Kasama

“Filipino fine dining at night, cafe with incredible pastries on the weekends. Insanely long lines, even in the freezing temps. We showed up on a Sunday almost ninety minutes before opening and were still only the third group in line. It crawled even after the doors opened, and we didn't get in until nearly two hours later. The pastries were worth it. With a hundred people stacked up behind us, we gave the display a quick scan and just grabbed whatever looked good. Caramelized banana cream tart, Ube and Huckleberry Basque cake, and the truffle croissant. Every element felt well thought-out, but the truffle croissant was the one. I loved the sugar crystals scattered on top, and that almost cheap, candy-store sweetness paired really well with the savory truffle notes. The savory dishes, honestly, were more pedestrian. Not a lot of refinement or creative touches, just hearty food that feels good after standing in line for hours. Like everyone else, we grabbed the breakfast sandwich, the Filipino Breakfast, spring rolls, and pork belly adobo, and it was all solid. Pretty much what you'd expect from a good hole-in-the-wall Filipino spot.”

“Kasama, wow what an incredible breakfast! 2-Michelin starred Filipino restaurant and made more popular with the TV show The Bear, is extremely popular so get ready to wait in line. It also is ranked #31 on the world’s best list!! I got there at 8:30 and there were probably 50 people in front on me with the opening at 9. The trick is to order online at 8:45 and pick up. Mine was ready at 9:16. I then ate at some benches on the side of the restaurant. You can’t eat inside unless you have waited in line. I wouldn’t have been inside at least until 9:45 in line. Make sure you save room for some excellent pastries as well as the main dishes. I got the Longanisa (a traditional sausage that is a staple of Filipino breakfast) sandwich with egg and cheese as well as the ube and huckleberry basque cake. Both were phenomenal!! My next trip to Chicago, I know where I’m going again!!”

“After waiting for about 35 minutes on a Friday morning, I finally was able to enter the building and order the items I wanted. I arrived at roughly 9:45am and tolerated the wind for a while. Overall the experience was worth it, and I could see why Chicago citizens were willing to stand in line for hours for the food. Highlights for the brunch were for sure the pastries, and even if I ordered just one, which was the most popular ube and huckleberry basque cake, I could already tell how much their pastries in general are able to win the hearts of many. My cake had a very good textural balance of crisp and softness, and wasn't too sweet. I would love to come back and try their other pastries as well. I also want to give a shoutout to their ube latte drink, which was also not too sweet and had very good flavor. In terms of real food, the chicken adobo and kare-kare were my favorites. All the dishes had amazing garlic rice. The chicken adobo had amazing flavor for the chicken thighs and there was a little bit of coconut flavor infused as well. The peanut sauce and the shrimp paste chili crisp gave the kare-kare base a very good flavor profile, which went very well with the garlic rice. The longanisa sausage in the Filipino breakfast tasted really good, and with a fried egg included, one really can't go wrong with the Filipino breakfast. I wasn't too used to the taste of the combo sandwich, and the shaved pork adobo didn't have the flavor that I would normally expect coming out of pork adobo. While I understand that the dinner service here has been the biggest highlight, I probably will not try it simply because the price is way too beyond my budget. But I will safely say that for brunch places, this establishment is a top tier spot that one should at least make an effort in visiting, even if it's just takeout for pickup, which would allow one to skip the line.”

“Kasama is a nice place overall, I would highly recommend the pastries. The Truffle croissant was a good balance of sweet and salty. Heavy on truffle but the croissant was airy crossiant 7.5/10. Black sesame coconut macaroon was good, solid 8/10, good flavor profile and balance of sweetness. Banana bread was ok, 6.5/10, it was a little dry and tasted like a typical banana bread. The Reggi flores drink was a 7.5/10, try the drink before you mix it. The Chicken adobo was an 8.5/10. It had a good balance of flavors and the coconut sauce on the chicken made it sweet and savory. The Filipino breakfast was an 8/10, longaniza was cooked well and had overall good flavor, the egg balanced it out well. I would say this place is an overall 8/10, the flavors all come together very well with each item that you try.”

“I’m Flip. So been waiting to pay homage and want to support places like this that elevate Filipino Experiences on the world stage. Waited 50min in line. Had the Kare-Kare Meatloaf, and an assortment of baked goods. On the whole it’s OK. Not sure the Kare Kare was good. The gravy was more of a Peanut Butter consistency so it’s not legit. Would have expected them to make this the OG way if it’s Michelin rated. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing. Maybe should have stuck with the breakfast sandwich and Filipino Breakfast. But wanted something different and new that reinvents the taste of home and figured the experiments are more a true test of gastronomic Innovation. Regretfully, I would not rank this a Michelin class establishment for the breakfast / brunch fare. Compared to Lasa / Lasita in LA, TOYO Eatery and Kasa Palma, the day menu doesn’t clock in on the same league - far from. Service and Ambiance were nice. The Flat White was perhaps the best thing I had, thankful that was GREAT! But the baked goods were soso. Perhaps I’ll have better luck next time securing Dinner reservations and that would be a better comparison. For now would give this a 3-star. Til the next.”