ZAMBALES | Food Trip ~ Where To Eat In Zambales 2024
Thursday, April 04, 2024
My Zambaleño food experience was always about mangoes, freshly caught tunas, and delectable kakanin rice cakes. But the past Dinamulag Festival weekend introduced me to more than the usual table fares in the province, discovering the more metropolitan side of eating places in Zambales. From local dishes and Filipino comfort food, to street food and posh café offerings, I was pleasantly surprised at the variety culinary places in Zambales worthy of a side trip from its beaches and mountains.
| WHERE TO EAT IN ZAMBALES TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? |
►FIND DISCOUNTED HOTELS IN ZAMBALES HERE!
SONSING RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
ADDRESS: GOVIC HI-WAY, BANGANTALINGA, IBA | CONTACT: +63 (908) 819-7274 | OPENING HOURS: 9AM-9PM | GPS MAP: 15.341436, 119.970656 | MENU
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| SONSING RESTAURANT & LOUNGE IN IBA, ZAMBALES |
One of the go-to restaurants in Iba, Zambales when it comes to Filipino food is Sonsing. The restaurant is named after the owner’s father whose love of cooking was passed down to his son. They actually serve more than the usual Filipino favorites—their menu packed with everything from burgers, steaks, Japanese, Chinese, and Western dishes. During our visit, filled to brimming as our table was, it didn’t even reach a fourth of their offerings.
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| INSARABASAB ~ PHP 280.00 |
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| LARGE TINAPA FRIED RICE ~ PHP 230.00 |
We were able to sample their pinangat na labong sa gata, salmon sashimi, California maki, black fungus soup, crispy pata kare-kare, Zambalyete, insarabasab (Ilocano roasted pork), kalderetang kambing, binagoongang lechon kawali, and one of their special rice to pair it with, tinapa fried rice.
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| PINANGAT NA LABONG ~ PHP 250.00 |
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| CRISPY PATA KARE-KARE |
Their pinangat, a house specialty with origins from the Bicol Region, stood out among the rest, along with their crispy pata kare-kare—which was really peanuty and has a very crispy pork—served with delicious bagoong. I was also intrigued by their Zambalyete which seemed to be sautéed cubed tuna with a helping of bagoong, topped with tartar sauce, and thin strips of mango—it was definitely very Zambales. And let’s not forget the tinapa fried rice and black fungus soup, which actually brought everything together really well.
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| NACHOS WITH MANGO DIP | ZAMBALYETE ~ PHP 290.00 |
For desserts, two boxfuls of special cassava cake—regular and ube—sealed the final sweet notes. Delicious.
►BOOK 2DAYS LAKE MAPANUEPE TOUR HERE!
OH-BEN BAKED CAFÉ
ADDRESS: GOVIC HI-WAY, BANGANTALINGA, IBA | CONTACT: +63 (998) 549-4797 | OPENING HOURS: 8AM-9PM | GPS MAP: 15.341559, 119.970618
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| OH-BEN BAKED CAFE IN IBA, ZAMBALES |
We need not stray far for our after-meal coffee fix. Right next door to Sonsing is the Oh-Ben Baked Café. Oh-Ben. Oven. Gets? Lol.
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| CINNAMON BUNS, CAKE, AND COFFEE |
Operated by the same family, the café is geared more for the younger crowd with its black on wood interiors and coffee-ism wall quotes. Very hipster. We were able to try out their cinnamon buns, a few slices of cakes, and of course, their coffee—which was pretty good.
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| HAVING A CUP OF COFFEE AT OH-BEN BAKED CAFE |
Oh-Ben Baked Café is currently closed for renovation, but their cookies and pastries can still be bought at The Bakery by S.E.
►NEAR HERE: MAGALAWA ISLAND
LC’S STOP & CHOW
ADDRESS: NATL. HI-WAY, LONGOS, CABANGAN | CONTACT: +63 (949) 155-1998 | OPENING HOURS: 7AM-9PM | GPS MAP: 15.144496, 120.052117 | MENU
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| THE NEW LC’S STOP & CHOW AT CABANGAN, ZAMBALES |
I’ve always passed by LC’s Stop & Chow in Cabangan—the old restaurant was just a hop away from my uncle’s house—but for some reason, I’ve always failed to visit. It took a festival and a change of location for LC’s before I finally got to have a taste of their food.
