We had an amazing experience during our recent trip to Chicago at Kasama. Our dinner consisted of…read more13 courses. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared, beautifully presented, and delicious. It was such a fun experience getting to try the chef's own take on Filipino cuisine. The quality of the food really stood out. My personal favorites were the nilaga and halo halo. The service was also excellent -- everyone was attentive, welcoming, and made the entire dinner feel special. I also couldn't help but notice how different the ambiance was. The kitchen area was open to where you could directly see the chefs. I usually feel chaos at times watching their every move along with them shouting over each other, but I felt a sort of calmness here. No one looked stressed or angry - just a bunch of chefs doing what they do best in a calm and quiet manner.. which I appreciated! Overall, a wonderful dining experience from start to finish. Definitely worth trying if you're in Chicago!

Kasama is a two Michelin star restaurant in Chicago that is arguably more famous for their…read morebreakfast than their dinner service. Every scroll online was about their longanisa breakfast sandwich and infamously long line. So of course, I had to give them a try. They open at 9am, but the line starts forming long before then. Luckily, I had just gotten off my red-eye flight, so I headed straight from O'hare International Airport to Kasama. We arrived around 8:45am and the line was already halfway down the block. And as we got closer to opening time, the line doubled. We waited in total for an hour and a half before it was our turn to order. Now, I must say, it is definitely not worth it to wait in line in the morning for their daytime service. You can order your food online and walk straight inside to pick it up when it is ready. The food we ate did not feel worth a 90 minute wait in the freezing Chicago wind. The dining area is quite small with only a few tables available. I think they have an outdoor dining area as well, but no one really wanted to sit there given the cold. Even though daytime service is only counter service, the workers were really nice. The girl at the counter was so friendly and helped us quickly find a table after ordering. The longanisa breakfast sandwich arrived at our table wrapped in aluminum foil. And for the time that we waited, I was hoping to receive a fresh sandwich. I totally understand batching the sandwiches ahead of time to meet their ridiculous demand, but I was a bit underwhelmed. The sandwich was still good. I liked the silky texture of the egg, but the meat was already lukewarm. Eating the sandwich did not feel as satisfying as I had hoped it would.  I liked my drink - the Maiz con Leche. Hot and creamy with delicious corn flavor. I like the grainy texture of it as well.  The second most well known item here is probably the Ube and Huckleberry Basque Cake. It's a good cake. Crumbly texture. Tart. Although I felt like the huckleberry for the most part overwhelmed the ube. I was hoping to get a bit more ube flavor, but I could really only taste it in the bits where it wasn't mixed that well into the huckleberry.  I did, however, love the Matcha Panda Eclair - a light choux pastry with a piping of matcha pandan cream, filled with toasted rice. This was probably one of the best pastries I've ever had. The bite of this pastry is very satisfying. The outer layer of the pastry has ridges that are slightly crisp, and chomping through the choux to hit the crunch of the toasted rice was very satisfying. And the cream was delicious. They absolutely nailed the matcha and pandan flavor. I feel like pandan can be a difficult flavor to get right, so I was especially impressed with how they pulled it off.  Regardless of the time it takes to stand in line to dine-in, Kasama is a great place to visit. I would just recommend everyone skip the line and order online!

