Did you know? During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, “tapa” actually meant preserving fish by exposing it to smoke for hours – which explains why Filipinos to this day still enjoy “tinapa.”

Over time, tapa has come to include meat, the preservation method having changed to just drying it under the sun in thin slices cured with salt and spices.

Fast forward to 1987 and voila! Tapa King was born, opening its first outlet in Makati. The vision was to provide customers with the quintessential Pinoy comfort food as an alternative to Western ones like hamburgers, hotdogs and pizzas.

There are four food court Tapa King outlets across the UAE: three in Dubai, namely Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Ghurair Centre, Burjuman Mall; one in Al Wahda Mall – Abu Dhabi.

Recently Tapa King opened its first casual dining restaurant which is located in Al Rigga, Deira at the Landmark Hotel lobby, indicating how much Pinoys have grown to love not only the brand but the tapa itself, served with fried rice and eggs – the popular “tapsilog” for tapa, “sinangag” (fried rice) and “itlog” (fried eggs usually sunny-side up).

Aepril Gollayan, restaurant assistant manager, tells Food Trip Magazine that Tapa King – UAE has retained that flavor, character, texture and all of their tapa exactly like how it is in the Philippines.

“We have retained what Filipinos are looking for and expect from Tapa King. Our pioneers always support us when opening branches outside of the Philippines. They want to ensure that the standards remain,” Gollayan said.

She said a team from Tapa King Philippines would even conduct food tasting to ensure quality.

The new Tapa King casual dining restaurant has been enjoying great footfall, Gollayan said, adding that the restaurant is also open for parties and special events.