Salcedo Community Market: Trying Birria Tacos, Caribbean Food, and More

I’ve heard good things about the Legazpi and Salcedo weekend markets of Makati. There are interesting finds, fresh produce, and of course, delicious food. But due to weekend work, I couldn’t visit these food paradises. This set-up changed when the pandemic hit. My work became flexible and weekend work was either lessened or removed.

So I knew what to do and visited these markets. Last week, I posted about Legazpi Sunday Market (read the article here). Today, I’ll be writing about my experience at the Salcedo Community Market. It’s open every Saturday from 7AM to 2PM, and located at the Jaime Velasquez Park of Salcedo Village.

Salcedo Community Market during the Chinese New Year season

Thankfully, there are tables provided just outside the Market, unlike its Legazpi counterpart. At around noontime, a lot of the tables were vacant.

Before I continue, let me lay down the game plan. Prior to my visit to the Salcedo Market, I only did a little research. All I know is that there is a good taco stall and Everybody’s Cafe, which is an institution in Pampanga. My good old trusted technique of looking for queues wouldn’t work because there were virtually none (at least by the time I arrived, which is lunchtime). So here’s the strategy: Find the food that I wouldn’t normally find anywhere else, including the ones offered in Legazpi Market. It’s good to have a bit of adventure!

Here’s what I ate:

Birria Queso Tacos and Horchata at Cochi Loco Manila

I was craving for tacos and thanks (insert a little sarcasm) to Instagram’s algorithm, I saw the ads of Cochi Loco Manila. They are an online business offering tacos and other Mexican food, with a physical stall at the Market. It is partly run by a Mexican chef who wears a luchador (Mexican wrestler) mask and it is awesome!

They offer a good variety of tacos, which includes Al Pastor, Baja Fish, and Carnitas. But due to the food videos I watched during the lockdown, I tried the Birria Queso Tacos. Birria is a stew that originated in the Mexican state of Jalisco and traditionally made of goat meat. So a birria taco, then, is filled with shredded birria meat. But the most interesting feature of this taco is the broth that comes alongside it. Either you spoon it into the taco or dunk the taco in it.

Cochi Loco’s birria queso tacos has a filling made with flavorful shredded beef and placed on a nicely chewy corn tortilla. The queso or cheese 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 Saturday taco! (Tip: By lunchtime, the birria taco is sold out. It’s a good thing that I pre-ordered. You might want to do the same.)

I also got 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 tried only 2 versions so far! LOL.

With my first try of Cochi Loco, I’m convinced that this is an amazing taco spot. So I’m going to try more of their food in the future and keep in touch for my review. Also, I heard from the co-owner that they are opening in SM Aura. I’m excited!

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Caramel Black Kutsinta at Tita Lea’s Food Specialties

Kutsinta is a steamed rice cake made with rice (or tapioca) flour, brown sugar, and lye water, colored orange by atsuete or annatto, and topped with grated coconut.

But Tita Lea’s Food Specialties of Baguio made an interesting twist to the kakanin (rice cake). It’s black due to molasses and it’s served with toasted coconut and caramel. Freshly delivered all the way from Baguio the kutsinta is nicely soft, rightly sweet, and dangerously addictive. The toasted coconut add an additional sweetness and texture, while the caramel is perfectly sweet. It’s like an elevated version of the kutsinta that is peddled on the streets!

Tita Lea’s Food Specialties (Caramel Black Kutsinta: P230 for 50 pcs.)

Like the birria tacos, the black kutsinta also runs out by lunchtime. So place your orders ahead of time.

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Caribbean Food at Jacqueline’s Cuisine

Together with Moroccan food, this is probably the most not-so-common cuisine you will find in the Market. Jacqueline’s Cuisine serves Caribbean food and other international food cooked by it’s namesake owner who’s from Trinidad and Tobago.

