When Cyed Adraincem speaks about his forthcoming restaurant, Hoy, he does so with the kind of hands-on, relentless dedication that defines the grueling reality of the New York City hospitality industry. Adraincem recently apologized for occasionally stumbling over his words during an interview, explaining that he had been awake since 4 a.m. to physically wash the sidewalk in front of his new establishment. Wanting to beat the morning foot traffic and ensure the exterior looked pristine for passersby was just one small example of the meticulous care driving the project.
Adraincem has brought that exact same level of drive and attention to detail into outfitting Hoy, a high-energy concept designed to serve Filipino street food within an atmosphere reminiscent of a bustling Manila night market. Even though the restaurant has not yet officially opened its doors to the general public, it has already managed to capture widespread attention across the city. The project has quickly turned heads through its loud, off-kilter aesthetic, smart tie-ins to contemporary pop culture, and transparent, behind-the-scenes glimpses into its research and development process.
The story of Hoy is the inaugural installment of Getting on the Map, a special series presented by Apple Maps that explores how some of the most creative bars and restaurants in the modern hospitality scene are marketing themselves to stand out in a crowded landscape. For Adraincem, cutting through the noise in New York City requires more than just good food—it demands a fully realized cultural experience from day one.
A Vision for Filipino Street Food in New York City
At its core, Hoy is designed to introduce Filipino street food to a much broader audience in New York City, a culinary landscape that Adraincem feels has historically underrepresented the cuisine. The menu will focus on approachable, highly satisfying items such as barbecue skewers, lumpia, and a curated selection of distinct sandwiches. Rather than striving for white-tablecloth pretense, the offering remains intentionally simple and traditional, elevated by professional chef techniques acquired through years of industry experience.
Adraincem believes the timing aligns perfectly with what diners are currently seeking. According to him, the New York dining scene is gravitating away from stiff formality and toward concepts that are more casual and affordable. Diners today are looking for an environment where they can simply eat well, enjoy a good drink, and feel entirely comfortable without any unnecessary pretension.
The physical layout and design of the restaurant draw heavy inspiration from American diners—a personal favorite of Adraincem’s—combined with his extensive background working in cocktail bars over the past seven years. Walking into Hoy feels like a natural mashup of these distinct influences, all channeled through the vibrant, chaotic energy of a Manila night market. Because the restaurant operates primarily as a counter-service establishment, the space is entirely front-facing. An open kitchen layout ensures that the energetic momentum carries continuously throughout the room, allowing staff and guests to interact dynamically in an environment that mirrors an authentic street-market affair.
Branding, Culture, and Community Art
The striking branding and visual identity of Hoy were developed in collaboration with Kristofferson San Pablo, a well-known Los Angeles-based artist who also happens to be Adraincem’s cousin. Together, they formulated a design philosophy rooted in the intense, visually stimulating environment of a Manila night market, utilizing bold colors without letting the aesthetic become overwhelmingly chaotic. Subtle nods to Filipino heritage are woven directly into the architecture, including wall patterns derived from some of the oldest textile traditions in the Philippines.
Rather than relying on predictable, mainstream tropes like the sun and stars from the Philippine flag or traditional barong tagalogs, Hoy incorporates unique cultural touchstones such as the iconic wooden "barrel man" novelty souvenir, water buffalo (carabaos), and imagery celebrating rural farming life. These choices offer Adraincem a chance to educate customers who might be encountering these elements for the first time, framing the barrel man not just as a piece of folk art, but as an emblem of Filipino humor and ingenuity.
The interior further evokes a sense of place through shelves stocked with snacks designed to mimic a sari-sari store—the ubiquitous neighborhood convenience shops found on almost every street corner in the Philippines, often operated directly out of an owner’s home. These shelves also house well-worn cookbooks passed down through Adraincem’s family, serving as the foundational baseline for the restaurant’s culinary creations alongside favorite local volumes.
To maintain a grassroots connection, the space features rotating art pieces from various local creators in New York and Los Angeles. Adraincem remains deeply committed to supporting artists from the community, ensuring that the visual landscape of the restaurant reflects local talent and shared cultural spaces.
This playful, pop-culture-heavy sensibility has already manifested online through viral design moments, such as a Knicks-themed choking sign shared prior to opening. Working alongside his cousin, Adraincem notes that the artistic process is remarkably fluid. Because San Pablo naturally stays immersed in contemporary culture, ideas are brought up and executed at a rapid pace.
Going All-In on Merchandise and Atmosphere
While many restaurants choose to open with a minimal design and introduce merchandise gradually as they establish their footing, Hoy has decided to launch its comprehensive merch line right out of the gate. Adraincem’s nearly seventeen years in the hospitality industry—including seven years spent behind cocktail bars—showed him firsthand how popular restaurant apparel had become. Observing bartenders frequently wearing shirts from competing industry spots and seeing consumers proudly sport branded jackets and T-shirts from their favorite dining destinations convinced him of the immense value of wearable branding.
For Hoy, the initial merchandise plan encompasses standard items like T-shirts, hats, and tote bags, with potential expansions into house slippers or custom barrel-man keychains as the seasons change and the team learns more about the space. Most of these products are designed in direct collaboration with independent artists and creatives, serving both as a powerful marketing tool to spread awareness and as a secondary revenue stream.
Furnishing the physical restaurant, however, has required a significant amount of legwork amidst a challenging economic climate for new businesses. Acknowledging that current market conditions make it a difficult time to open a restaurant, Adraincem spent countless hours researching and comparing prices across major retailers to build out the interior efficiently. Personal touches balance out the commercial elements, with knickknacks and artwork contributed directly by friends and family.
To further capture the tropical atmosphere of the Philippines, the corner location benefits from abundant natural light, which the team is utilizing to grow vegetation. A makeshift pond crafted from a large planter pot sits alongside a thriving garden where lemongrass, a calamansi tree, and labuyo chiles are cultivated on-site.
Overcoming Delays Through Community Residency
Despite meticulous planning, the path to opening has hit a temporary hurdle due to ongoing gas-firing paperwork with New York City’s Department of Buildings, preventing the team from cooking on-site until the permitting process is fully resolved. Rather than letting the space sit empty, Adraincem has pivoted to embrace the local community by turning the unfinished restaurant into a collaborative residency space.
While the kitchen awaits final clearance, Hoy has partnered with Queens-based Filipino pastry vendor Arellano Pandesal to host a pop-up residency inside the restaurant, with Adraincem’s team managing the beverage program. Plans are also underway to launch a community marketplace featuring goods from local vendors, friends, and family. It serves as an organic way to draw people into the space, build early excitement, and cement Hoy’s presence in the neighborhood even before the first official street-food skewer is grilled on-site.