Kasama

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.

This was our second attempt to eat at Kasama, and I’m so glad this time the line was a bit shorter and it was warmer outside, because it was worth it. We got to try several of the pastries, including the Matcha Pandan Eclair, the Black Truffle Croissant (WOW), the Ube and Huckleberry Basque Cake. All of them delicious, but don’t eat them all to start, as you need space for the main course. We ordered the Chicken Adobo (complete standout), the Filipino Breakfast with tocino (the most flavorful tocino ever), the Kasama combo sandwich (maybe my least favorite but loved by others) and the longaniza breakfast sandwich (so simple and delicious). The Dario coffee is delicious as well as the red bean sesame cold brew. We also got some espresso martinis and a mimosa, and although they were good, they were very small. I would definitely come back and had a fantastic experience at Kasama!

We visited Kasama on Dec 20th for their daytime service. After waiting for 40-45 minutes outside (no biggie) in the cold the person at the reception didn't even welcome us. Not even a hi/hello. Straight to ordering food. We know it's a busy establishment but you don't have to put up a stoic face to welcome your patrons. He didn't even mention that we need to order the food then and there. We kept asking questions and he was answering in monosyllables. This kind of behavior is not expected in a Michelin star establishment. Hence, the 4 stars. The food was good. We ordered chicken adobo and pork belly adobo plus ube latte and monkey bread. The other service staff were really nice and warm. They were quick. The food and the staff shadowed the unwelcomed nature of the receptionist.

I come here many times for their breakfast. Filipino brekfast and coffee are top notch. The pastries are just something else. It's something I would eat everyday if possible. I'm adding a review because I still think back to the tasting menu I had last year. I came here Nov 22, 2024 for my birthday dinner with my wife. I'm so blessed and thankful to her since she was able to get a reservation even though I've been trying to get one for over a year. I won't post all the food we ate since I wouldn't want to take away from your experience. Seeing and tasting an elevated Filipino food was astonishing. Taste and texture gave me goosebumps every time I took a bite. You may think the plates are small and not enough. But with the amount of plates that came out, you would be full by the end of it.

It was worth the wait. The breakfast sandwich was really good. We had so much that we split the sandwich. The Huckleberry Basque cake was crunchy on the outside and wonderfully soft in the inside. The flaky truffle croissant had a tasty surprise in the inside which made me want to figure it out and try it at home. We will be back! 5 star would have been if the price was just a little lower for sandwich.

Came for for the famous longanisa breakfast sandwich and you know what? It was worth the hype. The texture and sweetness of the longanisa paired beautifully in this with the other ingredients. I’d recommend adding a hash brown to it to finish round off the flavours. We also sampled a black truffle croissant that was PHENOMENAL. HIGHLY recommend this. The ube huckleberry tart was well made but just okay, tasted more of the berry than ube. I mean, it was still really good and I ate the whole thing. Drinks were yummy and not too sweet, we got the iced oh hot yam and iced black sesame lattes. I hate lines and avoid them at all costs. If you’re the same, I’d recommend ordering on the app when they open for takeout. You get to skip the long line outside that’s waiting for dine-in and go to the front right away.

The number one spot for Filipino Cuisine! You need to be there before they open, we got there 10 mins before and there was a small line. They close dinner for reservations only! As a half Filipino, I felt very welcomed. The atmosphere was homey and I recognize all the food options! I had a Calamansi mimosa, as well as the Ube Cappuccino. Both very delicious! I had Chicken adobo, very unique flavoring and the rice was so good! It felt like sushi rice but without the fish flavoring. Had a takeout of a bread with a protein on top, it was so good! My friend had the Filipino breakfast and all aspects of it were delicious! You would never expect this to be a 3 ⭐ Michelin restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised.