Kora — Restaurant in New York

(At the Alewife Brewery location) From the heart to your heart, Kora truly delivers an exceptional boutique-donut experience and fantastical treats.

Like many others, Kora has been on our list of culinary places to visit and try out. Living in New Jersey made it a bit harder to plan a trip out to Queens to make this happen, but it finally happened - and boy, did Kora meet up to the hype and then some. But this would not be genuinely complete review unless I provide some background and context leading up to this visit.

Growing up in the tri-state area, I never truly appreciated how diverse the food scene was in New York. After picking up my life and traveling around the U.S. and the world for work, I quickly developed a unique love for food. So when work brought me back home to New Jersey, I made sure that I took advantage of my vicinity to the city and boroughs and start crossing off my list of "must-visit restaurants." I found myself scouring the web and social media for eateries, developing and continuously adding to this list. In my search, I almost immediately gravitated to Kora when it presented itself as Filipino cuisine and a donut-spot.

When it came to donuts (because what savage spells it as "doughnuts" - pssh), I developed an affinity for the fried pastry because no matter where I was in the world it brought a sense of comfort and normalcy. So, whenever the opportunity arose, I would snag one, two, or a dozen depending on my mood. Raised up on Dunkin' (not the standard by any means, but always reliable), I really began branching out through Krispy Kreme, and other local Viet/Cambodian/Lao donut artisans (which was arguably the freshest donuts I've ever had) when I worked in California. Needless to say, donuts are a staple of my diet.

I first came across Kora on social media - not random by any means, because the algorithms of my social media probably identified me as a gluttonous sucker for food, and targeted me appropriately. After living in the Bay and being married into the Filipino culture, the video snippet of Kora spoke to me. Aside from being a local, small business, I felt so proud of the fact this creative exploration in the culinary scene was being spearhead by AAPI owners/chefs.

So the long awaited opportunity presented itself - my cousin was going to be in town from Hawaii, my good friend and mentor was making the trip down from upstate, and my other cousins were also going to be in town with our families that lived in Queens; the conditions were perfect. I immediately jumped onto Kora's website, hoping that I was still able to pre-order for it being in the middle of the week. To my surprise and delight, I still managed to get the order in. I also discovered that Kora would be based out of Alewife Brewery in Sunnyside, Queens for pick-up, which has changed when I first learned about Kora.

When the day came, we were afforded the luxury of driving out to Sunnyside in my friend's car. To our luck, we were able to snatch street side parking right in front of the Alewife Brewery around 1pm (all other parking spaces seemed to be already occupied). The Kora stand was right in the front as we walked in and were still setting up well in advance of their pick-up time with a handful of people waiting already.

The available and variety of donuts is always changing which makes Kora a fluid and refreshing eatery. This time around, they had the Sari Sari set which includes the (1) Leche Flan ni Lola, (2) Ube, (3) Peaches & Cream, (4) Abokado, and (5) Kalamansi Amapola. All five donuts/fried brioche were spectacular and did not disappoint - my favorite would have been the Kalamansi Amapola which had fruity citrus notes in each bite which made the donut all the more amazing.

On top of this, the customer interaction and service is top notch; I never seen a more involved owner than Kimberly and Kevin. I will hands-down come back...

Amazing Filipino donuts! OMG all my childhood flavors on a donut! What else can you ask for? The flavors are amazing and the donuts are soft and delicious! Must order online!

Location: It is located on Long Island City. It is just a pick up location, I believe they make the donuts here. I drove here and it is kinda far, and traffic is crazy but hey it is worth it. Also, if you google map it, its is not the exact location you have to go around the building so you can see the sign.

Service: The pick up was easy you just show the guy your confirmation code and you will receive the boxes of donuts.

Food: We ordered the Sari Sari pack which is compose of all their flavors that month, 5 donuts in total. LECHE FLAN NI LOLA: this is one of my favorite, the custard inside is so creamy and silky and the brioche is soft. UBE: the ube flavor is not that strong, but it is not that sweet so I like it. CHAMPORADO: omg so good because it has real rice inside the brioche and resembles the chocolate rice porridge. SANS RIVAL: good as well, the buttercream has liquor on it and cashews are perfect addition to give the donut a texture. KAMOTECUE: this is their new flavor, and it was a street food in the Philippines. I love it because the sweet potato is so good. AVOKADO: this is so yummy too, because it has guac on it. HALO HALO: this is one of my favorite as well, because all the flavors are here. It definitely taste like the shaved ice dessert. KALAMANSI AMAPOLA: this is one of my favorites as well because it the tangy taste of the kalamansi is perfect with the soft brioche. KESO: my favorite! The cheese filling is so good! And the frico crisp is so good too! CASTAÑA: my not so favorite, it was okay. CHURRON: omg it so good, the banana filling is so delicious and it compliments the crunch of the churros! To be honest all the flavors have their own unique elements, so get everything.

Price rating: 7/10, it was not that bad for the price. The donuts were amazing.

Ordered trice already so definitely will try their other flavors! Get the sari sari so you can taste...

I had been meaning to try Kora for so long but kept missing the pop-ups. When I finally did go on a Sunday at 9am I anticipated the wait but the staff was INCREDIBLY helpful in coming out, explaining the wait, the process and giving us hope, answering questions on what they would likely have and what might sell out. I got inside about 10:15 and loved the space. The decor is very neutral toned and I recommend sitting if you can. Since there is currently a 6 pastry cap, I got the ube babka, coffee cruller, cinnamon cruller, spam pan suisse and leche flan donut. Every single one knocked my socks off. I have been to allot of bakeries, and several Michelin Star restaurants, but I can't think of any that compare to Kora's pastries in terms of variety of flavor, texture & dynamics of taste. The lofty, butter-rich steam air that is trapped inside each layer, the soft and supple textures of the bites was intoxicating. The spam pan suisse with pimento cheese had a touch of savory heat while the outer glaze added crispy, crunchy sweetness. The the braided babka touched with salt played well together with the sweet profile of the ube center. I am very partial to coffee/coffee cakes and the Coffee Cruller was my favorite. The outer layer and coffee is delicious but I could not believe how tender, cloud loft, buttery soft the inside was. Even if the pastries are sold out the cookies and coffee are sold throughout the day and the full glass storefront lets in plenty of light. It is going to be my go-to coffee shop. Also, I really appreciate the signs in front explaining the current situation with the facilities, projected waits on weekdays vs weekends, and the explanations of the multi-day processes it takes to prep elements that go into the pastries. PLEASE don't be upset if items are sold out as all new businesses have growing pains. Do your homework and plan for a 1.5-2 hour min window from the time you arrive to when you eat. You can taste the effort and artistry in each bite, so make time for the experience...