Angeles City is in Pampanga province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. It is rich in history and heritage, with old and historical significant buildings dotting its landscape. In 1899, it became the seat of the Philippine government under General Emilio Aguinaldo and the site of the first anniversary celebration of Philippine Independence.
Angeles is a thriving city often compared to the Philippine capital and largest city, Manila. The city is a booming nightlife center and tourist destination, the adjoining Clark Freeport Zone is the site of world-class resorts, casinos, duty-free shops and beautifully landscaped golf courses. Its capital, Balibago, is especially known for its bars and nightclubs, thus tagged the entertainment district. The city, and the rest of the Pampanga region, is known as the "Culinary Center of the Philippines."
Angeles is known for being the "Culinary Center of the Philippines." This reputation reportedly goes back to the Spanish colonial times where it is said that the Kapampangan cook learned very quickly to improvise on Spanish dishes using local ingredients.
The culinary adventure in Angeles is sure to be an experience of a lifetime. A must-eat dish is "Sisig", which Angeles is famous for. From its humble beginnings in Aling Lucing's Eatery along Angeles' railroad to its present top-of-the-menu ranking in Manila's bars and nightclubs, sisig has come to conquer the Filipino drinkers' palate. It has become the quintessential pulutan fare — the default order that comes with every round of beer.
Other not-to-be-missed local mouth-watering cuisines are Dencio's kare-kare (another Kapampangan menu, which is a Philippine stew made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef and occasionally offal or tripe), fresh papaya lumpia, tilapia in tausi sauce, adobong pugo, morcon, tortang bangus (milkfish stuffed with ground pork), Everybody's Cafe's camaru (fried cricket adobo), kilayin baboy (pork meat and lungs pickled in a marinade of vinegar or calamansi juice, usually along with garlic, onions and hot/sweet peppers), bringhe (local Spanish paella), bulanglang (meat or fish broth soured with guava fruit), Aling Luring's batute (a frog stuffed with ground and seasoned pork, then deep fried to a crisp), burong isda (fermented rice with fish or small shrimps), pork and carabao tocino, Bale Dutung's burong talangka (the fat of salted little crabs, very rich and laden with cholesterol but hard to resist), Filipinized pizza in a bilao at Armando's Pizza, brazo de mercedes, halo-halo from Razon's and Corazon's (a popular dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and milk, added with various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served cold in a glass or bowl), Susie's Cuisine's famous pancit luglog (palabok), tibuk tibok (made from carabao's milk and also known as "maja blanca"), tocino del cielo (a richer version of leche flan) and turron de casoy.
If you are a person inclined to drinking beer and eating barbecue, then Frank & Jim, Ikabud, Marisol Steakhouses and the eateries along Angeles railroad crossing are certainly the spots for you. Street foods, such as fishballs and kikiams on sticks, are a must-try at Nepo Compound vendor stands.
If local cuisine is not your type, no need to worry as the city has a wide range of pretty decent restaurants to choose from. Fine restaurants and eateries that serve international menus are C Italian, Maranao Grill-Oasis Hotel, Salvatore's, Zapata's, Rodizio-Holiday Inn, Cottage Kitchen, Red Crab Seafood & Steaks, Shanghai Palace, House of Bamboo, Subdelicious, Rumpa, VFW, Chic 'N Ribs, A la Crème, Rib Eye Steak House, Fortune Seafood, Perfect Loaf, Four Season's Grill, Angeles Fried Chicken, Bretto's, Mar's, Toll House, Hana-mi, Didi's, Peking House, Mister Frosty and a host of other American, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican and Korean restaurants.
A number of coffee shops are also to be seen even in the outskirts of the city, such as Northern Brew, Coffee Overdose, Mequeni Cafe-Holiday Inn, Coffee Outlet, and Beatico, that serve drip regular coffee, decaff, brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, and snacks.