Kasama

Oh, Hot Yam! ICED – latte featuring ube & coconut

Iced Black Sesame Latte

Oatmeal Cream Pie with Dulce de Leche and Blackberry Jam

Truffle Croissant – Filled with Delice de Bourgogne and black truffle, drizzled with Honey

Coconut Black Sesame Macaroon

Lumpia Shanghai – Sweet chili sauce

Hashbrown

Kare-Kare – Meatloaf smothered with peanut sauce, shrimp paste, chili crisp, garlic rice

Kasama Combo Sandwich – shaved pork adobo, longanisa sausage, hot giardiniera, dipped in our pork adobo jus

Surely benefited in popularity by a Season 2 spot on “The Bear” Kasama features the work of Genie Kwon and Tim Flores, stints at Michelin-starred Boka and Oriole yielding a Tasting Menu dinner and more casual daytime menu spotlighting Filipino fare.

Already the recipient of their own star, a 2024 Outstanding Service Award as well, it is in a relatively quiet part of West Town that guests begin lining up ninety minutes prior to opening for a taste of everything from Kwon’s impeccable Pastries to traditional Lumpia from Flores.

Not really designed for such success, a single entrance with two-way traffic creating confusion for both first-timers and guests who’ve pre-ordered take-out, it was after nearly an hour and a half in line that a party of two ordered from the counter prior to being assigned a small table.

Quiet amidst the crowds, a Tagalog definition of “together” embodied by close seating with the kitchen mere feet from diners plus Kwon and Flores’ marriage of concepts, Coffee and Pastries arrive quickly with both the Ube-infused “Oh, Hot Yam!” and Cheese-stuffed Viennoiserie featuring Truffle and Honey particularly memorable.

Spendy compared to other Chicago joints serving less elevated versions of the same, a $3.25 Hashbrown no better than McDonald’s, Kare-Kare at Kasama eschews Offal in favor of umami-packed Meatloaf with flavor surprisingly similar while the “Combo Sandwich” riffs on Italian Beef with shaved Pork, Filipino Sausage and fiery housemade Giardiniera.

www.kasamachicago.com