The Purple Yam
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Hours
Sun
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Wed
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Thu
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Fri
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sat
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
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Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
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CUISINES
Filipino, Asian
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
features
Is this an Asian restaurant?
Details
CUISINES
Filipino, Asian
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Serves Alcohol, Table Service
Contribute
4.5
54 reviews
Excellent
30
Very good
17
Average
6
Poor
1
Terrible
0
FredTep
32 contributions
Oct 2019 • none
On a quiet mid-week night in October, we ate at the Purple Yam on the recommendation of our daughter, who lives in the neighborhood and whose food opinion we respect. When we walked in, a little early for Brooklyn (the place was empty), the chef/owner was taking a picture of quinces that he had just gotten in. A chef who knows, understands, and loves quince must be a great chef, in our opinion. After chatting with him for a while, and seeing some of his drawings of various fruits, we were extremely eager to try the food.
The reality exceeded our high expectations by far. We started by splitting a pomelo, green mango, and jicama salad. It was delicious. The three main ingredients were in perfect balance.
I ordered the goat curry with rice pancakes and mango chutney. My wife had Pancit Bihon, which is philippine rice noodles with chicken, pork & veggies. Both dishes were delightful, both comfort food in the sense of making us happy to eat them, but made with ingredients and combinations that were new to us and absolutely delicious.
My wife had the mango sorbet for dessert, and I had a special of sweet rice with a plum sauce ice cream. Both were wonderful. The ice creams and sorbets seem to be made in-house, and seem to get the same high level of attention as the rest of the menu items.
All in all, this was one of the best meals we've had in New York, at what seems to us a very reasonable price. I bet we'll be back tomorrow, and probably every other time we're in New York, too.
Written October 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JeffreyGL48
New York City250 contributions
Mar 2019 • friends
Fascinating home-style Filipino food of all varieties. Heavy on meat, but delicious. Chef/Owner Rico comes to your table to help you choose his specialties and evaluate your opinion. Carefully sourced food to add authentic flavor.
Written March 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lorna M
85 contributions
Jul 2018 • couples
Really enjoyed our early dinner meal at the purple yam! We got there about 6pm and it was nice and quiet so had our choice of seats. Nice beer selection including some favourites from south east Asia. The daily dumplings were amazing. My husband-a big dumpling fan, said they were the best he’s had!! Had the ribs and the noodles which were also very much enjoyed. Very fresh and tasty and felt quite authentic!
Written July 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary T
Austin1056 contributions
Mar 2024 • family
We dined here tonight as a party of 5. They have a large number of different Filipino dishes and deserts. Everything we tried was good and all the dishes were quite large servings. We could have easily shared them and we ended up with take out bags. The deserts are also large and can easily be shared.
Written March 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary T
Austin1056 contributions
Apr 2024 • family
We dined here as a party of 5 and it is very good Filipino food. Everyone enjoyed their food and pricing was quite reasonable for the NYC area.
Written April 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
filscribe
50 contributions
May 2018 • friends
The proprietors of Purple Yam have been serving up wonderful Filipino dishes for decades, first at Cendrillon in SoHo and for the past couple of years now in Brooklyn. Eating at Purple Yam is to sample an evolving version of the cuisine that's a result of comprehensive scholarship and joyful curiosity. But you don't have to think about this till later, when you relive your experience. Just eat and enjoy the flavors and the casual but generous hospitality. My favorites: Ukoy, fluffy crispy fritters filled with shrimp and julienned vegetables; bibingka, a rice cake that is the epitome of umami, garnished as it is with sugar, salted egg, and cheese; lechon kawali or deep-fried pork belly. And don't leave without trying the home-made ice cream.
Written July 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Feb27AD380
New York City70 contributions
Oct 2017 • friends
New flavors! Wow.
I wasn’t expecting the variety of flavors in the dishes here: fish, pork, spices, herbs, etc.