Jacqueline’s Cuisine (just look for “The Taste of Caribbean” signage)

I got the Jerk Chicken Whole Meal, which comes with jerk chicken, rice and beans, coleslaw, and fried bananas. As I always joke, it’s called jerk not because the chicken is a jerk (come on, laugh with me!). Rather, it’s the Caribbean way of barbecuing. Jacqueline’s version consists of juicy and tender chicken pieces covered in sweet and tangy tomato-based sauce, with a kick of spice aftertaste (forgive me because I’m really poor distinguishing between flavors).

Lentil Soup (P250) and Jerk Chicken Whole Meal (P450)

The rice is fluffy and flavorful, with starchiness coming from the beans and squash. The coleslaw has onions, parsley, and spring onions, all providing strong flavors. I also got the Lentils Soup, which is flavorful, with cumin as the most prominent, and has dices of carrots and potatoes. It’s a comforting bowl of goodness!

Overall, my Caribbean meal was a satisfying experience. I will come back to try more dishes! And try having a conversation with Jacqueline. She is warm and friendly!

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Kapampangan Food at Everybody’s Cafe

I didn’t get anything from here but I felt I should feature it here because hey, it’s Everybody’s Cafe. As I mentioned earlier, this brand is an institution in Pampanga. They serve Kapampangan food such as Betute (fried stuffed frogs!), Morcon (Filipino beef roulade), and Tidtad (the Kapampangan version of dinuguan or pig blood stew).

So no need to travel all the way to Pampanga for your Kapampangan food fix!

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And More Kapampangan Food at Pamangan

Unfortunately, there are no rice meals at Everybody’s Cafe. But don’t fret because there’s another Kapampangan stall in the Market. Pamangan (literally “food”) serves Kapampangan food such as tidtad and Kilayin, the Kapampangan version of Kilawin (think of it as Filipino ceviche) but I think it’s more like Igado (pork and liver stewed in vinegar and spices).

What I got is their Adobong Balut (duck embryo adobo or stew). I love balut but there’s nothing spectacular with the dish. I should have tried their kilayin or tidtad instead.

Korean Mozzarella Corndog at Country Corndog

Korean Corndogs are a trendy street food in Korea. It has mozzarella cheese and/or hotdog inside, covered with batter and panko breadcrumbs, and optionally drizzled with ketchup and mustard and sprinkled with…drumroll…sugar!

Country Corndog (Korean Mozzarella Corndog: P70)

Country Corndog’s version has a nice doughy batter and a crisp exterior due to the panko. I wish that the cheese and hotdog were more premium. I didn’t ask for the condiments and sugar because my girlfriend didn’t like it. Overall, it was a good corndog.

Ngohiong at Wongton’s

Ngohiong is a popular street food in Cebu and a distant relative of the spring roll. It’s made with a mix of meat, singkamas (jicama), ubod (bamboo shoot), and, most importantly, Chinese five-spice, all wrapped in a battered rice paper. (Start reading on my Cebu food trip here.)

Wongton’s version has a nice filling and a crispy exterior. I find it addictive so put it away from me!

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Tuna Panga at Tuna Town

Panga literally means “jaw” or “jowl”. While it can be cooked in different ways such as sinigang sa miso (sour soup with miso or soybean paste), it’s commonly inihaw or sinugba (grilled). I’m happy that there is grilled tuna panga in Tuna Town.

Granted, it’s not the best I tried. But if you’re craving for tuna panga, then this will do. I’m missing my tuna crawl in Davao. Check it out here and here!

Before I end this article, let me give you tips on how you can maximize your visit to Salcedo Community Market:

Take a walk and check out the stalls first. Resist the temptation to buy right away (unless it’s something you really want to eat or went to the Market for).
If you’re okay with free tastes, avail them. But in these times of pandemic, remember to be cautious.
If you don’t know what to eat, just look for queues and hopefully you find them. In my experience, there were no queues. Probably because I went at a later time.
You’ll find a lot of not-so-common cuisines in the Market, such as Caribbean and Moroccan. So be adventurous and try them out.

I hope this articles helps. What food above would you like to try? What should I try next at the Salcedo Community Market? Comment them below!

Address: Jaime C. Velasquez Park, Salcedo Village, Brgy. Bel-Air, Makati City | Operating Hours: Saturday, 7AM-2PM | Facebook | Instagram | Website