Tropical Islands Cuisine 44 West 80th Place, Merrillville, IN 46410

"The food was absolutely wonderful, mouth watering and flavorful. My dad and I tend to travel alot trying restaurants. It's very rare for me to leave a review but it truly was absolutely wonderful. I'm unsure if server was owner or manager, but had such a kind warm personality with a beautiful smile. Warmed up the atmosphere wonderfully. This was honestly worth 2½ hour drive. I highly recommend to give your pallet a taste of all the wonderful food. I'll gladly be back yet trying something new."

"Hidden little gem. The food is fantastic and they are good people. Very friendly and accommodating."

"Restaurant with attached small grocery owned by a very friendly couple. We came at early lunch time on a Saturday and the restaurant happened to be empty, but at other times it is bustling. The husband spent a lot of time chatting with us and explaining many items on the expansive menu since Filipino cuisine is not new to us but not fully familiar to us yet either. The smoothies were fantastic and made with real ingredients. I really liked the ube smoothie, and we also tried mango and strawberry. My husband and son enjoyed their pancit and fried rice. The Lumpia Shanghai was as addictively delicious as you would expect. Last of all, the wife came out of the kitchen with the pièce de résistance, the stuffed fish grilled in banana leaf that was just fantastic. The grocery was small but well organized. They sell some homemade empanadas, pandesal, roasted salted peanuts, and other specialties and also some frozen items like fish and shelf staples. I'm sad I can't come back to try the buffet :)"

"The owner was very friendly and helpful. Atmosphere is a little odd upon entering as the door opens to a store with empty shelves and no one in it, seeming more like a storage room. The restaurant itself is nice. Food on the buffet was all very tasty but quite cold although we went at an odd time (4pm). They don't have a steam table to keep it warm. Will visit again but aim for a more popular time in the hopes that the food is hotter."

"Dropped in for lunch with a buddy and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Food was great, service was good, but a little slow due to limited staff but worth the wait. This place is easy to miss.. the outside is an unassuming storefront.. inside is an actual store with a few Filipino products. Nextdoor is a pretty nicely decorated dinning area, a bar that appears to be under construction and nestled in the back is a nice loungey type of area set up for karaoke. It was lunch so we tried the pork and chicken adobo, some lumpia, and a few skewers. Also ordered a mango smoothie to go for the wifey. Everything was very good and I will definitely be back to try more. Bonus: I hear they have a really good buffet on Sundays, which I'll definitely be back for."