Get the fresh lumpia. Get the oxtail with the peanut sauce and shrimp paste. Order the pork belly. Get the leche flan and halo halo. Now I understand why Filipino food is getting the attention in the culinary scene.
All the foodies out there should visit Purple Yam and try out the dishes. Kudos to the chef!
Definitely worth a return trip!
Written March 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jonathan K
Princeton706 contributions
Apr 2017 • couples
Unusual, innovative, Asian fusion menu that includes some time-honored favorites as well as some more unusual dishes. Service was a bit slow, but the ambiance was lively and unpretentious, and every dish we ordered was delicious, including desserts.
Written April 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jov1061
New York City169 contributions
Jan 2017 • couples
This is the holy grail of Filipino food for foodies in New York that has proven itself many times due to its pioneering work to present this most misunderstood Asian cuisine to the global stage.
I've been coming here for years. But today, they just resurrected a Fresh Lumpia recipe with purple yam and Ominio flour crepe filled with water chestnuts and winter bamboo shoots in garlic caramel sauce. The Sinovision English Channel with Christie Clements just finished filming today when we arrived, and we just missed it. But we made sure that we tried the fresh lumpia. It was perfection: the crepe, the crunchy vegetables and the fragrant sweet savory sauce. I was not reminiscing home, it was better than home.
Our visit is not complete without ordering their crispy Ukoy ( shrimp fritters ) as light as tempura and Cua Pao ( open faced siopao with pork belly ), and lechon kawali.
Their fried rice featured dikit and 2 other artisanal rice from Cordillera Mt. in the Philippines. In celebration of the Year of the Rooster, Romy Dorotan, the chef, suggested the Chinese Tikoy ( Chinese New Year Cake ) topped with champoy ice cream and dripping with Yacon syrup served with guava and other tropical fruits. That was unforgettable.
Written January 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matthew Q
New Hope77 contributions
Oct 2016 • family
When we stopped by The Purple Yam for a late Saturday lunch, the restaurant was busy with a mixed crowd of couples, families and a few singles at the bar. We were given a table by the window which allowed us to watch the comings and goings on Cortelyou Road. The food is a blend of Asian favorites as well as some innovative new dishes that demonstrate the skill of the chefs in the visible kitchen near the back. There is something for everyone on the menu, each dish served with a custom spice level. Overall the food is excellent and the prices what you would expect to pay for food of this quality. If you're in the mood, my date ordered the special Mango Martini from the bar (the sorbet was home made) and enjoyed it very much.
Written October 20, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zatoitchy
Baltimore70 contributions
Jun 2016 • couples
We finally made it to the Purple Yam, a restaurant I had been looking forward to eating at for a few years, after hearing about it from friends. The dishes and drinks are creative and surprising, made and served with love!
Thank you Chef Romy and staff.
Written September 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bjymd
South Portland43 contributions
Aug 2016 • family
We went for dinner and had a wonderful experience. The menu has interesting choices and the food was fresh and delicious. The tastes were varied and we all enjoyed our food greatly.
Written August 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andholl
Attard44 contributions
Aug 2016 • family
The beef dumplings were delicious, as was the pancit. The adobo chicken was a bit sweet as if they used too much vinegar. The cocktails were overpriced for the amount of alcohol in them (tasted like none was included). I'd eat here again though.
Written August 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jimmy O
Cleveland61 contributions
Jul 2016 • friends
Service was wonderful and unassuming. Food was surprisingly delicious. Had lamb dumplings for an app and it was heavenly. mussels from china town brought in by a guy who knows a guy where the biggest I've ever seen. Try the Sisig and you will not be disappointed.
Written July 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zatoitchy
Baltimore70 contributions
Jun 2016 • couples
We finally made it to the Purple Yam, a restaurant I had been looking forward to eating at for a few years, after hearing about it from friends. The dishes and drinks are creative and surprising, made and served with love!
Thank you Chef Romy and staff.
Written June 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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