Food-hopping with friends in Quezon City’s Maginhawa Street yields a lot of discoveries. What’s more satisfying is how the range of food choices allows one to travel across the world— one’s palate, that is.

Maginhawa Street is home to local and international cuisines.

Here are four recommended stops, with prices that rarely go beyond P500 for two to three persons:

Mexikombi

For tasty quesadillas, check out Mexikombi. The beef quesadillas melt in your mouth with a smoky finish. Another best seller is the Barbacoa (braised beef) burrito.

Mexikombi started as a food truck—in fact, a Volkswagen Kombi van, hence the “Mexikombi” name. The small interior is ideal for music lovers as there are also instruments like a guitar and cajón for the customers.

Food Vine
This year-old Italian restaurant boasts a clean and green ambiance with hanging vines.
It is ideal for pasta lovers with choices like all-meat carbonara and pesto. A bestseller is its Angus beef steak. The Puttanesca pasta with olive oil and tomatoes has a great mix of sweetness, saltiness and sourness that will surely make a sumptuous meal.

The name came from a Bible verse: I am the vine, you are the branches. (John 15:5)

North Wing

This restaurant is unique, with its three sections: “North Wing” that offers chicken wings, pizza and pasta; a buffet set up near “West Steak”; and the “Sweet East” for desserts, blended drinks and coffee. The southern portion is where the restaurant’s main door is located. North Wing turns a year old this month.

Foodies who want to satisfy a sweet tooth can try Sweet East’s Choco Bantoffee frappe, a combination of chocolate and banana flavors with whipped cream topped with bits of chocolate.

Me Love You Long Time

If you’re looking for Asian fare, Me Love You Long Time should be first on your list.

This place is one of the restaurants at “StrEat: Maginhawa Food Park” that is similar to a food court.

Its Tom Yum is a good choice for the health-conscious. Shrimps and tofu enhance the already sweet, sour and spicy soup that is typically made from lime juice, chili peppers, fish sauce, vegetables and galangal.

Its Chicken Satay served with peanut sauce is also a must-try, while the Pad Thai is a big wave of sweet, spicy and sour flavors—noodles mixed with calamansi or tamarind pulp, vegetables, garlic, chili pepper, sugar, chives and stir-fried eggs.

Indeed, Maginhawa Street holds a wide and different world for foodies. Let it lead you from one stop to another.