Marikina's Pancit Street, JP Rizal

Filipino's insatiable appetite to try new things gave a new focus on Marikina's vibrant food scene. Foodies from all over are braving Metro Manila traffic just to try restaurants, bars and coffee shops along Lilac Street and Gil Fernando Avenue that offer great food with a small town vibe. This recent popularity also reinvigorated interest on Marikina's homegrown cuisines that are mostly located around the Shoe Museum and Marikina Public Market. 

But what most people don't know is that Marikenos absolutely love their pancit. Marikina may not have the same reputation as Manila, Cavite City and Lipa, but the old access road from city's industrial area to its poblacion, JP Rizal Street, is the heart of a thriving pancit culture.

The following are six pancit dishes from six proud Marikeno panciterias that have become synonymous to Marikina City as much as its shoes, its river, and Bayani Fernando.

BIHON GUISADO

Jesus Panciteria in Calumpang

Jesus Panciteria is located in probably the most densely populated area in terms of food specialty shops in per block in Marikina, Barangay Calumpang. Jesus Panciteria has a hip, rock & roll, but blue collar vibe that translates beautifully to their food: nothing fancy, big servings, and no nonsense. Half an order of their famous Bihon Guisado can feed three hungry me, and that f****ng says a lot. But what is more amazing is that the dish is delicately tasty. It is well cooked, really porky but clean. It takes years of experience and a lot of understanding and respect for the dish to achieve that. These are probably the reasons why almost all the pancit-loving Marikenos I know are big fans of Jesus Panciteria.

PINAGULONG

Salud Panciteria in San Roque

In the 60's, Aling Salud started selling miki guisado con lechon from a stall at the corner of Mabini and M. Roxas in San Roque that she made with fresh heirloom miki from Ilocos Norte. Marikenos soon fell in love with it but due to the distinct flavor, shape and texture, that were totally different from other miki that Marikenos were used to then, they started referring to it as 'pancit na pinagulong', which described its cooking method where the miki are rolled in a hot wok, much like cooks at Chinese restaurants do it.

Aling Salud's Pancit Pinagulong became famous throughout the city. In 1968, she opened a panciteria, tucked away in an alley in JP Rizal, to serve more of her dish. Even though a number of panciterias in the city started serving their own versions of the it, Aling Salud 's family proudly continues her legacy by offering the original version at Salud Restaurant. It is easy to miss because the restaurant has no street frontage, but if you can't find it the right away, be patient. Take it as a treasure hunt because pancit pinagulong is quite literally a treasure.     

PANCIT PALABOK

Macky's Eatery in Sta. Elena

The first time I've been to Macky's was with my friend Jay Abalos. He wanted to go there because he misses their goto and tokwa't baboy. It took a second visit for me to try their Pancit Palabok. Macky's is the quintessential Marikeno diner and is an institution in the city. Seniors, after their early morning jog at the city sports center, and families, after doing their groceries at the public market, would drop by Macky's for brunch or merienda. It has become a popular stop for food tours. I believe that there are no panciteria, even the famous ones, can offer a better tasting and styled palabok in the city than Macky's.

PAD THAI

Krung Thai in Sta. Elena

Krung Thai is this unassuming little restaurant, just beside the Marikina Public Market, is the oldest Thai restaurant still in operation east of Manila. Their simple yet superb Shrimp Pad Thai was my baptism to Thai cuisine. Krung Thai capitalized on the Thai food boom in the Philippines during the late 90's. The owner, Tita Betty, is proud that most ingredients they use are sourced from Thailand because they want their customers to have an authentic Thai food experience.  

Why did I include pad thai on the list? Here's the story. I attended a burgis university back in college and it was running joke among friends that I haven't experienced a lot of things common that were common to affluent kids back then. I did not read Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, I don't know what the hell a greenbelt was, those sort of stuff. So when a classmate asked me if I've already tried the pad thai at this restaurant near Jupiter Street in Makati, having tasted pad thai for the first time just weeks ago, I proudly answered, "Not yet eh, but I already tried that at Krung Thai, pad thai is the Thai pancit, di ba?"  

MIKI BIHON GUISADO

Lola Helen's Panciteria in Sto. Nino

If you haven't tried Lola Helen's Miki Bihon Guisado, you haven't tried Miki Bihon Guisado at all because this is the Miki Bihon Guisado. I believe this is The Best Pancit in Marikina. 

It is no secret that Lola Helen owns the hearts of Marikenos since the early 80's. They have been serving the same pancit for 30 years and the experience of eating this dish never fails to excite people. Just the steam and the smell of the piping hot pancit could compel anyone to order another bowl. Well, guilty! People line up for this even on weekdays. Noodles cooked to perfection in a flavorful broth, I see no reason why person can't finish a bowl meant for three. It is that great.

LOMI CON LECHON

Luyong Panciteria in Concepcion Dos

Luyong's Lomi con Lechon is one of my top 5 favorite pancit. It is Marikina's unique take on lomi and has become a popular fare not only in Marikina but in nearby towns as well. 

It has thick and saucy broth instead of soupy like those served in Manila and Lipa. It uses thin egg noodles, similar to the ones used in mami, instead of the usual thick ones. And at Luyong's, they make their noodles in house and fresh everyday. The lomi is then topped with big chunks of lechon kawali, a signature Marikeno move where they put lechon chunks on every noodle dish.