After five years, this Filipino spot from New York closed quietly in Wynwood

When she opened Jeepney at 1-800-Lucky in 2021, chef Nicole Ponseca wanted to test Miami’s interest in Filipino restaurant. She had opened a full-service Jeepney in New York and was also curious if the Filipino fare she was championing could work in the fast-casual market.

Now, five years later Ponseca is moving on. Jeepney closed Jan. 5 at the Asian food hall in Wynwood.

Ponseca, a James Beard Award nominee who published the cookbook “I Am A Filipino: And This Is How We Cook” in 2018, confirmed that the restaurant had quietly closed but declined to provide further information. The original Jeepney in New York closed in 2021 after nine years in the East Village.

The Wynwood spot was known for its pork dishes, particularly sisig, which features three kinds of pork cooked three ways and served on a sizzling plate with an egg on top. She calls the dish “sizzling and aromatic.”

In 2022, Ponseca told the Miami Herald that opening in the food hall was a useful learning experience.

“It opened my eyes on how to scale the business and how to grow my business,” she said.