Welcoming a new Latin American street-style grub that’s more than just tacos!
The newest Latin American-inspired cantina, brings authentic platos of carne grilled to charcoal perfection.
Los Primos, which translates to “the cousins” in English, is (literally) set up by two cousins Mari Español and Lia Soliongco. When they both visited Mexico a few years ago, Mari fell in love with the different flavors the country had to offer.
“It’s a common perception that when you say Latin American food, people will think about soft tacos, nachos, and burritos. There is just so much more than [that],” Mari explains. That’s when they realized that they wanted to make the cuisine more accessible in Manila.
Located in Maginhawa’s newest food park, The Sixth, Los Primos will be starting out with a lean menu specializing on grilled meats as grilling is one of the most popular methods of food preparation in Latin American cuisine.
Fun Fact: Los Primos was already an active vendor in weekend markets since 2015.
The Puerco de Chuletas is definitely more than the traditional liempo that Filipinos are used to. The pork has been marinated overnight in brine filled with fresh herbs. It comes with homemade chimichurri, a green sauce made of finely-chopped cilantro or parsley leaves.
Inspired from the grill houses of Peru, the Pollo ala Brasa is saturated for hours in a homemade marinade of oils and spices before it gets cooked over charcoal and wood chips giving it a hint of smoky flavor.
Insider Tip: PhP 200 will get you full! Perfect for university students!
Chalupas, a tostada (or tortilla), is also available aside from grilled meats. Traditionally found in Cholula in Central Mexico, it is essentially deep fried tortilla topped with beef or grilled chicken, salsa, and a cream sauce.
Good To Know: Their tortillas are made from scratch and is molded into a shell or boat and then deep-fried. The result is a crunchy and chewy chalupa!
“Having a stall in a food park lets us have the advantage of playing around with our menu and tasting different things,” Mari says.
As of date, the cousins are experimenting on other dishes they want to introduce after their July opening. They are already set to launch more Latin American variations like the Pescados Criolla, which is fish on a bed of rice and salsa criolla (a sauce typically made with onions) and Churrascos or grilled skewers.
Off menu tip: Aside from savory dishes, Los Primos will also be offering Alfajores, a traditional Spanish Christmas confection that sandwiches a creamy dulce de leche filling in between 2 buttery and crisp shortbread cookies.. You won’t see it in their menu so be sure to ask for it!
All this Latin American food talk is making our mouth water and we just can’t wait! Los Primos is coming this July, don’t forget to add it to your Must Try list on Booky so you don’t miss out on trying it.
Follow @bookyapp on Instagram for the quickest and latest updates on new restaurants in and out of the city.
No reservations accepted
View their Instagram account
#6 Mayaman cor. Maginhawa St., UP Teacher’s Village, Quezon City