Gringo quickly became one of the hottest new restaurants to open in 2016. With now over 7 branches across Metro Manila, this 'Mexican-Latin American' inspired restaurant won the hearts of Manila's discerning foodies with delicious flame-grilled chicken and fall-off-the-bone ribs. Just drop by any of their branches for lunch or dinner and you'll find the place packed full of happy customers.
It's a place where friends, family, and groups who crave delectale dishes and want a really good time can hang out it. With amazing chicken and ribs, what more can you ask for?
"It's always a festival of flavors at Gringo - at the center of it all are our amigo's signature chicken and ribs" According to owner Reagan Tan.
Here's what you can expect from Gringo...
Gringo makes it easy to have a really good time with the barkada with a beautiful bright modern restaurant that's brimming with color and comfortable seats. It's homey and inviting interiors welcomes everyone to stay for a bit, chat with friends, and drink to your heart's content!
Here are the steps to properly devouring rack of ribs like a true amigo in case you're wondering!
The Clam Chowder (Php 185) is a must-try if you're craving for a hot, creamy soup to warm you up and kick off your meal right. As soon as you break the pastry crust open you're greeted by the rich aroma of clams that promises so much flavor - and it does not fail to deliver! It's a very rich and flavorful soup that you'll be left salivating for more by the time you're done with it.
I loved this soup and I would highly recommend it for my fellow soup lovers.
The Truffle Queso Quesadillas (Php 145) doesn't look like much but it is, hands-down, one of the best dishes you can order at Gringo. It's a delicious layer of melted cheese that's flavored with truffle, you'll love every bite of it. It's just perfect with that side of salsa.
Being the seafood lover that I am, I had to have an order of the Baked Mussels (Php 220) that's just oozing with cheese. There's not much to say here because cheese and mussels are just a beautiful combination and that wedge of lemon helps cut through the saltiness and richness a bit - although if you ask me it doesn't really need it.
This is another great way to start off your meal.
If you're craving for ribs, get the Gringo Baby Back Ribs (Php 620) for classic, tender baby back ribs. It's served with a side of nachos and you can also opt to get one of Gringo's many side dish options. This plate is Gringo's full rack of ribs and you can pay a total of Php 745 for an additional 3 sides. Do I consider this to be one of the best ribs in Metro Manila? It's not, but it's pretty darn good.
Pro Tip: You can get 2 orders of half rack baby back ribs with 2 sides (Php 365) because it's far cheaper than the full rack with 3 sides and you also get 4 total sides.
The Gringo Southern Spice Chicken (Php 295) is a delicious, Latin-American inspired chicken that's marinated with a blend of South American herbs and spices. It's flavorful to the bone, enough to make you want to dig in and nibble the bones clean. The photo above shows a half chicken serving. You can also add a little extra to get a serving of 3 sides.
This is one order that's great for sharing. It's best if you enjoy the chicken with their homemade sauces. One is a lemon-herb sauce that's pretty zesty and the other is a bit on the spicy side (trust me it burns). I highly recommend the lime-herb sauce because it balances the southern spices very well.
The Gringo Original Chicken (Php 148) is a more Mexican-inspired dish that's a bit lemony and herby. Compared with the Southern Spice chicken it's flavor is a bit more subtle, but I have to say I still find it to be tasty to the bone.
It's great with both of Gringo's sauces but I'd still go with the zesty lemon-herb sauce for that added zing.
There's nothing better than a Lemon Garlic Butter Crab (Php 155/100g), which was perfectly moist and beautifully flavored, as the centerpiece to such a great meal. It's a bit expensive because each crab is roughly 400g-500g but ordering the crab would be worth every peso just by how delicious it is.
This is definitely my favorite dish from Gringo because I'm such a sucker for crabs. Highly recommended if you're willing to splurge a bit, but otherwise you can do without it because the other dishes are just so good already.
The Tropical Lemonade (Php 89) is very refreshing and helps cut through all the richness from Gringo's flavor-packed dishes. You won't regret getting a glass!
They also have House-brewed Iced Tea (Php 75) if you're not a lemonade fan, but I personally prefer the lemonade.
To cap of your meal, you can grab an order of the Queso Sorbetes (Php 85). It's nice and cold, perfect for Manila's always hot weather. If Gringo has one weakness, I would have to say it's the limited dessert selection. Although you can't go wrong with ice cream!
Gringo also has a version of Mango Cream Sticky Rice (Php 165), a traditional Thai favorite that uses biko (suman) as the rice and is served with Tapioca pearls and topped with ice cream. I'm not quite sure why Gringo is offering an Asian dessert in a Latin American restaurant, but if I had to guess it's merely because this is just one delicious dessert no matter the restaurant.
It's an interesting variation to a traditional Thai favorite and is one I will certainly eat again.
Food Quality: 4.5
Service Quality: 4.0
Ambiance: 4.0
Ambiance: 4.0
Overall Quality: 4.5
Gringo has the makings of a great restaurant - delicious food, homey interiors, and very affordable prices. It's the reason why it's always packed full of people. If you haven't had a taste of Gringo's signature chicken and ribs, then you better get the barkada to the nearest one right away because you're missing out. Don't forget to order a plate of nachos, some tasty Truffle Queso Quesadillas, and buckets of beer while you're there.
I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time amigo!
Further reading you might like:
- Morganfield's Philippines: The Biggest, Juiciest, Fall-Off-The-Bone Pork Ribs Has Arrived!
- Applebee's Grill & Bar: There's Always A Reason To Celebrate
- Miguel & Maria: Upscale Western Comfort Food at the Heart of Marikina
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Cheers,
Chef Jay
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. The author did not pay for any of the dishes mentioned in this article. This, however, does not impair the unbiased opinion of the reviewer.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. The author did not pay for any of the dishes mentioned in this article. This, however, does not impair the unbiased opinion of the reviewer.
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