There's more to Pasig City than having a food trip of Kapitolyo. You can extend that gustatory activity on your way to the city proper before you can even reach the city plaza where Pasig Cathedral is. For more than a year now, a lot of Pasiguenos have not been braving the painful traffic to the outskirts of the city for a cheat day or the weekend visit of a mall restaurant. They know better than to get stuck on the road with an empty stomach. They have finally found a satisfying refuge in the inter-connecting villages of Bagong Ilog, Caniogan, Maybunga, Sagad and Kapasigan without leaving their comfort zone. These places are proving to be a cluster of dining joints that foodies can conveniently walk to from one spot to another which is something that you can test for yourself very soon.

From street food, high-end seafood, incredibly cheap bulalo, to a decadent frappe, the choices are varied. This side of the city is where you can choose to get off your taxi cab or ditch your wheels for a food crawl. Finally, local and foreign tourists on layover in Metro Manila can have a tasty reason to get out of their hotels and eat their way to the city's neighborhoods where some heritage houses can still be seen.

To serve as your guide for this outdoor adventure of the delicious kind, check out the Pasig City Craving Spots Map below:


Barangay Bagong Ilog

1. Calderon and Guevarra Gourmet Carinderia

Location: 14 Pvt. Aurellana St., Bagong Ilog
Craving Spot For: Home-cooked meals

Tinola by Calderon and Guevarra Gourmet Carinderia

Adob-U by Calderon and Guevarra Gourmet Carinderia

Calderon and Guevarra Gourmet Carinderia is a boggle for the uninitiated dining aficionado. How could a carinderia even serve anything that's close to what is perceived as gourmet? It's like watching Kim Kardashian walk down the runway in avant-garde. Most of the time, it doesn't work. In this case, however, it just makes sense. Filipino comfort food dishes can be served with compelling flavors in inventive ways. And it can be done in a venue that's not intimidating. Here, what's odd is the affordable price that makes you think you just consumed something out of a seasoned chef's inner circle. Must-orders are the tinola, the chicken pork adobo called Adob-U and the Ube Cheesecake.

Read more about Calderon and Guevarra Gourmet Carinderia.


2. Kalderetang Itik Ng Bagong Ilog

Location: Sgt. Pascua corner R. Valdes St., Bagong Ilog
Craving Spot For: Kalderetang Itik

Kalderetang Itik Ng Bagong Ilog

At a corner across the Bagong Ilog village hall, the humble two-storey eatery is testament to how small town charm is translated into infectious meals served without pretense and at an affordable price. With extra rice now costing more than Php20 per cup in giant fast food joints, Kalderetang Itik Ng Bagong Ilog manages to still effortlessly sell kalderetang itik at less than Php100 per order. No peddling whatsoever. Food lovers even cross city borders just to taste the aromatic dish that the Arboledas and their staff traditionally cook in a pugon. Local celebrities who have a penchant for neighborhood treats are known to travel from posh city enclaves to get to the eatery just to sample the savory itik (duck).

Read more about Kalderetang Itik Ng Bagong Ilog.


3. Aging's Food Delight

Location: M. San Buenaventura St., Bagong Ilog
Craving Spot For: Original Suman with ube and leche flan fillings

Aging's Food Delight (photo courtesy of Aging's Food Delight Facebook)

It's easy to miss Aging's Food Delight when you're not from Pasig City and you're plying the normally congested Pasig Blvd. To make it easier for you, make the Total Gas Station your landmark when getting off a jeepney or FX ride. Across it is where the store can be found next to an overpass. As for residents, they know that it's where delicious assorted suman flavors can be had as early as 6:00am. The best-seller is the original suman with ube and leche flan fillings. Patrons love it for being a two-in-one delicacy.


Barangay Caniogan

4. Chabelita's Bulaluhan At Tapsihan

Location: Dr. Sixto Antonio Ave. (across 3 Bayani, past Rizal High School), Caniogan
Craving Spot For: Bulalo

Bulalo by Chabelita's Bulaluhan At Tapsihan

Chabelita's Bulaluhan At Tapsihan

Pasig-Rotonda is where Barangay Caniogan starts after Barangay Bagong Ilog and it's where several internet shops have found it lucrative to serve young and old online gamers. Guess what happens when they go hungry and start looking for alternatives to the usual instant noodles? They head to the 24-hour Chabelita's Bulaluhan At Tapsihan! However, some residents know it to be a go-to eatery for affordable bulalo. For just Php165, a group of three people can already share a big serving of the beef dish over a few cups of rice depending on their appetite. One thing's for sure, it doesn't have the weird after-taste that some eateries' selections tend to have. That can be a sign that food preparation at this joint is usually clean.


5. Tapsishop

Location: Dr. Sixto Antonio Ave. (across the old Montefalco Church), Caniogan
Craving Spot For: Tapsilog

Tapsilog by Tapsishop

Tapsishop

Having transferred from its original food park venue in another side of the city, Tapsishop has managed to keep the growing momentum going for it in terms of receiving patrons. It even has successfully welcomed new diners in Caniogan where there are a lot of hungry residents, including small churches of several religious sects that regularly dine out. And why not? Food is affordable and serving is hefty. That combo is a big draw to any local dining scene. Plus, its Tapsilog (tapa, sinangag and itlog combo) is tasty and authentic on the sweet side which some Filipinos truly love.


