By Layna Hong
Medill Reports
HOST INTRO: A Pew Research Center study finds only 1% of Asian restaurants in America serve Filipino food. But in Chicago, Filipino restaurants are growing in both number and influence.
Layna Hong has more.
HONG: Saturdays at Umaga Bakehouse in Albany Park are chaotic. People file into the bakery, loading up on Filipino breads. But many are on a mission for the bakery’s weekends-only special. Bakery owner Kissel Fagaragan says señorita bread is similar to traditional Spanish bread.
FAGARAGAN: SO THAT ONE HAS A THICK BUTTER FILLING, BIGGER. SEÑORITA BREAD IS JUST LIKE THE LITTLE SISTER TO IT. THEY’RE SMALLER, THE BUTTER IS MELTED. SO WHEN YOU EAT IT, IT’S KIND OF LIKE A MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH KIND OF THING.
HONG: Umaga Bakehouse opened last spring, making them part of the growing wave of Filipino restaurants in Chicago.
FAGARAGAN: THAT’S WHY WE OPENED, BECAUSE OF ALL THE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE GETTING, LIKE, RECOGNITION, LIKE YOU KNOW, BOONIE’S OR BAYAN KO.
HONG: I counted at least 30 Filipino food spots in the city. Many of them, like Umaga, Boonie’s and Bayan Ko, opened within the last five years.
And of course, there’s Kasama, which opened in 2020. It’s almost impossible to talk about Filipino food in Chicago without mentioning the East Ukrainian Village spot. The line is out the door every weekend. Every food honor you can think of, James Beard, Michelin star, Bib Gourmand … they’ve earned it.
To add to its reputation, Kasama was featured on the show “The Bear.” In the episode, Ayo Edebiri’s character, Sydney, is looking for inspiration in Chicago’s restaurants. Kasama is her first stop.
TAPE FROM “THE BEAR”: CAN I GET THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH WITH LONGANIZA AND ALSO CAN I GET A HASH BROWN? I’LL ALSO HAVE THE MUSHROOM ADOBO AND ONE OF THOSE MANGO TARTS …
HONG: In 2012, Kristine Subido brought a new approach to Filipino cuisine to the city with her chicken restaurant Pecking Order.
SUBIDO: YEAH, I WAS WAY TOO AHEAD OF THE CURVE WHEN THAT HAPPENED …
HONG: Pecking Order was in Uptown and the first of its kind at the time. Subido combined her classical training with Filipino cuisine to create unique dishes like fried Italian rice balls stuffed with coconut chicken adobo. She says her approach confused many people who came into her restaurant expecting traditional Filipino food.
SUBIDO: WHEN YOU’RE KIND OF LIKE THE FIRST ONE TO DO IT, IT’S SCARY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE PEOPLE.
HONG: Pecking Order closed after two years. Subido says it’s great there are now so many chefs showing how diverse Filipino food is.
SUBIDO: WE’RE SO MUCH MORE THAN UBE, PANCIT, LUMPIA, YOU KNOW, WE’RE JUST SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
HONG: This Filipino food moment doesn’t come as a surprise to those in the food world. Here’s award winning chef and TV food personality Andrew Zimmern in an interview from 2017.
ZIMMERN: I THINK FILIPINO FOOD IS — YOU KNOW, I’VE BEEN CALLING IT FOR FIVE YEARS — IT’S GONNA KEEP GETTING MORE AND MORE POPULAR.
HONG: It makes sense why Filipino food has become so big in Chicago. Filipinos are the second largest Asian ethnic group in Illinois, and they mostly live in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. And the state’s Filipino population has only been growing in the last few years.
At Umaga Bakehouse, many customers have never tried señorita bread … even those who grew up with Filipino food, like Vernalynne De La Rosa.
DE LA ROSA: I’VE NEVER SEEN IT, AT LEAST IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT’S ON MY RADAR.
HONG: She opens a box of the ube-filled señorita breads.
DE LA ROSA: IT’S THE SOFT JAM IN THE MIDDLE, AND ITS WRAPPED, SO IT’S HARD ON THE OUTSIDE, SOFT AND GOOEY IN THE MIDDLE — OH MY GOD, IT’S FREAKING PHENOMENAL.
HONG: She and her mother buy two dozen’s worth.
Layna Hong, Albany Park, Medill Reports.
Host intro credit: Christopher Pennant for Medill Reports
Layna Hong is a graduate student at Medill in the social justice and solutions specialization. Find her on X @laynanhong or Instagram @laynareports.
