PAMPANGA is generally recognized in possessing and manifesting such fine, delicious cuisine. Flocks of keen tourists stop by in order to tickle their taste buds by savoring a different set of old-fashioned dishes, even exotic varieties, which are all out of their lifestyle.
The residents are acknowledged as excellent cooks with culinary expertise who can all be found in the country as well. After all, Pampanga is known as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines.
rSince it’s already summer, get ready to visit and dine in at one of the province’s mind-blowing restaurants and the all-time favorite, Everybody’s Café.
Everybody’s Café – San Fernando
Everybody’s Café first started right after World War II, founded by Benito and Carmen Santos. They established their first ever café across the street of the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando, which is formerly named as Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption.
They only served two of their now famous dishes: Pancit Luglug, which is accredited as Pampanga’s own version of Palabok customized with rice noodles and with a combination of toppings and sauce; and Mami, a soup mixed with noodles, beef, pork, chicken, or dumplings, in that specific time.
Around that period, the cafe was identified as the common eating place for the early Japanese and Americans. The reason why the restaurant’s name is called “Everybody’s Café” is that everyone was welcome.
It all began as a small carinderia (local eatery) and as time permitted, the business caused a mass impact to the public because of its authentic delicacies, with their own version.
It is now located right along MacArthur Highway, still at San Fernando. It is by far, one of the oldest restaurants located in Pampanga. They also have branches located at BPI Arcade, Nepo Mart in Angeles City and Salcedo Village in Makati, only open every Saturday.
Everybody’s Café – Angeles City
The café since then preserved the big, cozy-home and canteen-like impression, luring people of all ages. Their mission is to restore, maintain and introduce traditional Kapampangan cookery to the younger generation. They aim for the Filipino meals to be known globally.
Food lovers always come out of the restaurant with their stomachs full. Everybody’s Café has its own luscious menu of bestsellers for the customers to enjoy like: the mouth-watering Morcon (P480 per order), is a Filipino style beef roll and is being prepared for six hours straight; the enticing Tapang Kalabaw (P250 per order), which is also called “Pindang Damulag” and is a sweetened version of a carabeef tocino; and their legendary Adobong Camaru (P350 per order), prominently known as mole crickets. Their stock of camaru reaches up to 1,600 kilos each year.
Different personalities who already dined at Everybody’s Cafe include Andrew Zimmern, who is a famous food critic from the US and Bobby Chinn, who is also a celebrity and an international chef.
"Absolutely fabulous. Really, really delicious. One last bite to that, I’m stuffed,” said Andrew Zimmern, when he dropped by at Angeles City in 2008. (Nicole Reneé David/HAU Intern)