Kanin

Restaurant · Ravenswood

Kanin

Restaurant · Ravenswood

5

5131 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

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Highlights

Filipino-Hawaiian spot with musubis, ube banana pudding, snacks  

Featured in The Infatuation
Featured in Eater

5131 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 Get directions

instagram.com
@kanin.chi

$10–20

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5131 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 Get directions

instagram.com
@kanin.chi

$10–20

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Last updated

Aug 18, 2025

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@infatuation

The 23 Best New Restaurants In Chicago - Chicago - The Infatuation

"“Kanin,” the Tagalog word for rice, is a logical name for this counter-service Filipino-Hawaiian restaurant with tasty egg and tomato jam musubis. But you can’t visit the tiny spot without ordering their ube banana pudding. It’s airy, with soft wafer pieces swirled in, and just enough nutty ube flavor, accompanied by a light whipped cream. Just know that seating inside is very limited, so you might have to use the benches outside or eat on the go." - adrian kane, john ringor, nick allen, adrian kane, nick allen, nick allen, john ringor, john ringor, nick allen, john ringor, nick allen, nick allen, nick allen, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor, adrian kane, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor, john ringor

https://www.theinfatuation.com/chicago/guides/best-new-chicago-restaurants-hit-list
View Postcard for Kanin
@infatuation

The Newest Restaurants In Chicago

"This Filipino-Hawaiian pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar comes from the team behind Novel Pizza, Drip Collective, and its Ravenswood neighbor, Side Practice Coffee. A variety of different musubi make up most of Kanin’s menu, like spam, longanisa and egg, or sinigang-inspired shrimp tempura. But they also have other dishes like inari, BBQ chicken skewers, and ube banana pudding." - john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen

https://www.theinfatuation.com/chicago/guides/new-chicago-restaurant-openings
View Postcard for Kanin
@infatuation

The Best Filipino Restaurants In Chicago

"“Kanin,” the Tagalog word for rice, is a logical name for this counter-service Filipino-Hawaiian restaurant with tasty egg and tomato jam musubis. But you can’t visit this tiny Ravenswood spot without ordering their ube banana pudding. It’s airy, has soft wafer pieces swirled in and just enough nutty ube flavor, and comes with a light whipped cream. Just know that seating inside is very limited, so you might have to use the benches outside or eat on the go." - john ringor

https://www.theinfatuation.com/chicago/guides/best-filipino-restaurants-chicago
View Postcard for Kanin
@infatuation

Kanin - Review - Ravenswood - Chicago - The Infatuation

"“Kanin,” the Tagalog word for rice, is a logical name for this counter-service Filipino-Hawaiian restaurant with tasty egg and tomato jam musubis. But you can’t visit this tiny Ravenswood spot without ordering their ube banana pudding. It’s airy, has soft wafer pieces swirled in and just enough nuttiness, and comes with a light whipped cream. Just know that seating inside is very limited, so you might have to use the benches outside or eat on the go." - John Ringor

https://www.theinfatuation.com/chicago/reviews/kanin
View Postcard for Kanin
@eater

Kanin, the Filipino-Hawaiian Bodega, is Chicago’s Hottest Restaurant - Eater Chicago

"Kanin is a Filipino-Hawaiian bodega inspired by the upbringing of its founder, Julius Tacadena, in Hawai’i. Known for its traditional Spam musubi and other varieties like tomato jam and egg, tamarind shrimp, and marinated pork and chicken skewers, Kanin offers a taste of simple comfort food. The restaurant quickly became popular with long lines forming daily, selling out their offerings by early afternoon." - Ashok Selvam

https://chicago.eater.com/2025/3/14/24385518/kanin-hawaii-filipino-bodega-musubi-open-photos-images
View Postcard for Kanin

Chris Eyo

Google
Oh I’ll be back! Stumbled in on a rainy morning for breakfast. The musubi is SO good. I loved the tamarind shrimp and the longanisa+egg, it took every ounce of self-control not to go back and buy some more. The ube banana pudding was objectively good, but not worth $9 in my opinion. The lunch plattered are a little pricey imo. I enjoy coming here more for breakfast. Overall a wonderful neighborhood spot that I’ll be returning to and highly recommend!

