Inside Lakeview’s New Filipino Diner Serving Adobo Chicken Chilaquiles and More

29/06/2024

Cebu features an ube waffle and chicken.

Cebu blazed a path for Filipino cuisine in Chicago when the family-owned restaurant debuted five years ago in Bucktown. Michelin had yet to recognize a Filipino restaurant with a star. Ube had yet to enter the mainstream. Now it’s impossible to avoid the purple hue while scrolling through Instagram and TikTok food pages.

The Tans closed their Bucktown restaurant in December and a suburban bakery. But they’re back with a new restaurant in Lakeview, a consolidation of their previous operations. The new Cebu opened on Thursday, June 27 at 3120 N. Lincoln Avenue with a display case full of cookies, pan de sal stuffed with corned beef, or ube and cheesecake. Ownership wants to give customers plenty of to-go options — a breakfast burrito with tocino and garlic rice is a compact example.

Marlon Tan (red shirt) and brother, chef Martin Tan (arms folded), lead the Cebu team.

They’re open for breakfast and lunch to start and see themselves as a great place for folks who want brunch on weekdays and don’t want to wait for Saturday and Sunday. Silog, pandan pancakes, ube waffles with friend chicken, and a tres leches French toast stand out.

Marlon Tan describes the menu as modern Filipino, which allows for various influences including Mexican. Adobo chicken chiliquiles are a highlight. Brother Martin Tan is in charge of the dinner menu, and he and another sibling — Malvin — are in charge of the pastry.

The Tans have experience in fine dining, but the future of the restaurant will depend on the neighborhood and demand. Dinner service should start in about a month. An Iberico pork steak with a tocino marinade might make the dinner menu. Martin Tan wouldn’t rule out putting out Filipino spaghetti in the future.

There are various morning options that can be taken to-go.

The Tans would also like to expand cocktail service. They’re not permitted to set up a traditional bar with stools due to neighborhood zoning restrictions. The new Cebu is brighter, there’s a full espresso bar. Tan says he hopes to collaborate with Mano Modern Cafe, a Flipino restaurant in West Town, on coffee.

There are more Filipino restaurants in Chicago than ever before, but it’s important to understand that people and food existed before any alleged boom. Having more peers is nice, but beyond customers knowing of the cuisine beyond lumpia, not much has changed.

“We’ve always been like looking at other restaurants and seeing what they’re doing and seeing — ‘oh, maybe we could try that,” Malvin Tan explains.

Cebu will be open all seven days next week over the Independence Day holiday before regular business hours will start.

Cebu, 3120 N. Lincoln Avenue, open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Starting Sunday, July 6, Cebu will be open five days a week and closed Tuesday and Wednesday.