Free Up a Weekend for These New Restaurants in Clark This 2019

Where: MacArthur Highway, Apalit, Pampanga

Operating hours: Open daily; Sunday-Friday, 6AM-12AM; Saturday 6AM-4AM

Recommended Budget: Approximately PhP500 for two people

Coffee has transformed from being part of our staple morning segment of reading the morning newspaper, to dominating our day-to-day lives as a go-to drink. This is what Daniel’s Coffee capitalizes on: the chance to turn a beverage into an enriching experience.

Launched just last July as part of the café chain’s third anniversary, Daniel’s Coffee along MacArthur Highway in Clark is the newest branch of the original one in Quezon City. While not fitted as a broadcast studio like what made the first branch famous, this new yet already-feted café in Clark is bigger in size and bolder in design, all prepared to accommodate more people.

Some of their must-tries include their signature “Danpuccinos,” or homemade capuccino drinks, their fruit blends, matcha-infused drinks, and hot and iced caffeine beverages. Aside from their coffee, cakes, and pastries, Daniel’s Coffee plans to add breakfast and all-day savory meals too, and a new class of healthy drinks.

What’s more, portion of the café’s profits assist the cause of Kamanggagawa Foundation Incorporated, an organization who cares for the elderly, orphans, and persons with disability. Now that’s a hearty cup of coffee to have!

How to get to Daniel’s Coffee: via commute: take a bus going to Ilocos, Laoag, San Fernando, or Macabebe which passes by Apalit and alight at intersection of MacArthur and Apalit-Macabebe Road (travel time is around 1.5-2 hours); via private car: enter NLEX from Balintawak and exit via San Simon (travel time is about 40 minutes-1 hour)

Where: Office 6A-B, BerthaPhil III, Clark Center, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga

Operating hours: Open daily, 8AM-10PM

Recommended Budget: Approximately PhP400 for two people

Based on sheer number of stores alone, the ever-growing milk tea enterprise looks to be on the brink of oversaturation. Therefore, incoming milk tea merchants have to up their game or risk being counted for mere quantity rather than true quality. Despite all this, Zii Milk Tea and Café in Clark doesn’t seem to be bothered.

The store, which just opened last July, sets itself apart by affirming their authenticity. The art of making milk tea originally came from Taiwan, and so that’s where everything from the store is sourced. They import everything: from the traditional procedure of brewing tea leaves, to every single ingredient involved in making the drink, says owner Lucita Antonio.

Enter the beige and purple store and sample their “Ziiries,” or their milk tea selections: cream cheese, brown sugar, Milo, and fruit tea. They also have classic flavors like black, grass jelly, Okinawa, and Wintermelon, but the crowd favorites are their special flavors like strawberry cheesecake, taro, and special Thai. Of course, their classic and flavored lattes, espresso, and juices from their café menu are worth the trip too.

How to get to Zii Milk Tea and Coffee: From Trinoma, ride a P2P bus going to Clark International Airport, alight at the DOTR Office in North Clark, and walk towards Clark Center (travel time is around 2-3 hours); via private car: enter NLEX from Balintawak and exit via Clark South Interchange (travel time is about 1-2 hours)

Where: G/F SM City Pampanga, MacArthur Highway, San Fernando, Pampanga

Operating hours: Open daily during mall hours, 10AM-9PM

Recommended Budget: Approximately PhP1,200 for two people

With all the different international cuisines that’s been hitting Clark’s culture hub, it’s nice to have a homecoming for lunch. That is, treating your taste buds to that distinct Filipino flavor, one that Mesa Filipino Moderne proudly serves.

The modern Filipino restaurant is already present in a number of big shopping malls in various metropolis, and last July, it arrived to SM City Pampanga. Owned and promoted by politician Kiko Pangilinan and superstar Sharon Cuneta, Mesa is recognized for two things: first, as the first and only grill-restaurant where customers can grill meats at their table’s comforts. Second, as the home of the renowned Crispchon, a unique take on the grilled pig dish, with the skin wrapped inside pandan leaves and basted with three different sauces, cucumber, and leeks.

