Filipino Eats on the East Side, the Lowest Of Them All.

Welcome back to this week’s #ShopLocalSaturday; where I highlight local eats and shops that I have visited. This week is featuring  Kabisera in Lower East Side, NYC!

About a month ago, I was on my way to a venue to be utilized for a Happy Hour networking event in the Lower East Side. I might as well grab an early dinner before checking out the venue.

In my good fortune; that there was a place called Kabisera that was nearby, and was on the way to where I was going to.

Stepping inside; this unassuming, hole-in-the-wall cafe was narrow, but stretched all the way towards the back to the kitchen. Since it was between late afternoon and early evening; it was not that packed, there were only 1 or 2 people in the cafe at the time.

At the counter, looking over the menu; I ordered a chicken adobo panini and a hot thai tea. I never heard of a chicken adobo before, and it sounded very unique to me.

Soon after I was seated; I was told that they could not make the panini, but it could be made into a quesadilla instead. It made me slightly disappointed, but relented because I was curious about what a chicken adobo was about.

Observing the rest of the cafe; I noticed there some board games on the side of the room. So if there’s a small party, they can pick up a board game and play during their visit.

Like I said; there are some places where the kitchen is not fully visible, but at Kabisera, it is fully visible. One can almost stand just before the kitchen to see the action. That stood out to me.

To my surprise; it came with a side of avocado, and a side of mixed greens. Seeing the quesadilla packed with chicken pieces, and fried eggs. Taking a bite into it; it was really sweet and flavorful. Each bite was packed; like it could make me full after a few bites. I thought that only eating half the quesadilla would make me call it meal; and take the rest of it home for the next day.

Then, I remember that I had somewhere to be afterwards; and had a little bit of time, so I took my time to finish the entire plate. I was at Kabisera for over an hour finishing my quesadilla and thai tea. Yea, that’s how much time I took…

I left very full and stuffed.

To end, I highly recommend Kabisera. Whether going with a small group of friends, or by yourself to get some work done, or just enjoy a good time at a small cafe; if anyone is in the Lower East Side, I would point to Kabisera. The very interesting thing is that it is near my friend’s wine and spirits shop also; so I stopped by to say hi, before heading to the venue.

As a bonus; if you do wanna get the most bang for your buck; I’ll leave you with the following options below with my link, so that you can earn cash back on what you order the next time you’re visiting Kabisera.

Know of any other local shops that you enjoy going to that should be highlighted? Leave a comment and let me know!

And as always,

Remember to always support your local establishments! They are a part of your community!

-The Eric Fong