Judy Ann's Crispy Pata (formerly Jamicos Restaurant): Malabon City's Best Crispy Pata

On June 12, we will be celebrating the Independence Day of the Philippines. So I thought of dedicating the whole month to Filipino food. Here are the food spots featured in this series so far: Pochok Bangusan | Rose & Grace Restaurant

The restaurant I’m featuring today actually serves both Filipino and Chinese-Filipino (or panciteria food). But their main specialty is undeniably Filipino, which is Crispy Pata or deep-fried pork knuckle. The resto is Judy Ann’s Crispy Pata in Malabon City.

Judy Ann’s Crispy Pata (Formerly Jamicos Restaurant)

Formerly Jamicos Restaurant, Judy Ann’s Crispy Pata was established in 1972 by Remeyno Antonio, a former jeepney driver who concocted his own version of the dish. His recipe has a skin that’s crispy, sweet, and tangy, which is what the restaurant still serves today. Today, the restaurant is managed by her 2 daughters, Judy Ann Antonio Francisco, to whom their signature dish is named after (so the dish has nothing to do with its namesake Filipino actress, Judy Ann Santos), at Susan Antonio Corvera.

While the restaurant has already been featured by different media outlets, I first learned about it when Chef JP Anglo of Sarsa featured it in his YouTube channel. Tt was also featured by Carl Chuidian a.k.a. Paps Chui of The Chui Show and even by Sonny Side of The Best Ever Food Review Show, which I believe is now the most subscribed food vlogger in YouTube today. It must be really good to have been featured by different personalities. I have to pay it a visit.

All the write-ups about Judy Ann’s Crispy Pata

So one day, when we were nearby Judy Ann’s Crispy Pata, my wife and I made sure to visit and try its signature dish!

The crispy pata is available in two sizes—Regular and Jumbo. It also comes with two kinds of sauces—soy sauce-vinegar, which is a usual crispy pata condiment, and sweet and sour sauce. It’s my first time to try it with the latter, and it works! I can’t believe I haven’t thought of such pairing.

Crispy *Pata* (Regular: PHP750; Jumbo: PHP850)

Its skin is crisp and slightly sweet, which is unusual for a crispy pata. While I prefer it to be on the savory side, it’s good to have tried it.

And its meat? Juicy and tender! Its fat is also amazing!

We also tried other dishes. Here are my thoughts about it:

Chop Suey: It has crisp veggies and a lot of of sliced squid balls. It’s on the sweet side as well.

Hototay (a soup with a medley of ingredients): It has crisp veggies but lacks seasoning. I’ve had better versions of it.

Lumpiang Shanghai (deep-fried spring rolls): The juiciest version I’ve ever had. Although we had it for takeaway and air-fried it so I’m not sure if it made it juicier.

Torta Pork (scrambled eggs with ground pork and drenched in a sweet sauce): It’s tasty and has a nice mouthfeel. It took me some time to adjust to the sweetness but I eventually liked it.

Judy Ann’s Crispy Pata (the restaurant) definitely serves one of the best crispy pata out there. Although the skin is sweet for me, it has delicious meat and yummy fat to compensate. But it’s just a matter of preference; maybe others are okay with the sweet skin.

They also serve good Filipino and Chinese-Filipino food so I recommend it to you!

What item above have you tried or would like to try? What’s the next crispy pata that I should try?

Address: 201 General Luna St., Brgy. Ibaba, Malabon City, Metro Manila, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 10AM-10PM | Contact Nos.: 8281-4193, 0916-6283215, 0908-1464015, 0915-5444322 | Facebook

References:

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/397649/we-ate-our-way-through-malabon-and-you-can-and-should-too/

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/food-and-leisure/2012/04/26/800311/revisiting-malabons-hidden-treasures