Laughing Bird

It was good but it reminds me more like Sunda. I was looking for more authentic flavors but it was more Filipino-​American. I think this caters more for people new to the Filipino cuisine as an introduction. I’d probably come back with my non-​Filipino friends and in laws.

Laughing Bird occupies the space formerly held by Tank Sushi. I was not sad to see Tank go, as it had gotten tired over the years. I’d hoped that LB would be a delight, but the food was not to my taste. (Disclaimer: I am no expert on Filipino food, and my only prior experience was a (very delicious) potluck I once attended.)
A green salad had decent flavor, but was gloppy with dressing. Adobo chicken was tender and juicy, but too vinegary for my taste. I liked the Singapore noodles (lots of good flavors), though my companion stated they were a bit too spicy. Both dishes were saltier than we prefer. For desert, Halo Halo was OK, but I frankly cannot remember it. There’s a decent wine list (including many Reislings, a good choice for spicier foods) at affordable prices.
The staff was courteous and helpful. The room is pretty drab (as was Tank, though LB is dark brown drab and Tank was white drab). I may be missing something about the finer points of Filipino cuisine, but it just didn’t do much for me, overall.

BOOOOOO!
AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE! If I could give no stars I would.
I went here for my birthday and it ruined everything.
The service was awful. The lighting was too dark. The food was god awful. Adobo was terrible, I can go anywhere for better Adobo. The Pancit Palabok was too saucy and soggy… The lechon kawali did not have the crispiness and way too much vinegar. On top of having terrible food, they charge you HIGH PRICES… HIGH PRICES for terrible food equals a NO NO. I get why they call it Laughing Bird… they are laughing cuz they ripped you off your money. lol
This place is a dishonor to filipino cuisine, I hope they fire the chef, or I hope they close down. I wish Tank Sushi was back.

What a great meal! We started with the BBQ Pork Meat Stick (so good) and the Crispy Pork Belly. Entrées included the Coconut Braised Monkfish, and Singapore Noodles, both hits! Loved the cocktail and wine list too. We finished up with the Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate desert, and rolled ourselves out of there.
Side note, the staff couldn’t have been more friendly. Host, bartender, and server, so darn pleasant.
TIP: Spotted lots of folks grabbing a bite at the bar. Looked fun for a quick bite.

Not what I was expecting. The restaurant has a cool and hip atmosphere. The service was great, our server was super friendly and accommodating. The food, however, was underwhelming, everything sounds so bold in the menu, yet when you get the actual dish, is no different from anything you could get at any other asian restaurant. (and at a cheaper price too).
This is not the worst restaurant I’ve been but it’s certainly not one of the best either, not sure why is listed as a Top 10 new restaurant.

After reading the Unilocal reviews, I was concerned about the food I would be having here. Despite the apprehension, I decided to check this place out to see for myself if it was as bad as some had said. I ordered the Pancit Palabok which were short noodles that were really good. They had a salty pork/​fish flavor and I thought the flavor was nice. I did not think it was overly salty. It was so good and I ate everything up off my plate.
For dessert, I ordered the s’mores. It was chocolate cake with whipped marshmallow and whipped cream. It was really good. I tasted a bite of my friend’s Halo halo and it was good too. Our group also ordered the papaya salad and the lumpia. I didnt have any complaints about any of them, but I thought Thai papaya salad tasted better than at this restaurant.
The food was good but was not so exceptional that I felt I got my money’s worth. The prices were 50% overpriced on each dish. My noodles were $ 20 but at Isla Pilipina it would have cost $ 10. The lumpia here was 9 pieces of $ 6 but at Isla Pilipina it would have been 10 pieces for $ 3. The high prices prevented me from ordering more off the menu. I ended up paying almost $ 40 for a small dish of noodles, brownie pieces with whipped marshmallow, tax and tip.
This restaurant is set up to look more fancy than Isla Pilipina but I can’t tell what else is so outstandingly different that they could justify their prices to be 50% more than their competitors.