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| PINAKBET & KALDERETA |
Still located in Cabangan, on a more spacious parcel of land and with a lot more stylish restaurant—which reminds me of food places in Tagaytay, by the way—LC’s Stop & Chow is a legend in Zambales. The owners originally hail from Batangas before transferring to Subic, then Cabangan, where they finally put up a restaurant. Their menu consists of Filipino fares with a dash of Batangeño flair. Guest their specialty? Bulalo, of course.
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| BULALO ~ ₱455.00 MEDIUM, ₱570.00 LARGE |
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| CRISPY PATA ~ ₱625.00 |
And along with the two bowls of bulalo that came sliding down our table, we were served with pans of pizza, plates of pinakbet, kalderetang kambing, and the most beautifully fried crispy pata I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Their bulalo is reminiscent of the Mahogany Market bulaluhan in Tagaytay—which they aptly claim on their menu—and their pizza options, especially the Overload was indeed fully loaded. It was honestly one of the best pizzas I’ve ever tried. LC’s crispy pata,on the other hand, is one of the best, if not the best crispy pata I’ve had. The way they cut and fried it was simply genius, making everything crispy and lessening the hassle of knifing the pork into bite-sized pieces.
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| PIZZA OVERLOAD (₱415.00) & HALO-HALO (₱85.00) |
It really made me wonder why it took this long before I finally ate at LC’s Cabangan.
►EAT MORE: WHERE TO EAT IN CABANGAN
THE BAKERY BY S.E.
ADDRESS: J.GONZALES ST. COR. MAGSAYSAY AVE., IBA | CONTACT: +63 (47) 307-2514 | OPENING HOURS: 10AM-12MN | GPS MAP: 15.326600, 119.978515 | MENU
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| THE BAKERY BY S.E. AT IBA, ZAMBALES |
À la midnight snack, we went to the Bakery by S.E. in Iba before retiring for the night. The burgers are to die for, M—one of the organizers—kept on repeating. Alright, so burger it is! Plus, errr, a few helpings of cookies, cheesecake, pastas, muffins, and a huge bowl of soup on the side. Wait a minute, didn’t we just eat?!
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| STRAWBERRY CHEESE CAKE ~ PHP 175.00 |
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| NACHOS WITH MANGO DIP |
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| MANGO JALAPENO CHEESEBURGER ~ ₱288.00 |
But yes, The Bakery’s burgers are indeed to die for. Dubbed as the Mango Jalapeno Cheeseburger, it’s about eight inches high, loaded with multiple patties, sloppily lathered with mayo and cheese, and set with bits of mangoes and jalapeño chilies. It was incredibly good and also, incredibly hard to eat without making a mess. The combination of flavors work really well together, with the jalapeño bits giving an additional kick. Really, really good. I’d have to say it again. Really, really good.
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| COMBINATION SOUP (₱208.00) & CARBONARA (₱148.00) |
And not to forget about the other plates on the table, I’d also have to commend their carbonara and spaghetti—the servings were on the petite size, especially after the burger—but every forkful was well worth the calories.
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| HOUSE COOKIES |
~ THIS TRIP WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY ZAMBALES TOURISM
BIGFOOT RESTAURANT
ADDRESS: BRGY. WEST DIRITA., SAN ANTONIO | CONTACT: +63 (908) 456-8791 | OPENING HOURS: 11AM-11PM, CLOSED ON TUESDAYS | GPS MAP: 14.965259, 120.086603 | MENU
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| BIGFOOT RESTAURANT ZAMBALES’ AL FRESCO AREA |
One of the OG restaurants in the whole of Zambales, Bigfoot Restaurant has been around since 1979 and was quite popular during the time of the US Bases in the province. Located in the town of San Antonio, it was in fact frequented by US personnel from Subic during its initial outing as a restobar, before it shifted its focus as a restaurant with a videoke—one of the first at the time—which quickly attracted the local crowd. They have since removed the videoke machine, retaining only their delicious food.
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| BIGFOOT RESTAURANT INTERIORS IN SAN ANTONIO |
During a random road trip from Cabangan, my wife suggested we snack there just to relive childhood memories in Zambales. With no real plan, we randomly ordered their their sisig, pancit guisado, and halo-halo. That last one, an essential Bigfoot order, she said. Even their menu declares that it is the best halo-halo in Zambales.
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| SISIG ~ ₱315.00 |
For its price, I found the sisig to be on the small side. It has no mayo and egg, something most Kapampangan would appreciate. It was crispy and tasted like any other good sisig, which isn’t really bad thing. I mean, why fix something that ain’t broken. I just wish it has a more generous portion and served on sizzling plate for added oomph.
