12 restaurants serving Cheese
Urbana, MD
“Perfect Little Bites is a high-end in-home personal chef service led by Chris Spear, who brings over 30 years of culinary expertise directly to your home within a 70-mile radius of Frederick, Maryland. Specializing in contemporary American cuisine with global influences, Chef Chris creates multi-course plated dinners using the finest ingredients, handling everything from setup to cleanup while tailoring each menu to dietary preferences. He's also the host of the acclaimed Chefs Without Restaurants podcast and founder of a culinary networking organization supporting food entrepreneurs.”
Aldie, VA
“Aldie Pandesal LLC brings authentic Filipino bakery traditions to Northern Virginia, specializing in freshly baked pandesal and unique purple yam (ube) creations. Their signature Ube Cheese Pandesal is their #1 seller, while they also craft handmade spreads, sauces, and traditional Filipino pastries using authentic recipes and fresh ingredients like Ratalu yams.”
Santa Maria, CA
“Capuno's Lutong Bahay is a remarkable family-owned Filipino restaurant in Santa Maria with an exceptional 4.9-star rating. Opened in December 2023 by Raul and Jonah Capuno after leaving longstanding careers in healthcare, "Lutong Bahay" means "home-cooked" in Tagalog-perfectly capturing the restaurant's mission to share authentic Filipino home cooking. The Capunos took over from Jade's Filipino Food, making Capuno's one of only two Filipino restaurants in all of Santa Barbara County. Every recipe comes from generations of family tradition, combining specialties from Raul's hometown in Candelaria, Quezon Province and Jonah's roots in Bacolod, Negros Occidental. The restaurant serves strictly traditional, authentic Filipino dishes tested through years of family cooking-the same food their four daughters grew up eating. Signature items include lumpia made by Jonah, pancit with sweet-spicy sauce, chicken adobo braised in soy sauce and vinegar, crispy pata, chicken skewers with homemade BBQ sauce, and pinoy spaghetti with sweet tomato sauce and banana ketchup. All combo meals include rice, pancit, and lumpia. The restaurant also serves ube (purple yam) desserts including crinkle cookies, cheesecake, and pandesal, plus halo-halo and leche flan. Named "Best Lunch" by Santa Maria Times in 2025, Capuno's rapidly grew from two tables to expanding into adjacent spaces-adding more dining room and planning a Filipino bakery. The family operation includes their daughters and son-in-law, all working together in the kitchen. Capuno's offers full catering services requiring one-week advance notice. For Santa Maria's community, Capuno's provides authentic Filipino flavors that remind diners of home, served with genuine Filipino hospitality.”
Buffalo, New York
“Pinoy Boi specializes in elevated Filipino comfort food with signature dishes like their famous Pork Sisig featuring grilled pork belly marinated in citrus soy sauce and topped with bird's eye chilies. Known for their creative fusion offerings including Spanish-inspired Ube Basque Cheesecake with burnt caramelized flavors. Their traditional dishes like Chicken Adobo and Bistek showcase authentic Filipino home cooking techniques.”
Greensboro, NC
“Filipino American Grocery operates as a beloved family-owned Pinoy grocery store in Greensboro, offering comprehensive Filipino products including Goldilocks cakes and desserts, Valerios breads, Edelicious Cheese, and traditional items like Dinuguan and Cebuchon Belly. This community-focused market provides both curbside and in-store pickup services while maintaining 100% customer recommendation rating across 11 reviews. The store serves as a cultural hub for Filipino families throughout the Greensboro area, regularly restocking authentic imported goods and specialty items that connect the community to their homeland.”
