4 restaurants serving Ube Cheesecake
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
