Las Barricas Siargao

Spanish tapas done properly, which is not a sentence you expect to type on a surf island but here we are. This is your call for date night, birthday dinners, or the evening you decide rice and adobo can wait one more day – the kitchen leans into chorizo, manchego, and sherry-braised everything instead of chasing a generic ‘western menu’ laminated card. Order the gambas con chorizo y manchego, the pimientos del piquillo rellenos (stuffed with sardines and cream cheese, better than that sounds), and the pork ribs braised in white wine. The ensalada de tomate comes with a free refill, which nobody expects and everybody appreciates. Fish tacos and octopus both get singled out, pulled pork tacos are good but small so don’t make them your only order, and the chocolate tres leches closes the show. Margaritas are properly made, not sugar syrup with a lime wedge. Ask for Shai or Carmel if you’re celebrating something – they’ll actually make a fuss over you, not the scripted kind. This isn’t the place for a quick solo lunch between surf sessions; it’s a sit-down, order-several-plates, share-with-the-table kind of restaurant, so come hungry and come with people.