Pampanga Food in Mount Pinatubo
Part of the Mount Pinatubo travel guide — see every topic in All Mount Pinatubo Guides.
Pampanga, the province next to Tarlac, is often called the food capital of the Philippines. Its people, the Kapampangan, are famous for rich, careful cooking. Many Pinatubo trips pass through Pampanga, so it is easy to stop for a meal. This guide covers the main dishes to try.
Sisig
Sisig is the most famous dish from Pampanga. It is made from chopped pork, often from the pig's head and ears, cooked with onions, chilli and calamansi lime. It is usually served on a hot iron plate, sizzling, sometimes with an egg on top. Angeles City is known as the home of modern sizzling sisig. Today you can find it all over the Philippines, but many people say the best is still in Pampanga. Eat it with rice and a cold drink.
Other Kapampangan dishes
Tocino is sweet cured pork, often eaten for breakfast with garlic rice and egg. Pampanga is famous for making it. Kare-kare, a stew in peanut sauce, is cooked very well here. Bringhe is a sticky rice dish cooked with coconut milk and turmeric, a little like a local paella. Some restaurants also serve unusual local foods, such as fried crickets or frogs, for adventurous eaters. Ask your guide or driver for a good local restaurant on the route. Portions are often large and good for sharing.
Sweets and snacks
Pampanga is known for its sweets. Turrones de casuy are thin cashew wafers wrapped in paper. Sans rival is a layered cake of cashew meringue and butter cream. Many towns also make rice cakes and halo-halo. Food shops along the main roads and in malls sell local sweets in boxes, which are popular to take home as gifts. Buy them near the end of your trip, as some are fragile in the heat. Keep them out of direct sun in the car. Most shops pack them well for travel.
Where to eat
Angeles City and Clark have many restaurants serving Kapampangan food, from simple roadside places to modern dining rooms. San Fernando, the capital of Pampanga, also has well-known food spots. Malls along the expressway have food courts with local dishes. Many Pinatubo tours stop for breakfast or a late lunch in Pampanga. If you travel with your own driver, plan a meal stop on the way back to Manila, when you will be hungry after the hike. Many places are busy at lunch on weekends.
Pampanga Food at a glance
| Getting there | Angeles City, Clark and San Fernando, along NLEX north of Manila |
|---|---|
| Hours | Restaurants from morning to evening; some open late |
| Cost | Cheap to moderate |
| Best time | A late lunch after the Pinatubo hike |
| Try | Sisig, tocino, kare-kare and cashew sweets |