The first time chefs Tom Cunanan and Paolo Dungca worked together was in 2015 at the Filipino trailblazer Bad Saint in Columbia Heights, where Dungca was Cunanan’s sous chef. The slim spot, which didn’t initially take reservations and always garnered a line, went on to win an avalanche of accolades, while Cunanan took home the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2019. After his tenure there, Dungca landed high-profile gigs at Kaliwa on The Wharf and as the opening chef of Erik Bruner-Yang’s ABC Pony in Navy Yard.
Now, the two Filipino chefs have reunited to co-found Pogiboy, a food stall eccentrically blending Filipino and American fast-food traditions, which opened in February inside downtown D.C.’s The Block food hall, where diners can eat in, get takeout, or order delivery.
The name means “handsome” in Tagalog. “Growing up, our aunts and uncles would call us pogi, because we were cute and handsome back then,” explains Dungca.
Pogiboy’s opening offerings include several burgers and sandwiches, some eclectic mains, a couple of appetizers, and a host of sides, ranging from garlic fried rice to Mexican minded elote.
“A lot of stuff reminds you of the West Coast and the slow times, the good times,” says Cunanan. “We wanted the menu to be super quirky.”
Pogi burgers are ground in-house with sirloin and brisket from Maryland’s Roseda Farms. Made smash burger style, patties are pressed while cooking on the flattop, creating craggy edges and an umami-packed dark gold crust. Served on a fluffy potato bun, one or two patties come topped off with American cheese, adobo-seasoned caramelized onions, and a secret sauce amped up by a dollop of Filipino banana ketchup (diners can sub in Impossible burgers). “We love In-N-Out Burger and Shake Shack, so we wanted a good burger on the menu,” Cunanan says.
The To “Chino” burger has more Filipino flair as it’s forged from a blend of two meats popular in the Asian archipelago: longanisa (sweet sausage) and tocino (cured pork shoulder laced with brown sugar). The patties are fortified with annatto oil, giving them a reddish-orange hue, and are coronated with grilled pineapple and atchara (pickled green pineapple).
There’s a personal story behind the Eugene. The sandwich is a Pinoy play on Baltimore pit beef, but doubles as an homage to Cunanan’s older brother, who died last year. Pit beef was the last meal they shared together. At Pogiboy, the meat’s marinade relies on inspiration from bistek tagalog, an onion-packed Filipino beef stew enriched with soy sauce and calamansi, a tart citrus. Served on an onion bun, thin slices of beef come slathered with burnt onion horseradish cream.
The toughest dish to nail — fried chicken — is still a work-in-progress. Currently, thighs and wings are marinated in buttermilk packed with lemongrass, green long peppers, and calamansi. The dredge has tamarind powder in the mix. “So, when you bite into it, you get this hot, crunchy, greasy, sour, umami fried chicken,” says Dungca, who adds that the duo plans to start offering rotisserie chicken in the style of Filipino chicken inasal in the next few months.
There are a number of appetizers, including a riff on Outback Steakhouse’s iconic Bloomin’ Onion. Instead of the usual tangy sauce, this rendition comes with a mayo laced with chilies and crab fat, the crustacean’s super fatty guts and roe. “Crab fat is my trump card,” says Cunanan. “It’s such a unique, versatile, and unctuous ingredient.”
There’s one dessert: guapo pie. The name is a double inside joke. Translating to “handsome” in Spanish, as a nod to Pogiboy’s own definition, it’s also what Cunanan mistakenly thought the pie was called when he tried the original incarnation at El Ideal Bakery in the Philippines. In fact, it’s named guapple pie, since it’s made with a combination of guava and apple. In Pogiboy’s version, the fruits are cooked with brown sugar and fall spices until it’s a jammy consistency, then pies are topped with streusel and whipped cream.
The upstart’s grinning cartoon mascot sporting a backwards baseball cap, like a millennial take on the iconic Bob’s Big Boy, was designed by Cunanan’s old friend, graphic designer Bhanu Arbuaratna. “I wanted Pogiboy to have this nostalgia for people who grew up eating fast food,” says Cunanan, whose older siblings worked at Bob’s Big Boy, Hot Shoppes, and Popeyes, and would often bring home food for the family after their shifts.
The biggest influence is the beloved Filipino chain Jollibee, which commands a passionate following in its homeland and beyond. (There are more than 40 locations in the U.S.; two are coming to the area.) Dungca grew up in the Philippines and his family would religiously order from the restaurant every weekend.
“It was always nice to see everyone gathered at the table to share a meal,” he says. “So, when we were talking about the kind of vibe we were going for, we wanted to bring families together to share a nice, affordable meal.”
The pair hope to bring together a lot of families at The Block – and perhaps elsewhere. They would love to ultimately have multiple locations across the region and beyond. They’ve even looked at a space in Virginia. “But before we talk about that we need to focus on Pogiboy number one,” Dungca says. “We need to get this one down.”
Pogiboy is located in The Block food hall at 1110 Vermont Ave NW. Open Wednesday – Sunday 2 p.m.-9 p.m.
This story has been updated to correctly identify the photo of the Pogi Loco Dinner.
