When chef Carlo Lamagna flies back to the Philippines, his first stop is a little cart at the side of the road with spit-roasted meats slowly roasting over coals. For a few dollars, he orders a bag of chopped chicken or pork belly and pickles to bring home and enjoy with a fresh pot of rice.
The spirit of those carts will inform Magna Kubo, the new lechonería that Lamagna and the crew at Magna Kusina, his modern Filipino restaurant and our 2021 Restaurant of the Year, plan to open in Beaverton next spring.
Named for the Tagalog word for hut, Magna Kubo aims to open in March on Southwest Broadway Street. Lamagna imagines Kubo as a Filipino version of a Southern meat-and-three, where you can pick a meat and sides to build a platter, drop by for a pork belly and rice bowl at lunch or take home a half chicken, some lumpia and some egg noodle pancit canton for dinner. In addition to the staples — lemongrass-marinated chicken, especially — Lamagna plans to skewer up smoked brisket and whole fish to roast in the restaurant’s Brazilian-style rotisserie.
“We’re Filipino, but we’re also chef-y chefs,” Lamagna says. “We want to bring this style of cooking to people, have a little something for everyone and serve foods we grew up eating late-night in the Philippines.”
Magna Kubo is actually 500-square-feet larger than the original Kusina, and might feel even bigger, as while Lamagna hopes to sell beer, wine and batched cocktails, he won’t be building a standalone bar. Expect a cozy, casual vibe with a bright pop of color from a mural coming to an inside wall.
The project comes from Henry Point Development, the developer behind the Afuri Ramen’s Old Town Beaverton location, among others. Chef de cuisine Kevin Balonso will run the new restaurant and is a primary partner, while longtime employees Danté Fernandez, Roberto Almodovar and Lester Cabigting, each have a small stake.
Meanwhile, city documents confirm that Kubo’s neighbor in the historic Kiel’s Grocery building will be none other than Pip’s Original, the popular Portland doughnut and chai shop. (Pip’s co-owner Nate Snell did not immediately return an email requesting comment.)
Magna and Pip’s mark the latest Portland restaurant to test the Washington County waters, following Afuri, Big’s Chicken, Ex Novo Brewing, Loyal Legion, Sizzle Pie, The Sudra, Top Burmese and more. As The Oregonian reported in April, the rush of expansions has been fueled in part by matching city grants earmarked for restaurants in the Central Beaverton area.
“Beaverton is putting the effort in,” Lamagna said. “Obviously the $50,000 grant was attractive, but also knowing the demographic over there. A lot of younger families. A larger Asian population. And look at how many people are getting broken into here (in Portland) every day. All the stuff that’s going on because of how the city is run. And then look at Beaverton, and the efforts they’re taking to uphold quality of life for families. We’re looking forward to being able to tap into that.”
Magna Kubo hopes to open in March at 12406 S.W. Broadway St.
Read more:
Magna Kusina is Portland’s 2021 Restaurant of the Year
The ultimate guide to Beaverton’s 30 best restaurants
— Michael Russell; mrussell@oregonian.com
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