Food Trek at Maginhawa Street, UP-Diliman

Hamburgers at Big Burger in Maginhawa Street

The eating places on Maginhawa Street in UP Diliman have been written about so many times, that people often wonder if there is still anthing new to discover in the nooks and cranny of the place. For somebody who lives south of Manila, my interest gets pique whenever I read about bloggers' food trips in Maginhawa Street, with their down to earth ambiance at half the price, compared to the nearby Makati City.

As my daughter lives near the place, I have no problem discovering these interesting places. The street is easy to find and you can commute by way of a tricycle ride from Philcoa to Maginhawa Street. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the place, depending on which part of the street you want to go. We have started our own food trek previous to this, and I have written an article about it...

Food Trek at Maginhawa Street of UP-Diliman

The daughter and I decided to have another go and try out three other places that we have read about in various reviews. It was another one fabulous dining-out experience for both of us.

Big Burger Logo at store frontage

Big Burgers

This place has been written  in several publications, like in the Rappler and the Inquirer. I insisted that we go to this place first. It is another hole-in-the-wall dine-in area with no other amenities except chairs and tables (3 tables) and no air-conditioning unit. We tried the Big Burger special for P90 plus pesos and their fruit juice for P45.

Big burgers with a generous heaping of mayo and tomato sauce

The burger had a hefty serving of mayo, bacon, and spices. The meat is just the right size as compared to other burger joints. Eating the burger can be messy, as the mayo had the tendency to squeeze out of the bun as you take a bite of it. But the taste is different, and it's good! It has a unique taste that is a far cry from the customary burgers that you buy from either Jollibee, McDo, or Cindys.

The fruit juice is alright, but nothing special. I guess a soda would be the apt partner for the burger as it takes out the spicy taste that lingers long after you've been through eating. There is no ambiance whatsoever, except partaking of a good meal that goes well with your soda.

Empanda Avenue at Maginhawa Street

Empanada Avenue

A stone's throw away from the Big Burger is this small place that sells empanadas with different fillings. As most Filipinos are used to this snack food, I bought two pieces to try it out. It comes cheap at P16 each. It is good, but it tastes just like any other empanadas that you can buy around the metro.

Empanada Avenue Store at Maginhawa Street

Probably, there is a need to differentiate itself from the rest, by coming up with an improvement, like the Vigan empanada that sells for P50 plus in the Ayala-Alabang Malls.They can do it by making the crust crispier, the filling tastier, and improving on the product mix to make it different from the others.

Snow Creme Company Logo

Snow Creme

The daughter wanted something sweet, and Korean. So, oft we went to Snow Creme to taste their Mango Snow. We paid P160 for one big bowl that was presented ingenuously. It looked like an ice cream in a bowl, with mangoes on the sides. However, it tasted differently. It was like a bowl of finely crushed ice with a slight tinge of milk in mango flavor. It was different, but awfully good!

 

Mango creme

The ambiance of the place is nice with small rounded chairs for ease of conversation. It is suited for those who are out on a date, or students who may need a place to study or do their work.

Parillada Grill at Maginhawa Street

Parillada Grill

This place is found on the ground floor of the Snow Cream outlet. It has a nice arrangement of iconic tables and chairs that can serve as a conversation piece. We expected it to be Mexican, but was surprised that what they serve is a variety of Filipino food.
 

Cream of mussels

We ordered Pancit Molo and mussels with two cans of diet coke. Both dishes taste good, except that the mussels are too sweet for comfort. The Pancit Molo, is ok --- nothing extraordinary. Ordering soda to go with these spicy dishes is not advisable. It is best to order mineral water to wash away the lingering spiciness of the dishes.

Pancit Molo at Parillada

BOTTOM LINE

It is nice to have bonding moments with your friends and family on iconic places that you can find around the metro. Tasting the different types of food from these sites can be a rewarding experience that you can cherish for a long time. They say that visiting places soothes the soul. What can be better than trying the things that you find in your own neighborhood.  :D

Parillada Grill at Maginhawa Street

Photo credit: Owned by author


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