Kasama opened in July 2020 as a cafe and later added a tasting-menu dinner. It was added to Michelin's Bib Gourmand list in 2021. It already had recognition and lines when it was featured on the second season of The Bear, which made those lines even longer. Then, in 2023, it became the first Filipino restaurant to earn a Michelin star.
When we arrived on Friday morning and saw the length of the line, I was skeptical. It's such a hike to get to the Ukrainian Village neighborhood that I was resigned to waiting as long as it took, but damn. That line was long.
We figured out we could order online for pick up, but even that had an 85-minute wait. Grace went ahead and ordered us a breakfast sandwich and a ham-and-cheese pastry. The order came up when we still had a bit of line to go. We started with the sandwich, which was egg, cheese, and longanisa sausage. It came in an unassuming silver wrapping but wowed in flavor. The pastry was just a long, small pastry topped with some creamy cheese and fancy ham... and was definitely the surprise of the day. Something about the combination of that specific ham, that specific cheese, and that flaky, crispy pastry was shockingly good. After that, we were ready for brunch!
I took us between an hour and a half and two hours to get in, where we found a very small space and figured out that we just ordered at the counter. There are only seven things on the menu (and we'd already had the sandwich) and then a host of pastries, but it was still tough to decide. Grace got the Filipino breakfast, and I went with the chicken adobo. We also shared lumpia, which came out first, super crispy and wonderfully flavorful. There was just enough spice and the sweet chili sauce was the perfect complement.
Then came the entrees. I don't know what else to say than they were both perfectly balanced. The chicken adobo was packed with flavor. The garlic rice was just interesting enough to be a welcome part of the dish and not just a throwaway side. The pickled slaw gave that great hit of acid. And I got to try tocino, which was a sweet pork rib that was also great.
Grace also ordered a bunch of pastries to go, and I have to say, while I'm always skeptical truffle-flavored things are worth the price, the black truffle croissant is one of the best things I've ever eaten. So funky and creamy and flaky. The chocolate croissant was great too, but I'm not as much into sweets.
Overall, no complaints, only delights. I'm not sure if I'd wait in a line that long again, but I would order ahead, go hungry, and then, if the line were shorter, have my snacks in line and eat there again. If you're in Chicago, I definitely recommend getting some brunchy take out and getting there early enough that they're not out of some of the best pastries!
