Amanda Agosto and her husband, Victor, announced on Mar. 9 the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for their new coffee shop, Hey Friends Cafe, which they hope to open in Portage Park by the end of May. The couple aims to raise $20,000 by April 1 to fund the opening at 6050 W. Irving Park Road, the former location of Bistro 6050.
The Agostos said they want Hey Friends Cafe to be a welcoming neighborhood spot where teens can do homework after school, families can enjoy treats together, and neighbors can become regulars. “We want it to be a neighborhood spot where everyone knows each other,” Amanda Agosto said.
Both Amanda and Victor grew up on Chicago’s Northwest Side and previously started an events-planning business called Seven Twenty Five Events in 2022. They moved into a storefront next to Bistro 6050 in 2024. When Bistro 6050 closed at the end of last year, Roselle Prisno asked if the Agostos would take over the space. “It wasn’t something we were ever looking to do, but when we thought of the concept, we fell in love with it,” Amanda Agosto said.
Bistro 6050 was known for its international menu and later added Filipino dishes like adobo and lechon under Joy Prisno’s direction. Amanda Agosto said she appreciated seeing another Filipino business in the area and is proud to bring more Filipino cuisine to Irving and Austin’s business district. “As an adult, being able to go into multiple Filipino restaurants and eat the food I would eat at home or with my grandma, I didn’t get that when I was growing up,” she said. “I’m really proud to be able to bring that [Filipino cuisine] to our little Irving and Austin business district.”
The cafe’s menu will feature Filipino-inspired items such as lumpia and longanisa sandwiches. Teresa Saenz will curate the menu while Jeniffer Bernardi will help with baked goods. The cafe also plans to offer teas, mocktails, coffee from Veloria Coffee, baked goods from Camelia Bakes—including Ooey Gooey Ube Cake—and wholesale items from other local Filipino-owned businesses.
Looking ahead, Amanda Agosto hopes Hey Friends Cafe will host community events and small business pop-ups as part of her ongoing efforts along the Irving and Austin corridor. “Bistro 6050 was such a welcoming, family-friendly place,” she said. “We’re excited to bring some of that back to the neighborhood.”
