T h i s i s a n e c e s s i t y – this should never be forgotten when it comes to parties

and gatherings. Expect that when you are invited to your

friend’s house, you will never enjoy his or her company

without this. Guess what this necessity is – of course, this

is no other than FOOD!

Admit it, you would always wait for it whenever you come

to your best bud’s debut, or after you meet with your

classmates and orgmates. Any occasion will never be

complete without food. That is why, UP culture will never

be complete without food! And of course, what is ABAM

without food?

The authentic Iskolar ng Bayan experience will not be

worthwhile without trying out some genuine UP foods

and their respective stalls – isaw from Mang Larry’s, pan-

cit canton and other Filipino street foods of Manininda sa

UP, Casaa food stalls, barbeque at Beach House, pizza

and pasta at Long Island, Rodic’s tapsilog at SC, Lutong

Bahay complex at Area 2. These are just some of the fa-

vorite spots to fill an Isko’s stomach.

Yet, there is still another place to check out within the

campus for a memorable dining experience. Just ride an

Ikot jeep and get off at the playground near Centennial

dormitory. This is the ever-popular street of Maginhawa!

Located near C.P. Garca Avenue, Maginhawa is the place

to be if you are craving for various types of foods and

drinks, from local lutong-bahay to tea shops and of

course, international-inspired restaurants. Since there are

a lot of food hotspots in Maginhawa, there is also a vari-

ety of prices offered by each restaurant. And now, I am

here to present to you 4 budget-friendly shops and 4 not

-so-budget-friendly shops but guaranteed to fill your

stomach and your heart with more than what you de-

serve.

4 budget-friendly shops which you will always have the

bucks to buy more.

D o n n a ’ s Fo o d H o u s e

This is actually what you commonly call the lutong-bahay

style of preparing meals. Its best seller is Pork Steak which

only costs Php 35 per order! This Pork Steak is said to be

really yummy. As one customer said, "Lutong bahay ta-

laga". When I first heard about it, I was really surprised

because it’s really worth it! Its cheapest meal is veggie

with rice for only Php 25 per order while the most expen-

sive meal is Nilagang Baka for only Php 45 per order!

Really, this is incredibly cheap! This business is estab-

lished because of the fact that food is always in-demand

and people are always craving for it.

Ate Fe’s Kitchen

This store has a lot of meals to

choose from, ranging from

breakfast meals to the sizzling

meals. The best sellers are Lechon Rice which

only costs Php 60. I can really say that Ate Fe’s Lechon

Rice certainly tastes good. It has the genuinelechon meat,

which is a Filipino favorite and veggies. On the other

hand, another best seller from Ate Fe’s kitchen is the leg-

endary Sizzling Sisig, whose secret of being a best seller is

its “popping” sound since it’s really sizzling! The cheapest

meal that it offers is the silog meals or the breakfast

meals while the most expensive ones are Camaron Re-

bosado for Php 150 and Sizzling Plates. When I asked the

secret of this business, a worker from this lutong bahay

resto simply said that their meals are cheap and at the

same time, have large servings ranging from veggies to

meat. Also, they chose food as their business because of

students and office workers near Maginhawa.

Z e n T e a

This is a small and simple tea shop whose best seller is

their Nai Cha, with its simple taste which makes it more

elegantly delicious. All that for only Php 60. Actually, it is

already cheap for a tea since most of the popular tea

shops offer more expensive drinks. The cheapest order of

tea is their Green Tea for Php 50 (large-sized already) and

the most expensive is the Yogo for Php 80 (large size as

well). An employee of Zen Tea said that his boss chose

tea as an object of his business because of the increasing

popularity of tea.

C h a D a o

The store name may sound like a Chi-

nese restaurant but in reality, it is

really a tea shop. Well, it is not

really far from being Chinese,

since they are known for their

teas and other traditional

stuffs. Its best seller is Winter-

melon, although this is already

common, it remains a hit be-

cause of its simple taste

which is actually quite sour.

The cheapest teas are the basic

teas at Php 45, which is reasonable

for its large size. The most expensive offer is the froth

blends which costs Php 85 for small and Php 100 for large

size. The owner chose tea for his business because it is

his favorite and again, its increasing popularity, especially

with students.

