Photo courtesy of Legazpi Sunday Market

A rainy Sunday morning led us to visit the Legazpi Sunday Market in Makati City after buying pet food at Cartimar in Pasay City. Searching for a new market to go to in the Central Business District of Metro Manila, we ventured farther from where we lived and since we usually visit Centris’ Sidcor Market in Quezon City, we decided to try this one which has been around longer than any other weekend markets since 2005.

With my dog, Toffee, and my mom we parked along the street of Herrera corner Legazpi and Salcedo V.A. Rufino. The sun wasn’t out and it was pouring rain but we headed out the car and walked to the parking area where the white tents sheltered the market sellers.

It wasn’t as big as other weekend markets we’ve visited but it was worth going around. They had organic products of vegetables and fruits, deli’s, dairies, native products of coffee, honey, rice and of course food! They have a few clothes, bags, leather goods and house decors but not as much as you can find in other weekend markets. It’s probably the food that makes Filipinos and expats come back here every Sunday as its strategically located beside the villages and condominiums in Makati City.

The food that I’ve wanted to try here was Don Churro, an authentic Spanish Churro seller owned by Spanish expat in Philippines–Marc Puigtio. I’ve read reviews and heard by word of mouth that they do serve really good Churros. I’ve always loved Dulcinea’s and also tried Balboa‘s own versions so it was worth knowing if Don Churro will exceed my expectations. I ordered their six pieces of Churros with Chocolate dip (Php 150) and told them to have three flavors of Original, Cinnamon and Sugar split among all six pieces.

They made it fresh in front of you and the oil was piping hot which you could feel while waiting as you stand in front of their kiosk. The pieces of Churros were bigger than those from Dulcinea and definitely much bigger than the bite-sized versions from Balboa.

It was hands down one of the best Churros I’ve had and the portions were bigger. As you bite into it, the taste melts in your mouth mixed with the pure Chocolate dip made from cacao that wasn’t too sweet or bitter. Among the three flavors we ordered, the original and Cinnamon flavor won my heart. Hopefully, they’ll bring Don Churro to Quezon City as well for food lovers who aren’t from the Makati or Taguig areas.

Next stop was Casa Goñi, a Spanish Paella maker, where I bought their Chicken Paella (Php75) . It was already cooked and they simply packed it in a plastic disposable container. They were almost leaving as it was around 1pm already but I managed to buy one before the Legazpi Sunday Market closed at 2pm.

It was alright. I’ve tried better Paellas most definitely. It was a bit bland and cold. Perhaps if it was served warm and had more ingredients, it would be better.

I wasn’t able to get the name of the merchant who was selling Filipino food like these Fresh Lumpia (Ph50) and Okoy (Php25) I bought. But there were only two of them that time and their stall were on a corner. Both were pretty good and definitely cheaper. The Lumpia had fresh vegetables and the sauce was sweet with a hint of garlic. The Okoy was hot as it was freshly fried and they didn’t scrimped on shrimps which was good.

After all the food we ate, we bought freshly brewed coffee (Php50) from Batangas and a Mango fruit shake (Php75) for my mom. It was to wake us up because of the cold, rainy day and we were full from eating all the food we ordered.

These long stem 12-dozen bouquet of Roses were half the price (Php120) which we bought from the flower shop at Legazpi Sunday Market. Lucky for us as they were closing so these were sold so low compared to its original doubled pricing if we bought them earlier. They got them from Dangwa, the cheapest and biggest flower selling area in Manila.

It was worth visiting the Legazpi Sunday Market which is open every Sunday at 7:30am to 2pm if you want to venture to a different weekend market for a change. Hopefully the next time we come back, the sun is out and it’s easier to check out other goods and food for a Sunday food trip escaped in Makati. Oh and to make my dog Toffee happier the next time he goes out for adventure as he wasn’t able to run around as the ground was pretty wet from the rain!

For more info, you may visit the following websites at:

Facebook: Legazpi Sunday Market, Don Churro, Casa Goni