The Top 10 Filipino Food Locations in Chicago
Whether you discovered it on a trip to Asia or in a local café or restaurant, we can all agree that Filipino food is delicious. Luckily, Chicago is home to many great places owned and run by first and second generation Filipinos eager to share the exciting flavors of their cuisine. Here are 10 of the best.
1. Sunda
Restaurant, Asian
In the heart of River North, Sunda is a hip restaurant with a cross-cultural Asian menu, blending cooking techniques and flavors from all over the continent, including the Philippines. The vast and wide-ranging menu has dim sum, Asian grill items, poke bowls and signature sushi, and the atmosphere buzzes with many large groups and an after-work crowd. They also have happy hour deals and a carry-out menu.
2. Uncle Mike’s Place
Restaurant, American, Vegetarian, Fast Food, Filipino
Open from 5 am to 3 pm on weekdays and from 6 am on the weekend, Uncle Mike’s Place is the best spot in the city to grab some Filipino breakfast. Alongside standards including pancakes, omelettes, and breakfast sandwiches, there are Filipino specialties such as marinated skirt steak, anise wine-cured pork shoulder or chorizo, and pork chops, all of which will please meat fans. Service is fast and friendly, and portions are generous.
3. Little Quiapo Restaurant
Restaurant, Filipino
5. Bacolod Chicken Haus
Restaurant, Filipino, Vegetarian, Seafood
6. Smalls
Restaurant, Filipino
A new and improved Smalls smoke shack opened earlier this year in Albany Park, continuing to offer its famous Filipino-influenced barbecue but with more traditional Filipino items featuring smoked meats as well. Joaquin Soler, the owner and a native of the Philippines, has said that the new menu will rotate with different dishes available depending on the day, but staples will include smoked brisket, pulled pork, glazed ribs, and smoky tofu.
7. Lola Tining’s Cuisine
Restaurant, Filipino
Authentic and family owned, Lola Tining’s Cuisine has a typical Filipino restaurant atmosphere and offers generous portions of fresh and delicious food. The staff at the cafeteria-style counter are known for their excellent service, taking the time to explain the dishes on the menu and help you find something to try. It sits in Oak Park about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of the city and is definitely worth the drive.
8. Kawayan
Restaurant, Filipino
In a simple, unassuming café out in Jefferson Park, you can find some of the best traditional Filipino food in the city. Kawayan’s opening hours of 10 am to 9 pm means there are breakfast, lunch and dinner options, including sauteed bitter melon, marinated milkfish, shrimp paste-sauteed squash, as well as soups, rice, and noodles. What it lacks in décor, it certainly makes up for in service, flavor, and authenticity.
9. Three R’s Filipino Grocery and Cafe
Grocery Store, Filipino
Stopping by the Three R’s Filipino Grocery and Cafe means you can grab a meal from the café and buy some hard-to-find Filipino products to make your own at home in one handy location. It’s been in the Horner Park neighborhood for over 40 years, but it’s still a hidden gem, popular with lunch crowds looking for adobo pork, empanadas, and pancit noodles.
10. Jollibee
Restaurant, Fast Food, Filipino, Vegetarian
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