I really wanted to like Laughing Bird and support another Filipino-​inspired restaurant, but I couldn’t. The Pancit Palabok was overdone and too salty. It lacked the color and vibrancy of traditional palabok. The Chicken Liver Fried Rice was so-​so. Usually I don’t complain about the price of food, because to me, good food is priceless, but when we got the check I genuinely felt robbed! I think Filipino food should always be accessible, abundant, and comforting. I didn’t really get that sense here. Also, the interior is super dark, I sat facing east toward the entrance and was blinded by the brightness outside. Service was good despite my disappointment in the food.

After much hype and over analyzing the menu I found LB to be a solid 3.
I liked the food we had, some dishes better than others but nothing that really wowed me. Maybe that’s why I find it hard to review the spot.
I thought the space was gorgeous. We were able to snag window seats so we had the evening light and open air feeling that the windows give. Quite nice.
Three of us ordered starters to share: Lumpia, Lechon Kawali and Charred Octopus.
I loved the charred octopus. that was probably my favorite of the evening. Tender, fresh, very well prepared. The lumpia was just meh. I’m sorry, I can make better lumpia. It was not crispy and the filling was pretty bland. The Lechon kawali was good, but I guess I never realized that I like it home style. Give me the Mang Tomas and a bowl of hot rice with it and I’m set. Don’t get me wrong, LB’s dish was good, but I guess I can’t appreciate it being served with watercress and a thai chili relish.
We each had our own main dish but shared a sampling with each other.
Pancit Palabok – this was good. The noodles almost bordered on mushy though. Much more seafood flavor than what I’m accustomed to – I think it was the smoked mackerel.
Chicken Adobo – this was good, but again like the Lechon Kawali, I think I appreciate it more down home style, more vinegary, and a little richer (we add pork to ours at home)
Spicy PEI Mussels – this was good too. Nice flavor, well-​made.
Dessert. Halo Halo. I did not care for the caramel milk they added to it. And no where on the menu did I read that there was jack fruit in it. I detest jack fruit and I was so disappointed that it found it’s way into my halo halo.
For folks that have never tried Filipino food, they might enjoy the Filipino inspired dishes. I found it pricey for an average experience. So if you feel Filipino food is more comfort than elegance, I’m really unsure if you’d like it here. Service was OK.

When I heard that Tank was going to close down and refactor itself as a new restaurant, I was excited. I’m always happy to see new and different things coming to my neighborhood. Last night I finally got a chance to go there with my girlfriend, and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed.
Before I get into this, I saw some reviews that expressed concern about the service, and I found the service to be excellent. Attentive, friendly, and all that you would expect. Granted it was a Wednesday night, so it’s not super busy, but still, it was what you would expect.
I had the Adobo Chicken and my girlfriend had the Pancit Palabok and we both had a pretty similar reaction to it. They were good and well prepared, but pretty uninspiring, especially when you consider the price tag. I’ve never had Filipino food, so maybe this is just what to expect?
The Adobo Chicken is a half chicken, carved up and served on a plate with a small bit of shaved papaya and a side of rice. In presentation and style it reminded me a lot of Chinese or Thai cuisine, where I have the entrée served with a cup of rice, and then you mix them together. The flavor was undeniably tasty and the chicken was properly cooked.
The problem though is that this dish was $ 18. I’m not somebody who normally complains too much about the price, but it really is a big problem here. If I went to one of the half a million thai places located in my neighborhood I could get a similar style of dish, similar service, and overall atmosphere for probably half the price.
I suspect the theory behind laughing bird was to take filipino food, do a little fusion thing, and try to upscale it. Overall though I think they’ve failed. If they cut their prices in half, I’d feel like it was a great place, but I just can’t see going back there for what we paid.

