DelCiano Serves Up Authentic Filipino Fare and Karaoke in South Arlington

Dallas is one of the largest U.S. cities by population (ninth overall). Fortunately, with big numbers come big choices, at least in the culinary department. It’s amazing to see North Texas evolve into a smorgasbord of traditional foods birthed from every corner of the planet.

Filipino Americans now make up the third-largest community of Asian Americans in the U.S., behind Chinese Americans and Indian Americans. Filipino dining establishments are being built along with the usual suspects of Thai and Chinese restaurants. In 2020, D Magazine wrote about the "barrage of Filipino pop-ups in Dallas."

One restaurant making strides to be the go-to place for the savory cuisine of the South Pacific is DelCiano, located just off U.S. 287 where Arlington ends and Mansfield begins. The restaurant sits in a shopping center alongside an Albertsons. From the outside, it looks small, but there is plenty of indoor dining, a full-size bar and a karaoke stage.

Pinoy or Filipino cuisine is as diverse as the 7,000 islands that make up The Philippines. Pinoy use to be a term to describe Filipinos who traveled to the U.S., but now it's a term of endearment that encapsulates all Filipinos domestic or abroad. Although the region has variations of cuisine, there were a few popular dishes we were told we must try.
We started with lumpia, a golden, crispy fried spring roll with a mixture of pork and cabbage inside. We torpedoed those crunchy appetizers into a pool of sweet chili sauce that married up well for a first bite.
For entrées, we started with kare kare ($17.99), a thick savory peanut sauce stew that is traditionally prepared with oxtail, pork, calves’ feet or beef, but we decided to go with chicken. At first sight, with its golden-brown creamy texture, it looks like a rendition of a South Asian curry. Despite its appearance, the taste is something entirely different. The peanut flavor is very strong, but lacked depth and flavor. We didn’t know we were supposed to add a shrimp paste left on the table, which is why it’s always good to ask questions when exploring uncharted territory. Once we added a few scoops of the purplish paste into the stew, the entire dish sprung alive.

The dinner entrées are a bit pricey, but there are lunch portions for $9.99. There's also an option for a family meal for $56.99, which comes with three entrées and unlimited rice.

The adobo ($15.99) needed no additions or introductions. The pork was tender and utterly delicious. Filipino adobo is different from the adobos in Latin countries. In the Philippines, it is a method to both preserve and marinate the meat using vinegar and soy sauce, imparting a delectable tang and umami flavor. That flavor profile of vinegar seems to be a trend in Pinoy cuisine. The hint of sweetness brought out the flavors of the meat, and eating with fluffy steamed white rice made this a well-rounded meal by itself.
Lastly, we pulled the wild card and tried the sisig ($18.99), supposedly the perfect dish for a night out of heavy drinking. Like other grand stewards of the planet, Filipinos traditionally don’t like to waste any part of the animal that humans can eat. This dish can be prepared with meat from the pig’s face, belly, tail or other leftover parts. It is chopped up, fried hard and seasoned with calamansi (Philippine lime), onions and chili peppers and served on a platter to keep warm with a fried egg.

The server said level five heat would make us break a sweat, but if you are an avid hedonistic heat lover, five is not bad at all. It’s easy to see this is a drunk night favorite. The spicy, greasy, salty combination probably gives you the illusion that you are OK to drive. It would be great to see an American version of this on top of French fries.
No good meal is complete without a dessert, and halo halo ($10.99) is the icing on the cake. It's so nice they named it twice. Halo Halo is made up of crushed ice, evaporated milk or coconut milk, ube (purple yam), shredded coconut and a variety of bits of fruits and jams. This devilishly sweet concoction should be a new Christmas tradition because its brilliant colors shine more brightly than any Christmas tree.
The karaoke stage is available at all times, Feel the need to sing mid-bite? No problem. Just jump onto the stage. We read a lot of reviews that said the owner likes to join his customers on stage. More casual strip mall restaurants next to Albertsons should have karaoke.

It might be a while before we see a great number of Filipino restaurants, partly because of the slow-cooking methods it takes to prepare these South Pacific flavors. But it's definitely worth the wait.

DelCiano Pinoy Cuisine, 6320 U.S. 287 Frontage Road, Arlington. Wednesday – Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday.