‘Scary & Exciting’ New Cohoes Eatery Goes From Pop-Up to Restaurant
It may be a tiny space, but the former pop-up restaurant is going to get its own place in downtown Cohoes. It was once only on Instagram but will now be an actual restaurant.
What is Going Into the Small Space in Downtown Cohoes?
For twenty-five years it was the home of Uncle John's Diner and most recently known as the Tiny Diney but closed last December. Now the building at 300 and a half Ontario Street in downtown Cohoes will be the new home of Chee-bog, a Filipino restaurant.
What is Chee-Bog?
Chris "Champ" Peralta and Cindy Tapper-Peralta were running Chee-bog as a Filipino pop-up through Instagram. They would use social media and appear at markets while taking limited orders. They serve barbeque pork skewers, pork belly brined in anise, garlic, bay leaves, lumpia, pork, green onions, and carrots sauteed in garlic, wrapped and deep fried, and more according to the Albany Business Review.
What They Hope For Chee-Bog
The owners say that they hope to introduce more people to Filipino food. But they also plan to host specials that are a nod to the history of the building like traditional breakfast sandwiches.
Owner "Champ" Peralta says,
It's very scary. And it's really exciting at the same time. It's just because I also (want) not just to be a restaurant, but I want this place to be a place for Filipinos to just come hang out.
Cindy Tapper-Peralta said her hope is,
I want someone like that to come in and feel like, OK, maybe they're not going to order everything on the menu, but they can order something and they can navigate and understand, 'OK, this is kind of the story behind this dish, and it's more of an experience. And that's what excites me — the communications aspect of it, how to make it resonate with people.
They are doing some renovations and closed on the building on July 6th. They hope to be open by September.