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.
Valdez, who had worked with Chintan on projects like the restaurant Dhamaka, approached the team with the idea of opening a Filipino restaurant.
“We saw the potential of doing regional Filipino cuisine,” said Valdez.
Naks specializes in Filipino comfort food, taking inspiration from recipes Valdez’s mother would make for him growing up. Open for dinner and brunch, the menu is à 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.
“We’re just focusing now on the dishes that I grew up eating, the dishes that I love eating every day,” said Valdez. “Mostly, the food that we’re serving at Naks is like the original form of it. What you can see back home, this is the same food that we’re serving at Naks.”
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.
“I think the problem here in New York is that all food is Americanized, everything is diluted. It’s like everything is adjusted to the American palate. That’s what we’re focusing on, to bring the authenticity of every dish that we’re making,” said Valdez.
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. With this in mind, Valdez wants Naks to be able to help make its mark on New York’s food scene.
“We 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,” said Valdez.
Valdez says that the response to Naks has been incredibly positive, with the restaurant earning a spot on Esquire’s Best New Restaurant in 2024 list. Valdez told amNewYork that he had his reservations about how the Filipino community would react to the restaurant.
“At first, when we opened, I think Filipinos would hate the restaurant, but it was the opposite — Filipinos are loving it. Everybody was telling me to keep the restaurant as it is because it’s bringing pride to our cuisine,” said Valdez.
For more information, visit naks.nyc.
