The Viral Pancit Cabagan sa Blumentritt (Sampaloc, Manila)
Thanks to social media, news travels faster. When there’s a good food spot, it can easily go viral nowadays. The only question is: Is it worth the hype? To find out, I’ll be visiting these trending places and share my experiences in a series—Eats Gone Viral! I first visited Jolli Dada’s Eatery, the viral Pancit Palabok spot at Quiapo, Manila (read my review here) and Kuya Oliver’s Gotohan, the viral Gotong Batangas at San Juan, Batangas (read my review here). Today, I’m featuring the Pancit Cabagan at Blumentritt, Manila.
Pancit Cabagan is a pancit (traditional Filipino noodles) named after its origin—Cabagan, a municipality in the province of Isabela. It’s made with miki or egg noodles, and topped with lechon carahay or kawali (crispy pork belly), stewed pig liver, and boiled quail eggs. Some recipes even include vegetables like carrots and cabbage.
I didn’t know about Pancit Cabagan until I watched videos of it being served at Pancit Cabagan sa Blumentritt (literally “Pancit Cabagan at Blumentritt [Road]”). Its owner, Armando Salazar, hails from Cabagan. So we’re assured of authenticity.
Pancit Cabagan sa Blumentritt
We went there on a Monday afternoon and the queue wasn’t so bad (I think we were seated in just a few minutes).
They have five variations of Pancit Cabagan (see the photo below). We ordered the Overload, which has bola-bola (meatballs), lechon kawali, liver, and quail eggs.
The Menu
Their Pancit Cabagan is the saucy type. The sauce is tasty and the noodles are soft. I’m not a fan of soft noodles because I prefer mine to be chewy or al dente. But for this, I’m making an exception because it’s so good!
Pancit Cabagan (Overload: PHP150)
Let’s talk about the toppings, which, as the name suggests, is overloading…sort of. The lechon gives crunch, the liver some irony taste and creaminess, and the meatballs an additional texture.
It’s served with a condiment of chopped raw red onions. You mix it with soy sauce, calamansi or vinegar (or both), and, if love all things spicy, chopped sili labuyo (red chilies). This mixture adds crunch and enhances the taste of the pancit.
This condiment will definitely enhance your Pancit Cabagan!
Is the Pancit Cabagan in Blumentritt live up to the hype? I say it with gusto: Yes! It’s delicious and has become one of my favorite pancit, along with Cagayan’s Pancit Batil Patung and Cavite City’s Pancit Pusit. It’s so good that I ordered one for takeaway. I highly recommend Pancit Cabagan sa Blumentritt to you!
Have you tried the Pancit Cabagan at Blumentritt? What other Pancit Cabagan spots I should visit someday? Comment below!
Address: Blumentritt Rd., Sampaloc, City of Manila, Philippines | Operating Hours: Thursday-Tuesday, 10AM-9PM