Onlypans Taqueria: Serving Amazing Birria Tacos! (Is It Overpriced?)
There has been a Birria taco craze in the past few years. Online sellers, taco shops, and even a fast food chain have started offering it in their menu. You’ll even find street food stalls joining the bandwagon.
But there are a few establishments that make superb birria tacos. One of them is Onlypans Taqueria.
Onlypans Taqueria Poblacion. It’s hard to miss Onlypans Poblacion because of its white tiles and red accent.
Onlypans started in September 2021 as a takeout service and opened their first brick-and-mortar branch in April 2022. It started in Poblacion, Makati City’s newest nightlife hub, and has branched out to Katipunan (Quezon City) area and more recently in San Juan, La Union.
Tacos Being Prepared
The taqueria went controversial when some customers criticized them for setting their prices too high, and they responded with this post. But is their food really overpriced? I finally went one day to find out. Here’s what I think of their food.
Let’s start with their bestselling Quesa Birria Tacos, which come in pairs, as all their tacos do. And let me say this right away: This is probably the best birria I have ever tried!
Quesa Birria (Dos: PHP380; Quatro: PHP750)
It has stretchy cheese and a generous serving of tender, flavorful meat, sitting on crisp, soft tortilla. Add lime for acidity and salsa for tang, dunk it in the spice-ous consommé, and it’s a flavor explosion in the mouth. This taco, even if priced at P380 as of this time of writing, is worth your money!
The Birria Consommé
But what about their other tacos? So far, I’ve tried their Carnitas (pulled pork) and Pescado (deep-fried, battered fish). The Carnitas also has a generous serving of juicy meat, crisp coleslaw, and onions that has a hint of sharpness.
Carnitas (Dos: PHP350; Quatro: PHP680)
The fish of the Pescado is not as crisp as I would’ve preferred. What I like, though, are the veggies and micro herbs, which give crunch and freshness to the taco.
Pescado (Dos: PHP300; Quatro: PHP580)
Unlike the tortilla of Quesa Birria, which is dipped in the birria stew, both Carnitas and Pescado have the same dry tortilla. I thought that they might just be having an off day. But I ordered it at two separate days and the outcome was the same. So in my opinion, the Carnitas and Pescado are overpriced for its quality.
One more item that I tried is their Nachos, which has crunchy chips, flavorful meat, and torched cheese that give the dish a bit of smokiness. I find it addicting!
Nachos
So does Onlypans serve overpriced tacos? The answer depends on the tacos you get. If it’s the Quesa Birria Taco or their Poblacion Taco (it’s Quesa Birria Taco with grilled shrimp; too bad I’m allergic), then it’s worth every centavo. But if it’s the Carnitas and Pescado, then yes it’s overpriced. I admire their stand on their pricing but the quality has to back it up.
Poblacion (Dos: PHP400; Quatro: PHP780)
Still, I think that Onlypans is worth your visit. I highly recommend their Quesa Birria Taco, which I believe is at the top tier of the Metro Manila’s Birria pyramid, to you!
PS I will be visiting Onlypans more in the future and try their other items. So I’ll update this article when I do.
Poblacion Branch Address: 5663 Don Pedro St., Brgy. Poblacion, Makati City, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 11AM-? | Contact No.: 0995-2174326 | Facebook | Instagram