Reviews describe Buboy as a cozy and authentic Filipino spot where comfort dishes like pancit, lechon, bulalo, kare kare, and kinilaw shine, with many praising bold flavors, generous portions, and a homey counter vibe. The menu is frequently cited for thoughtful twists and a strong sense of tradition, and the service is consistently described as friendly, attentive, and approachable, making for an inviting dining experience even when busy. Some feedback points to the mall location and occasional inconsistencies in temperature or preparation, while others call the price a good value and highlight highlights such as special feasts and standout pancit canton. Overall, the reviews frame Buboy as a noteworthy, often praised Filipino food destination in Montreal with enduring appeal.
I visited twice on the same Montreal trip, which I think says something. Either about Buboy's potential, or my own optimism. Possibly both.
First visit, I ordered the bulalo. At Buboy they serve it with noodles, which is their prerogative. I asked for rice on the side because I'm Filipino, & also the grandchild of a rice farmer, so this is something I take personally. The rice was dry enough that not even the bulalo broth could rescue it, which is a sentence I genuinely did not expect to write about a Filipino restaurant. The beef in the bulalo was also quite lean, which made me reconsider whether the noodles would have even helped. The broth itself was decent. I could see the vision. I just couldn't fully live in it.
The music situation: the staff were changing songs constantly, which is a pet peeve of mine both as a customer & as someone who has worked in food service.'Folded' by Kehlani came on. They changed it immediately. I am not over this.
Second visit, different friend, different order. I got the tinapa fried rice, which was genuinely good. I also paid extra for an additional egg, somewhere in the $2-3 range, & received half an egg. So I paid to complete the egg that came with the dish.
Buboy has real ideas. The menu has personality. Our friends who live in Montreal love it, & I wanted to love it too. I just think the execution stumbles on the things that should be the easiest to get right. Rice. Beef. The egg math (I know there's eggflation, but still.)
I'll probably try the ube crinkle cookie next time I'm in town. There will probably be a next time.
I ordered lechon & crab rangoons to go & paid $2 extra to replace rice with noodles +the tip. Unfortunately, I was given rice instead of noodles, tried calling but the number is disconnected. Pretty disappointed since I was the only customer there.
We tried the Kamayan Christmas dinner special-a collaboration with Dobe & Andy-& wow. If you're a meat lover, this will absolutely blow your socks off. The spread was loaded with BBQ pork, crispy pork, chicken, duck skewers, veggies, cream cheese & crab dumplings, plus a generous portion of fried rice packed with even more meat.
Reservations are required since it's a group-style meal, & it's well worth planning ahead. Other standouts for us were the coconut soup with crispy pork & the bone broth-both comforting & deeply flavorful.
Buboy is truly a rare gem in Montreal. Huge thanks to Chef Eric for consistently offering such unique, delicious dishes at prices that remain accessible.
If you like Crab Rangoon, Oxtail Kare-Kare & Bulalo Pares this is the place for you.
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I've had a bunch of Philippino style food before but here at @buboymtl it's like comfort & wholesome cooking had a baby. It's definitely on the heavy, put you in a coma, style vibe & I love it.
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Really nice traditional spot that has been serving up the NDG area of Montreal all summer & giving people a delicious take on amazing Philippino Cooking.
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They also have this amazing Cantaloupe Juice that is super refreshing & at times they even are known to do a collab or 2 with other great individuals like the master behind the Halo Halo Donut I had from @deuxbecs, really the master of donut making himself!
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If your in the area you guys are lucky because coming into the winter season, these guys are Gunna keep you feed & fat all winter long 😅.
Laing: Roast Pork Belly, Taro Leaves In Coconut Milk over Rice 🐷🍚🥥
Lechon kare kare : Roast Pork Belly, Peanut Butter Gravy over Rice 🐷🍚🥜
Pancit Canton : House Noodles , Toyomansi sauce ( soy-Calamansi) , Chili Jam , 6 minute egg 🐔🥚🍜
I have to honestly & say I love the new & improved menu at @buboymtl & especially the new location. It really fits them better & to have a set menu with a hand full of bangers is all they needed!
Its just simple comfort philipinos food done ohhh so well me & my buddy couldn't get over how delicious everything really was! If your going through Chinatown & you need a recommendation, go here!
Food tastes great. I do think the quantity can be slightly more, we left not fully feeling full. 2/3 of my bowl was rice which I couldn't possibly have finished so slightly more meat would be highly appreciated.
A small sanitary suggestion would to have the employee handling food to be wearing gloves. It's a sore sight to be seeing someone pulling on noodles with their bare hands for the next order as you're eating right in front of them.
Everything we ordered was so flavourful & authentic! The kinilaw with garlic rice was stellar. Only wish there were more places to sit, but we'll be back!
Jul 30, 2025
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Room temperature was freezing...some rice was hard (either old rice or cold rice) I've ordered 3 plates unfortunately it wasn't hot but more likely between cold & warm ....felt like if I add 2 more minutes in the microwave it would have been hot enough. The sauce was gelatinous, probably not hot enough. Don't get me wrong, I love philipino food, but this time .....I was disappointed.... never have I ever had a plate semi hot & hard rice ...
I recently had the chance to try the boodle-feast (Kamayan) dining experience. It was an engaging & interactive meal, where I got to enjoy the food with my hands (plastic gloves were provided). The price tag was $60 per person, but the portion sizes were generous, making it a worthwhile & enjoyable experience. I loved the garlic rice & the deliciously charred meat.
We came for their limited all you can eat Sunday brunch To;dr: would recommend, the food is good! The food was really good, not too many options but every single dish tastes very good The first plate tasted a lot better than the 2nd serving we had, the rice was quite mushy & the meat was somehow saltier (could be us) Service was really good, 4 star because she proposed food & we thought it was included but it ended up being extra
Buboy is a really tasty, homey, local restaurant joint with a twist on staple Filipino dishes. We had oxtail karekare, loco-gang, & longsilog. The portions are great, rice-heavy as what your Filipino mom will put on your plate. We had calamansi juice as well, which is always a refreshing drink to enjoy
Jul 20, 2024
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Delicious! Limited seating, but the food was amazing. Had the OG Bulalo & the Oxtail with rice. Wow! Will be back for sure to try other items in the menu. Everything looks amazing to try. Friendly & fast service.
Had the Pares & Kare-Kare, as well as the canteloupe drink. Both dishes were excellent! My partner & I slightly preferred the Pares, because the beef was just so tasty & flavourful. But I also really likes the Kare-Kare, which even used actual ox tail! We also had the crab rangoons which were so addictively good, we basically finished it all in one sitting. We had the food to go, & I wished the Pares had more sauce to go with it (maybe the rice absorbed most of the sauce) & the Kare-Kare came with a side of shrimp paste. That said, the food was so good we can’t wait to go back & try more of the menu! :) Highly recommend!
