Mama's Grill

Mama's Grill is a streetside barbecue on Tourism Road in General Luna: skewered meats and seafood grilled over charcoal, served with rice, at prices that make it one of the most affordable proper meals around. The setup is about as simple as it gets, a grill, a cooler, and a few tables.

What it does is the definition of what Filipino street food does best: charcoal heat, sweet marinade, and fresh-from-the-grill timing that gives the meat a char and juiciness kitchen cooking can't match. The seafood options, when available, are worth ordering alongside the standard pork and chicken skewers.

It earns its local following because it's the food people eat every day in the Philippines, done the way it's supposed to be. Point at the grill and ask what's just come off the heat rather than ordering from a menu, and come between 6pm and 8pm for the widest selection.