The Story Behind Bolzico Beef and Chingolo
In 2016, Nico Bolzico flew to Buenos Aires to marry Solenn Heussaff. Somewhere between the wedding toasts and his first proper Argentine asado with the extended Heussaff family, Nico's brother-in-law Erwan Heussaff — a Filipino-French restaurateur and the founder of FEATR — got curious about the beef on the table. It was leaner than the heavily marbled steaks he knew from Manila steakhouses, but the flavor was more pronounced, more honest. That conversation became the starting point for Bolzico Beef.
From import business to Manila deli
Bolzico Beef is one of the first importers and distributors of Argentine Angus beef in the Philippines. Nico brought the sourcing relationships and the standards of Argentina's pasture-based cattle tradition; Erwan brought the food and hospitality instincts to turn that beef into a Manila-facing brand. What started as a supply operation for restaurants, chefs, and retailers grew into Chingolo — the delis and restaurants where the beef actually gets cooked and served.
Two locations, one beef
Chingolo operates two locations in Metro Manila. The original is the deli on Chino Roces Avenue in Makati — intimate, built for a quick steak or a butcher-counter takeaway. The second, Chingolo Molito in Alabang, is a larger restaurant built for full sit-down dinners and groups. Both serve the same Bolzico Beef, cut and prepared the same way.
What "pasture-raised" actually means here
Bolzico Beef is Argentine Angus that is pasture-raised on Argentina's open grasslands, naturally raised, and free of added hormones. That combination — pasture, natural, hormone-free — is deliberate: it's what gives the beef its clean, honest flavor and a more balanced marbling than the dense fat you get from heavy grain-finishing. It's also the foundation of Argentina's asado culture, the tradition Nico grew up in and the one Chingolo is built to bring to Manila.
Where to go next
If you want to understand the actual cuts — picanha, tenderloin, entraña, vacio — start with the Argentine beef cuts guide. If you're deciding where to eat, see why Chingolo is regularly named among the best Argentinian steak in Manila. And if sourcing is what you care about most, read more on what pasture-raised Argentine Angus means for how the beef actually tastes.