Mano Modern Cafe

Prior to coming to Mano we had lunch. Mano wasn't planned but we took advantage of stopping by as we drove down Ashland.The drinks were on point and so was the lumpia. Next time we will comeback for food-food and desserts!

The breakfast combo bowl is one of my favorite meals! The candied tocino bacon, crispy egg, and longanisa go well with their garlic rice. It's a very filling breakfast that comes out hot and fresh. The iced white rabbit latte with oatmilk was delicious, the white rabbit flavor is not too strong. It's like a subtle version of vanilla flavor.There are plenty of tables here, but when it's peak time around 11am on weekends it can actually get pretty packed. It's pretty cozy in here, I like that they have a lot of plants inside. I recommend the lumpia as well.

My first stop of my first visit to Chicago was Mano Modern Cafe. I'd been eyeing this place on Instagram ever since I started following Salamat Cookies, another Filipino small business based in Indy. The cafe itself is spacious, clean, and industrial. If I lived in the area, I would definitely make Mano Modern Cafe my go-to workspace. I ordered an iced ube latte, no adjustments. The latte was impressively ready in under 2 minutes and was delicately layered by the barista. I wish I took a picture of it before mixing the layers!I'm not one for sweet coffee drinks, so I was a bit worried that it would taste like a dessert without making any adjustments to the sweetness. I was pleasantly surprised that the drink didn't taste like candy. The espresso flavor was stronger than the ube syrup, which I prefer. The only thing I would adjust next time is the amount of ice in the latte; about 1/3 less ice would have been perfect!

Mano is a small and locally owned Filipino cafe located in the west town area. This establishment can seat about 20-30 people comfortably. There are a few outdoor seating spots as well. Tip: highly recommend going on an early Sunday AM since parking is free that day and street parking is plentiful.There are 2 ways to order - at their front counter or online. I ordered online and their system is user friendly and easy to navigate. I ordered an Ube chai latte with pistachio milk and it was delicious! This was my first time having pistachio milk as a milk sub and I enjoyed it. For food I tried the longansia and tocino bowl which came with a fried egg and rice. I'll probably pass on ordering food from here going forward, however I do appreciate that they offer food which makes it an easy 1 stop spot! The owner was there and he was hustling! It was great to see this place busy especially since they were only open for about an hour at that point. He was very friendly and kind which shows me he truly cares about his business and making his customers feel at home and welcomed.

Recommended to visit this cute Filipino coffee shop/cafe by a colleague. The interior has a contemporary fresh design with their order counted in the far back, up a short set of steps. When we visited on a Saturday afternoon, there was a mix of friends catching up and a number of people independently working. I imagine it's more crowded (louder) during mealtimes.My husband and I ordered an iced Ube Matcha Latte with pistachio milk (with some guidance from the cashier) and an iced Calamansi tea. The Calamansi was an inhouse made juice; freshing as described. I was grateful that my latte wasn't overly sweet (often happens with Ube flavoring) but it did overpower the matcha. Half way through, I realized my latte reminded me of a flavored vito-soy; not good not bad, but familiar!We also ordered a Pinoy Poutine to share. The portion was perfect for us to share. My favorite part were the fried cheese curds!We enjoyed sitting outside since it was a beautiful overcast day (despite the location being off the bustling car-dominated Ashland. It's a bit far to walk from our place, but I'd happily come back to meet up with a friend or two and try their Filipino breakfast. Cheers to a great neighborhood spot in West Town. Gotta thank my colleague for the rec (:

Love this place! The ube chai latte tasted amazing but would probably get a little less sweet next time. Also got the longanisa wrap and bowl which were perfect breakfast items, as well as the lumpia. Fantastic flavors and great service. Solid spot to start off the morning with chill vibes.

