The OnlyPans Taqueria kitchen. Photographed by Andre Cesar
Juan Carlos Monchua, Gian Baluyut, Jovelyn Tabaloc, Toto Docto, Mate Cruz, Andrus Cruz, and Audrey Cruz. Photographed by Andre Cesar
Since opening its doors in 2022, OnlyPans Taqueria and its white and red-tiled space have been home for locals and tourists alike in Poblacion, Makati.
On a sunny afternoon in Poblacion, Makati, OnlyPans Taqueria is just beginning its day. Between online and in-person orders, the commissary and small open kitchen continuously prepare dishes, from noontime until the busy late hours of the night.
Smoothly, they prepare their paboritos dishes: Quesa Birria Tacos, Elotes, Nacho Libre, and Hot Girl Chickan (a mac and cheese dish with chicken chops). There’s a sense of ease while they cook, from the passing of ingredients to cooking the tortilla on the grill to the assembly and plating of the dishes. “Most of them are tenured,” says founder Ninna Audrey Cruz, sharing that most of the team had been there since the taqueria opened. “They already know how to work with each other,” she says.
When they opened in 2022, there were only five of them: two chefs, Cruz, her mother Maté, and her brother. “We were really just trying to be a food joint in the middle of a capital wherein the main business is drinking,” she says. “We wanted to serve food until late at night so people could have their ‘afters.’” Since then, they’ve grown to a team of thirty, all coming from different walks of life. “Some of them were former tricycle drivers, some of them are recovering addicts, and some of them are chefs,” she shares.
Cruz admits that the concept for the taqueria wasn’t “monumental” or “revolutionary.” For her, her foray into the F&B industry was a means of coping during the pandemic. In 2020, Cruz established “Cloud Kitchen” in La Union, which eventually closed because of the challenges of pandemic restrictions. When the world was slowly opening up again, Cruz and her business partners decided to open OnlyPans.
“I wanted to open on this exact street, which is where I used to hang out pre-pandemic,” she shares. The taqueria attracted people from different walks of life; tourists and locals eagerly lined up on the street during their opening day. “It remains one of the craziest moments that happened to us. When we opened, it literally looked like a street party,” Cruz shares.
When asked what she thought drew people into the taqueria, Cruz replied that from the beginning, OnlyPans has been a platform for several advocacies.
Most will agree that it’s easier to say less, but OnlyPans chooses to do more. Beyond their tacos and burritos, the taqueria is consistently vocal, opening up discussions on topics such as wages, labor, and politics. “For OnlyPans, it was important for me not just to build a community, but also build a community wherein we share the same values,” she says.
Earlier this May, OnlyPans went viral for posting a list of candidates they are supporting in the 2025 election. “It was a tough decision that I had to make as a small business,” she says. “Not just to contribute to society, but I also wanted to re-educate other people in terms of telling them what their advocacies are and what they fight for.”
On the election day itself, Cruz recalls receiving a message from one of her staff: “Hi, Ma’am. We already voted. I just wanted to share that my whole family voted for the list we worked on.” Cruz says, “I realized [then] that this is why we do what we do. It’s because even though we’re small, we get to make big impacts. And for me, that’s enough.”
In being vocal, Cruz felt they “attracted the right people.” “The community really came for us, really fought for us as well. Not just supported us, but also fought alongside us,” she says, recalling how the community grew.
A testament to the community’s strength was when a fire broke out in its building a year ago. Everything in the white and red-tiled taqueria was destroyed: the windows, the doors, the walls, and the equipment. With the damage came uncertainties; Cruz confesses that at the time, it felt like it might be the end for OnlyPans. “This is our home already,” she says. “It was really hard for me to see it.”
Despite the struggle, it was important for Cruz to continue caring for her staff. “What pushed me to keep going is my people. They never really said, ‘Maybe it’s time to give up,’” she says, expressing her gratitude for their decision to stay despite the uncertain future. “Businesses are also helping us out. Community was there to support,” she adds.
When they reopened in October last year, the streets were full of their patrons. While they are still finding their footing after the incident, the brand has also been actively doing pop-ups throughout the country: in Manila, Quezon City, Cebu, Siragao, and most recently in Marikina. “I think we’re headed outside Luzon, and maybe outside the Philippines,” she hints.
Reflecting on everything the taqueria has been through, Cruz mentions that without passion, they wouldn’t have made it through. “I get to have other choices, but this will always be my choice,” she says. “You have to live it to the fullest, you have to give it your all. So that in the end, you don’t really question yourself if you did enough or not.” Their doors will remain open, for as long as their patrons continue to show up and walk through them.
By DAPHNE SAGUN. Photographs by Andre Cesar. Producer: Julian Rodriguez. Digital multimedia artist: Myc Priestley.
