Here's Why You Should Drop By Barcino's New Restaurant + Bar Concept in Boracay
It's worth the detour from the beachfront restaurants.
Chiringuito by Barcino
The Shoppes at Station B, Sitio Sinagpa Barangay, Malay, Aklan
Contact: 0946-242-6303
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChiringuitoBoracay
Open daily from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m.
(SPOT.ph) It can get overwhelming trying to figure out where to eat in Boracay. Aside from the tried-and-tested OG restaurants, cafes, and bars that have stood the test of time (even the global pandemic) from Station 1 to Station 3, there's always a new restaurant that's foreign to the eyes each time you come back to the island of powdery white sands, azure waters, and a breathtaking sunset. One of the newer restaurants that are off the beaten path (a.k.a. not beachfront) but still worth the extra minimal effort is Barcino's latest restaurant concept, Chiringuito.
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Check out Chiringuito, Barcino's new Boracay restaurant:
Chiringuito, in many ways, has the DNA of Barcino—or in Gen Z lingo, it's "Barcino-coded." It still serves Spanish food fare, tapas, and cocktails but with the exception that Chiringuito feels like a younger sibling of Barcino. It has that youthful, vigorous energy befitting of the Boracay crowd.
If #aesthetics are what you're looking for, Chiringuito does not disappoint. The restaurant has gorgeous hand-painted murals on both floors of the two-story restaurant, plenty of colorful printed tiles, and the hard-to-miss red signage on the storefront calls the curiosity of passersby like a moth to a flame.
Chiringuito is more chill in the morning, as with any restaurant in Boracay. If you plan on going here for your breakfast fix, the Huevos Benedictinos con Jamon y Espinacas (P690) is an egg-celent choice—especially if you're the type of person who demands a serving of egg in any shape, way, or form for breakfast.
Chiringuito's version of the eggs benedict has two poached eggs served on a slice of sourdough, with jamon, blanched spinach, and a coating of their homemade hollandaise sauce. Although the eggs we were served didn't have that satisfying egg-yolk break, the dish was no less satisfying. The sharp taste of the ham works in harmony with the tangier hollandaise sauce and the sweet-earthiness of the spinach.
Although Chiringuito is known for its cocktails during happy hour until midnight, they do serve good brew too. We paired the eggs benedict with the Cafe con Leche (P180/hot, P190/iced). If you like your cup of joe on the sweeter and creamier side, their blend gets it just right without sacrificing or masking the taste of the coffee.
If you're going to Chiringuito for brunch, lunch, or late lunch, we recommend the Paella de Chorizo y Pollo (P870). This highlights spicy chorizo bites and boneless grilled chicken on top of the rice that absorbed the oils of the chorizo and a bit of the smokiness of the chicken. This is the kind of food you'd crave after swimming on the beach—or in our case, straight from the airport works just as fine.
The paella has this rich, deep flavor that may seem quite one-dimensional, so we do recommend pairing it with something else that has a different flavor profile. The Chiringuito menu does have ensaladas on the menu that can compliment the heft and flavors of the paella, like the Salpicon de Pulpo (P690). This dish is a seafood medley of octopus, shrimp, and mussels mixed with black and green olives, negra tuile, strawberries, and blue aioli.
You can skip the ensalada and go for something sweet instead, like the Carmelo Salado Piña Colada (P440/glass)—because if anything, no one in Boracay will judge you for drinking early. This cocktail is a sugary version of the refreshing and classic piña colada.
From happy hour until dinnertime is the time when Chiringuito gets a livelier energy. When you're ready to drink booze and want something pairable with it, the Calamares Rebozados (P390) is an A+ choice. If you didn't completely read the description on the menu, you'd assume that everything on your plate is calamares when in fact, it does have fried onion rings too. It's just that the two rings look identical to each other!
This might be our bias toward squid ink speaking, but this tapas is served on a plate with squid ink as its dip—not the typical aioli—making the dish one of the more memorable Chiringuito dishes we've tried. Both the squid and onions yield this audible crunch, revealing what either is fresh squid or sweet onions, that go well with the brininess of the dip.
Surprisingly, anything we've tried that has shrimp or prawn at Chiringuito is finger-licking good, and that includes our favorite crustacean dish of them all: the Gambas al Ajillo (P990). This dish is simple, to say the least: "prawns in spicy garlic olive oil" is what says on the menu. What struck us is the quality of the prawns used—it's creamy and soft that it almost takes zero effort to bite it before it all melts in the mouth like some kind of butter. Warning: This does not come with rice but is also perfectly fine without it.
The only downside is that Chiringuito doesn't have that beachfront view every tourist seems to clamor for—it's a 10-15-minute walk from the beach. But don't let that discourage you as a P40 roundtrip ride is all it takes to get to Chiringuito and try the dishes not available in any Barcino restaurants in Metro Manila.
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