This was more 3.5 stars, but given the boldness of the menu, I’ll give this spot 4.
Interesting. That is quite possibly the most vague and/​or misunderstood word in the English language. It can connote something good or something bad. I’ll say with Laughing Bird it’s more the former than the latter. Overall, we had a lovely time. However, there was a healthy discussion during and after dinner about this meal. The majority of the table enjoyed the food while a couple had some strong (but not altogether negative) words about the dishes. So let’s get into this…
I’m part Filipino and seven of the eight of us who had dinner here last Friday are Filipino. So I think you know where I’m already going with this… Half of us are second generation; the other half are first. I made the reservation and warned the party that this is NOT going to be your typical Filipino establishment. They knew that yet the comments kept flowing in throughout the night that this is NOT Filipino food. Exactly… but I still enjoyed it. I remember reading that the chef and owners said (something along the lines of) «Laughing Bird is New American with Filipino twist.» I actually thought this was Filipino with an Italian, Korean, and New American twist. (Just my two cents.)
Laughing Bird is located in a very cute strip of shops and restaurants in Ravenswood. It’s situated in what I would consider a very typical charming Chicago neighborhood. When you enter the restaurant, you’ll notice it goes quite far back. There’s a prominent bar area and many dining tables could easily seat large parties. We were sat towards the back near the semi-​open kitchen. Like most Filipino communities, you cannot go to a Filipino restaurant without running into a friend… and indeed, we ran into another Filipino family my boyfriend knew. Love it!
Anyway, our server greeted us and explained a little bit of the menu. With the exception of the appetizers of course, most of the dishes are NOT family-​style. The pancit palabok, mussels, and the chicken adobo I felt were the most share-​able from the bottom half of the menu. I heard some disgruntled murmurs in Tagalog that this is not a family-​style menu which of course is not traditional… but again, it’s likely Chef Chrissy was trying to make this more «mainstream» friendly by serving it up this way (even though family-​style is en vogue nowadays).
Now the food itself… The lumpia shanghai ($ 6) served up traditional flavors. I wish the lumpia wrapper was a bit more fried though. It didn’t provide that big crunch we love when you dip the lumpia in the sweet chili sauce. The lechon kawali ($ 13) was tasty. It was salty and sour. The marinade resembled a soy sauce and vinegar mixture that we Filipinos are quite fond of. The chicken adobo ($ 18) surprisingly got mixed reviews. We’re all critical of adobo, but I personally enjoyed it. Granted, it’s not as rich and fatty as other adobos (yum!), but the chicken was cooked nicely. It wasn’t dry. The sauce was runny, but still tasted good. Others at our table were not as impressed and thought it was bland. The atchara (pickled green papaya) on top was spot on. My mom ordered the mussels ($ 18) and though she told the server to go milder on this, I don’t think they went mild enough so my mom wasn’t too thrilled about this dish. Aside from the heat, she said she was fine with the flavors. The palabok ($ 20) was probably the most pleasing dish of the night. Everyone agreed this was pretty «authentic» and I think because it was the most traditional dish, folks seemed to enjoy that most. The crispy pork loin ($ 21) was probably the least Filipino tasting of all. My boyfriend ordered it and thought it was delicious. The pork resembled katsu. The sauce was also pretty good. For cocktails, I ordered the Rhubarb Rickey ($ 11). It was good, but I didn’t quite taste the rhubarb flavor promised. I also wanted to know why rhubarb was in quotation marks on the menu. Is the drink meant to resemble rhubarb flavoring? The server said there was rhubarb syrup, but not actual muddled rhubarb in it. Either way, the drink was still tasty. Lastly, the halo-​halo was a big winner and pleased all.
I met Chef Chrissy briefly since she was at the front of the kitchen window. I assured her that I personally thought the food delivered strong flavors. If she asked the whole table, most of us would’ve given her positive reviews (while I’m sure others would provide sharper criticism). Like most «ethnic» cuisine, this is very personal. Particularly with Filipino food, there are so many provinces that dishes taste different by region and even amongst towns. For instance, in some parts of the Philippines, it’s acceptable to have coconut milk in adobo while this is a no-​no in other parts. Clearly, flavors vary — which is why the reviews of Filipino-​owned establishments trying to go «mainstream» are hit with especially critical reviews. On the whole, I recommend you try Laughing Bird and judge for yourself.

