A recent culinary venture is bringing Filipino comfort food to the East Village. Tucked away on 1st Avenue, Naks is one of the latest projects from Unapologetic Foods. The idea came from Chef Eric Valdez, who previously worked as a line cook at Michelin-starred Junoon, working side by side with Chef Chintan Pandya, Executive Chef at Unapologetic Foods.<\/p>\n
Valdez, who had worked with Chintan on projects like the restaurant Dhamaka, approached the team with the idea of opening a Filipino restaurant. \u201cWe saw the potential of doing regional Filipino cuisine,\u201d said Valdez. Naks specializes in Filipino comfort food, taking inspiration from recipes Valdez\u2019s mother would make for him growing up.<\/p>\n
Open for dinner and brunch, the menu is \u00e0 la carte, leaning into classic Filipino flavors in a multitude of dishes, such as the Inihaw na Liempo (lemon soda bbq pork belly, citrus soy glaze), Adobo Rice (claypot chicken, pork belly garlic rice), Kare-Kare (braised beef cheeks, rich peanut stew), and a Lechon Platter (for two, crispy pork belly, jasmine rice, grilled and pickled vegetables). The menu also boasts fan favorite desserts with a Filipino twist: an ube cheesecake, a leche flan, and a buko pandan.<\/p>\n
For Valdez, keeping the menu traditional was incredibly important, as many cuisines (including Filipino food) can often become Americanized, and he wanted customers to get as authentic an experience as possible. \u201cI think the problem here in New York is that all food is Americanized, everything is diluted. It\u2019s like everything is adjusted to the American palate. That\u2019s what we\u2019re focusing on, to bring the authenticity of every dish that we\u2019re making,\u201d said Valdez.<\/p>\n
In addition to the food menu, Naks prides itself on bringing Filipino flavors to the cocktail menu. The cocktails highlight elevated flavors, including the Ooh-Bae! (aged coconut rum, ube, cultured coconut, cream, pandan, club soda), Ambaboy (lechon fat washed bourbon, Filipino dark rum, lemongrass infused amaro, oloroso sherry, plantain), and the Peach Please (Filipino red brandy, calvados, yellow peach, brown butter, mango, salted vanilla), to name a few. The menu also features mocktails with the same flavors. Even the beers offered on the menu tie back to the Philippines, with options such as a basmati rice premium lager, a mango saison and a coconut IPA.<\/p>\n
Valdez wants Naks to be able to help make its mark on New York\u2019s food scene. \u201cWe need to fight for our cuisine. We wanted the same respect that [New York] gave to some other cuisines, like Korean and Vietnamese cuisines. They have their own name on the map right now in New York, so we wanted that same attention, we wanted the same respect to get in our Filipino cuisine,\u201d said Valdez.<\/p>\n
Valdez says that the response to Naks has been incredibly positive, with the restaurant earning a spot on Esquire\u2019s Best New Restaurant in 2024 list. Valdez told amNewYork that he had his reservations about how the Filipino community would react to the restaurant. \u201cAt first, when we opened, I think Filipinos would hate the restaurant, but it was the opposite \u2014 Filipinos are loving it. Everybody was telling me to keep the restaurant as it is because it\u2019s bringing pride to our cuisine,\u201d said Valdez.<\/p>\n
Naks is a unique and exciting addition to the East Village, offering authentic Filipino comfort food and drinks. With its focus on traditional cuisine and commitment to authenticity, Naks is sure to make a lasting impression on New York\u2019s food scene.<\/p>\n
A: Naks serves Filipino comfort food, with a focus on traditional and authentic dishes.<\/p>\n
A: Naks is located on 1st Avenue in the East Village.<\/p>\n
A: Some popular dishes on the menu include Inihaw na Liempo, Adobo Rice, Kare-Kare, and the Lechon Platter.<\/p>\n
A: Yes, Naks offers a range of Filipino-inspired cocktails and mocktails, as well as beers from the Philippines.<\/p>\n
A: Yes, Naks was named one of Esquire\u2019s Best New Restaurants in 2024.<\/p>\n
A: You can visit the Naks website at naks.nyc for more information or to make a reservation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Naks A recent culinary venture is bringing Filipino comfort food to the East Village. Tucked away on 1st Avenue, Naks is one of the latest projects from Unapologetic Foods. The idea came from Chef Eric Valdez, who previously worked as a line cook at Michelin-starred Junoon, working side by side with Chef Chintan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19062","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.amny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Brunch-Spread_Paul-McDonough.jpg?quality=51&w=1200&p=q&w=1200&resize=1200,852&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19062"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19064,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19062\/revisions\/19064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}