Marino’s Eatery: This Carinderia in Biñan City (Laguna) Serves Delicious Food and Dishes You Won’t Usually Find in Manila

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Last Saturday, I posted about Chef RV Cafe (check it out here). Its namesake owner and chef, Chef RV Manabat, is a YouTube sensation. I watch his videos, especially his foodventures here in Philippines and abroad.

Chef RV once featured the carinderias (eateries) of his hometown, Biñan City (Laguna). Two of them piqued my interest, as these eateries serve dishes that are uniquely Biñense. It amazes me that a city only a few kilometers outside of Metro Manila has its own local dishes.

So we visited one of the two carinderias—Marino’s Eatery.

Formerly “Tina’s Eatery”, Marino’s Eatery was founded in 1963 and is now managed by its second generation of owners. They claim to be one of the pioneers of “lutong bahay” (home-cooked meals) in the city.

Like many carinderias, they employ a turo-turo (literally, “point point”) style of ordering. Their menu also change everyday.

As I mentioned, they serve Biñense dishes such as Beef Morcon Lalag (a deconstructed version of Morcon, a Filipino roulade), Ginataang Biya (goby fish stewed in gata or coconut milk), and Itlogan (a dish made with chicken ovaries and underdeveloped eggs).

Intermission: Are you planning a trip to the Philippines soon? Can’t decide what activities to do yet? Then check out the activities in Klook!

We’ve been to Marino’s Eatery already twice (and I think we’ll visit more in the future). Here are the dishes we’ve tried so far and what I think of them:

DISHES

Adobo Squid (squid stewed in vinegar and its ink): The squids are tender, and the dish has the perfect acidity and saltiness.

Beef Morcon Lalag: This leans on the savory side. It’s also covered in liver.

Beef Sinigang (sour soup): The broth is rightly sour and thick, but I hope the beef is more tender.

Fried Chicken: It’s marinated and fried upon order so it comes out fresh and crisp. It’s tender, juicy, and tasty. It’s easily one of the better Filipino fried chickens I’ve ever had!

Fried Liempo (pork belly): Like the fried chicken, this one is also marinated and cooked upon order. It’s perfectly fried and nicely fatty. We love it so much that we end up ordering extra to go!

Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa (squash and string beans cooked in gata): It’s a simple yet delicious and comforting dish.

***Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa*** (PHP60)

Kilawin Labanos (radish cooked or “ceviched” in vinegar): It’s not for me, as I find it too sweet.

Luto sa Pickles Chicken (chicken cooked in pickles): This is like Pininyahang Manok (chicken cooked with pineapples and evaporated milk) but without the pineapple and evaporated milk.

Pork Batchoy (a soup dish with pork, pig liver, and pig blood): It has a nice blood flavor and texture, as well as fatty meat and even pig innards, I suppose. While it’s delicious, I hope it less saltier.

Pork Menudo Cubes: It has a nice tomato and liver spread flavors. But a bit too sweet for me.

Pork Menudo Giniling (ground pork): Unlike the dish above, this one is not sweet.

DESSERTS AND DRINKS

Saba Con Yelo (shaved ice with bananas): This is refreshing and is not too sweet.

Sago (a drink with tapioca pearls): This has a strong lemongrass flavor. While I’m not a big fan of lemongrass, this is surprisingly refreshing.

Marino’s Eatery serves no frills yet amazing home-cooked Filipino food. It’s also affordable. So Marino’s is easily one of the best carinderias I’ve ever visited. It may even be on my list of top food spots for 2025. Needless to say, I highly recommend it to you.

P.S. If you’re visiting Marino’s Eatery, you might as well grab some desserts the Chef RV Cafe (check my review here).

Marino’s Eatery

Address: 257 General Malvar St., Biñan City, Laguna, Philippines | Operating Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8AM-6PM | Contact No.: 0956-6896684 | Facebook | Instagram

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