Usually when I head to a newer restaurant the first thing I do is filter the reviews by date just to allow for any early kinks to be worked out. So, when I noticed the review about the questionable service and implications about ethnicity/​discrimination I was quite worried. Our party of 8, and 2 to my horror were no-​shows, three are Asian, and 2 of which are Filipino. I would like to report that despite our no-​shows, our waiter and host were excellent and there were no issues at all.
My 3 star review comes purely on the food. Drink menu was pretty standard and I’m find paying $ 6 for an Allagash white on draft. Cannot comment on the cocktails as we stuck to beer and cider.
The appetizers we had were the Lumpia, Beef Tendon, and Lechon split between 6 of us. I LOVED the lumpia, and so did our resident Filipinos. They were light and tasty. The Lechon and Beef Tendon were also stellar. Probably the best part of the meals.
Our experts said the entrees were fairly traditional, except they didn’t recognize the Singapore noodles. Per their recommendations, we tried the chicken adobo and the pancit palabok. The chicken adobo was ok, nice portion for the price, but I didn’t find it to be extremely flavorful. The pancit palabok was better in flavor, but for $ 20 I expected more seafood to be included instead of 1 prawn, a few small shrimp, and I also couldn’t pick out the smoked mackerel.
Usually I dock stars for service or food but since the staff were great but the food was varied, an overall rating of A-​OK seems to work. Again, the appetizers were great, but the entrees feel short, and with a higher price tag it just didn’t match up with the expectations I had. For 6 people, we had 10 drinks (beer), 3 appetizers, 4 entrees, and our total was $ 37 per person.
Will I go back? Maybe.

Verdict: although its pretty pricey, paid almost 150.00 for 2 people… i will come back to try the other dishes on the menu. Enjoyed my cocktail. My critic is to get rid of the cheap oriental plates and upgrade to better plates. Entrée plates could be larger. Some of the dishes are priced high. The palabok was decent but not worth 20.00. Loved the clams. Lose the deviled egg. The egg roll was good but the dip taste like its store bought — too sugary. The empanada was mediocre. I love the ambience. Very cozy. Service was also great. Overall, its a good experience. The food was ok, but the ambience and the service made up for it.

The food here is so wonderful, entirely unique, and sourced from perfect ingredients!
This place is a knock-​out! Great for an evening out with friends, family, or to impress a date!
The lumpia are so perfect and light, the empanadas were divine, and don’t snooze on that pickle plate!
The plate of Chef Camba’s charcuterie is a revelation. Every part of this dish is perfectly composed, even the bread!
The burrata was one of the best I’ve ever had, because she stepped well outside the box to pair a perfectly oozy cheese with coco jam and grilled onion.
The adobo chicken was one of the best chicken experiences of my chicken lovin life! And the special banana pepper Co-​op hot sauce made for the occasion was amazing!
The pancit palabok was rich and decadent with nuanced pork and seafood flavors.
You can have all kinds of great meals out in Chicago, but I defy you to find one so good and so unique anywhere!

