NOTE: This establishment is now closed. To save on site resources, we have deleted the images on this post. For details on other amazing food establishments, you can click here.

I don’t have exact statistics, but it seems that Lipeños haven’t jumped on the Mexican food craze just yet. While huge in the United States, it’s safe to say that Mexican food doesn’t enjoy the same level of popularity that Chinese, Japanese, and of course, Filipino food, enjoy in Lipa City.

I just had a life-changing experience last night that made me more of a Mexican food fan than I already am. Well, Filipino X Mexican food fan to be exact, as a group of friends namely Marc Collin Latayan, Ralph Quijano, Kristoffer Silva and Joel Bautista decided to add their own twist to Mexican food fare by adding a well-loved Pinoy favorite – the sisig.

Yes, the humble but insanely popular sisig has found its way from sizzling plates in beer houses to the Metro Events Zone in Lipa City, and it has undergone quite a bit of a facelift.

About Sisig EL Juego

The name gives you an idea as to what they serve. El Juego is Spanish for “The Game” and sisig is of course, Tagalog for that delicious dish that we can proudly call our own.

Sisig EL Juego is a Filipino X Mexican fusion. Simply put, the owners incorporated the sinful sisig into some of the most popular Mexican fares.

I love sisig. I also love Mexican food. Needless to say, I had high expectations for Sisig EL Juego. They’re basically putting together two of things that I love. They better not mess it up.

About their Sisig

Of course, it’s fair to judge them first by their banner offering – the sisig.

It’s not the same sisig that you find in sizzling houses. You know – the sisig that’s full of crunch and swimming in oil? Their sisig is meatier than the common sisig thanks to the absence of known extenders like chicharon.

Their sisig does have onions. After all, it’s pretty hard to imagine this dish without a generous sprinkling of onions. The Mexican influence is strong with this one thanks to the addition of jalapeno and bell peppers.

Overall, the sisig tasted amazing. I know some people prefer their sisig crunchy, but give their sisig a chance. For Php 120, you get a plate of sisig that should be good enough for 2 to 3 people. It’s still good with beer, although they don’t serve beer. But from what I can see, people drinking at other establishments order their sisig from Sisig EL Juego.

As for their sisig…

Game. Set. Match.

Good start, but we’re here to check out their Filipino X Mexican fusion offerings.

Their Filipino X Mexican Offerings

They’ve had the following offerings since they started:

We tried the nachos first. At Php 99, it’s pretty affordable especially since it comes with a glass of Pepsi. Here’s a picture of the nachos before it became gone in 60 seconds:

You can see the chips. The chips are flavored with BBQ seasoning which added a new dimension to the Filipino X Mexican fusion. The smell alone was fantastic as the aroma of the chips, BBQ seasoning, jalapeno, bell pepper and onions went straight to our noses. Oh, and is that sisig you see?

You betcha.

The sisig proved to be a good protein for this nacho dish. The savory sisig complemented the other ingredients, with its oil providing edible glimmer to the chips themselves. The nacho cheese sauce, salsa and sour cream made it a homerun for the sisig nachos.

We were also served the tacos. It’s the same price as the nachos. We got the crunchy taco version instead of the soft flour tortilla one because we’ll be having burritos later on. Just like your usual tacos, it has lettuce and onions. The jalapeno and bell peppers provided the Mexican flavors together with the salsa and the sour cream sauce. In place of the ground beef is the sisig. I have to say that it works. It looks like sisig does go with everything, at least so far.

We wanted to try their java rice but we wanted to try their non-sisig dishes as well. This is why we also got the Caliente Pollo which according to Google Translate means hot chicken. My wife is the self-proclaimed chicken expert in our group and after a couple of bites, she proudly proclaimed it as her favorite among the offerings of Sisig EL Juego.

The chicken was tasty and juicy. It’s not really hot in a my-mouth-is-burning kind of way, but it’s spiced quite well. It’s the perfect protein for the java rice which can pass for Mexican rice which is a good thing. Believe me. You can eat the rice by itself and you’ll have your fill.

We were also served the El Dinamita. It’s not your usual chili dynamite wherein the chili finger and cheese are wrapped in shanghai wrapper before being fried. I’ll let the picture speak for itself:

How about a closer look?

A member of our team who’s not a fan of spicy food enjoyed it. It has just the right amount of hotness to it, while still satisfying the taste buds of people like me who love their food hot and spicy.

We also got the salad because we needed the greens for us to feel better after eating all that food. While a healthier offering because of the lettuce, carrots, bell pepper, onions and cucumbers, the salad does come with about a cup of sisig.

But we didn’t complain. No one in their right mind will complain that their salad has sisig on it.

The dressing tasted amazing. I tasted hints of garlic and ginger, but I’m sure there are more.

We also visited at the right time because they just launched their burritos last night. We had the pork BBQ tapa adoborrito which has pork BBQ tapa and adobo rice wrapped in soft flour tortilla.

We also had the American Express which has fries instead of the adobo rice. It was good, but we liked the pork BBQ tapa adoborrito better.

The Verdict

Filipino X Mexican food trucks in the US are enjoying cult followings, and I’m confident that Sisig EL Juego will have its own cult following soon. It hasn’t been a month since they opened but tables were filled when we were there. I’m guessing that people will try it out due to curiosity and just like us, they’ll come back over and over again because sisig + Mexican food is love, and Sisig EL Juego is the cupid.

Contact Details

Sisig EL Juego

Facebook Page

Address: Metro Events Zone, Lipa City

Operating Hours: 5:00PM – 11:30PM

Contact Number: 0906 216 0480

Follow me