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Red Lizard: Wrestling With Your Taste Buds With Delicious Mexican Food

During the late 2010s, I remember one of the greatest things I got into was Mexican food. I remembered a delicious Mexican restaurant opened in I.T. Park Cebu but it was later closed down. From what I heard, the owner closed it down out of grief and I don't blame the person for it. Years later, there was El Taquito at SSY which I also enjoyed. However, El Taquito is now located on Governor M. Roa Avenue in Cebu City. I would like to talk about the Red Lizard--Taqueria which has branches in SM Cyberzone, IT Park (where I usually get my deliveries), and Ayala Center Cebu. 

I had quite a wild imagination thinking the restaurant was founded by a retired wrestler. I thought Red Lizard was a real luchador or Mexican wrestler. On the contrary, the character of Red Lizard is as fictitious as Jollibee's mascot, an anthropomorphic bee named Jollibee. Further research showed that Red Lizard belongs to the Abaca Group of Companies founded by Jason Hyatt and his Chinese wife Anna (whom he met in Hong Kong). Hyatt himself was a guy who proved the odds with one delicious dish at a time. Now, he was going into the world of casual dining after he made a name for himself with premium dining. The first restaurant the Abaca Group opened was the Abaca Boutique Restaurant which is located in Mactan. It was more on premium dining which did not fit into my taste since I want affordable delicious food, no matter how "low class" it may seem.

Red Lizard's premium taste for an affordable price

Lami Kaayo

Perhaps one of the things I love to stress out is that delicious food isn't always expensive. The Abaca Group had its fair share of critics because of the pricey tag. They proved it wrong and they began their other restaurants such as Phat Pho (Vietnamese), Maya Mexican Restaurant, Beqaa (Lebanese), and Tavolata (Italian). I was amazed with what started out as a fine dining experience ended up creating fast food experiences. 

Hyatt himself made some remarkable words. He said that the food is fast and casual. However, it's slow food cooked fast. It's a challenge really since the food isn't that fast. I remembered how I went to Red Lizard and ordered food and it took a little more time than usual to get a dish. However, the time lag wasn't bad since the staff was well-equipped. In a sense, the food is slow but it's cooked faster than usual without compromising the quality. Even better, only the best ingredients are used to produce their excellent dishes.  

I could agree that the price isn't too expensive either. In my case, the price is justifiable because of how good it is. Some would say that it's not that expensive and I agree. My favorite dish, the burrito, is really satisfying that I could get a full lunch or dinner by just eating one order. Though, there are times I settle for a crispy shell taco too though I would usually order something else outside the burrito. I may be a bit wary when I order from Red Lizard due to it being more pricey than other places. However, I can order a Burrito and get a satisfying full meal. I bet a lot of call center agents and other employees are also enjoying their moderately priced but super delicious meals.

It would be interesting if Maya came first--Red Lizard came as a fast-casual vehicle. It would be worth noting that 2019 was the year when Red Lizard was planning to expand in Manila via a franchising agreement. I was thinking about the future of Red Lizard as a franchise. Franchising for those outside Cebu may be the best way to expand. While at it, the quest to keep its quality is a must to keep the franchise going on strong even more than when it started. 

References


"Red Lizard Taquiera--the latest from chef Jason Hyatt"

"The Abaca Group plans expansion while keeping quality of products"

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