The Best Things to Eat in Pampanga, Philippines!

Balut, anyone? The Philippines is known for its strange and, at times, admittedly wacky cuisine. – yet when it comes to Southeast Asia travel, the country isn't exactly renowned as a great cuisine destination.

Pampanga, the Philippines' gastronomic heart, has some exquisite cuisine to dine on, and it might change that reputation.

The province, which is located just north of Manila, has long been regarded as having some of the best food in the country. Even though we are a long way from Cebu, this is the origin of Sisig, the home of San Nicolas Cookies, and you can even locate a half-decent Lechon.

Kapampangan food is excellent and rich in history, legends, and flavors, and is centered around Angeles City, San Fernando, and Mexico (no, not the country). Pampanga is the province in the Philippines that has the most potential to change the bad perception of Filipino food that exists among visitors.

But, then again, this is the Philippines. And it implies that there will always be something on the menu that seems weird and bizarre to a foreigner like myself. At the end of the day, it's the frogs and grilled pig faces that make the Philippines such an intriguing gastronomic trip, and just another reason why things are more interesting, and - as the tourism board loves to remind everyone – more fun!

Here are the top things to eat in Pampanga to get you started on your culinary journey around the Philippines!

Here are the top things to eat in Pampanga to get you started on your culinary journey around the Philippines!

The Best Restaurants in Pampanga

Sisig

It's hard to discuss Pampanga without mentioning Sisig. This is because this sizzling plate of grilled pig face can be traced back to this province, and Angeles City is frequently cited as the birthplace of a dish that has swept the Filipino culinary globe.

When you walk into any pub, bar, or restaurant in the Philippines, you'll be greeted by a cloud of smoke and haze as servers rush out with sizzling hot plates of Sisig. You take all of the pig's greatest (or, perhaps, worst?) bits. That includes the face, tongue, ears, and whatever else you can get your hands on. It can be grilled, fried, or served sizzling and hot with garlic, onions, chilli, and any other things you choose.

Sisig is usually served with an egg in Manila, while it's more likely to be covered in mayonnaise in Legazpi, Bicol.

Traditional Kapampangan foodies, on the other hand, will not have any of it, and you'll often find it served more simply here, and sometimes not even sizzling.

It's a deceptively simple but very inventive meal, and the best authentic Sisig can be found all across Pampanga.

In Angeles, I tasted Sisig at a couple different restaurants. Although the original version is credited to Aling Lucing, the concept of Sisig as a cooking technique dates back to the Spanish colonial period. The non-sizzling variation that I devoured at Annie Bea Eatery was my particular favorite.

Tokwa't Baboy

Mila's in Angeles City, the restaurant that made this meal famous, is the only place to go in Pampanga for Tokwa't Baboy.

Mila invented Tokwa't Baboy on her modest grill. It is comparable to Sisig in many aspects, yet it is also quite different. Tofu, hog ears, and pork belly make up the bulk of Tokwa't Baboy. The similarities end with the hog ears and belly, but this, like Sisig and many other Filipino cuisines, is a dish created of Filipino creativity and resourcefulness — nothing goes to waste here. This meal is distinguished by the tofu, which, combined with the vinegar, soy, and chili sauce broth, gives it a distinct Filipino flavor. Remove the pork and you might have a veggie winner, albeit no one in the Philippines will understand!

Morcon (Kapampangan Meatloaf)

Kapampangans know how to make a nice old-fashioned Filipino-style meatloaf, but it has its own moniker because it is frequently seen as a predecessor to the more common Embutido found elsewhere.

Morcon is excellent because no one does meatloaf better than Filipinos, and no Filipino does cuisine better than a Kapampangan.

Murcon is a fantastic meal that combines pork and chorizo with other delicious ingredients. It's soft, supple, moist, and delectable, and it's swimming in sauciness when done perfectly.

You can add herbs and spices, chilis and peppers, tomatoes and onions to the ground pork, but as important as the taste is, the presentation and preparation of this dish requires a lot of effort.

Everybody's Cafe in Angeles City served the greatest Morcon I had in Pampanga.

