A Filipino-Hawaiian Bodega Serving Up Musubi and Other Snacks Is Coming to Ravenswood

WTTW Playlist / by Daniel Hautzinger / February 26, 2025

Julius Tacadena likes to describe himself as “delusionally optimistic.” It seems apt: he’s opening a restaurant-slash-bodega during the slow season – Chicago winter – less than a year after jumping into the food business and only half a year or so after meeting his business partner. At least he’s bringing island sunshine to the Midwestern dark season: Kanin will offer fast-casual meals and snacks that draw on Tacadena’s Filipino background and Hawaiian upbringing, with a special focus on the compact treat musubi. It opens on March 8 at 5131 N. Damen Avenue.

“Kanin” is Filipino for “rice,” a central part of musubi. Musubi are a Hawaiian twist on Japanese onigiri, featuring a block of rice topped with a protein – the most iconic is grilled Spam – and wrapped with nori seaweed. Kanin will offer Spam musubi in addition to some Filipino twists – one with egg and the sweet sausage longanisa, and another with tempura shrimp and the tamarind-sour flavor of sinigang soup – and a vegetarian tomato jam and egg version. It will also have grilled skewers in bento boxes that spotlight tropical flavors from Hawaii – guava – and the Philippines – calamansi. “Poke bombs” of fish and rice stuffed into the fried tofu skin pocket known as inari round out the main snacks, while Hawaiian mac salad is an essential side and ube banana pudding is available for dessert. Read More Here.