Where are the best places to eat in Angeles City in The Philippines?

I wouldn’t be as cocky or bold to consider myself an authority on Angeles City in The Philippines, but I do have family there. I recently got back from my fourth trip there (my first trip I stayed there for 3 months), and I have eaten in quite a few places during the time I have spent over there. There are loads of Filipino dishes I love, but I’ve included places that do dishes from around the world too. Being a Crohn’s sufferer, there were a few times when I needed to just have a plain omelette and plenty of the sports bars on the main “strip” cater to that. The great thing is, that there is so much choice in Angeles City restaurants you can eat almost anything at almost any time.

Phillies Sports Bar

Phillies sports bar is at the SM Mall end of Fields Avenue. It’s spacious, and there are a few seats outside that are single seats along a bar-style table (note, they are still in the shade). They play a huge range of sports including (but not limited to); NHL, NBA, UFC, Super Rugby, NRL, AFL, and Premier League games. The menu is varied and like most restobars in the area, they have traditional Filipino food but you can get things like fish and chips, Pad Thai, pasta, pizzas and pies. I’ve tried a few of the dinner dishes here on my previous trips, but on my last trip, I decided to try the breakfast because I had been eating fried chicken and rice for breakfast most days and my little cousin basically told me I eat too much! Sweet food is not usually my favourite but I decided to give the pancakes a try and WOW were they sweet! They came with syrup, butter and a scoop of ice cream, which was quite indulgent at 10 am but a nice treat (it was a holiday after all). The coffee wasn’t too bad either, but if you specifically want a good, filter coffee I would try a coffee shop.

Price range: ££

Margarita Station

Margarita Station is a family favourite with my family in The Philippines. On my recent trip, I found out it had moved and the new location has a lot more room, looks cleaner, and has a pool! The service here is incredible and all of the staff are really friendly and welcoming. They have an international menu including breakfast. One of my “go-to’s” from their traditional Filipino menu is the Filipino fried rice (I had both pork and chicken on my most recent trip and loved both). On previous trips, I’ve also had the Shanghai Lumpia, which are really nice. Because I was there over one weekend, I missed the Mongolian BBQ, which they do on a Friday and open up the pool as well. It wouldn’t be worth the trip without trying a frozen margarita, which is fantastic and a really reasonable price.

Price range: £

Pigs & Pints

Pigs & Pints is next to the casino and although it has been there a while I hadn’t been until my most recent trip. It’s a great little place that is cosy inside and has a small outdoor area. If you are looking for cuisine and an atmosphere that feels a bit more upmarket then this is the perfect place. Pigs & Pints have live music quite often so you can make a night of your meal, rather than just stopping by to eat. On my most recent visit, I had the Sisig, which is a must if you are visiting Pampanga, and the ingredients were incredibly fresh and the portion size was generous. I’d highly recommend spending a full evening here.

Price range: £££

Rumpa

The first time I went to The Philippines, for three months in 2012, my Aunty owned a laundry shop opposite Rumpa. I love steak, but unfortunately, if you buy steak here in the UK it is so expensive! I ate a few steaks over the course of the time I stayed there in 2012, and have been back a couple of times on my trips since. I didn’t actually get to visit this last trip, it’s still there and was still busy every time we drove by, which is a testament to how nice the steak is in there. They also do other stuff like chicken and chicken kievs, but it really is worth trying the steak if you are going to Angeles City. Great choice of sides, including veggies, which works for me as I can tend to be bad with eating healthy stuff while I am away. It’s a small place and always busy, but the decor is cute so it’s a nice place for a date or a family meal.

Price range: ££

Bluemoon

Friendship Highway in Angeles City has loads of restobars, and last time I went to The Philippines in 2029 my family I stayed with lived in Koreatown so I went to a few. On this visit, they lived nearer to Fields Avenue but we still went into Koreatown to visit Bluemoon because it had great reviews. One of the things I love about evenings in The Philippines is that the majority of the nightclubs offer food as well as drinks. When I was in hospital for three months on the liquid diet, the girl who was in the bed opposite me told me I talked about fried chicken in my sleep. I made a promise to myself there and then in the hospital when I came out I would eat so much fried chicken it would be unbelievable. And I have! The fried chicken at Bluemoon was the best fried chicken I had on the trip I think. We didn’t just go for dinner; they have live music so we went for a night out with some friends. There’s a really good atmosphere there and the band played something for all tastes, everyone in the bar got up for a dance at some point. I did find it a little odd that their selection of alcohol wasn’t very varied, they didn’t even do rum, so if you go for spirits be prepared to have a backup drink.

Price range: £££

Central Park Tower

When I went for my trip in 2019, Clark Airport had improved significantly, and the routes had increased, so it made sense that lots of hotels and resorts had popped up since I had visited in 2016. I remember my first visit I was aghast at how little opportunity there was to swim anywhere in the heat. On my first visit to Central Park Tower I was amazed there was a rooftop pool! A lot more places like this have sprung up and I visited one on my most recent trip. Places like this are great because you can go to eat and it costs no extra to use the pool. The fried chicken at Central Park Tower is magnificent, and they have a varied menu with things like pizza, burgers, sandwiches etc. The service is impeccable here as well. It’s a fantastic place to spend any time of day. 

Price range: £££

Paradise Sports Bar

I’m totally open on this blog about my Crohn’s disease, and as you may have previously read on my Twitter or my Instagram, it never seems to flare up whenever I am in The Philippines. But because I had been eating so much fried chicken on my most recent visit, I did decide on a couple of days my best bet would be an omelette. Paradise Sports Bar on Fields Avenue (Walking Street) is one of my regular haunts whenever I am there and I have eaten dinner there a few times (the hot dog is my “go-to” whenever I am after something I eat usually at home), but I had never tried the breakfast. Their omelettes are delightful and light and Paradise is one of the only places in Angeles I have ever found where you get decent cheese. This would be my first recommendation if you want somewhere to eat breakfast. The cocktails are great and very reasonably priced here, but the dinner food isn’t as nice as some of the other places listed, so if you are looking to “make a night of it” I would go somewhere else.

Price range: ££

Cafe Mesa

Even though I’ve visited The Philippines a lot, I hadn’t been to Cafe Mesa before my most recent trip. Cafe Mesa is a cute building that looks a bit old-fashioned nestled away under some trees in Clark Freeport Zone. There are window seats that look out on the park and the decor is elegant and cosy. I really liked the relaxed vibe there when I visited with my family, including my cousin who is only 8 (Cafe Mesa is kid-friendly) and I was pleased to see how varied the menu was. Not wanting to break the habit of a lifetime, I ordered the fried chicken. Before our meals came we were presented with some free gyoza, which was a nice gesture (I went through a phase last year actually where I was obsessed with gyoza). The fried chicken was cooked well and the portion was huge, I could have easily shared it with another two people and we still would have had a decent amount to eat. This is a great, calm, relaxing place to have a long dinner and catch up with friends or family.

Price range: ££

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