Laughing Bird was pretty good, but I would like to give it another try. I liked it, but I just wasn’t super impressed. I was never a huge fan of Tank Sushi although it was good, so I’m not just saying that by comparison to the previous restaurant that was here. It always seemed like while their food was very good, it was a little overpriced and the employees were kind of just blah. I feel like I see some of the same traits here even though it’s a new concept and cuisine.
I went last week for a friend’s birthday with one other girlfriend of ours. The birthday girl is from the Phillipines so we were excited to try it with her. Right when we walked in, the host seemed less than amused with us. I definitely sensed some major shade. We had had a glass of wine or two prior, but it was a Friday night and I didn’t think we were being really obnoxious except someone swore pretty loudly infront of a baby (sorry!) but the rest of the staff we spoke with while there were helpful with questions and friendly enough.
I’m not super familliar with traditional cuisine of the Phillipines other than what my friend, who used to be my roommate, would have around our apartment some of the time from her Mom. Obviously I don’t expect food at a restaurant to be the same as someone’s Mom’s traditional homecooking, but it wasn’t even close to the same WOW level. Like I said, I would like to go back and try some other things before I totally knock it. We shared the octopus appetizer and then I had a pretty unmemorable fish entrée. But I ended up liking it the more I got into the meal. The noodles that one of my friends had were pretty good also (singapore noodles, I think) Seeing some of the things that came out of the kitchen that we didn’t try made me think I need to go back and try some different things
They were nice enough to include a birthday dessert for our friend so major points there — it’s a restaurant gesture that never goes unappreciated. Overall, I have a feeling they are still getting into their groove but I’m happy to have some unique flavors in the neighborhood!

I am Filipino-​American and went here with my parents, sister and my brother-​in-​law for Friday night dinner.
My dad described the food in one word, «CREATIVE». (Note: My dad usually doesn’t say much or has an opinion about the restaurants we go to; he usually says ‘good’ or ‘okay’ but I’ve never heard him compliment about a restaurant’s menu before.)
This is not the traditional Filipino mom’s cooking which is cooked and served in big dishes. The menu is just not to cater to Filipinos but to introduce people who have never had Filipino food to the flavors of Filipino food. Each bite was amazing! So many other familiar flavors — with Korean, Thai and American influence in the dishes.
We had the following dishes and shared all of it as family style:
1) Prepared Meats — great starter for everyone
2) Lechon Kawali — one of my favorites; it’s crunchy and tastes like it was dipped in sinigang (another traditional Filipino dish)
3) Charred Octopus — this was amazing! wish there was more on one plate
4) Green Papaya and Raw Beet — one of my sister’s favorite, she’s a beet lover
5) Half Chicken Adobo — a bit sweeter than how my mom cooks it but overall the flavor is there and chicken was tender and juicy
6) Crispy Pork Loin — spicy, crispy and had Korean kimichi; it was delicious! ask for a side a rice :)
7) LB Burger — my dad order this because he’s a fan of burgers
8) Eggplant conserve
9) Spicy Pei Mussels — the broth was amazing! has some Thai flavors within the broth
10) Halo Halo (dessert) — loved it because it also came with Leche Flan and it was not too sweet
11) S mores (dessert) — chocolate and marshmallow, yum! This was enough to serve all 5 of us.
Our server was nice and hospitable. Glass of water was never empty.
The new look of the restaurant is different than Tank Sushi of course giving it a more open look.
Also, you won’t find Miller Lite here so order a San Miguel!
I plan to come back here to try the snacks!
The only negative thing I can say is that there wasn’t enough of the Charred Octopus appetizer to share among 5 people and the Lechon Kawali (but I could be saying that because they were so delicious that I would like a tub full of each, haha) Happy Eating!

First time trying Filipino food and loved it! Every dish we tried were great, even the burger! Service was friendly and prompt. A definite repeat!

The grilled octopus with the dinuguan sauce was the winner at our table; we ordered a second after inhaling the first. The burrata with pan de sal and cocojam was light and yummy. The Singapore noodles and palabok were what stood out to me. A fun twist on Filipino food but I could use a little more bang for my buck.
Got to talk to Chrissy for a few minutes and she hinted at ube and jackfruit soft serve in the future. Nice!

