His restaurant is among the Michelin Selection but he wasn't able to join the unveiling because he blocked emails from Michelin

El Poco Cantina is among the selected restaurants of the inaugural Michelin Guide to the Philippines but the owners weren't able to come up the stage to receive their plaque because...they had blocked the Michelin Guide on their email.

On social media Thursday, the official account of El Poco Cantina' posted a photo of its owner, Richard "Tots" Ramirez with a text overlay that read, "we got Michelin Selected without me even knowing because I blocked the email. I thought the email was a phishing scam."

"Yes I’m at home and I am in tears and shocked. Thank you so much El Poco fam for making this happen. Akala ko scam yung Michelin," he added in the caption.

Speaking to GMA News Online, Ramirez said he first received an email from the Michelin Guide on July 14. "But it didn't have a formal introduction. They just sent it, may questionnaire," Ramirez said. He decided to ignore the email.

But then he received the same email two times more, in August and then in September, and decided to block them.

"Sabi ko, they are very persistent. I knew the Michelin Guide was coming so I thought it was the perfect opportunity for scammers," he continued.

Despite the many reports about the Michelin event, details flew past him because "Michelin was not in my algorithm."

So it came as a surprise to Ramirez that his phone started buzzing last night as the grand unveiling took place. "People were calling me, messaging me, akala ko, may emergency na nangyari."

When a customer, who happened to be a member of the media, called him and asked why he wasn't on stage, "that's when I knew that everything was true."

"I was crying last night," Ramirez said, shocked. "I was out of the loop. I didn't even know we were supposed to be there."

He tried emailing the Michelin Guide last night, a hail mary of sorts, to try and get to the event but it was a little too late.

"Right now, we're waiting for the plaque kung ma-de-deliver, but I saw on the Michelin website, andun na kami," he said, adding everything feels unreal at the moment.

"Our restaurant has been full since opening this morning. We had to close down Grab. We couldn't keep up with the orders. We are overwhelmed. Sarado pa kami bukas," Ramirez said on Friday afternoon.

It's the Taft location of El Poco Cantina that was included in the Michelin selection. Birria tacos are its specialties but it also serves burritos, nachos, quesadillas and other Mexican street fare.

On the website, Michelin recommends El Poco Cantina's "crispy and soft flour tortilla tacos with beef barbacoa or pork carnitas" and said they are "perfectly paired with a horchata featuring sweet vanilla and cinnamon notes."

The business has been around for six years now and a second location at the U-Belt in Recto opened last year.

Funnily enough, something similar happened to Kodawari, a restaurant serving non-traditional gyudon. On social media, they said the Michelin email went into their spam folder and so they also missed learning about the distinction and going up the stage to receive their plaque.

"Wow next time remind us to check our spam for important emails. We're screaming from our laptops," it said as it said it was "unbelievably grateful and honored" to be in the selection. 

"It is even more special that Kodawari Salcedo—our very first branch—was selected. we wouldn't be here without all of you. Congratulations to all the winners," Kodawari said.

What a bittersweet tale of victory but congratulations anyway, El Poco Cantina and Kodawari! Hope you get your plaque soon!

The Michelin Guide unveiled its 2026 edition, which included Philippine restaurants, on Thursday.

Along with El Poco Cantina and Kodawari are some 70+ restaurants on the Michelin Selection list. It means they are recognized and recommended by the prestigious body.

There are also 25 Bib Gourmand awardees, and 9 Philippine restaurants have received Michelin stars, including Helm by Josh Boutwood, which received the highest honor of the evening at two stars.

— LA, GMA Integrated News