Ask a Filipina where to find the best Pinoy cooking in town and she’ll point you to her mother’s home. Ask her where to find an adequate substitute and she’ll suggest Magic Wok in Artesia.
Elena Pulmano converted a former Chinese fast-food outlet into a homey spot for honest Filipino cooking in 1979, but kept the restaurant’s moniker out of convenience. After a decade of feeding the community the crispiest pata in town, Ms. Pulmano handed the reins to her nephew Rudy and his wife, Marivic Abuyen, in 1989. Other than a fresh coat of paint and a few new menu items, not much has changed at Magic Wok since it debuted over 30 years ago.
The crowds still go gaga for the crispy pata, a bone-in leg of pork that’s brined, boiled, and fried till blistered and golden. The sisig is also wildly popular. Bits of skin-on pork, carrots, and scallions are sautéed and seasoned with a heavy dose of garlic, black pepper, and citrus.
For me though, the jewel at Magic Wok is the impossible-to-pronounce-without-a-smile binagoongang baboy, a punchy marriage of deeply fermented shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) and tender and caramelized bits of pork. This dish isn’t for everyone, but if your tastes swing toward the funky, sweet, fatty, and fermented, this pig’s for you (and me).
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Magic Wok
11869 Artesia Boulevard
Artesia, CA 90701
Phone: 562-865-7340
One year ago: American Doughnuts on Saigon Soil
Two years ago: Eat My Blog Winter 2010: Nourishing Our Community One Cookie (and Crack Pie) at a Time
Three years ago: Eat My Blog Winter 2009: Doing Good Never Tasted So Delicious
Four years ago: Caltech Olive Harvest Festival
Five years ago: Eating in Phú Quốc
Six years ago: Sandy’s Restaurant – Philadelphia
I love the decision to keep the name “Magic Wok.” Quirky!
Oh my gosh, I’m drooling and dying to have this Binagoongang Baboy right now! Will bookmark this review so that I can go visit Magic Wok next time I go to CA ! Thanks for sharing this.
Magic Wok bookmarked! I need some funky pork in my life.
yum yum time
Ask many Asians that and they’ll tell you the same thing, right?
I actually tried Magic Wok when I missed my girlfriend’s mom’s cooking… haha. It really looks and feels like you’re in someone’s house.
It’s decent, but nothing like my gf’s momma’s food. I’ve since been trying to lure recipes out of her one by one.
i’m embarrased to say I’ve never been to magic wok, but hear only good things! i love me some baboy!
I’ll have to try Magic Wok’s version for a future road trip! I’ve heard many good things about that restaurant so it’s on my “must eat at” list. I just made this recently for a foodblogger potluck. It’s one of my favorite foods from childhood.
Magic Wok is definitely a must-go! Every time when I’m in town I try to grab a meal there!