Now, I bring you four not-so-budget-friendly restaurants

but will surely leave you wanting more.

S a n c h o

This is a Spanish-inspired restaurant which offers not just

Spanish foods but also mouth-watering pastries. Its best-

sellers are Salpicao, Lengua, Callos, Paella and Churros

because these are real favorites of most Filipinos. The

people don’t really mind how much these foods cost but

what matters is the taste that make them come back for

more. The cheapest meal it offers is the Salpicao for only

Php 180 and the most expensive is the Paella which costs

Php 370. It’s already good for 3 so the best thing to do is

to share the cost among you and your friends or family.

Sancho restaurant was

adopted from a previ-

ous business of the

owner and the owner contin-

ued to offer Spanish cuisine

which Filipinos will surely love.

The B ur ge r

P r o j e c t

This is a restaurant for

those who love “tender-

juicy” burgers but with a twist: you get to customize your

own burger. In short, you get to pick what toppings you

would like your burger to have. Not ordinary, right? Its

best-sellers are Western Bacon and French Lick, which you

can opt to include toppings such as Guyere cheese and

barbecue sauce. The cheapest burger is the regular beef

for only Php 95 while the most expensive treat is the An-

gus Beef which costs Php 250. These prices still vary be-

cause you have the option to customize your burger de-

pending on the toppings you would like to add. The Bur-

ger Project is owned by a group of friends who like bur-

gers. Also, they noticed that Filipinos love burgers

(probably from the Western influence) and so, to give an

extra spice to the Filipino taste, they made their burgers

customized.

P a k i b a l o t P a n c i t e r i a

B i n o n d o C o o k i n g

Who would’ve thought there is also a panciteria in

Maginhawa? If you miss your local pancitan, then worry

no more for this is the answer to your longings. Pakibalot

Panciteria’s best seller is the Miki Bihon which is made up

of a lot of veggies and at the same time, it’s saucy, that’s

why people like it. Its cheapest offer is their Special Pancit

for only Php 120 which is already good for 2-3 people.

The most expensive pancit is the Pata Tim which costs

Php 350. Pakibalot Panciteria

Binondo Cooking is a family

choice of business and the

family also loves Chinese

food, therefore, they de-

cided to put up this pan-

citeria.

Cocina Juan

Cocina Juan is a res-

taurant bar-like diner

which offers South

American cuisine. Also, this

is the most memorable restaurant I went to

while strolling around Maginhawa and interviewing peo-

ple. The best seller is the Pork Ribs, which weighs 400g

(bones included). The serving for Pork Ribs is already

good for 2 and it is also considered as a comfort food.

Another best seller is the Chicken Cheese, which is also

deemed to be a comfort food. The secret of this best

seller is the equal intake of calories and carbohydrates. In

other words, this comfort food and best seller is very nu-

tritious and healthy. The cheapest meal it offer is the

Cheezee Corn Soup which costs Php 59 while the most

expensive one is the Churrasco Nicaragua and Churrasco

Guatemala. The Churrasco Nicaragua is a platter com-

posed of chimichurri, with three types of marinated meat

(beef, chicken and pork sausage) put in skewers. It is also

made up of gallo pinto rice and ensalada. On the other

hand, Churrasco Guatemala is a platter made up of cher-

mol which is composed of grilled tomatoes, onions,

jalapeños and butter pureed together.

The owner of Cocina Juan (who is not actually named

Juan) chose food for business because first, this is what

he wanted to do. He studied culinary before he put up

this business which runs for almost 5 years now. Another

reason why he chose food is because food is an

"opportunity itself” since it is everyone’s basic need. He

chose the South American cuisine because it is something

Filipinos have seldom tried and he wants to share this

South American experience with his fellows. Innovation is

also one of the keys for the success of his business be-

cause his resto might be inspired from Latin foods but, it

still contains the local flavor. Overall, the dining experi-

ence the resto offers makes people explore more for dif-

ferent types of foods present out there.

So, that’s it. There are a lot of other dining places you can

check out, ABAMer! Check out Maginhawa now! Do not

miss the opportunity to explore various types of sumptu-

ous treats I’m sure you will be truly craving for more.