YOU CAN’T SAY “HOLY SMOKES!” WITHOUT SHOUTING

WHAT: A one-of-a-kind smokehouse that’s for real, in a neighborhood that’s already full of them

WHERE: Matilde cor. Jacobo St., Brgy. Poblacion, Makati

COME FOR: Straight up, expertly-prepared fall-offthe-bone barbeque

STAY FOR: Everything else on the menu, including Joe’s Brew local craft beer

PLACE MAKES YOU FEEL: Like you’re eating legit ‘Murrican BBQ, also thanks to the blues music forever playing through the house speakers

The secret to Holy Smokes’ standout barbeque meats, according to owners Maisa Acosta and Juano Gutierrez, is twofold. First, it took them

years to get the recipe right. Second, they’re the only ones in a neighborhood that’s already piling on the BBQ bandwagon that use local logs for their rewood— santol and caimito, speci cally. How effective is it, you ask? Well, let’s just say that the meat was so soft, we couldn’t stop sneaking in bites well after our bellies were lled to bursting.

The meat is so soft, you can cut it off the bone with a spoon.