City of Industry, CA
“Josephine's Special Empanadas represents a remarkable immigrant success story, founded by Josephine Tallungan in 2002 as a solution to provide for her family after being laid off. What began with selling chicken empanadas in parking lots has evolved into a thriving minority-owned, woman-owned family business that has become the first Filipino establishment in the City of Industry/Rowland Heights area. The bakery specializes in Filipino-American inspired baked goods, particularly their signature empanadas that blend traditional Filipino flavors with modern techniques in perfectly portioned hand-held pastries. Each empanada features a golden, flaky crust filled with savory ingredients like seasoned beef, tender chicken, creamy mushroom, or their unique creamy corn cheese for vegetarian customers. Beyond empanadas, the bakery offers traditional Filipino sweets including bibingka in regular, ube and pandan flavors, and serves champurado and arroz caldo on weekends. The establishment's mission goes beyond just selling food-they aim to establish Filipino flavors as an integral part of Asian-American food culture while honoring the family's heritage and their mother's original recipes.”
Detroit, MI
“JP Makes and Bakes stands as Detroit's first and only Filipino bakery, filling a crucial gap for Michigan's 41,435 Filipino Americans-the state's fourth-largest Asian American ethnic group. Founded by Jonathan Peregrino, a first-generation Filipino American and professionally trained pastry chef who studied at the Academy of Baking and Pastry in the Philippines, the bakery brings Filipino flavors in familiar formats to New Center's Woodward Avenue. Peregrino's signature purple pastries feature ube, a sweet Filipino yam that gives his cookies, brownies, and cinnamon rolls their distinctive violet hue and subtly sweet, nutty vanilla flavor. The bakery specializes in creative Filipino-American hybrid pastries like the Pan de Croissant, which combines his mother's pandesal recipe with French lamination techniques, and pan de coco sweet rolls filled with shredded coconut. Beyond baked goods, JP Makes and Bakes serves Filipino-inspired beverages including coconut ube matcha lattes made with locally roasted Craig's Coffee and refreshing calamansi drinks showcasing the bright, tangy Filipino citrus. The bakery also offers savory lunch bowls and brunch items featuring traditional Filipino ingredients. Having grown from pop-ups to a Motor City Match grant-funded brick-and-mortar, JP Makes and Bakes has become a cultural hub where Filipino Detroiters no longer need to drive to Chicago or Toronto for authentic Filipino baked goods.”
Roselle, NJ
“Pinho's Bakery is a full-service bakery and deli in Roselle, New Jersey that starts production at 3:00am daily to ensure fresh pastries, specialty cakes, and breakfast items from opening at 5am. Operating under the philosophy that "a cake is a celebration of life," they specialize in custom wedding cakes and celebration cakes alongside a complete deli menu featuring breakfast sandwiches, made-to-order subs on fresh-baked bread, and catering platters.”
Washington, DC
“KAYU represents modern Filipino fine dining in Washington DC, led by acclaimed Chef Paolo Dungca who earned a James Beard nomination in 2024. The restaurant name derives from 'kayumanggi'-Filipino for 'brown,' describing the sun-kissed skin of Filipino people-celebrating Filipino heritage through innovative cuisine. After originally opening on H Street NE with upstairs fine dining (Kayu) and downstairs caf (Hiraya), the restaurant relocated to Dupont Circle in August 2025 with a more accessible, streamlined concept focused on la carte dining rather than tasting menus. Chef Dungca, originally from San Fernando (Philippines' culinary capital) and Manila, trained at notable DC establishments including Bad Saint, Kaliwa, and Restaurant Eve before launching his vision for modern Filipino cuisine. His cooking philosophy embraces seasonal produce, vegetarian options, and gluten-free dishes while maintaining Filipino soul, sourcing locally and fusing traditional flavors with contemporary techniques. The bright 40-seat Dupont location features family-style plates designed for multiple weekly visits rather than just special occasions, with signature dishes including the famous cassava cake topped with crab fat, jamn Ibrico, and trout roe; purple ube bao bun sliders with chorizo; and ribeye with burnt coconut sauce infused with lemongrass and galangal-southern Filipino flavors rarely seen in US Filipino restaurants. Other standout offerings include tocino chicken with sweet soy-garlic-annatto-pineapple glaze, sweet corn agnolotti with curry emulsion, and inventive desserts like burnt cassava cheesecake. The beverage program features Filipino-influenced cocktails including pandan negroni and tamarind-jackfruit margarita alongside Filipino beers and curated wines. KAYU represents the new generation of Filipino restaurants elevating the cuisine beyond traditional expectations while maintaining authentic flavors and warm hospitality.”
