Hola! Welcome to Gringo!

It's been a while since I've been to SM North.

So when we dropped by here with the fam bam, I got thrilled with all the new restaurants that opened there. The one that caught my interest the most was Gringo because it features two of my favorite things, chicken and baby back ribs. Of course, I had to check what Zomato has to say and good thing it presented favorable reviews.



"Hola! Welcome to Gringo!", the enthusiastic crew, who I personally nicknamed Gringo Amigos, will welcome you in chorus upon entering the restaurant.

Once seated, one of their waiters will serve you their famous lemon and hot sauce. He explained that those saucers will be for adding flavors to the chicken and ribs.

IT'S CHOWTIME!

We ordered the following for the appetizers:

NACHO GRANDE (PHP 265)

Their nachos are commendable for its crunchy texture. The nachos and filling ratio are spectacular. Not too saucy and not too droughty. The chicken pieces have a hint of sweetness in it. Dipping the nachos with lemon sauce turned to be also delicious for me.




CHICKEN QUESADILLAS (PHP 155)

Their quesadilla is all about the balance. The cheese is balancing the clean taste of the pita bread and chicken plus tomatoes. The pita bread is not too thick nor thin.



CHICKEN SOUP (PHP 160)

We ordered this for Baby C but it was a fail because the soup was too runny, causing too much mess on his bib.

Overall, it's a soup with a clean, chicken taste. It is a mix of cilantro, carrots and a handful of chicken.



For the main course, we tried both their chicken and ribs with sides package so that we didn't have to order the sides separately.

GRINGO SOUTHERN SPICE CHICKEN, HALF WITH SIDES (PHP 375)

It tastes like smoke, has this almost burnt taste, but surprisingly delicious. The texture is so soft.




GRINGO ORGINAL CHICKEN, HALF WITH SIDES (PHP 365)

The first word I could think of describing their original chicken: simple. The taste is not too complicated, just a chicken with the right amount of herbs and seasoning. This chicken and their lemon sauce are a match made in heaven!




GRINGO BABY BACK RIBS, RIBS MUCHOS WITH SIDES (PHP 1099)

The star of the afternoon: the ravishing baby back ribs. I can't get enough of its delectable semi-sweet, tangy and smokey taste. The meat is so soft, that feeling of easily forking the meat out is such a delight. "Almost like a pulled pork," my cousin-in-law said. For all Gringo newcomers, this is that one dish that you should definitely not miss.

An eminent point on their menu is that the side choices are diverse. They have a variety of regular side dishes and the "healthy" ones.

To take note, we ordered their Mexican rice and garlic mushroom but, unfortunately, I was unable to get pictures of them.





 
ROASTED SQUASH

Never have I imagined that roasted squash would taste this good. The amount of seasoning is just reasonable.




GARLIC RICE

The waiter recommended choosing garlic rice over the plain rice because it complements the taste of their chicken and ribs. And he was right!




BUTTERED CORN

They have ribs, chicken, mushroom, and corn. What more can I ask for?!




WHAT WE LIKED:

• The repetitive feedback that I read in their reviews is about their outstanding service. They're right; we experienced it ourselves. Hats off, Gringo Amigos!
• As mentioned earlier, the waiters are enthusiastic in greeting approaching customers.
• You will always find a waiter assisting you with your needs. 
• They are also knowledgeable about their dishes, providing you with recommendations and setting the proper expectations.
• They are attentive to filling out your glasses of water.
•  The food has satisfaction guaranteed in terms of taste.
• All the food is served hot.

WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE: 

• During our stay, there was a portion of their ceiling near my mother-in-law's seat that's leaking. Hopefully, they already fixed that.
• This didn't affect us that much but the seats were too compressed. Hopefully, they expand soon knowing that a lot of diners are visiting them.

WANNA-CHOW-AGAIN METER
Indeed, Gringo didn't disappoint. Nothing turned out to be a frustration or patapon among all those dishes that we tried. If only we could try everything on their menu. We will definitely go back to taste more of Gringo. Or will you be so kind to take us back there? :)


GRINGO RESTAURANT
G/F The Block at SM City North EDSA
Brgy. Bagong Pag-Asa Quezon City