Chaaste Family Market

"At this family-run Filipino spot right off the 210, you enter through a convenience store to get to the adjacent dining room and order cafeteria-style at the counter, pointing out whatever looks good (or you can just have the person serving you recommend what’s good). The hand-rolled pork lumpia are excellent, and our favorites from the entrees are the jiggly braised eggplant with shrimp paste, and the juicy, vinegary adobo chicken. And at the end of your meal, nothing is going to prepare you for how fantastic the homemade turon is—they’re like sticky, crunchy, banana-stuffed lumpia. There’s a reason they sell them in boxes of five." - brant cox, sylvio martins, andrew ryce

"Half-convenient store, half-restaurant, this Pasadena market is your one-stop-shop for hand-rolled pork lumpia, Filipino snacks and candies, and a large variety of dishes like juicy, vinegary pork adobo, eggplant cooked with shrimp paste. Plus, there’s a particularly excellent turon here—a sweet, sticky version of lumpia that’s been deep-fried, dusted with brown sugar, and filled with mashed bananas that are sold in boxes of five. Get two (or three) of them." - nikko duren, garrett snyder

"Turon Half-convenient store, half-restaurant, this Pasadena market is your one-stop-shop for hand-rolled pork lumpia, Filipino snacks and candies, and a large variety of dishes like juicy, vinegary pork adobo, eggplant cooked with shrimp paste. Plus, there’s a particularly excellent turon here – a sweet, sticky version of lumpia that’s been deep-fried, dusted with brown sugar, and filled with mashed bananas that are sold in boxes of five. Get two (or three) of them." - the infatuation los angeles crew

"We've waxed poetic about the excellent Filipino food at this family-run takeout counter in Pasadena before, but as much as we love their sinigang and adobo, there's a reason you'll see a sign counting how many crispy, sticky hand-rolled turon (sweet fried lumpia) they've sold since opening in 1987 (the current tally is closing in on 1 million). The classic banana-filled ones are life-changing, but you'll also want some stuffed with custard, jackfruit, or chocolate. There’s a reason they sell them in boxes of five. Consider their creamy ube flan (available in the cold case) and colorful, carefully layered halo-halo mandatory orders, too." - nikko duren, sylvio martins

"Flipping through photos online doesn't do this strip mall spot in Pasadena justice. You might gather it's a half-market, half-Filipino restaurant with a turo turo counter in the back. But you haven’t experienced the beauty of Chaaste until you've sat down with a plate of homestyle cooking prepared by the cheery, close-knit family that runs this place. It also doesn't hurt that their adobo is so tender the chicken melts from the bone like halo-halo on a hot day. Mostly though, they specialize in stunning desserts like crispy hand-rolled turon and creamy ube flan (both are mandatory orders). For the full effect, enjoy a spread in the small seating area next to a mural of Manny Pacquiao." - brant cox, garrett snyder, jess basser sanders, nikko duren, sylvio martins