6. Saniboard

Location: Pag-asa St. (near Arellano University), Caniogan
Craving Spot For: Lugaw with Tokwa't Baboy

Lugaw by Saniboard

Tokwa't Baboy by Saniboard

Pag-asa St. is daunting to tackle whether on foot or aboard a vehicle because it's just too narrow to be a bustling strip of commercial establishments that include a university, internet shop, and several eateries. One eatery that you need to consider here, though, is Saniboard. Beyond the seemingly ghetto neighborhood, it stands out for serving different types of people. Don't let its resto bar-like dining area fool you. It serves one of the best lugaw with tokwa't baboy in the city and the variety of diners -- rich and poor -- is proof of that. For only Php35 per order of the Pinoy-favorite congee, you can go home satisfied. And nothing beats that feeling, especially on a rainy night.


7. Buffalo Swing Cafe

Location: Dr. Sixto Antonio Ave., corner Liwayway St. (near the corner of Pag-asa St.), Caniogan
Craving Spot For: Flavored wings, pizza, pasta and desserts

Pizza by Buffalo Swing Cafe

Spicy Salted Egg Wings by Buffalo Swing Cafe

Just a 20 to 30-minute drive away from Kapitolyo is a community in Caniogan where Buffalo Swing Cafe can be found. It's conveniently accessible from Sandoval Bridge and near the new Ugong-Caniogan Bridge (formerly P. Conducto). The neighborhood restaurant serves all-American favorites like pizza, pasta, flavored wings and a variety of desserts. It's just past the Riverfront Residences if you're coming from the direction of Rizal High School. From Rosario or Ugong, it's easily a 10-minute drive away. Patrons consider it as their dining venue for different kinds of comfort food from the Mac 'N' Cheese to the new Gourmet Tuyo Pasta. The roster of flavored wings are also sought-after with the best-seller being the Spicy Salted Egg Wings. A close second is the Butter Parmesan Wings. On weekends (and surprisingly even weekdays), groups of diners show up for bonding over pizza whether it's the classic Pepperoni and Cheese or the inventive Ranch Buffalo.

Read more about Buffalo Swing Cafe.


Barangay Maybunga

8. El Hombre Fil-Mex Cuisine

Location: Dr. Sixto Antonio Ave., Maybunga
Craving Spot For: Chicken and Beef Burrito

Beef Burrito by El Hombre's

There's no full-fledged Mexican cuisine restaurant yet at the city proper of Pasig. And the nearest one I know that comes close to it is a food stall based in a food park which has a limited life span. However, with the opening of El Hombre in early 2016, the Fil-Mex eatery void is officially nonexistent. Residents can regularly have their fill of burritos, enchiladas and tacos any day of the week. What's more, it closes at 1:00am for those who hustle hard at work. Unfortunately for those who have cravings in the morning, it opens as late as 4:00pm.


9. Don Benito's
Barangay Kapasigan

12. Eskinita Street Food

Location: Along A. Mabini St., next to Mercury Drug, Kapasigan
Craving Spot For: Inutak

Malou Buensuceso's specialty called inutak

Malou's other street food options

Every December, residents flock to this interior pathway or eskinita in Kapasigan next to Mercury Drug for the most affordable holiday toys. For the rest of the year, though, the same spot is where a certain Malou Buensuceso sells street food options like lumpiang sariwa, biko, palabok, ginataang mais, turon, and many more. Her best-seller is the inutak, a creamy native delicacy made of glutinous rice flour, fresh coconut milk, egg, sugar and coconut cream.


13. Panaderia Dimas-Alang

Location: A. Mabini St., Kapasigan
Craving Spot For: Brazo De Mercedes

Brazo De Mercedes by Panaderia Dimas-alang

Along the busy A. Mabini Street that leads to the public plaza and Pasig City Cathedral is where Panaderia Dimas-Alang is located. It's the century-old Filipino bakery that represents Kapasigan and the whole city more than anything else. The pandesal there may not be the softest in the country, but it's one for nostalgia because the structure that houses it has been there since 1919. Also, the enduring favorite product of choice by residents is the Brazo De Mercedes.


14. Lumang Palengke

Location: A. Mabini St. (across Fashion Circle), Kapasigan
Craving Spot For: Chicharong Bulaklak and Chicharong Bituka

Chicharon

Chicharon stand in Kapasigan

Across the local shopping institution of Fashion Circle in Kapasigan, the city's old market still stands in its narrow interior pathway format. And at its opening is usually where a chicharon stand can be spotted being manned by a guy who seems to be in his 40s. What it lacks in attractive signage and design, the stall makes up in product quality. Ask residents nearby and it's most likely that they've bought a chicharong bulaklak or chicharong bituka there once or twice already. Some locals have even sent their purchases abroad knowing that it's only there where craving relatives can get their chicharon fix.


15. Chef John Cafe

Location: Jacinta Place, Industria St. (across Child's Hope and near PLP), Kapasigan
Craving Spot For: Dark Chocolate Frappe and Sizzling Pork Sisig

Dark Chocolate Frappe (left), pasta flavors and Franfurters Sausage (right) by Chef John Cafe

Sizzling Pork Sisig by Chef John Cafe

Where there's a school and a hospital, dining joints are bound to open. Case in point: Chef John Cafe. Located at the ground floor of the newly-constructed Jacinta Place, the air-conditioned restaurant is just small but it packs a wallop when it comes to the quality of food selections. The Sizzling Pork Sisig is flavorful. The milk tea and frappe flavors taste remarkable. The roster of pasta flavors are both filling and tasty. Items are often great for sharing and pricing is affordable. There really is nothing much to complain about at this new restaurant that's near the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP) and Child's Hope. With a catering pro at the helm of operations and the kitchen, residents are finding this dining spot more satisfying to spend on than repeat visits of the typical fast food.

Have fun on your upcoming food trip of Pasig City!

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