Since Kasama came around, there has been a crop of Filipino restaurants popping up in Chicago. Mano Modern Cafe seems to fill in the breakfast and brunch with coffee or afternoon tea niche. Inevitably, comparisons are made to Kasama, which can be considered the "gold standard" in Chicago.The cafe itself is located along Ashland, and street parking is usually plentiful in the mornings and early afternoon. The interior is decorated cleanly. Food-wise, the breakfast sandwich (pan de slider) is not as good as Kasama's. Overall, the sandwich itself is not as flavorful, and the bread feels a little too soft and without texture. The rice bowls (Silogs) are really where this cafe shines. The serving size is a little smaller than Kasama's, but has similar flavor and holds its own against its Michelin-starred brethren down the street. Additionally, make sure to order a lumpia, which always came out piping hot and freshly fried. Drink-wise, I enjoyed the coffee-based drinks much more than Kasama. The Ube latte was more ube-forward, whereas Kasama's was a bit heavier on the cream and milk. A footnote - according to Filipino friends, Mano refers to a gesture and phrase of respect to elders, usually initiated by persons of younger age. Hence, the large "Mano po!" signage on the window of the cafe. Overall, Mano Modern cafe is a solid addition to Chicago's rapidly growing Filipino culinary scene. In my books, it's dug itself a solid niche as a local brunch and coffee spot that is far more accessible than Kasama and also provides its own solid offerings. Definitely a spot that I will be frequenting.

I loved this place! When I saw that this place was a Modern Filipino Coffee Shop/Breakfast spot, I just had to go. I've been on the search for some of the best coffee spots that incorporate ube and pandan in their drinks and I just wokeup craving Filipino food, so this was a given. I'm also not from here so I was excited to see what it was like in Chicago.The area it was in was cute and charming, it wasn't too busy and it was in a relatively clean area. I would say parking can either be really easy or a bit of a challenge. We got lucky and got parking on a side street where we didn't have to pay, and it was right around the corner from the coffee shop. There was parking on the street that its on, and that one you have to pay for. We saw some spots open on the street, however I can picture that being a challenge later on in the day.The coffee shop itself was cute, clean and cozy. It wasn't the biggest but I genuinely think they had a good amount of seating in there. I like how they had subtle hints and decorations that pay tribute to the Filipino culture. Service was pretty good. I had no issues personally. Staff greeted me with a smile, I felt that they were very patient and they helped me find a drink that fit into my cravings. Pretty good service overall. I saw them constantly hustling to make sure things were clean and that customers were well taken care of.For drinks, we had the pandan latte (iced) and the ube chai latte (iced). Both were pretty good! My only thingis with the pandan, I do wish the pandan taste was a little stronger, but I appreciate how the coffee didn't overpower it. The Ube Chai was really good and pretty! I had no issues with it and really enjoyed it! For food, we had the pinoy poutine and the longanisa and tocino candied bacon silog. I enjoyed both dishes. The poutine was really good! I enjoyed the coconut gravy and thought it was a creative take on poutine. The silog satisfied my craving. Its pretty hard to butcher a silog dish, they didn't butcher it and I was happy. The candied tocino was so good, I wish I had more.I loved this find. Please open in San Diego lol. But when I come back to Chicago, I don't mind coming here. I also loved how I saw many different people of different ethnic backgrounds trying Filipino dishes and drinks (I'm Filipino lol). I think this place did a great job and I hope to see them again soon!

Went back again the same week! Really a lovely place to vibe and study. It's easy to order at the counter and sit down. They bring your items to you.I tried their White Rabbit latte and the iced version of the ube latte. The iced version had pretty layers, make sure to mix before drinking! I still like the hot latte version because I think it brings out the potato-y flavor better. The white rabbit latte didn't really taste like white rabbit candy. It seemed similar to a white chocolate mocha but I guess White Rabbit candy is just condensed milk so it's not too unexpected.The calamansi was refreshing. Like a tart orange juice with a hint of bitterness.I tried their beef patty breakfast bowl because I was craving something saucy. The gravy was amazing to mix into the rice and the patty was almost the size of the bowl! Would love if the gravy was an option for all the bowls. I also tried a bit of the candied tocino bacon and it was delicious!! Sweet and salty, not a crispy as I hoped but still very tasty.

I came earlier in the day and got an ube latte and it was amazing! I forgot to take a picture of it but it was beautiful and it was the perfect blend of ube and espresso. It was so good I had to come back for the calamansi iced tea and it was a bit sweet but SO refreshing. Would highly recommend.