Filipino Community & Lifestyle News
Five years ago, I packed my bags and moved from Nova Scotia to Ontario to pursue my PhD. Being away from my family, friends, and comfort zone urged me to (re)create familiarity. One way I did that was by trying my hand at cooking Filipino dishes. I first learned how to cook Filipino food by […]
Five popular dining spots in Toronto, including Michelin-recognized BB’s, are offering limited-time-only prix fixe menus with a mango theme in celebration of the 5th edition of Filipino Restaurant Month Canada Makilala Chef Nuit Regular beamed as she presented her rendition of fresh tuna kinilaw mango during the Filipino Restaurant Month Canada (FRMC) kickoff at the […]
If I could describe Filipino chef-led Mineral Restaurant at 1027 Yonge St. in Toronto in just one word, it would be pambihira. In Tagalog, anything pambihira is exceptional, elevated, note-worthy. Consider the subtle, upscale decor: handpainted gold leaves on greyish dark cloud-like murals on arched ceilings, and plush royal blue velvet seats. Cutlery shines in […]
For many small, emerging Filipino food entrepreneurs, attending major Filipino festivals can be impossible: vendor booths usually start at $1000, and can go upwards of $3000 for multi-day events. That’s exactly the gap Kainan Na Inc. set out to close, by building a community-first model where vendors can show up together, share resources (such as […]
When you’re Filipino in the GTA, food isn’t just about food: it’s about memory, comfort, and community. For Shine Asuncion, founder of ‘Kain Tayo’ (meaning “let’s eat”), it became the spark for building something on Facebook that thousands of kababayans now rely on. Asuncion started the group in the middle of 2020, right when the […]
Sandwiched between International Cheese and Deli and Lapointe Fish & Chips in Ottawa’s ByWard Market is “Sweet Puspin” Filipino Dessert Bar: a pastel coloured, sweet-smelling, neon-lit Pinoy hangout with in-house specialties such as halo-halo and “dirty” ice cream. Owner Michelle Anne Sartzetakis opened Sweet Puspin (42 ByWard Market Square) in June 2025 with no previous […]
Is there Filipino creativity, novelty and taste beyond Little Manila in Toronto? Mabuhay Canada roamed the streets of Brampton to see what Pinoys in Brampton are tasting and eating, and found three places worth exploring. Elsa Lutong Bahay — 65 Rutherford Rd. South Elsa Lutong Bahay’s brick and mortar location may be small, with just […]
If you’ve ever found yourself wishing, “I just need one tiny thing from the Philippines,” Toronto’s Little Manila has your back. Located along the intersection of Bathurst and Wilson, where the neighbourhood feels like a warm, chaotic hug (even in Canadian weather), Little Manila is every Filipino-Canadian’s “home away from home”. This corner of Toronto […]
If you’ve been missing the smells and sounds of a busy restaurant back home, chances are iSLAS Filipino Café & Bar is already on your Toronto food bucket list. Run by husband-and-wife team Marc and Mariel Buenaventura, iSLAS was born out of their shared love for Filipino food and the restaurant experience. Both started their […]
It’s shiny, it’s jiggly, it’s like jello, but with a caramel sauce topping and toasted coconut flakes, Nara’s Black Kutsinta is nothing like any other kutsinta. Its colour—black as squid ink—always gets people’s attention, according to its maker, Rana Caramat. “I saw it on Instagram and thought, ‘oh, this is unique’,” said Caramat, a bank […]
