We were initially planning to go on the North Loop last March, traversing the provinces of the Northern Luzon by motorcycle. Of course, COVID happened, so that trip didn’t push through and we’ve been living under the lockdown the past few months.
One of the things I look forward to the most during long road trips is the unique food offerings every destination has to offer. But while we can’t go on long road trips right now, thankfully, we can still get a taste of the regions through food. For many of us, ordering food has become the new travel in this age of the pandemic. We try to make our weekend meals more special and try something different to have something new to look forward to.
While biking around the Maginhawa neighborhood, I made it a mission to hunt down the best places to buy hard-to-find local food specialties from destinations in North Luzon for future reference. Here are just a few local businesses bringing your favorite food cravings and authentic cuisine in and around the Maginhawa area of Quezon City.
Baguio
Baguio is one of my favorite destinations in the North for food-tripping. Most of us have fond memories of the Summer Capital and have been missing it big time. I’m so happy to have found a taste of the Cordillera region right in Quezon City through Old Baguio Café.
Old Baguio Café is a newly opened coffee shop that serves food specialties from Baguio City and sells unique finds from the Cordillera region. They serve an assortment of cakes from Baguio’s favorite homegrown Vizco’s, including the famed Strawberry Shortcake (which I’ve been craving for the most part of the quarantine), Ube Cake and Carrot Cake, as well as bread in assorted flavors (Raisin/Cheese/Carrot/Banana), cream puffs and more. You can pair your sweets with freshly brewed single-origin, premium arabica coffee sourced from Atok, Benguet.
They also sell favorite Baguio pasalubong items like coffee beans, Mountain Maid’s Blueberry Jam, Mango Jam, Strawberry Jam, Peanut Brittle, Dulche Chocolates (Benguet’s first bean-to-bar chocolate) as well as household items like wooden dishes and mugs and Cordillera woven items. This gem of a cafe is a cozy spot that I will probably frequent more often in the future to get good coffee and address cake cravings.
READ MORE: QC Eats: Old Baguio Cafe offers all the Good Vibes of the City of Pines
COVID NOTE: Old Baguio Cafe is not yet that well-known as they opened during the height of the pandemic, and their location is hidden on the second floor of Kalayaan Centerpointe, a spanking new building on the intersection of Kalayaan Avenue and V. Luna (across Jollibee) in Quezon City. They are currently open for dine-in, take-out, and delivery during the GCQ. Check out their page on https://www.facebook.com/oldbaguiocafevluna/
Sagada
SGD Coffee Bodega is a coffee shop of the Coffee Science Center, an educational space for coffee connoisseurs located in a renovated home hidden in a quiet side street of Teachers Village. This cafe aims to showcase the work of Filipino coffee farmers growing some of the world’s best coffee as the true artisans of the Philippine coffee industry. The cafe sources their coffee from farmers in Sagada, Mountain Province.
Sweets like Lemon squares, revel bars, oatmeal-orange cookies and SGD Yogurt go great with a cup of SGD Black or Affogato. The cafe also serves authentic Sagada specialties with twists on Cordillera ingredients like Etag Carbonara (topped with etag, a traditionally cured and smoked meat), Adobo sa Kape and SGD Champorado with Danggit-Lamayo, to name a few.
SGD Coffee also sells packs of award-winning Philippine coffee including Bana’s Coffee (Sagada), Calle Mon (Batangas), Mirabueno Coffee AVPA Roast (Bukidnon), Northstar Upi (Maguindanao), Ambaguio’s Finest (Nueva Vizcaya) and more available for delivery.
COVID Note: Before the pandemic hit, this cafe was a favorite co-working space for digital nomads and small event venue. Their location is a bit hidden and hard to find since some side-streets have been gated off because of quarantine restrictions. They are currently open for take-out and delivery during the GCQ. For delivery in Metro Manila, contact 09178269537 or message them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SGD.Coffee/
Baler
Gubat is a cozy garden restaurant right along C.P. Garcia Avenue in Quezon City that serves zero waste kamayan-style meals of Filipino favorites including Baler longaniza, fried chicken, fried fish, liempo, tuyo and more with pako (fern) salad.
The entrance to Gubat is easy to miss, as you can barely see the bamboo door from the street. It’s located within the Diliman Bonsai Society right next to shops selling bonsai plants and garden supplies. But for residents, this cozy cafe offers a green sanctuary in the city.
Dishes are traditionally served on a banana leaf with salted egg and pako salad (a staple of Baler) for less than P200 each. Normally diners eat the binalot-style meals with their bare hands, adding to the provincial feel of the place.
COVID NOTE: Gubat has suspended its dine-in services during the GCQ, but they are still open for takeout, delivery, and curbside pickup from Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 7 pm. For orders, text/viber via 0966-6271522. https://www.facebook.com/gubatquezoncity/
Ilocos Norte
One of the most iconic eats in the Ilocos region is Ilocos empanada, a fried patty filled with Ilocos longganisa, egg, tailless bean sprout, and shredded unripe papaya wrapped in paper-thin orange-colored rice flour. I loved eating this during various trips to Paoay in Ilocos Norte and Vigan in Ilocos Sur.
You can find branches of Farinas Ilocos Empanada all around the metro serving this street food favorite along with many other Ilocano specialties. Take your pick from Bagnet, Ilocos Longganisa, Pancit Bagnet, Ilocos Miki, Pinakbet with Bagnet, Dinakdakan, Insarabasab, Igado, Longganisang Hubad, Ilocos Beef Tapa, Bonuan Bangus, Chichacorn, Sukang Iloco, Kamote Chips, Banana Chips, Kapeng Iloco, Bugnay Wine, Basi Wine and more.
COVID NOTE: Farinas Ilocos Empanada offers convenient same-day delivery from multiple branches through their website: http://farinasilocosempanada.com/
Cagayan
Pancit Batil Patong is a carinderia favorite of most tourists passing through the Cagayan region. The specialty originating from Tuguegarao (though also available throughout areas in the Cagayan Valley region including Quirino, Isabela, and Batanes), is made with miki noodles and sautéed meat (either pork, beef or carabeef) and topped with bean sprouts, other vegetables, a fried egg and some chicharon bits.
It’s often served with a sauce of fresh onions, vinegar, toyo and calamansi on the side that you’re supposed to mix into the pancit depending on your preference. I just spotted a new place called Bojourne’s Kitchen serving Pancit Batil Patong and other lutong bahay specialties right above Savemore Maginhawa, which I plan to check out soon.
Pangasinan
Pigar x Pigar is a restaurant along Maginhawa Street that serves authentic Pangasinan specialties. The name of the resto comes from the popular street food in Dagupan that consists of thin slices of beef and liver deep-fried and served with cabbages and slices of onion. Though the meat used nowadays is beef the original version uses carabeef, meat that comes from carabao or water buffalo.
Compared to some other provincial restos, it’s rare to find a place that serves Pangasinan’s best dishes including Mangaldan Pindang, Bolinao silog, Alaminos Longganisa-silog, Kaleskes, Hito, and Tupig, to name a few. So if you’re missing the flavors of Pangasinan, you can try ordering food from them sometime.
COVID NOTE: Pigar x Pigar accepts orders for pickup and delivery. For orders, contact: 09157235101 or message them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pigarxpigar/
While we can’t travel around the Philippines yet, and dining-in restaurants is still restricted, we can still support farmers from different regions by patronizing neighborhood businesses that are bringing regional specialties to the metro by ordering food for takeout / delivery.
What are the food specialties you miss right now? Sound out below.
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