Kasama

The only Filipino restaurant in the world to hold two Michelin stars — and the tasting menu books out 45 days in advance

That single fact tells you most of what you need to know about Kasama's position in American dining. Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores opened this East Ukrainian Village spot in 2020 as a Filipino-American bakery and café, added a fine dining tasting menu in 2022, and within a year had collected a James Beard Award for Leading Chef: Great Lakes, a Michelin star (now two), and an Esquire Leading New Restaurants ranking. As of 2025, Opinionated About Dining places it at #153 in North America. If you have not been, the question is not whether to go — it is how to plan your visits, because one trip is not enough to cover what Kasama offers.

Two restaurants in one building: plan your visits accordingly

The smartest approach to Kasama is to treat it as two separate destinations. The daytime café runs Wednesday through Sunday, 9 AM to 3 PM, and requires no reservation. Walk in, take a spot along the minimalist banquettes, and work through the Filipino comfort food that made Kasama's early reputation: longganisa sausage, chicken adobo, garlic rice, and the ube croissants that earned the café devoted regulars before the Michelin inspectors arrived. Kwon's pastry training at Bouchon Bakery and Eleven Madison Park is most visible here. The room is spare and unfussy , long banquettes, clean lines , which means the food carries the room rather than the other way around.

For a second visit, or a first visit if fine dining is your priority, the evening 13-course tasting menu is where Flores's background at Oriole and Senza shapes the experience. The menu works Filipino recipes through a fine dining lens: sinigang with wagyu, lumpia, kinilaw. An adobo of mussels and wild mushrooms is the kind of dish that shows exactly what this kitchen is doing , a preparation most diners know in one form, rebuilt with technical precision and a different protein entirely. Desserts carry the same intelligence: a mais con yelo built from sweet corn semifreddo and milk granita shows Kwon's pastry instincts applied to traditional Filipino sweets. Book 45 days out to the day for the tasting menu; the window fills fast and there is no realistic walk-in path for evening service.

A third visit, if you are a regular or planning a longer stay in Chicago, is worth timing around the tasting menu's seasonal rotation. The kitchen's use of traditional preparations as a structural base means the menu shifts meaningfully as ingredients change, rather than simply swapping garnishes. Pairing menus include a non-alcoholic option, which is more considered than many comparable tasting menu restaurants manage. Some allergies and dietary restrictions can be accommodated , contact the restaurant directly to confirm your specific needs before booking.

What the awards actually tell you

Kasama's award trajectory is worth reading carefully as a decision signal, not just a credential. The James Beard Award for Leading Chef: Great Lakes in 2023 and two Michelin stars together confirm technical execution at the level you would expect from tasting menus in the same price range at Le Bernardin in New York City, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, or The French Laundry in Napa. The difference is that Kasama is doing this within a cuisine that has historically been underrepresented at the fine dining level in the United States. That context matters for understanding why the restaurant has drawn the attention it has, and why the daytime café sits alongside the tasting menu rather than being replaced by it: both formats are deliberate, and both are worth your time.

The venue's brief appearance on The Bear has raised its Chicago profile further, which has practical consequences: booking difficulty has increased, and the 45-day window is not a suggestion. Set a calendar reminder. For Filipino dining at a more accessible price point in Chicago, Bayan Ko and Boonie's are worth knowing. For Filipino fine dining benchmarks outside the US, Hapag in Makati offers a useful comparison point, and Kaya in Orlando represents what the format looks like at a different scale. But within Chicago, there is no direct comparison to what Kasama is doing across both formats simultaneously.

The address is 1001 N Winchester Ave in Chicago's East Ukrainian Village. For more on where Kasama sits within the broader Chicago dining scene, see our full Chicago restaurants guide. If you are building a longer trip around the tasting menu reservation, our Chicago hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the surrounding logistics. For comparable tasting menu ambition elsewhere, Providence in Los Angeles, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, and Emeril's in New Orleans are worth considering as part of a broader fine dining itinerary.

The verdict

Book the tasting menu if you can plan 45 days out and are willing to commit to the $$$$ price range for an evening that covers 13 courses with genuine technical depth. Use the daytime café as a lower-stakes entry point , or as a return visit once you have done the tasting menu and want to spend time with the pastry program at a different pace. Either way, Kasama is producing the most complete case for Filipino cuisine in American fine dining, and the daytime and evening formats together make multiple visits the obvious strategy rather than a stretch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I wear to Kasama?

• No formal dress code is listed for Kasama, but the two-Michelin-star tasting menu context means smart casual is the practical baseline for evening service.
• Daytime café visits are genuinely relaxed , the space is minimalist and the crowd reflects the neighbourhood.
• For the tasting menu, err toward what you would wear at any $$$$ Chicago fine dining venue: neat, put-together, but not black tie.

What should I order at Kasama?

• For the evening, the 13-course tasting menu is the only option , the kitchen decides the menu, not you. That is the correct format for what Flores and Kwon are doing here.
• During the day, the ube croissants and garlic rice dishes reflect Kwon's pastry background most directly and are where the daytime menu has built its reputation.
• The adobo preparations and kinilaw are the dishes most cited in Michelin and editorial coverage as representative of the kitchen's approach.

Does Kasama handle dietary restrictions?

• Some allergies and dietary restrictions can be accommodated for the tasting menu , but you need to communicate these at the time of booking, not on the night.
• A non-alcoholic pairing menu is available alongside the standard beverage pairing, which is more considered than most comparable tasting menu restaurants.
• Contact the restaurant directly via their website (kasamachicago.com) or by phone at (773) 697-7648 to confirm your specific requirements before your reservation is confirmed.

Is the tasting menu worth it at Kasama?

• Yes, if tasting menus are a format you value: two Michelin stars, a James Beard Award, and Opinionated About Dining's #153 in North America together confirm the kitchen is operating at the level the price implies.
• The 13-course menu is structured around Filipino culinary logic applied with fine dining precision , not fusion for its own sake, which makes it worth the commitment even if you have done comparable tasting menus elsewhere.
• If you are uncertain about the tasting menu format generally, start with the daytime café first to assess the kitchen's sensibility before committing to an evening booking.

Is Kasama worth the price?

• At the $$$$ tier, Kasama delivers two Michelin stars and a James Beard Award , the price is in line with what that credential set commands in Chicago and in comparable US fine dining cities.
• The daytime café operates at a significantly lower price point with no reservation required, which makes the overall value proposition across both formats stronger than most single-format restaurants at this level.
• For the tasting menu specifically: if you are comparing it against Smyth or Alinea at the same price tier, Kasama offers a cuisine perspective you cannot get elsewhere in Chicago at this technical level.

Can Kasama accommodate groups?

• Group bookings for the tasting menu require planning: the 45-day booking window applies regardless of party size, and larger groups should book as early as that window allows.
• The daytime café is walk-in and more naturally accommodates flexible group sizes, though the minimalist space means very large parties may find it tight.
• For group-specific enquiries, contact the restaurant directly at (773) 697-7648 or through kasamachicago.com , seating capacity details are not publicly listed, so confirming direct is the safest approach.