Have your fill of kinilaw and lechon at this Seattle pop-up

Filipino dining series Dila by Filipino-American chef LJ Almendras will be serving lechon, kinilaw, tortang talong, and biko at a two-night pop-up in Seattle | Photos from LJ Almendras/Instagram

Christmas is just around the corner, and for our kababayans who are homesick for the taste of Pasko staples, or even just the warm flavors of home, look no further than this upcoming pop-up in Seattle.

Dila, a Filipino dining series by Filipino-American chef LJ Almendras, will be having a two-night pop-up at the newly-opened bulaluhan and panciteria in Seattle called Kilig on Dec. 16 and again at natural wine bar La Dive on Dec. 17.

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In a homecoming of sorts—Almendras first moved to Seattle six years ago—he will serve Filipino favorites like kinilaw and lechon alongside tortang talong and biko. 

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“I’m very excited to bring my food to an area with such a strong Filipino food community,” the chef said in an Instagram post. Tickets priced at $75 each are currently on sale online. Almendras encourages groups to buy tickets together to be seated at one table.

There will be two service times: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. for Kilig and 12 noon and 2 p.m. for La Dive.

Almendras, a former public relations professional-turned-chef, shifted careers after being homesick, channeling his yearning for the homeland through cooking and eating Filipino food. 

He moved to New York and pursued a career in food design, researching and creating new recipes. He’s worked for Queens neighborhood cocktail bar and a wood-fired grill Rolo’s, chef Jimmy Ly and Yen Vo’s modern Vietnamese gastropub Monsieur Vo, and American-Chinese restaurant Nice Day before founding his Filipino pop-up series Dila.

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A post shared by Lj Almendras (@ljalmendras)

Since Dila’s inception in March 2022, he’s done pop-ups at various New York restaurants, where he’s fused Filipino flavors with Western elements in dishes like tagliatelle with creamy and tangy pinakbet sauce as well as a soon-to-be signature lechon made with pork belly rolled and stuffed with lemongrass then served with an assortment of sauces and sides.