I was so happy to discover Bayan Ko Diner, a vibrant fusion of two rich culinary cultures -…read moreFilipino and Cuban - within walking distance of our ceramics class. My daughter and I came here for the first time last month on the last day of our summer session, and we returned a few days ago on the first day of our fall session. I love the beautiful, trendy décor, with Filipino and Cuban wall art displayed on opposite walls. The restaurant is clean, comfortable, and inviting. Our first visit was a solid four stars. The service was good, although not particularly memorable. The food was good overall, but not everything was a hit. We ordered: - Lumpia Shanghai ($7 for 1/2 order, 2 pieces) - Filipino spring rolls with pork, scallion, and Mom's garlic sauce. The skin was crunchy and the filling was flavorful, although the rolls were quite small. - Adobo Wings ($16 for 1/2 order) - crispy fried chicken wings with adobo glaze, served with rice. The wings were delicious, but we received 5 drumettes and only 1 flat. We would have preferred more flats, or at least an equal number of flats and drumettes. - Bistek ($20 for 1/2 order) - Korean beef short rib with Spanish onions, served with rice. The meat was full of flavor, but unfortunately quite tough. My daughter wasn't a fan, so I ended up finishing the whole thing. I was actually glad this was a small portion. I had a Virgin Pandan Mojito ($10) and my daughter had a beer ($8). My mocktail was okay, but nothing particularly memorable. Then they completely redeemed themselves on our second visit! We had the entire restaurant to ourselves at first, before two other tables arrived, so I had more time to appreciate the space and really enjoyed the atmosphere. A special shout-out to our server, Christopher, who was warm, welcoming, extremely friendly, and professional. My daughter ordered their signature cocktail, Lola's Drunk Again ($15), but then realized she might be allergic to one of the ingredients. Fortunately, she hadn't taken a sip. Christopher and another lady, who isn't always there, graciously took the cocktail away without charging us. My daughter then ordered a different cocktail, El Toro ($14), which she enjoyed. I just had an orange juice ($4). We ordered the following, and enjoyed everything: - Croquetas ($6 for 1/2 order, 2 pieces) - smoked jamón with Jufran aioli. The exterior was crunchy, while the filling was delicious, creamy, and not too salty. I would definitely order these again. - Ropa Empanada ($8 for 1/2 order, 2 pieces) - beef brisket, sofrito, and mojo crema. The crust was a little thick, but crunchy and easy to eat. The beef inside was tender and flavorful. - Ropa Vieja ($17 for 1/2 order) - beef brisket in sofrito, served with rice, black beans, and sweet plantains, which we requested to be served on the side. Even the half portion was quite generous. This was perfect comfort food - flavorful, filling, and satisfying. There was an abundance of shredded beef, and it was tender, tasty, and easy to cut apart. - Ube Ice Cream ($5 per scoop) - Since we were already full, we shared a scoop. We didn't order the banana split, but Christopher gave us a really generous scoop, which was much appreciated. The ube flavor was excellent, and the ice cream was creamy with a nice texture. I would definitely order this again. Overall, all the dishes we tried on our visits had bold, distinct flavors, and the ingredients tasted fresh. We already can't wait to come back and try a whole bunch of other dishes! Bayan Ko Diner will definitely become our go-to spot after ceramics class!

I really wanted to love this place. We went she s cubs game hoping for a delish meal. However, we…read moreboth thought the waitress was a bit cold and when we first arrived, there were only two tables with customers We ordered two teas. The hibiscus tea I had was pretty delicious. Then we ordered the lechon whole portion but we had such a good day that we did not want to sour the day and send it back it was supposed to be crispy pork but instead it was a plate of pork fat pieces - maybe 10% meat. We took the leftovers to our dog as he will eat anything. The wings were really good I'll say. The croqueras were okay Id say; not the freshest or maybe the oil was dirty. Cute place however.

I've decided Uncle Mike's Place deserves my very firts review. This is my third time being at this…read morerestaurant, I came today with a friend for a Filipino breakfast, since the first time I was here I fell in love with the Lugaw, reminds me of home. Plus with this chilly weather it's the perfect start for your day. We got seated right away by a welcoming staff, started with lugaw and coffee, ordered a couple combos that consisted on: Longaniza (sweet chorizo), Bangus (milkfish) and Skirt Steak. Combos come with garlic fried rice, two eggs, sawsawan and champorado. Even tho champorado doesn't taste like real filipino champorado it's good enough. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because after the place got crowded pretty fast it seemed like there was only one waitress and a couple other employees who were actually paying attention to all the people there, the rest of them were all gathered in the same spot, this had happen 2 out of 3 times I've been here, which I think makes it a little unfortunate to costumers in order to accomplish our needs. I'm still looking forward to my next visit tho, food is delicious!!!

Delicious spot for a Filipino breakfast. When you get there you have to hope there's a seat…read moreavailable because it is always full (for a good reason!). The restaurant had a nice homey feel to it with a nice welcoming warmth. My cousin and I waited for 15 minutes and were very excited when we were seated. We both ordered the tocino / longanisa plate with the champorado. The meat was fresh, tasty, and very flavorful. The champorado was chocolatey and rich. The lugaw was a rice porridge and was nice and fresh. Will be back asap when I'm in town! Salamat po!

Went here with a friend and was so impressed with everything!…read more Boonie's is so cozy inside and it's a great place for any type of night out where you'd like to share delicious food and get a wide variety of plates. The servers know the drill in explaining the options and portion sizes. Definitely recommend going with the smaller portions because there is plenty of food with each serving. We had the sizzling sisig, sugpo, and sinisang salad. You also get rice to pair everything and it complimented each portion well. The sugpo was my least favorite since it was a bit too musky. Definitely recommend being present to watch the sizzling sisig delivered, there's a whole presentation and it is great to watch! Will definitely go back again and recommend this place to others!

The second I walked into Boonie's, I knew I had discovered something special. I was greeted by an…read moreexcellent wait staff, and my server was extremely friendly and welcoming. I ordered the daily special, which consisted of chicken and rice, along with their fried pork spring rolls and sizzling sisig. Everything was absolutely delicious, with bold, robust flavors in every dish. For this being my introduction to Filipino food, I definitely was not disappointed. My only complaint is that it's an hour away from my house! This is definitely a must-try if you're looking for some great Filipino food.

