Bayan Ko

Great food and ambiance

Last night’s Breadbreakers delivered another successful gourmand evening at Bayan Ko via the Filipino-Cuban cuisine provided by chef Lawrence Letrero. What is extraordinary is that we tried all dishes on the menu, and every single course provided a new nuance of this fusion cuisine on a very high level in regards to flavor and satisfaction. I will make sure to soon repeat this experience again. Exquisite!

Small space but very cozy. They were on time with our reservation and the service was very quick. We ordered the croquetas, lumpia, and chicken wings each were delicious in their own way. Wings had a nice crisp to them, the aioli sauce for the croquetas was amazing, and the lumpia was exquisite. For our main dish we each got something different to try, we had the cubano sandwich, ox tail, pork, and beef steak. Very generous portions with a generous portion side of rice as well. Highly recommend this place. Small and cozy, but full and large in flavor.

Traditional food from both Filipino and Cuban with a twist! Executed at a high level and totally delicious!

We dined here because we wanted to show friends how great it is.
We have yet to find a dish we did not enjoy.
Fun!

Absolutely love this place! Delicious food with some of the nicest servers.

I've been to Bayan Ko twice and I've loved it each time I've gone! The food and service is excellent - definitely worth the money. It's a cute little restaurant but it can be a little loud - but I think that adds to the experience. Highly recommend!

Small place. Really good food. Worth the trip!

We visited during the week but the noise level was something else - super duper loud! It was our 2nd visit- the first was charming and romantic atmosphere - this time, much different. Service was impeccable - food terrific. I guess one can’t determine the atmosphere based on client being different each evening. Will definitely return !

The food was fantastic, our server was wonderful. This place was worth taking the train up to, I would recommend to friends (I already have!).

Get the luglug noodles - yum garlic. The maduros so, so good.

Our waiter was the perfect amount of attentive and the vibe was both popular and laid back. Food was great, service was great, I would absolutely recommend this place for a date night or a sweet night with friends

Awesome cozy spot with great food! It was an awesome twist to the traditional recipes that impressed someone like me who is always looking to try something new. Friendly service in a very cutely decorated space.

FOOD was amazing, we had a group of 5 and everyone was thrilled with it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Best restaurant I’ve been to this year! Definitely coming back very soon!

My new favorite restaurant in Chicago. All four of us were constantly “mmmmmm’ing.” Great dinner out on the Northside.

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience. The food, the atmosphere, the service – everything was exceptional. I highly recommend this place for an intimate dinner, a small party, or just a nice night out with your family.

I’m glad we tried Bayan Ko. Being a Filipino, it’s so hard to try Filipino restaurants. There’s that fear that, my mom’s or aunts cooking is better etc But here, not only is the food good but that Filipino hospitality radiates everywhere. It’s a place to have great conversations over BYOB, and just have fun while enjoying your Filipino (or Cuban) food.

Great food and ambiance. Service is ok and friendly.

Great food !!!

Let me just say that the Oxtail Kare Kare is like a warm blanket on a cold night. I would come back to Bayan Ko for that dish everyday of the week, and twice on Sunday. Chef Lawrence, you crushed it with this one.

Honestly, though, everything we had was delicious. From the Lumpia to the Cevice, and the Oxtail to the Lechon you can't go wrong. Trust me when I say both the Flan and Ube Sundae are necessary to close out your experience.

I have to say the service was some of the best we've experienced. Jaye and the team made us feel like we were eating at a friends house. There was never a time when we didn't feel welcome. And getting a chance to let Chef Lawrence know how much we were enjoying his food was a great privilege. Thank you so much.

Bayan Ko is a must. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Great food and service

GET THE UBE ICE CREAM ! I’m not a dessert fan, but holy wow it’s the best thing I’ve ever had.

The food was so delicious and the ambience was inviting! It’s BYOB so that’s a bonus! Will definitely be back :)

The bayan lechon is AMAZING. Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside. A somewhat savory sauce on the bottom with an optional sweeter sauce you can dip the pieces in. INCREDIBLE. The luglug noodles were pretty good and the pinchos and short rib bistek are good but nothing to write home about. Would recommend but definitely not in my top five.

Such a lovely treat to enjoy a very fine meal at Bayan Ko. There is no other place quite like this place. It was wonderful.

Came in from Detroit, very authentic Filipino cuisine. Great ambiance and BYOB!

We had been trying to experience this restaurant for some time, but never got it together to make a reservation early enough. This time...success! Well worth the wait. Fantastic food! Every dish was a flavorful delight. We can't wait to return and try everything we didn't have room for. Great service. Really nice wait staff, and kitchen staff!

Really enjoyed this place! Reasonably priced food for the quality. Service is great. One of the women who works there is super sweet and attentive to all the guest. You get the homey local atmosphere and awesome food. Will continue to come back!! Oh and BYOB!

Bayan Ko absolutely knocked it out of the park. It was my second time dining there and my date’s first time. I cannot fully express just how lovely of a time we had dinning on delicious food that was simply exquisite. Thank you for a beautiful evening, we WILL be back. Best restaurant experience I’ve ever had the pleasure of sharing in.

Fun menu. Food concept great but could be a little more flavorful. Many it has been Americanized? Very Friendly service but very rushed and not a busy night. Apps and entries came immediately on order and all at the same time. Dinner was over in 30 minutes.

One of my favourite spots in the city, so tasty!

While they accommodated my aunt for her knee issues, the seated us where the sun was right at our table when another table could have been better! And no one sat there until we were about to leave. Service was ok. Rice was under-cooked, second serving was undercooked again and had to pay for it???

In fairness, flan and ube ice cream were good. Kare-Kare was good.

Overall, an ok place. Chicago’s not really popular for Filipino restaurants, but there are still a few better than this. I was looking forward to this day with all the hype... only to be disappointed! Sorry! But just reflecting now, when making the reservation, a male who answered phone was unfriendly! Thus, opentable, instead.

Great food, great flavors. Will be going back. .

We've been here a few times and the food has always been consistently great. However, we've never ordered dessert until this last visit when we tried their flan. WOW! This is like no flan I've ever tasted! Very dense, creamy and rich. Save room for this. It's very special!

Great place! A little on the loud side and not amazing when it comes to beverage selection. But food was great.

A wonderful experience. We are planning a return trip with a few other friends in order to try EVERYTHING on the menu! The mussels and the luglug noodles were my favorites. My partner enjoyed the pork belly. The staff even offered us a sweet treat after dinner since we were celebrating a birthday.

Such a neighborhood gem. Excellent food, attentive service and I'm just happy to see that the place continues to be packed.

Cute place with outdoor seating. Despite having just a few tables, the noise level made it difficult to have a conversation. It’s quieter outside, except for the train and the el...Very good service. They encouraged ordering two plates per person which would have been way too much food. The food was good, not exceptional. Appreciated that it was byob.

Great find, pleasant neighborhood place. Food is of great quality.

Service was very rushed. Server dropped the check while we were still eating the last dishes without asking for dessert. Food served lukewarm/cold. The only dish served hot was the mussels, but there were several unopened mussels. Underwhelming experience overall.