Magna Kusina
Filipino restaurant · Hosford-Abernathy ·
Filipino comfort food like noodles and lumpia in a lively setting
Filipino comfort food like noodles and lumpia in a lively setting
"Chef Carlo Lamagna’s Magna Kusina is a love letter to the Philippines that survived and thrived after the pandemic: classic dishes like Shrimp Sinigang (a lemony tamarind stew with daikon, long beans, cabbage, and shrimp) and Mom’s Crab Fat Noodles with pickled corn and Dungeness crab sit alongside evening skewers (Tuhog) and inventive plates like Seafood Kare-Kare and Pork Rib Adobo, while cocktails—Pinoy Daiquiri with calamansi and pandan or a Tanglad Sour with lemongrass gin—echo Filipino flavors." - Hannah Wallace
"The Portland restaurant is described as 'much‑acclaimed,' and its chef Carlo Lamagna will be guesting at a May 18 five‑course Palestinian Filipino‑inspired dinner (tickets start at $85), joining another noted chef and contributing to a menu that includes calamansi coolers, Filipino‑style kebabs, and kare kare." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Joining the May 5 community meryenda to raise funds for families affected by the Lapu Lapu attack, contributing Filipino food alongside other local carts and restaurants. The restaurant is run by Carlo Lamagna, who is also a co-owner of the event space hosting the benefit; Lamagna emphasizes community reciprocity: “If we can give to our community, eventually it’ll give back to us as well,” and observes, “Whenever something happens in the community... the Filipino businesses come together.”" - Harry Cheadle
"A Filipino restaurant praised for charcoal-grilled skewers and seasonal fare—one of the neighborhood standouts among recent newcomers." - Dianne de Guzman
"When the highly anticipated Filipino restaurant Magna opened in 2019, it was a great restaurant, one that got better every visit with homey bowls of pancit bihon and calamansi-scented sisig, still sizzling when it arrived at the table. But it seems that chef and owner Carlo Lamagna reaches a new level each time his restaurant passes an anniversary, not just as a chef but as a community leader — whether it’s organizing a fundraiser, serving as a mentor for a young chef, or hosting a pop-up. Magna holds space for both the supremely casual and the festive, whether it’s a skewer of charcoal-grilled pork intestines or silky squid ink noodles with just enough bite, coated in a beautiful crab fat sauce. Lunch at Magna is an exploration of impeccably executed comfort food, congees and noodle soups adorned with quail eggs and fried garlic." - Katherine Chew Hamilton