Pampanga restaurants earn first Michelin Guide recognition

Pampanga, widely regarded as the culinary capital of the Philippines, has earned its first restaurant listings in the Michelin Guide, with Apag Marangle in Guagua and Tito Boy in Clark receiving Bib Gourmand distinctions for offering quality food at affordable prices.

Two other Pampanga restaurants — Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy in Angeles City and Souq in San Fernando — were included in the Michelin-Selected category.

For diners seeking authentic Kapampangan home cooking, Apag Marangle in Guagua, which champions the province’s everyday cuisine, offers familiar flavors, traditional cooking methods and dishes rooted in generations of family recipes.

“Kapampangan home flavors. Lutong bahay talaga. Very simple, very traditional. From the selection of the ingredients, to the cooking method and up to the serving — very simple,” Chef Manuela Cherry Pasion Tan said in an interview during the ceremony held in Pasay City on Thursday.

For co-owner Mark Navarro, preserving the authenticity of Pampanga’s cuisine has always been at the heart of the restaurant.

“We really maintained mga natutunan namin sa mga lola’t lolo pa. The goal when we started the restaurant was to feed our children yung mga kinakain namin. Ito rin yung papakain namin,” he said.

Another stop for diners exploring Pampanga’s food scene is Tito Boy in Clark, where the menu is built around a simple question: What would you serve if a friend came over for a meal?

From crispy pata to sisig croquettes, the restaurant puts its own spin on Filipino favorites, earning a place among the new additions to the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list.

“When we started, I told my wife why don’t we make a character named Tito Boy and if he has bisita coming, what would he cook for you. That is the concept of the Tito Boy menu. The food you like to eat for a hard day’s work. Thats what it is all about… Comfort food rooted with Filipino heritage,” Chef Bong Sagmit said.

Beyond the restaurant’s food, Tito Boy’s service also received recognition, with restaurant manager Clyde Joshua Zafra honored with the Micheln Service Award.

“We will continue to do what we do. Hindi lang ito sa akin. Sa buong team,” Zafra said.