GUYS, meet Gringo. No, not the senator but the restaurant, which specializes in delicious flame-grilled chicken and baby back ribs. So, who, you may ask, is Gringo, after whom the restaurant is named?
Well, according to restaurant owner Reagan Tan, Gringo is an imaginary character. He is the amigo or friend all food lovers would love to have, because he hosts the best parties and lays out a good spread of Mexican-Latin dishes—beginning with chicken and ribs, which is served with a wide range of side dishes, as well as appetizers and light meals such as nachos, burritos and tacos in a casual and relaxed setting.
Gringo’s signature flame-grilled chicken comes in two mouthwatering variants—Original and Southern Spice. A lot of diners opt for Original Chicken, which is marinated with a delightful blend of traditional Mexican-Latin spices then grilled to golden perfection. For diners who want their food with a kick, Southern Spice Chicken is the best choice, as it is marinated with a distinctly Southern American blend of herbs and spices.
Diners can order Gringo’s signature chicken in different sizes and meal combinations. It is available with no sides in Quarter (Php14, Half (Php285) and Whole (Php535) sizes. In full meal packages, diners can choose two side dishes to go with their Quarter Chicken (Php225), or three sides with their Half Chicken (Php365) or Whole Chicken (Php64.
Aside from flame-grilled chicken, Gringo also specializes in Baby Back Ribs, made even more irresistible by its slightly sweet barbecue glaze, and served with two signature sauces—Lemon Herb Sauce and Hot and Spicy Sauce. The Lemon Herb Sauce is an all-around dip with a fruity and lemony flavor, whipped up using a perfect mix of herbs and spices. The Hot and Spicy Sauce ups the appetite with its hot and spicy kick. Both are well-loved, since they go perfectly with the flavorful fall-off-the-bone tender ribs.
Gringo’s Baby Back Ribs comes in Half Rack (Php325 with no sides, and Php365 with two side dishes); Full Rack (Php620 with no sides, and Php745 with three sides); and Ribs Muchos (two full racks of ribs, Php980 with no sides, and P1,099 with four sides).
Other must-tries when dining at Gringo:
Nacho Grande (Php265)—One big oval platter of overloaded nacho corn chips topped with shreds of smoky chicken, mashed beans, tomato salsa and cheese sauce. It is the perfect appetizer to get your palate ready for a Mexican-Latin feast.
Baked Mussels (Php220)—Fresh, plump mussels bathed with melted mozzarella cheese and chopped parsley.
Slow-cooked Beef Burritos (Php245)—Burritos, with the Mexican rice, refried beans and flavorful meat in a wrap, are definitely a Mexican-Latin staple that diners must not miss. At Gringo, the other variants besides Slow-cooked Beef are Pork Adobado (Php235) and Roast Chicken (Php235).
Porky Pork Belly Soft Taco (Php8—Pork belly slices sit on a bed of crisp greens and red cabbage over a piece of delightfully soft taco. Roll and wrap the soft taco and you’ve got one light and delicious Mexican meal.
Chili con Carne Crispy Taco (Php8—This is a crispy taco shell filled with sweet, spicy and flavorful Chili con Carne, topped with chopped onions, melted mozzarella cheese and chopped parsley.
Crispy Catfish Salsa (Php365)—It is a light and tender catfish fillet marinated in herbs and fried to a golden crisp, then served with tomato, onion and parsley salsa. So, yes, the chicken and ribs place also serves good fish dishes. It also has a lip-smacking Lemon Garlic Butter Crab that is to die for.
1875 Stewed Beef Pot—Creole style beef stew with tomatoes and laurel leaves, topped with grilled green beans. Perfect with rice! You can also dip bread in the flavorful sauce and enjoy it to the last drop.
Mango Cream Sticky Rice—Yes, Gringo has desserts, and this one’s a best-seller. It is sticky rice prepared the Filipino biko way, drizzled with sugar syrup and cream, then topped with tapioca, ripe mango slices and a scoop of ice cream for that ultimate meal-ender.
Enjoy all these delightful eats with family and friends, feasting on the unique flavors of Latin American cuisine in general and Mexican specialties in particular. The flavors are both unique and familiar, which is the way Filipino diners like their food.
As Reagan puts it: “Filipinos can be very adventurous with flavors. They like a bit of everything on their plate—sweet, spicy, salty, savory—typical of any Pinoy fiesta where diversity rules. That is why there is something for everyone.”
(Gringo has branches at SM City North EDSA’s The Block, The Fort at Bonifacio Global City, Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, SM Megamall, UP Town Center and Legaspi Village-Makati City.)
