Cocina Juan

October 17, 2012. Wednesday.

We haven't been around the Maginhawa area for quite some time. So last Wednesday we decided to revisit the street that has become a foodie heaven in the past few years. Our restaurant of choice for the day was Cocina Juan.

It is Central American inspired and they specialize in Tex- Mex food. They are known for their use of chimichurri sauce in their grilled meats. Chimichurri is parsley, garlic, oil and vinegar. The food ranges from casual Tex- Mex fare like nachos, burritos, and quesadillas to the more locally unfamiliar like churrasco. Actually we know what churrasco is, we just call it barbecue or grilled meat.

It is quite hard to find the place if you don't exactly know where it is. It is in front of Moonleaf in Maginhawa, and the only signange you can clearly see from the street is a big red chili. There's no visible signage of the restaurant's name from the street, but there is one once you enter the al fresco dining area. The place's interiors are Central American inspired with earthy colors dominant all throughout the place and varying pieces of paintings and art displays strewn around.

We took our pet bear, Coke Bear, a.k.a CB, to dine with us. Haha. On to our orders!

We were first served with our drinka, a couple of Iced Teas together with complimentary nachos with their sweet white sauce.

I got the Churrasco de Nicaragua with Chimichurri Sauce.


Churrasco de Nicaragua with Chimichurri Sauce. 359php.

The grilled meats on my plate were sausage, chicken and pork. The grilled meats were served with rice and also came with sides of fries and salad. And of course, there was the chimichurri sauce. The meats were grilled nicely and evenly. It wasn't tough or chewy. It also was just seasoned conservatively with what I guess are just salt and pepper, which made it a perfect match to the citrusy and sour flavor of the sauce. The sides were nothing special but was enough to give your taste buds some variety.

Kim ordered the Cerdo Castillo Chimichurri Pork Ribs.

Cerdo Castillo Chimichurri Pork Ribs. 289php.

The grilled pork ribs is served with rice. This is a big meal for Kim, as there were two thick pieces of ribs. The meat was tender, but it was a tad bit salty. Good thing the chimichurri sauce was there to offset that.

We also got the Burrito Grande to share.

Burrito Grande to share. 199php.

I was so excited with this one when it arrived on our table. It was a big ass burrito! But that excitement quickly died down as we took a taste of it. It didn't taste like any burrito I've had before. And I'm not even comparing it to the ones I've had in taquerias back in LA. Even compared to local fare, this one pales in comparison. The thing that really spoiled it for me was how the beef tasted. It was sweet. You know how those street fare barbecues are marinated in ketchup and soy sauce? It tasted like that. It was weird coupled together with the generous amount of cheese and rice.

Overall, we'd say that this was a so-so dining experience for us. It's nice that Cocina Juan adds variety to Maginhawa as a whole with their different theme. But with so many other restaurants in the area that provide better a pricepoint, it'll be a while before we come back again.

Cocina Juan
100 Maginhawa Street,
Teacher's Village, Quezon City
(02) 4343911
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cocina-Juan/59845509318?sk=photos_albums