Filipino restaurants earn a spot on this year’s Restaurant List by The New York Times

The Philippines is home to various awe-inspiring foods—from the simplest munchies to the grandest meals. 

No wonder the country's flavors have been loved by so many people across the globe. Just recently, two Filipino restaurants made it to The New York Times’ 2021 Restaurant List, which includes “50 places in America we’re most excited about right now.” 

Situated in Seattle, Archipelago Restaurant puts the spotlight on delectable Pinoy dishes like adobo, lugaw, dinuguan, and crispy pork belly on top of incomparable Filipino hospitality by its staff and Filipino-American owners. “You could easily get lost in the deliciousness of the modern Filipino food, but Aaron Verzosa and Amber Manuguid do more than send out excellent food. They tell complicated, expansive stories about the Pacific Northwest and the many ways that Filipino immigrants have shaped it, using words, pictures, and even some unexpected dance moves behind the pass,” wrote restaurant critic Tejal Rao. 

Chicago-based Kasama, by husband-and-wife Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores, showcases the goodness of Pinoy snacks and pulutans such as lumpiang shanghai, sisig pork lettuce wraps, barbecue pork skewers, and longganisa skewers. “Mr. Flores’s Filipino food is unpretentious and soul-warming,” said food writer Priya Krishna. 

The food spots were chosen after a long search for this year’s most vibrant and delicious restaurants in the United States by a group of critics, reporters, and editors who are all part of the well-known website. 

“Some are classics, still great after decades. Others are in their prime, restaurants at their practiced peaks. And still others are newcomers, intrepidly making their way through the roughest stretch the restaurant business is likely to endure," as per NYT. "All of them beckon us back to the table.”