Hiraya, a new Filipino restaurant that serves rainbow lattes and Filipino breakfast items, officially opened on Washington’s H Street at the end of September. Co-founded by Filipino chef Paolo Dungca, the restaurant hopes to present Filipino food in an elevated setting while still evoking nostaWe want to be a chill, all-day cafe where you do your work and enjoy some nice food and coffee instead of being isolated at home We want to be a chill, all-day cafe where you do your work and enjoy some nice food and coffee instead of being isolated at home — Paolo Dungca
In recent years, Dungca has gained recognition as a chef who challenges the boundaries of Filipino cuisine. The name “Hiraya,” which translates to “the fruit of one’s hopes, dreams and aspirations” in Tagalog, encapsulates Dungca’s journey as a visionary in the restaurant industry.
Dungca’s inspiration comes from his Filipino cultural roots and his experience moving to California at age 13. Hiraya’s menu is largely based on Dungca’s memories of his mother’s cooking.
“We’re all passionate about what we are doing — everything is rooted in substance from the motherland,” Dungca stated in an interview with Eater DC. His commitment to preserving traditional Filipino flavors produced a menu including chori burgers with ube buns, spring rolls, ube crepes, duck adobo and buko pie.
Other selections reflect Dungca’s desire to appeal to mainstream consumers. Classic egg-and-cheese sandwiches and steak and fries appear on the menu with a few personalized twists.
However, Dungca spent the most time developing the coffee menu. Hiraya offers a number of colorful lattes in collaboration with Sun and Stars Coffee Roaster, which sources their beans straight from the Philippines.
Dungca explained his emphasis on coffee in an interview with the Washingtonian: “Every time you go to a coffee shop, it’s always the classic American or French…I’ve always just been really interested in infusing our heritage with coffee. Because in the Philippines, it’s mostly powdered coffee.”
The space is designed to resemble a traditional Filipino home. Inside the restaurant are large central tables and paintings by Filipino artists on the wall, while the exterior features simple wooden embellishments. These architectural choices help convey Filipino values of hospitality, as well as Hiraya’s purpose as a space of gathering.
“We want to be a chill, all-day cafe where you do your work and enjoy some nice food and coffee instead of being isolated at home,” Dungca explained in an interview with Eater DC.
Hiraya is not Dungca’s first large-scale project, as he gained acclaim throughout the Washington area with restaurants such as Kaliwa, Pogiboy and Sari Filipino Kusina. The relationships he built there have proven strong, as chefs Carlos Lorenzo Rufo and Julie Cortes, two of Dungca’s former co-workers at Kaliwa, now work in Hiraya’s kitchen.
Hiraya has already attracted many customers and experienced long waiting lines during their opening week, and the restaurant plans to open their second-floor dining room in the coming months. The area will introduce a more upscale dining experience and an expanded dinner menu.
Hiraya is open 8 a.m. – 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
