Does Chicago have a Filipino neighborhood?

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Investigation, Chicago, Radio, Arts, Society & Culture, Public, Education, Curious, City

4.6 • 661 Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A concentrated Filipino community area is not as easy to spot as neighborhoods like Chinatown or Little Village. In this episode, we’ll look at the long history Filipinos have had in Chicago stretching back to the early 1900s. We’ll also look at how Filipino restaurants have made a mark across the city in recent years, from Jefferson Park to Pilsen. Originally published in February 2025.

Transcript

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0:00.0	What's up, Chicago?
0:01.0	I'm Erin Allen, and this is Curia City.
0:04.5	Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, and some of them are major hubs for different ethnic communities.
0:11.6	Like Chinatown, Little Village, Ukrainian Village, just to name a few.
0:16.2	Well, Curious Citizen, Kayla Villegas, had a question about a certain enclave here in Chicago after
0:22.4	learning about Little Manila in New York City.
0:25.8	This made me curious if Chicago has its own Filipino neighborhood as well.
0:34.4	May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
0:40.4	So today, we're going to revisit this story from WBEZ's Micah Yason.
0:45.2	She went in search of Chicago's Filipino neighborhood.
0:48.3	We have this common unifying character.
0:55.0	We are Filipinos.
0:57.0	And later in the show,
0:59.0	with Filipino fusion restaurants like Casama and Bayoncoe,
1:03.0	making a big splash in Chicago,
1:05.0	we look at how the community is helping each other
1:08.0	get visibility and success.
1:14.5	But first, Micah Yason kicks us off after the break.
1:28.7	This WBEZ podcast is supported by the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago, where research meets real-world impact.
1:33.7	The master's program in social work, social policy, and social administration blends classroom learning with extensive field education, guided by faculty known for groundbreaking research.
1:39.7	Applications are open at crown school.uschicago.edu slash social work.
1:45.1	Inspire change, shape the future.
	...

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