This July, Eat the Real American Classics

This story was originally published in The Stranger’s July 2026 print issue. 

It’s the month where we celebrate the birth of this complicated nation, and if you’re feeling mixed emotions about how to commemorate the US’s semiquincentennial (250th!), I have a solid game plan for you. 

This July, I’m taking special aim at American food classics made even better by Asian American chefs in the city. These spots show us that Asian Americans really do be taking that “American” part very seriously.

Fried Chicken at the Chicken Supply 
Between Korean pop-ups and Shell gas stations, there’s no shortage of good fried chicken in the city. But if you want excellent crispy fried birds, you gotta go to Greenwood’s greatest gem: the Chicken Supply.

The hype behind this spot is indeed the real deal. In 2022, Eater named the Chicken Supply as a Best New Restaurant in the US. Fast forward to 2026, and chef Paolo Campbell and his wife Jenn Magofña have somehow managed to elevate their game, delivering an even louder crunch and deeper, savory Filipino flavors.

And if you ask around, that crunch is iconic. It’s thanks to a special blend of tapioca, potato, sweet rice, and cornstarch flours alongside a soy-sauce brine. All dairy- and gluten-free to boot.

The menu is modular: You buy your chicken by the piece, or by the skewer. Thighs, wings, and drums (with breast meat available in stick form in a variety box). But rounding out the stars is an ensemble of sides that may actually steal the show. We’re talking the perfect foils of garlic rice, coconut collard greens, cold pancit, and more. In true Filipino spirit, the team treats the quaint space like an extension of their own kitchens at home. It’s inviting and intimate, casual and special at the same time. I mean it: If you eat at the Chicken Supply, you may decide it’s time to break up with Jollibee—it’s that good.

The Double Cheeseburger at Ox Burger
Over the past couple years, Seattle has gone through an identity crisis: Are we a coffee city? A pizza city? A bánh mì city? Well, your new meta is that Seattle is actually a burger city.

While the conversation surrounding who makes “the best” burger can be controversial, to me and to many in the food industry in this city, there’s one no-frills burger that nails it every time.

Ox Burger in Capitol Hill is run by the genius chef/owner behind Taurus Ox and Ananas Pizzeria, Khampaeng Panyathong, and you may already be familiar with their critically acclaimed Lao Burger. One bite in and it feels like a Southeast Asian vacation. But we’re not talking about that burger. In fact, if you ask Khampaeng, that’s not even the burger he eats at Ox Burger. Instead, he and many others in the industry flock to the humble Ox Burger Cheeseburger.

It’s hard to do a lot of writing about a perfect smash burger, so it’s easier for me to tell you what it doesn’t have. First, this is a burger with no fresh produce, no slimy-ass tomato or lettuce on life support. It gets right to the point with its soft, summer BBQ vibe buns, American cheese, a burger sauce with its own POV, and okay, yes, some pickles, too. Second, and possibly most importantly, there’s no sticker shock. This burger will only cost you SEVEN US DOLLARS. (Or $10 if you go for the double, which you should.)

Hot tip: Khampaeng impressed on me that more than anything in his restaurant kingdom, it’s the thick, hand-cut fries at Ox Burger that actually are the most prep intensive—try an order of those, too, and you’ll see why.

Donuts at Despi Delite Bakery
By now, people know that Asian immigrants run the donut world in America, often Hmong or Vietnamese families. But in Beacon Hill, Filipinos have established an iconic bakeshop in Delite Bakery. (There’s a location in Everett as well for you Northerners.) This shop has been around since the Reagan administration, which makes sense because their pastries are pure crack.

If you’re not familiar with the baking tradition of Filipinos, bring an insulin pen. There’s a reason Delite distributes their goods to grocery stores all across the city and state, including Uwajimaya and Lam’s Seafood. We’re talking butter enseamada (think the fluffiest roll-type bread smothered in a seriously decadent yet light buttercream icing) and deep purple ube bread. We’re talking full-sized birthday cakes, pillowy pandesal rolls, fresh Filipino tahô, and yes, the biggest donuts you have seen in your waking hours.

I’m not kidding, these suckers are monstrous. Almost comically big, their ring-shaped donuts are tire-sized, the sugar twists remind me of braids on Vikings, and the XL maple bar makes me feel insecure. And when you take a bite, after the initial sugar euphoria wanes, you feel excited to know there are at least 15 to 20 big bites left.

This is a situation where ordering a dozen donuts requires some game planning, specifically on who will help you finish the box. 

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