Kasama
“The first Filipino restaurant ever starred now holds two. Thirteen courses at $295 by night, longanisa breakfasts by day. Book both.”
About Kasama
By day there is a line out the door for longanisa breakfast sandwiches and Genie Kwon's pastries; by night the same corner room in Ukrainian Village serves a thirteen course tasting that carries two Michelin stars. Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, married and running the place together, opened Kasama in 2020, made it the first Filipino restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star in 2022, and in November 2025 watched Michelin raise it to two.
The tasting reframes the food Flores grew up on: kinilaw cured in coconut and citrus, an adobo course treated with the technique most kitchens reserve for squab, lumpia turned precise, and a halo halo finale from Kwon, who ran the pastry section at two star Oriole before opening this room. At $295 with pairings extra, the ticket sits below every other two star tasting in Chicago while giving up nothing in ambition. The name means together, and the room means it.
The double life is the point. The café runs from morning into early afternoon with no reservation needed; the tasting books ahead through the restaurant's site and the room converts to candlelight. The promotion made Kasama the first Filipino restaurant anywhere to hold two stars, and the neighborhood matters to the story: a corner of Ukrainian Village where a two star tasting menu shares walls with a morning bakery case, and both lines are equally serious.
The Room
A corner storefront that lives two lives: pastry case, counter service and daylight until early afternoon, then a small candlelit dining room at night with the kitchen close enough to watch. The evening room is intimate rather than hushed, the playlist leans warm, and dress is smart casual. Street parking in Ukrainian Village is genuinely possible, a Chicago fine dining miracle.
Why book it, occasion by occasion
Book the right occasion and Kasama repays the effort twice over. These are the right ones.
For a first date with a story built in
Kasama hands you the narrative: bakery by day, two stars by night, a married couple running both. The tasting's thirteen courses arrive at a friendly clip, portions stay human, and dishes invite talking because most tables are meeting kinilaw or a refined lumpia for the first time. At $295 it is a statement, so save it for the promising second or third date if the first is unproven, and mention the occasion when booking; the room is small enough to care.
For the birthday that wants joy over ceremony
Kasama's tasting is celebratory by temperament: colorful, personal, frequently funny, ending in a halo halo that is essentially a party in a glass. Note the birthday when you book and Kwon's pastry side, trained at Oriole, tends to make the finale personal. The small room means your table sets the volume rather than fighting it. For a lighter birthday, skip the ticket entirely and bring the group for pastries and longanisa sandwiches the next morning.
For the solo diner doing the full pilgrimage
Kasama rewards the solo eater twice. Come at night for the thirteen course tasting, where a single seat books more easily than a pair and the staff talk food with anyone who asks; then return at 9am for the breakfast sandwich and a slab of pastry to understand the whole project. Two stars, one corner storefront, no minders. The counter energy of the daytime room makes eating alone feel like belonging rather than exception.
What to order
At night the thirteen courses are fixed; by day the counter is yours. Both halves have calls worth making.
- The evening tasting, booked ahead
Thirteen courses at $295, the only way to eat Flores's adobo and kinilaw at full depth. Seats release in advance on the restaurant's site and the room is small; plan weeks out.
- The adobo course
The center of the tasting: a dish every Filipino household argues about, executed with two star technique and served without apology.
- The halo halo finale
Kwon's version of the layered shaved ice classic closes the menu. Do not fill up on the bread service defending against it.
- The morning after: longanisa breakfast sandwich
Come back in daylight. The sandwich and the pastry case explain why the line forms before the door opens, and no reservation is needed.
Practical
- Address
- 1001 North Winchester Avenue, Ukrainian Village, Chicago
- Reservations
- Evening tasting via kasamachicago.com; daytime walk in
- Tasting
- $295, thirteen courses
- Daytime
- Bakery and breakfast, morning to early afternoon
- Pairings
- Alcoholic and zero proof options
- Dress
- Smart casual at night
- Seats
- Small dining room; single seats book easily
- Dietary
- Flag when booking; the set menu adapts with notice
Questions diners ask
How much is the tasting menu at Kasama?
The thirteen course dinner is $295 per person before drinks, with alcoholic and zero proof pairings extra. That undercuts every other two star ticket in Chicago. The daytime side is a different world: breakfast sandwiches and pastries at counter prices, no reservation, morning to early afternoon.
When did Kasama get two Michelin stars?
November 2025, at the Chicago guide ceremony. It had already made history in 2022 as the first Filipino restaurant in the world to earn a star, and the promotion made it the first to hold two. Tim Flores and Genie Kwon have run it as a married team since opening in 2020.
Do I need a reservation for Kasama?
At night, absolutely: the tasting room is small and seats release ahead on the restaurant's site, so book weeks out for weekends. By day, no reservation exists; you queue at the counter like everyone else, and the line moves. Solo evening seats are the quiet back door.
Is Kasama worth it for the daytime menu alone?
Yes, and it is the cheapest way to eat a two star kitchen's cooking in America. The longanisa breakfast sandwich, mushroom adobo and Kwon's pastry case run at neighborhood café prices. Come before 10am on weekends or expect a serious line down Winchester Avenue.