Millbrae, CA
“Binka Bites Bakery Cafe brings Filipino baking traditions to Millbrae, specializing in bibingka and other Filipino pastries alongside cafe services. The bakery's name plays on 'bibingka' (traditional Filipino rice cake) while creating a contemporary bakery-cafe concept that appeals to diverse customers. Binka Bites prepares Filipino baked goods using traditional recipes alongside modern cafe offerings, creating a destination for Filipino pastries and quality coffee. Located in Millbrae near San Francisco Airport and within the Bay Area's substantial Filipino community, the bakery serves both Filipino families and travelers discovering Filipino baked goods. The high ratings reflect Binka Bites' success in delivering quality Filipino pastries with consistent excellence and friendly service that makes customers feel welcomed and appreciated.”
San Diego, CA
“Ramar Foods International serves as the primary U.S. distributor of Magnolia Ice Cream, the beloved Filipino brand that holds special place in Filipino hearts and freezers. This San Diego facility operates as both distribution center and retail outlet where customers can purchase authentic Magnolia products directly. Magnolia ice cream's distinct Filipino flavors include ube (purple yam), macapuno (young coconut), mango, halo-halo, and cheese ice cream alongside more familiar varieties. The facility also handles distribution of other Filipino food products under the Ramar Foods portfolio, making them available to grocery stores and restaurants throughout the region. Their direct retail operation allows Filipino families to stock up on multiple tubs at distributor prices, perfect for parties and celebrations where Magnolia ice cream serves as nostalgic centerpiece. The company imports frozen products from the Philippines, maintaining cold chain integrity that ensures proper quality upon delivery. Beyond ice cream, Ramar Foods distributes specialty cakes and other frozen Filipino products that require proper refrigeration infrastructure. The San Diego location serves Southern California's substantial Filipino population with products that connect to childhood memories and family traditions. Commercial customers including restaurants and Filipino stores rely on Ramar Foods for consistent supply of Magnolia products their customers expect. For Filipino-Americans seeking authentic Magnolia ice cream that tastes like what they remember from the Philippines, Ramar Foods provides direct access to the real thing, not imitations. The facility represents essential infrastructure in the Filipino-American food ecosystem, ensuring beloved brands remain available far from the Philippines through professional importation and distribution networks.”
Los Angeles, CA
“Sampa represents the evolution of Filipino-American cuisine in Los Angeles, bringing contemporary fine dining sophistication to the Arts District while honoring Filipino culinary traditions. Named after the sampaguita, the Philippines' national flower, this restaurant is the passion project of Chef Josh Espinosa and entrepreneur Jenny Valles, who transformed their pandemic-era pop-up into a full-service destination showcasing "Filipino cuisine reimagined." Chef Espinosa trained under legendary restaurateur Helene An and applies global culinary techniques to Filipino flavors, creating dishes that surprise and delight while maintaining authentic connections to the homeland. The menu features innovative interpretations like Kare-Kare Tamales with braised oxtail and peanut butter velout topped with bagoong dust, Crispy Duck Pancit combining crispy confit duck with spinach tagliatelle, and Octopus Adobo featuring Spanish octopus with crispy confit potatoes. Their Lamb Shank Kaldereta and Crab Fat Fried Rice demonstrate Chef Espinosa's ability to elevate traditional Filipino recipes into refined culinary experiences. The cocktail menu equally impresses with creative drinks like the Ube Sour and Strawberry Coconut Negroni that incorporate Filipino ingredients into sophisticated libations. Sampa's intimate, dimly-lit atmosphere creates the perfect setting for their shared plates approach, encouraging the communal dining style inherent to Filipino culture. The restaurant aspires toward Michelin recognition, representing a movement to position Filipino cuisine alongside other celebrated Asian culinary traditions. For Filipino-Americans, Sampa offers familiar flavors presented with artistic flair, while for adventurous diners, it provides an accessible introduction to the complexity and richness of Filipino gastronomy through the lens of modern culinary innovation.”