Other must-tries from Mesa include its Swahe on the Rocks, or prawn cooked atop red-hot stones, and their ostrich salpicao, or stir-fried ostrich tenderloin with mushrooms and vegetables. Their servings are hefty too, which is a huge plus for families and friends looking to enjoy some good old Filipino favorites.

How to get to Mesa Filipino Moderne: via commute: ride a bus going to San Fernando or Olongapo from terminals in Cubao or Buendia, then alight at SM City Pampanga (travel time is about 1.5-2 hours); via private car: enter NLEX from Balintawak and exit via San Fernando (travel time is about 40 minutes-1 hour)

Where: Unit 15-16, Pavilion Mall, PhilExcel Business Park, Roxas Highway, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga

Operating hours: Open daily, 11AM-11PM

Recommended Budget: Approximately PhP2,000 for two people

For locals living in or near the freeport zone, Bretto’s isn’t a new name. Bretto’s Deli along Don Juico Avenue in Angeles City has already built a broad following, but recently, the famous bistro expanded to the Pavilion Mall along Roxas Highway, and it’s out to deliver the sumptuous goodness of its premium meats to more people.

Bretto’s Steakhouse in Clark differs from the original deli in that it has the full facilities to enjoy the prime cuts of meat that they sell. Enjoy a plate of ribeye, T-bone, Kobe wagyu beef, lamb, salmon, tiger prawn, and even lobster, imported from the US, Australia, Brazil, Japan, and other countries. All meats undergo their month-long dry-aging process, which tenderizes the meat and emphasizes the flavors, and are then cooked by an international executive chef to your preferred quantity and doneness. You can then pair these with a glass of their imported wines, liquor, or mixed drinks.

At weekends, they have a family buffet for PhP990 which gives diners access to their carving station, pasta station, salad bar, and unlimited fills of their soups and desserts.

How to get to Bretto’s Steakhouse: From Trinoma, ride a P2P bus going to Clark International Airport, alight at the DOTR Office in North Clark, and walk towards Clark Center (travel time is around 2-3 hours); via private car: enter NLEX from Balintawak and exit via Clark South Interchange (travel time is about 1-2 hours)

Where: G/F SM City Pampanga, MacArthur Highway, San Fernando, Pampanga

Operating hours: Open daily during mall hours, 10AM-9PM

Recommended Budget: Approximately PhP1,200 for two people

Sumo Niku looks like it took its time to enter that roster of restaurants offering unlimited barbecue, but their wide range of meat and affordable rates make the wait seem worth it.

What turns heads towards Sumo Niku is that they actually offer unlimited Japanese barbecue. Which means their range of pork, chicken, and beef are all infused with that savory Japanese seasonings. They serve eight kinds of pork, five kinds of beef, and two kinds of chicken.

Pork selections include the regular thinly-cut pork belly, black pepper pork belly, marinated pork belly, spicy pork belly, pork belly in teriyaki sauce, pork tenderloin, Japanese spicy pork chops, and golden mushroom pork roll.

Choose among these beef choices: regular thinly-cut US Premium beef, US Premium beef in teriyaki sauce, marinated US Premium beef, golden mushroom beef roll, and their unique cut, wagyu beef.

Chicken options come in teriyaki chicken or Japanese spicy chicken.

Apart from they also serve unlimited mozzarella cheese, Japanese rice, side dishes, soup, salad, steamed egg, and gravy. Lunch duration is from 11AM to 2PM, while dinner rates apply from 2PM until closing.

How to get to Sumo Niku: via commute: ride a bus going to San Fernando or Olongapo from terminals in Cubao or Buendia, then alight at SM City Pampanga (travel time is about 1.5-2 hours); via private car: enter NLEX from Balintawak and exit via San Fernando (travel time is about 40 minutes-1 hour)

Refresh your Clark experience anew with a visit to these new food venues! Which one will you be trying this weekend?

For the latest food places you can’t miss out on, check out Yoorekka.