathoner."

Now, with the opening of Tambayan, you can get desserts and a homemade meal.

And whether sweet or savory, you'll find ube everywhere.

It's one of the most beloved foods in Filipino culture, Kathy puts the purple potato in her macarons. She also makes an ube drink and ube rolls with sharp cheddar inside and halo-halo, a Filipino dessert drink with her homemade ube ice cream.

Tambayan means it's a place to hang out and Kathy says opening the restaurant is just as much about sharing her food as it is about sharing her culture.

Maraming salamat, she explains, means thank you very much, and she says it to every customer lining up at the counter to sample her authentic dishes.