Best Of CLE: Filipino Food Truck

If you haven’t tried Filipino food yet, Parilya food truck chef and owner Roger San Juan is on a mission to change that.

After 20 years in the restaurant industry, he decided to set out on his own, creating dishes that mean so much to his culture. “Filipino food is a marriage between cuisines from many different cultures,” he says. “It draws inspiration from Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and even Western cultures.”

With a repertoire of about 25 items, San Juan has a base of seven core items such as lumpia ($5-$6 for four), Filipino spring rolls stuffed with beef or vegetables. A must-try, the chicken tocino ($10) starts by marinating chicken breasts in brown sugar, pineapple juice and garlic overnight. The result is a tender, slightly sweet dish that comes served with fried or white rice.

In the year that San Juan has been bringing Parilya to meetups and events, he’s happy to see customers enjoy his food and spread the word. “I just knew that once they tried it, they’d be hooked,” he says. “That’s when I realized that there’s a niche for me here.” 440-360-0294, facebook.com/parilyacle

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