Chicken Ati-Atihan, Restaurant With a Heart
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Owners Randy and Shiela Famacion (Photo by Ivan Kevin Castro)
The Chicken Ati-Atihan Filipino Grill & Restaurant in Niles, Illinois, derived it name from the Ati-Atihan Festival, as well as its festive slogan: Sasayaw ka sa sarap! (You’ll dance because it’s so delicious!)
And the restaurant does not disappoint! Its jewels on the menu are chicken inasal and pork barbecue. By the way, what is chicken inasal? It’s chicken pieces marinated in a mixture of spices and grilled until done.
The foot traffic is always busy, making the place one of most recommended Pinoy restaurants in Chicagoland. When you enter, you are captivated by the merriment in the air as if a real Ati-Atihan is going on!
Chicken Ati-Atihan Filipino Grill & Restaurant always have festive atmosphere (Photo by Ivan Kevin Castro)
Arthur Zambrano, a habitue, sums it up: “I can’t get enough of the food! That’s why I keep coming back!” He is fond of the stew puchero. To get his fix, he makes a pilgrimage to the restaurant at least once a week. All he does is sit down. Without saying a word, either Michelle Micor or Mariz Gamao, waiters he knows very well, immediately brings his favorite puchero to his table. “The puchero is good for our bones,” adds Zambrano.
What is the secret of the delicious food? “Our recipes are one of a kind. And everything is fresh!” replies Chef Roy Martin. “We don’t estimate the number of guests and precook. I have assistants who just do the grilling.”
Chef Roy Martin (Photo by Ivan Kevin Castro)
The waiting time can be long. As such, owners Randy and Shiela Famacion encourage their customers to call in their orders.
They even have a written explanation about this at the entrance of the restaurant. First-time customers usually get frustrated over the wait time. But the second time, they feel better, especially if they have preordered.
Chicken Ati-Atihan Filipino Grill & Restaurant is a must-visit feel-good restaurant. True to its name, the dining experience is always joyful. Make sure to order your food in advance to ensure you food is fresh and delicious!
Update:
Because of the COVID-19 and an Illinois stay-at-home order, Chicken Ati-Atihan Filipino Grill & Restaurant is closed to the public. But it is open to distribute free meals to front line health care workers in different Chicagoland hospitals.
Sharing and caring define Randy and Shiela Famacion. On Randy’s birthday every January 14th, through other restaurants in the Philippines, they donate meals to orphanages in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City. And every Thanksgiving, the restaurant provides meals to the homeless in Chicago.
“We chose Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois to give free meals because it is the nearest hospital to our restaurant,” Shiela says,”
Randy posted Facebook photos of the free meals that were being distributed, and they became viral. He was amazed at people’s reactions. Individuals and organizations, like the Philippine Independence Week Committee (PIWC) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, immediately contacted him to give contributions. As of this writing, they are preparing meals for St. Mary’s Hospital in Chicago.
I suggested that North Shore Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, Illinois, where my sister, Vilma Castro, is an ER nurse, be included on the list of hospitals to be given free meals.
Randy Famacion helps in the preparation of free meals for frontliners (Photo courtesy of Randy Famacion)
“Chicken Ati-Atihan & Filipino Grill Restaurant will provide meals to front liners as long as we have resources,” Randy explains. His e-mail address: rfamacion.broker@gmail.com.
Great job, Randy and Shiela Famacion and the Chicken Ati-Atihan Filipino Grill & Restaurant!
Chicken Ati-Atihan Filipino Grill & Restaurant
9054 West Golf Road
Niles, IL 60714
Tel. (847) 699-3113
Rey E. de la Cruz
Rey E. de la Cruz, Ed.D., Positively Filipino correspondent, writes from Chicagoland when he is not loving the arts and traveling in seven continents. He is the author of the children’s book, Ballesteros on My Mind: My Hometown in the Philippines, which also has Ilocano, Spanish, and Tagalog editions, four songs, and a film. His baby book and fourth-grade Tagalog diary are in the collection of The Newberry, an independent research library for the humanities in Chicago.
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