Kain Tayo moves from Illinois to Midtown, serving Filipino favorites to a new audience (2024)

At Kain Tayo in Midtown, husband-and-wife duo Randy and Sally Arcega aim to offer the kind of food that reminds them of home. The casual Filipino eatery opened in February and gets its name from the Tagalong phrase for “Let’s Eat,” enticing visitors to dig into a menu full of comforting southeast Asian classics such as chicken adobo, lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly) and halo-halo – a refreshing icy dessert filled with sweetened beans and fruity jellies, topped with custardy flan and housemade ube ice cream.

The restaurant originated in 2019 on the other side of the Mississippi River in Trenton, Illinois, where the Arcegas have been living for 13 years, but the food has roots in the couple’s hometown of Valenzuela in the northern Philippines. “My wife grew up learning how to cook with her older sister,” Randy says. “When staying in Trenton, she started cooking for her friends who loved it and encouraged her to do more.”

Word of Sally’s delicious home cooking quickly caught on in the small town, and it wasn’t long before the couple went from serving food at local events to operating their first restaurant. As the years went by, they noticed a trend: “70 to 75 percent of customers came from St. Louis,” Randy says. Given their customer base, it seemed like a natural next step to move closer to where their operation closer to their regulars.

At approximately 2,000 square feet, the new location is nearly three times the size of the original Trenton brick-and-mortar, and is one of the many new businesses inhabiting the JC Midtown project. “The owner, Jassen Johnson, established this here for people who live in the area so they don’t need to drive downtown,” Randy explains, citing up-and-coming neighboring businesses such as a café, wine shop and brewery.

The naturally lit space features four-top seating and nods to island life, including a festive green photo wall at the entrance and a music corner that will at sometime in the future be the center of karaoke nights. The fare is equally lively, adorned with colorful garnishes such as fresh herbs and edible flowers.

The lechon kawali, for instance, comes with a bright mango salsa to offset the rich, fatty pork. The bestselling dish features pork belly that is boiled for two-and-a-half hours with mild savory spices before getting deep-fried to “golden, crispy perfection.” “Our food is the type of home cooking traditional to Filipinos that Grandma would make – nothing fancy. I always tell people that the love my wife puts into her cooking is what makes it really stand out,” Randy says.

Going forward, the Arcegas hope to offer specials such as Filipino barbecue. For now, they’re doing their best to introduce their go-to staples such as lumpia (crispy Filipino spring rolls), chicken adobo and Chef Sally’s sisig to St. Louis. “Basically, when you go to the Philippines, you’ll find different versions of all of these dishes,” Randy says. Sally’s take on sisig features crispy chicken and pork chopped in tiny pieces with red onions, jalapeños, Thai chiles and serrano peppers.

Additional highlights from the menu include pancit, or stir-fried rice noodles with pork, chicken and mixed vegetables; fried tilapia; and bicol express, a spicy pork stew cooked with coconut milk and string beans. Along with halo-halo and leche flan, Kain Tayo features housemade ice cream in flavors such as ube, mango and pandan. Pending a liquor license, the Arcegas hope to offer imported Filipino beer such as San Miguel and Red Horse to pair with the fare. “Our main goal is to bring home-cooked Filipino food to St. Louisans. We hope they’ll come try it,” Randy says.

Kain Tayo is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Kain Tayo, 2700 Locust St., St. Louis, Missouri, 314-396-2110, kaintayostl.com