The service was good, but the food wasn’t that great, especially for an upscale place. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good either. If I had known it wasn’t going to be all that, I would have cooked my own Chicken Adobo at home. I’m Filipino American and I love traditional Filipino food. I also enjoy Asian Fusion, so I’m not the type who would be so dismissive to a new concept. At places like these, I would have expected non-​traditional food that still tastes good enough for me not to care that it is not the same as my mom’s traditional cooking.
And it’s pricey. Since my sister is pregnant and I don’t drink alcohol anymore, we didn’t order alcoholic beverages. We drank iced tap water. Our total still came out to be more than $ 30 a person.
When I was getting dessert later at another place, a Filipino American couple approached me and asked what I thought of the place. They also went and they told me they hated it. They ranted about how expensive it was too. My sister didn’t see the check because I paid, but she after hearing that from them she became curious about what the check came out to be, so I told her and she was shocked at the amount I paid before gratuity. I went over with her what we got, so with the prices from the menu, it made sense that we spent that much, but it was not worth it for what we got.

I ate at Laughing Bird Sunday night and it was amazing! My favorite items were lumpia (pork egg rolls), bbq meat sticks, lechon (pork belly — so crispy!), palabok (shrimp/​pork noodles) and pork ala nadim (schnitzel on kimchi)
I’ve had Filipino food before, but this was by far the best I’ve ever had. It felt like all the ingredients were super fresh and the seasoning was balanced.
The room is more modern and sexy than most places in the neighborhood. But its still comfortable with two tvs over the bar to watch the game. This is going to be my new after work hang out.
Our server said that they are going to have a dim-​sum brunch starting in a month or two. I can’t wait!!!

New joint in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. Chrissy Camba has made the old Tank Sushi spot and helped create Laughing Bird. Embracing her Filipino heritage I applaud her. Its a cozy restaurant that can probably fit a hundred or so people. Full bar that looked like they are serving up some pretty beautiful and delicious cocktails. The food is a bit shakey… some good some not so good. A bit on the higher end for Filipino fusion but the food is executed well in some aspects. For starters, we ordered the lechon kawali with a vinaigrette cooked watercress on top. That was delicious. Perfectly cooked and I wish there was more of it! There was like 3 little peices on there. Was it a taste? We had the lumpia shanghai and you can always taste everyones variations on how they make it and this was so good! The eggroll was delicious and light tasting (which is hard to do especially with something fried). We then got the bbq pork skewers — probably the highlight if my meal. Most people who make this usually over cook it and throw some soy sauce on there and call it a day. Laughing Bird took their time to cook the barbecue pork to perfection and still let the natural taste and sweetness of the pork shine. For entrees, we got the crispy pork a la Nadim which we weren’t crazy about the clams the was served with were sandy and seemed like they were not cleaned properly. The crispy pork sat atop of a bed of housemade kimchi which the seafood like spicy broth made a more complex flavor and cut up the flavor of the kimchi with some crispy fried pork on top. Then finally we got the chicken adobo. The chicken adobo was good, chicken was cooked well and not over done. Added a little bit of that co-​op hot sauce with some rice and that adobo (soy sauce, garlic and vinegar-​amongst other ingredients) and that made for some awesome flavors. You know what I didn’t understand? Why did this dishes have beautifully developed sauces but no spoons to scoop up the broth in? I caught my self tilting the serving plate to pour some on to my plate.
Even though we got there around 845 on opening night, I feel as though the staff was not really enthusiastic about the menu nor did they explain it. Luckily, I am Filipino so I did not need any explanation. Prices are a bit too high for the amount of food that we received. Also if it was opening night, don’t you think that Chrissy or one of the other managers should have been going around and introducing themselves and thanking their patrons for their support? I saw Chrissy and one of their chefs and we didn’t get so much as a smile from them. The service was alright but nothing spectacular and I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement with Laughing Bird. This is a new restaurant that needs to work out the kinks and have more consistent customer service and food. I am willing to give this place another shot but only if they change things up a bit because if the potential I see in it.