I ordered Crispy Pata came with Garlic Rice and Pansit Palabok for delivery. Packaging was secure…read moreand thoughtful. Delicious and portions are generous. Highly recommend

Can't go wrong here. Had to add another review. This chicken ginataang and beef Kare Kare was…read moreamazing.

I always had walked by this place and was super excited to try this place! The patio was very…read morespacious and covered as well! The drinks were delicious, my favorite was the Ubetini-- it really tasted like ube!! For the apps we got the tuna ceviche and the lumpia! The ceviche was very fresh and light -- I loved it! Then for the main we got pork sisig, chicken adobo, escabeche which came with an entire fish!! , and then kansi soup / stew! All of was very authentic and tasted very homey. The sauces on each of them were also very flavorful! Another highlight was the halo halo dessert! This was so cool! It came out on a big plate and then she mixed it up and told us more about the dish itself! Overall very friendly staff, authentic food, gorgeous atmosphere! Need to try their bottomless brunch next!!

If you gather more than four people and reserve two days ahead, you can have this amazing spread of…read morea Kamayan feast! They lay banana leaves on a table, and everything is eaten with your hands. You start with the oysters that will act as a spoon, then you have your choice of where to start between the chicken, shrimp, pork, fried fish, garlic rice, pancit noodles, ceviche, sisig, & fruit salad. We were so stuffed, but I cannot have Filipino food without ending with Halo Halo! It's $59 / person + tax & tip. What a steal! There's an outdoor patio, or an indoor space by the bar. Great service and a memorable experience.

this flank steak was fawking good. like it was tender asf good. the vinegar pairs well and it's def…read moregot that filipino flavors paired with the garlic rice. their turon matcha is also rlly good! up there with their ube tiramisu. 5/5 for their brunch menu. so much more options than their dinner menu tbh.

We really went for the halo halo and it didn't disappoint. It was so good. We also had the tamarind…read morefries, ube cream cheese pan de sal, and lumpia. The staff were friendly and it was a great ambiance. Soft yet bright lighting. Will be back to try more menu options.

I stepped into this small storefront location with no idea what to expect. It's conveniently…read morelocated across from a large shopping center and surrounded by chain restaurants, but I was in the mood for something different. I'm glad I took a chance. It's small, but clean. They offer carry-out dishes along with some grab-and-go items. I ordered the lechon (pork) combo. It was almost twenty bucks with water and a tip for the good service. Not cheap, but considering what you get, it's worth it. Pork perfectly cooked. I tasted one of the sauces, and my lips puckered. Maybe the most tart thing I ever tasted. But then I dipped the pork into both sauces. OMG! That's orgasmic. My mouth still waters just thinking about how good that is. Bonus: the pork skin is almost like candied bacon. I've been back several times, and I'll keep going, too. As much as I want to try other items on the menu, the lechon is just too freaking good, and I keep ordering it.

Been seeing this place for a while so finally decided to go in and try it…read more They do have a bit of food options, they also have ready-made food that you can just grab and go there is no dining area so this is an order to go place parking is okay it's in a small Plaza and service was good. I had the oxtail combo plate. Plate comes with tice, 2 pcs eggrolls, and noodles. Im a bit disappointed the taste was good but rhe oxtail wasnt tender at all. Felt like i wasted this order. I also ordered their lechon belly and that wqs really good although some parts of the skin wqsnt as crunchy. I would still go back and try more stuff. Happy eating!!!

My aunt and I came to have a breakfast and was more than pleased…read more We came in and were treated warmly by the owner and the staff. The warm welcome expanded into the restaurant which made us more excited to eat. The restaurant was clean and housed well with seats. We ordered the chicken tocino, pancit (noodles), lumpia, lechon kawali, and longanisa. All delicious! We were so happy we had to order another plate. I would recommend to anyone! Salamat po!

Went here for lunch and tried their lumpia, pork belly with garlic rice, sinigang fish sandwhich,…read moreand ube cold brew! Service was great; you go to the counter and order while they bring your food as it's ready. Ratings per item: - Ube cold brew 4/5 (Ube flavored and strong) - Lumpia 4/5 - Pork Belly 4/5 (good crisp but needed more seasoning) - Fish sandwhich 4/5 (good flavor but wish there was a bit more fish) - Ube cookie 5/5 Will def come back to try more items especially their icecream sandwiches!

Such a nice spot for Southeast Asian-inspired drinks with a great view of the city. They have both…read moreindoor and outdoor seating, the service was great, and the drinks are reasonably priced. Definitely a fun place to stop by for something a little different.

I loved the furniture and set up of this hotel rooftop bar, we got a table almost next to the pool…read morebut it would have been nice to be a little closer . They have plants and stuff so I feel like each table is pretty separated from the other I like my mezcal mango milk punch drink, it was smooth and sweet enough Ube flan was actually pretty good! The ube flavor was strong! the texture was a little too thick so once we ran out of ice cream Vibes 9/10 Drinks 8/10