Kasama

Kasama is two restaurants in one room. By day it is a bakery and counter-service café, and in the evening it becomes a fine-dining restaurant serving a Filipino-inspired tasting menu. It is run by chefs Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores, and its site displays recognition including two Michelin stars in 2025, a 2023 James Beard Foundation Award and a place on North America's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2025.

The daytime service is the easiest way in. The bakery and counter are open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 3pm, with the kitchen and dining room serving until 2pm or until capacity is reached. The daytime menu pairs pastries with dishes from the kitchen, and arriving early gives the best choice, particularly at weekends. Whole pastries and seasonal items such as Thanksgiving pies can be pre-ordered through Tock, and there is online ordering through Toast.

Dinner is a different experience. The tasting menu runs Thursday to Sunday by reservation only, and it is priced at the top end of the city, with optional alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings. The menu draws on Filipino flavours and dishes, reworked with fine-dining technique, and it changes over time, so the restaurant's booking page is the best guide to what is currently served.

Kasama suits two kinds of visitor: anyone looking for a relaxed, affordable breakfast or lunch with pastries in a neighbourhood setting, and serious food lovers planning a special dinner. Families and solo travellers will be comfortable at the daytime counter, while the evening menu is better for couples and small groups prepared for a long, structured meal.

Practical tips: for the daytime bakery, go early and be ready to wait; seating is limited and service ends when the kitchen reaches capacity. For dinner, book as soon as reservations open, as tables are limited. Contact details are not listed prominently on the website, so use the booking platforms for reservations and pre-orders.

The restaurant is on North Winchester Avenue on the West Side, easily reached by taxi or ride-share from downtown. A daytime visit combines well with an afternoon on The 606 trail or exploring the nearby North Side neighbourhoods, and Dark Matter Coffee's Star Lounge on West Chicago Avenue is another local stop for coffee.