6 New Filipino Restaurants in Portland, Oregon to Keep Your Eye On!

Happy Filipino Food Month!

For those who may not know, April was officially established as Filipino Food Month in 2018, championed by the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement (P.C.H.M.), and the celebration for Filipino cuisine has only amplified since then. In Portland, Oregon, a small-big city in America’s Pacific Northwest, Filipino cuisine has seen an even larger explosion of excitement as Filipino chefs, bakers, and makers have introduced its residents to the flavors of the Philippines over the last decade (and then some).

Trailblazers in Portland’s Filipino food scene like Fork and Spoon, Magna Kusina, Kubo, Hunny Beez, and LGM Delicacies were fundamental in welcoming hungry Portland palates to adobo, sisig, and pancit. The Filipino food community has grown tremendously since then, and collaborate during April to create fun (and delicious!) limited-menu items themed after iconic Filipino flavors. Amanda Mailey, founder of ALIST & WSW, curated a helpful guide to eating your way through Filipino food month, but you’ll definitely keep coming back throughout the year to eat more of the great Filipino food in Portland.

To get you started, here are 6 new (and new-ish) Filipino restaurants in Portland to check out as soon as you finish reading!

Balong

Often considered the “best breakfast sandwich in Portland,” Chef Justin Dauz packs magic into each bite at his pop-up Balong. While Balong doesn’t have a permanent location, Balong’s current residency at Cadejo Coffee has brought its iconic breakfast sandwiches to the heart of Portland’s downtown. Along with sandwiches, sausage and veggie patties on a freshly baked pan de sal, the menu also features potato pave and a breakfast plate.

Wake Cafe

Chef Judith Stokes is not new to the restaurant industry, but she is true to it. Wake Cafe is her newest venture, gracing the neighborhood of North Portland with delicious brewed beverages and a refreshing breakfast menu that ranges from ube parfaits to pandan French toasts – plus $7 mimosas! Plus, with its sister storefront Josie’s Grocery right next door, you can grab a few pre-made meals and snacks to keep you full throughout the week.

Makulít

Chefs Xrysto Castillo and Mike Bautista breath life into their food cart Makulít, a delicious mix of Americana fast-food meets Filipino cuisine. A classic order a Makulít includes one of their burgers (get the big bunso) and a side of lumpia, but don’t forget the speciality sauces as well! Throughout the year, the cart often has limited menu items like pork adobo tacos or ube karioka, so be sure to swing by during Filipino food month and beyond!

Shop Halo Halo

One half of the brick and mortar Botanical Bakeshop (with the other half being Filipino-owned plant shop Daphne’s Botanicals), Bakery Chef Geleen Abenoja bakes Filipino sweetness into delicious the desserts and treats at Shop Halo Halo. Along with being one of the best smelling shops in Portland, the shop also hosts works from local artists and makers in the city so you can have your cake, eat it, and still have room for shopping!

Sun Rice

Luckily for both diehard Sun Rice fans and curious new customers, the former pop-up by Chef TJ Cruz now has a permanent home inside the Moxy Hotel Lobby in downtown Portland. Somehow achieving the impossible – walking the tight rope of melding Next Gen Filipino flavors – Sun Rice has already cemented itself as one of the best spots to grab breakfast in Portland. Sun Rice also extends their space to other upcoming pop-ups so it’s always fun to stop in.

Hapa Barkada

There’s no way more charming to end the night than at a cozy lounge, and at Below by Botanist you can find Hapa Barkada at the helm of the kitchen, serving up delicious Hawaiian-Filipino food in Portland’s Pearl District. The menu curated by Chef Melvin Trinidad and Chef Kiaha Kurek features adobo chicken sandwiches, kalua nachos, and chicken inasal wings that pair perfectly with the bar’s cocktails alongside live music!