The Neighborhood Built for Making Things

Filipino-Cuban all-day diner in Ravenswood, the casual sibling to the original Bayan Ko, in the old Glenn's Diner space. The garlic rice is the tell: light, fluffy, perfectly controlled. Get the lumpia by the full order, chase the silog and shrimp and grits at brunch, and make the ube pancakes your shared table dessert. My favorite pancakes in the city right now.

Enter through the alley off Ravenswood. The space is warm, creative, dog friendly, and connected to a live performance venue through a hidden door — the concept is genuinely interesting. The cappuccino arrived with separated foam, ran too hot for over twenty minutes, and tasted overextracted and bitter when it finally cooled enough to drink. Baked goods are brought in and unmemorable. Come for an event when Live Bash has something going on. Do not come specifically for the coffee.

Five locations around Chicago. The cappuccino is oversized, the milk runs too hot, and the espresso is over-extracted. When a barista asks what size you want for a cappuccino, that tells you what you need to know. The baristas are trying. The training isn't there. A local Starbucks, for better or worse. Spend your money somewhere else if you have the option.