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| PANSIT GUISADO ~ ₱210.00 |
Like their sisig, their pancit guisado tasted as it should—well, for me, at least, my companions all found it to be a tad too salty. I love how fresh the veggies were and how crunchy they still were. They served it with a couple of calamansi, which seemed unnecessary since the dish already has that distinct calamansi flavor.
It’s actually one of their bestsellers, along with their crispy pata, fried chicken, kare-kare, and Filipino-style pizza.
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| BIGFOOT HALO-HALO ~ ₱179.00 |
Everyone in the group agreed that the winner at Bigfoot Restaurant was their Bigfoot Halo-Halo. Their ice was finely shaved, ala Razon’s, was mixed with an almost syrupy blended langka, and has a very pinipig flavor. It’s topped with two slices of leche flan, and a scoop of ube and vanilla ice cream.
CASA BARAKA
ADDRESS: PUROK 1, BRGY. SAN ISIDRO., CABANGAN | CONTACT: +63 (939) 710-9226 | OPENING HOURS: 8AM-10:30PM, DAILY | GPS MAP: 15.162014, 120.045557 | MENU
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| CASA BARAKA IN CABANGAN |
One of the newest cafes to pop up in Zambales, Casa Baraka, opened with Skarlet of Put3ska skanking like a Manila Girl along its vast garden, has bucolic farmlands as backdrop, has a chef holding a resume for a fifteen-year stint in Boracay (from The Lind, Crimson, and Movenpick), has an Arabic name that means blessing, and have pet ducks that strut across their yard. While you’re probably expecting something eclectic from Casa Baraka, what they actually serve is five-star restaurant-caliber Filipino comfort food.
►SEE: THE LIND BORACAY DINNER
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| AL FRESCO SEATS AT CASA BARAKA |
We visited the casa for breakfast, hankering for the holy trinity of Filipino morning meal—tapsilog, tocilog, and longsilog. That last one, however, was out of stock. They explained that they make everything themselves—from scratch. So if they can’t procure the proper ingredients, they simply don’t offer them for the day. Alright, commendable. So, instead of garlic longganisa, we opted for their much vaunted hamburger.
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| TOCILOG (₱235.00) & TAPSILOG HOME DELIVERY (₱265.00) AT CASA BARAKA |
Their silogs are priced a bit too steeply for me. To be fair, the meat portion is a tad more generous than usual, has two eggs, atchara on the sides, fried rice, and comes with a cup of Milano Blend Arabica-Robusta brewed coffee. While the tocino was good, their beef tapa was better—beef strips with the perfect combination of savory, vinegary, and salty elements—making me wish I ordered it instead. I did, nevertheless, got the full experience a couple of days later when our aunt treated us to a takeaway breakfast from Casa Baraka.
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| BARAKA BURGER WITH FRIES |
The Baraka Burger with Fries, has a quarter-pound of Brazilian beef sandwiched with slices of tomatoes, lettuce, and pickles on a brioche bread. It comes with a serving of potato wedges complemented by a ketchup and some sort of mayo dip. The patty has that distinct char-grilled taste, very subtle flavor. I, however, prefer my burger to have a much stronger flavor and with a softer bun—but I might be the minority here, as they said it’s one of their best-sellers, and not a few people I spoke with in Cabangan has nothing but praises for it.
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| CASA BARAKA IN CABANGAN |
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| CASA BARAKA’S BRIGHT INTERIORS |
While having breakfast, we got to talking with its very animated owner—unaware, lunchtime crept up on us and we were soon ordering food again. This time we requested for their mushroom truffle oil pizza and bagnet kare kare.
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| MUSHROOM TRUFFLE OIL PIZZA ~ ₱359.00 |
I’m no truffle expert, but their truffle pizza was quite good. The winner for me though was the bagnet kare-kare. Serving size is massive, it’s actually good for two to three persons—totally justifying its price. It has generous amount of veggies—pechay, stringbeans, and eggplants, no banana blossoms though—and more importantly, it has chunks of bagnet. It’s not your usual kare-kare—with actual peanuts bits still swimming on its thick, creamy, and somehow garlicky, sauce. While I wish that the bagnet skin still retained its crispiness, it’s still one of the best kare-kare I’ve tried in Zambales, or any other place for that matter.
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| BAGNET KARE-KARE ~ ₱339.00 |
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