Chris Wozny

Google
Lovely new Filipino and Hawaiian joint in the neighborhood. The various musubis are a nice snack and they have quite a selection of imported goods. The folks behind the counter were very helpful and had a nice chat with them. Fun interior and a few tables if you want to try your snacks right there. Worth trying out!

Ron and Jen Dysangco

Google
We really loved the Filipino flavors they incorporate in the musubis they make, so we decided to have them cater our son’s Filipino fiesta themed bday party! They were served in pizza boxes, convenient to carry/transport! The musubis were a hit to our guests, both Filipinos and non-Filipinos! They were also perfect as they are easy to eat, no utensils required, adults can roam around while looking after their kids. Glad that they also had tomato and egg option for vegetarians. We had a great experience as well communicating with them regarding our orders. Would definitely recommend them!

CJ Santos

Google
The food tasted like Sunday mornings growing up when my dad would cook garlic fried rice and played old Filipino music. The musubis are simple yet delicious. The star is the ube banana pudding. It isn’t too sweet and has real bananas in it. When we were there, Howl’s Moving Castle was playing. The ambience is cozy and chill. the staff was very sweet. Also, they have Moo here!!

Gendell Fernandez

Google
Love the location, the atmosphere, the friendly faces! Been coming weekly for the Ube banana pudding! I’ve tried every musubi, but my favorite is the shrimp! Yummm! Also love that your favorite imported snacks are there (matcha kit kats, cornick, shrimp chips). Also love the healthcare worker discount! :)

Josh O

Google
Next stop was @kanin.chi, which features musubi and other Hawaiian snacks! We went with the regular (spam), spam & egg, longanisa & egg, spicy tocino, and sinigang shrimp. They were served warmed up and ready to eat. Cool spot for a quick delicious snack! Feel like they could use more rice to make them a bit bigger.

Brandon

Google
We were fortunate to get in line early enough for opening day. Really dig the vibe they're going for; comfy corner store. Feels like a neighborhood spot. There are a few shelves and coolers of popular Filipino/Hawaiian and Asian snacks and drinks e.g. Japanese Kit Kats and Oreos, shrimp chips, POG Juice, etc. Plenty of cool art all over the walls that show off their character. There isn't a lot of seating here, plan to take your food to go. This spot is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Really good, simple, comfort food that reminds me of both my Filipino roots, and time spent in Hawaii. 'Simple' isn't a knock either. Too often, people try and reinvent the wheel and things get complicated. The ratio of rice to toppings on the musubi was perfect. The textures were right. The flavors were bold and balanced. Their skewers were tender and delicious but could've used another day in their marinade. And that's truly the only constructive feedback I have after trying their whole menu. The Ube Banana Pudding (UBP) was phenomenal. In a world where just being sweet and purple = "ube," it was fantastic to finally eat an ube dessert I know my Lola would've loved to eat. I would come back here just for the UBP. It'll be interesting to see what Kanin holds for the future and how they keep us coming back for more. I was very impressed that things ran so smooth on opening day. This is the corner store Chicago has been missing. Mabuhay and Mahalo!

Nathan Rouse

Google
I was hesitant to believe the hype around Kanin but it is very much real. I’ve been so excited to try the Ube Banana Pudding and it absolutely did not disappoint. The longanisa musubi is on point as well. Above all else I’m just happy to see the success of a small, independent business.
google avatar

Bethany J.

Yelp
I LOVE Filipino businesses thriving in Chicago!! As a Filipino-American, it's been hard finding Filipino food that's both affordable and tasty- Kanin is both!! We visited during their opening day and it was so busy for good reason! Also everyone working there was so nice- I appreciate your patience and kindness especially with such a long line. We ordered almost everything off of the menu (minus the cucumbers). Our favorites include the tocino skewer, longanisa and egg musubi, and the inari bombs! Can't forget about the dessert the UBP ube banana pudding!! everything was so so delicious and decently priced! I will definitely be back