Pineapple Coast: The Best Taco Spot in Angeles City (Pampanga)

I love Mexican food. My eyes were opened to it when a friend introduced me to Lo de Alberto, which opened a branch in his condominium at Makati. Lo de Alberto boasts as the only authentic taqueria in the Philippines (at least at that time it first opened) and was helmed by a Mexican chef. Since that fateful visit, I’ve been frequenting the taqueria for their Chilaquiles (similar to Nachos), Tacos (not the hard-shelled ones), and my favorite Flautas de Papas (think of it as a deep-fried, rolled tacos).

Then during the community quarantine when there’s so much time, I got to binge on Netflix’ Taco Chronicles, a docuseries featuring the different tacos in Mexico (and one in the U.S.). This birthed a dream to go to Mexico someday and do an authentic Mexican food trip.

While that dream has yet to become a reality, I will be in search of good Mexican food spots here in the country. And my search has brought me to a new taco joint in Angeles City (Pampanga), Pineapple Coast.

Pineapple Coast is a taco spot and bar helmed by Nico Tayag, the son of the renowned chef Claude Tayag. I first learned about the taqueria when Chef Claude toured celebrity chef Sandy Daza around Angeles for The Crawl of Metro Channel. When I saw it, I knew deep down that I will have to make a drive to the north someday.

That someday came too soon! LOL. Let me share our experience to you.

Antojitos (Appetizers)

For the appetizers, we tried their Nachos, which has generous chunks of fatty beef and a slightly spicy taste.

My wife and I love their Tripas (deep-fried ox tripe), which is crunchy and delicious!

Ceviche

Pineapple Coast serves different kinds of Ceviche, a dish made of raw seafood marinated in lime juice (think of this as the Mexican or Latin American counterpart of the Filipino Kinilaw). We tried the Aguachile Ceviche, which has yellowfin tuna and octopus. The seafood is fresh and the marinade is acidic and spicy.

If you’re not into sour food, then this is not for you!

Tacos

Now on to the best part! Their tacos come in three and come either in corn or flour tortilla. I’m not sure if you can choose your tortilla. When we went, they ran out of corn tortilla so we had no choice. Anyway, here’s what we’ve tried so far:

Al Pastor: Has grilled pork shoulder and pineapples (of course!). The pork is flavorful and fatty, and the pineapple adds a nice hint of sweetness. I just wished that it came from a spit; that would be cool! LOL.

Birria Campechano: Has stewed USDA short ribs and ox tripe. It’s nice combination of softness and crunch. Definitely our favorite!

Carne Asada: Has grilled USDA hanger steak and grilled onions leeks.

Carnitas: Has pork shoulder confit and lemongrass. It’s crisp, tender, and aromatic.

Gringo: Has stewed USDA beef belly, cheese, pico de gallo, and lettuce placed in a deep-fried corn (flour in our case) tortilla. This is the only hard-shelled tacos in the menu. I love it because the meat is generous and it reminds me of the hard-shelled tacos I grew up eating. Another favorite!

If you want something different, you can have these taco flavors in Mulitas (think of quesadilla on steroids) or Platos, which I believe is like a build-your-own-taco set. And if you come on a Tuesday, make sure to get their Taco Tuesday promo, which gets you 9 tacos for only P850!

And don’t forget to order a bowl of flavorful, spicy Birria Consommé, where you can dip your Birria (and other) tacos.

Cocktails

Since Pineapple Coast is also a bar, we tried some of their signature cocktails.

Our visits to Pineapple Coast had always been pleasant. The ambiance is perfect for a hangout with friends, and the food is superb. Everything we’ve tried there so far are amazing.

Their tacos are definitely the best in Angeles and are now my favorite in the country! We will definitely drive up north for it! I highly recommend Pineapple Coast to you!

Address: 8A Zeppelin St., Hensonville, Angeles City, Pampanga | Operating Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 5PM-11PM | Contact Nos.: 0918-431 1715 | Facebook | Instagram