As Filipino cuisine and culture makes its way into the lives of non-Filipinos, I’m happy to report St. Louis is one of the up-and-coming spots for Filipino food.
Guerrilla Street Food Truck was created by Joel Crespo and Brian Hardesty in 2011. It’s innovative Filipino-inspired dishes quickly gained momentum across St. Louis, the region and even the nation as a top food truck. This may not be the food I grew up eating by my should-be-chef Lola (grandma in Philippine language Tagalog), but the flavors of garlic, fish sauce and vinegar were all present—usually with a twist or kick of chili pepper. Now, they own a brick-and-mortar shop on South Grand in Tower Grove, my favorite neighborhood to get ethnic eats.
Last night, the crew from Guerrilla teamed up with some local Filipino guests as well as a chef from Chicago and the Philippines to bring St. Louisans a Filipino experience like no other: the Guerrilla Alliance Night Market. I went with my dad and one of my closest Filipina friends and naturally ran into a few Filipino family friends throughout the night.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights from my night.
Kain na!