Cochi Loco Manila: Serving Birria Tacos, Breakfast Quesadilla, and Other Amazing Mexican Food

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).

The food spot is memorable to me because aside from its delicious items, it’s where I had my first date with my now fiancée. I’m a creature of habit so we went to Lo de Alberto for many of our date nights. I’m just grateful my fiancée supported my appetite for Mexican food. LOL. Unfortunately, the taqueria closed its Makati branch even before the pandemic. The main branch also closed during the lockdown and is still closed up to this day.

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.). I also watched videos showing Birria tacos in the States. This exposure to taco media, together with my reminiscence for Lo de Alberto, fueled my Mexican cravings.

Then one day, I saw this taco stall in Instagram (I know what you did to me, IG! LOL.). I got intrigued because the chef was wearing a luchador mask, a headgear common among Mexican pro-wrestlers. Moreover, that spot is just located in Salcedo Community Market (read my article here) and offers birria tacos. So I went to the Market and tried Cochi Loco Manila.

Cochi Loco Manila used to be a online business, popping up at the Salcedo Market weekly. It’s helmed by the luchador mask-wearing Mexican Chef Johnny Rodriguez, a.k.a. “Chef Cochi”, and his business partner Marissa Buenaventura, who are both friendly. They offer a variety of tacos (such as Al Pastor, Baja Fish, and Carnitas), burritos, quesdillas, and other Mexican street food. You’ll find the Salcedo stall always with a queue of patrons. Due to its success, they recently opened a branch at SM Aura (Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City), which I plan to visit when the current lockdown ends!

Cochi Loco Manila at Salcedo Community Market

Here are the food I tried so far:

Tacos

All their tacos are made with flour tortillas (if my tastebuds didn’t deceive me) and priced at P370 for 3 pieces. I have tried most of the varieties already. Here’s what I think:

Al Pastor (tacos with traditionally spit-grilled pork and slices of pineapples): The savory, flavorful meat is nicely complemented by the sweet, tangy pineapples.
Baja Fish (beer-battered fish tacos): The battered fish is delicious and it’s like eating fish and chips (without the fries, of course) on a taco. The cabbage adds a nice crunch. I think this is best eaten fresh so that the batter is still crisp.

From left to right: Barbacoa, Al Pastor, Baja Fish, Pollo, and Carnitas — From left to right: *Barbacoa*, *Al Pastor*, Baja Fish, *Pollo*, and *Carnitas*

Barbacoa (made with slow-cooked meat, typically beef, goat, or lamb, and traditionally cooked in an underground pit covered with agave or maguey leaves): Cochi Loco’s version is made with juicy and tender shredded beef topped with pico de gallo. It’s simple and delicious!
Birria Queso (made with birria or stewed meat, traditionally goat, and comes with broth for sprinkling or dunking): Cochi Loco’s version is made with flavorful beef placed on a nicely chewy double tortilla (the other piece has the queso or cheese). The queso is mild (I think Mexican cheese is like that and I love it that way) and the pickled onions and radish give a nice tang. The broth is beefy and comforting, with crunch coming from the chopped onions. Sprinkle the tacos with lime, put some spicy salsa roja or red salsa, dunk it into the broth (though I wish there was more broth like in Mexico and Los Angeles), and it’s the perfect taco!

Carnitas (made with pork and pig innards braised in its own lard): For me, this is the dark horse among Cochi Loco’s tacos. It’s probably because I didn’t expect that it has chopped pig skin, which is soft and gelatinous, adding a layer of richness.
Pollo (chicken): The chicken is made with breast part, flavorful but expectedly a bit dry. The good thing is that there are sauces to compensate.

Burritos, Quesadillas, and Torta

Their Burritos, Quesadillas, and Torta (a Mexican sandwich) more or less use the same filling as their tacos, and added with a few more ingredients. They’re all hefty as well and can feed up to 2 persons. Here’s what I tried so far:

Breakfast Quesadilla: This is considered the king of Cochi Loco quesadillas. It has generous chunks of shredded barbacoa beef, creamy scrambled eggs, and potatoes, all wrapped in a soft and chewy tortilla. Then there’s cheddar cheese that adds sharpness. This is one of my favorites in Cochi Loco!

La Bella (Carnitas) Torta Sangwish: As expected, the carnitas filling doesn’t disappoint. It’s made juicy and tasty shredded pork, with some soft and gelatinous skin, sandwiched between two fluffy artisan Telera (a Mexican white bread), with the lower bun catching all the pork juices! It has crunch from the romaine and tomatoes, and a kick of spice from the peppers (either chipotle or jalapeños).

No Mames! Burrito: This is like almost every Cochi Loco filling placed in a burrito! It has barbacoa birria, chipotle grilled chicken, and fried carnitas. Then it comes with cheddar cheese, earthy slow-cooked beans, and flavorful Spanish rice, again wrapped in Cochi Loco’s soft and chewy tortilla.

Drinks

So far, I have only tried their Horchata, a Mexican rice drink. It’s creamy and smooth, with a nice hint of cinnamon. It’s the best horchata I tried so far! Well, I have tried only 2 versions so far, with the other one from Lo de Alberto! LOL. (Note: I think this is not part of the regular menu.)

Everything I tried at Cochi Loco Manila didn’t disappoint. I think I have to move on from my Lo de Alberto memories and declare Cochi Loco as my new favorite Mexican food spot in Manila (though I still wish the former would make a comeback). I highly recommend that you pay them a visit (when it’s already safe) or have their food delivered (they’re available in FoodPanda and GrabFood) for your authentic Mexican food experience.

Which of the items above have your tried or would like to try? What else should I try from Cochi Loco? What Mexican food spot should I try next? Comment them below!

Address: Level 4, SM Aura, 26th St. cor. McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig City | Operating Hours (as of April 19, 2021): Monday-Sunday, 10AM-6PM | Facebook | Instagram