Pancit Palabok

I love noodles, so I was in luck when I was led to Susie's, a Los Angeles institution that has been serving up affordable, lively, and tasty neighborhood fare for years.

Pancit Palabok, a noodle meal that ticks all the requisite taste and texture boxes for me, was introduced to me here.

What else is there in the Philippines than a stack of noodles and pork? – garlic cooked eggs and other toppings, with the essential shrimp sauce on top.

The shrimp sauce must be thick and creamy, and before eating, the Palabok and noodles must be properly mixed together to ensure an even flavor throughout; otherwise, it's not worth it.

Salad with Fiddlehead Ferns

Who said Filipinos aren't salad eaters? That is something I am guilty of, and I have said it many times. Salad is not something Filipinos eat. Unless, of course, there are ferns involved.

Fiddlehead Fern Salad, or Ensaladang Pako, is a healthful local alternative to all that hog flesh. In Pampanga, ferns grow abundantly, and I was told that the person cooking dinner would frequently go out into the garden, select a few ferns, and make a salad. Pako is simply collected and rinsed, and then salted eggs, onions, and tomatoes are mixed in to form a great salad to balance out all of the meat you'll be eating in Pampanga.

Wild Frogs

Wild frogs are one of the more strange delicacies available in Pampanga, as I previously stated.

These Wild Frogs, also known as Betute Tugak in the local community, are stuffed and deep-fried. This meal, too, has a fascinating backstory that displays the Filipinos' resourcefulness once again. The region, which lies in the shadow of Mount Pinatubo, has often been at the mercy of this very active volcano. The only thing left to eat after an eruption is often the Wild Frogs.

You may order stuffed frogs at a variety of eateries, but as with many other local specialties, Everybody's Cafe has some of the best.

Cookies from San Nicolas

Pampanga's food has a long history, which is part of what makes it such a great gastronomic destination. That is, if you are interested in history as much as I am. I previously wrote an essay for Gastro Obscura about the use of egg whites as an emulsifier in local churches during the Spanish colonial period.

What exactly does this have to do with food?

So, all those unused egg yolks weren't wasted. Instead, savvy Filipino chefs started using them to produce egg yolk-heavy delicacies like Leche Flan and the famed San Nicolas Cookies.

These rich, egg yolk-heavy cookies are famous in Pampanga, and legendary local chef and historian Atching Lillian, who taught me how to make them at her house and restaurant near Mexico, has made them even more iconic.They're normally only brought out for special occasions and religious festivals, but you may buy them at Atching's at any time.

Chef Claude's Restaurant (Lechon)

Okay, so Lechon isn't really a traditional Kapampangan cuisine, and I'm not going to claim it is. It's a traditional Filipino meal that Anthony Bourdain dubbed "the greatest pig I've ever eaten." Although many people believe that Lechon originated in Cebu, several other islands claim the title, and you could argue for years over who has the tastiest Lechon. The principle is straightforward once more. Take a suckling pig and fill it with herbs before roasting it slowly for hours. It's simple, but time, patience, and excellent understanding of the spices and herbs required to flavor it and get the skin crunchy enough to crackle are required.

In the Philippines, I've had a lot of Lechon, and one of the greatest pigs I've ever had was in Pampanga. But this wasn't just any restaurant; it was Bale Dutung, the renowned restaurant of celebrity Chef Claude Tayag, who introduced Anthony Bourdain to several traditional Filipino cuisine. The slow-roasted Lechon was cooked to perfection, but instead of presenting it with vinegar, he transformed it into a ten-course tasting menu. There was conventional Lechon (served with vinegar and liver sauce), non-sizzling Sisig grilled directly from the pig's head, Lechon Asado in a tomato sauce, jerked pork, and even a Lechin-based Sinigang Soup. It was a Lechon fiesta, and I had no idea that so little Lechon could accomplish so much.

Chef Claude's restaurant is located in Angeles City, and it offers a unique dining experience in Pampanga.

These are just a few of the highlights; Pampanga is a fantastic gourmet trip since there is so much more to sample. Throughout the province, you can enjoy sweet and sour Carabao meat, consume bugs or snakes, or devour limitless noodle deliciousness.

Visit Pampanga, Philippines!