Bale Capampangan
If you are looking for a place that is both filling and inexpensive while in Pampanga, look no further than Bale Capampangan.
One of the better known restaurants in Pampanga, patrons get good food at a price that won’t break the bank.
Table of Contents
Directions
There are several ways to go to Bale Capampangan. The route we took was through a multitude of side roads that took us from one town to another. It was both long and confusing so I’m not going to recommend it to you.
It is better if you take the North Luzon Expressway, or NLEX and get off at the San Fernando exit. After going through the toll gates, you need to take the southbound side so it leads you to MacArthur Highway.
As soon as you exit the southbound side of the NLEX, you find yourself on Jose Abad Santos Avenue, or JASA. Follow this road then turn right on MacArthur Highway. Bale Capampangan will be on the left side on MacArthur Highway several kilometers down.
If you see San Fernando Hospital and Medical Center on the right, you already passed the restaurant. Just make a U-turn and slow down as it will now be on your right side.
Parking
If I recall correctly, the front parking was good for about five vehicles. With this limited number, it gets filled up during weekday office hours. The good thing is adjacent areas become available for parking after office hours and on weekends.
If you’ll be going after office hours, I still suggest using the least number of vehicles as possible. Not only will you save money on toll fees and fuel, it’ll be easier to find an empty slot.
Don’t worry about security as there is a guard to watch over your car. But even with security, it is still best not to leave anything tempting on the seats.
Dining Area
After going through the main door, you will be in a small area shared by the cashier and shelves displaying items of pasalubong. For the latter, you will be able to buy cookies, biscuits, and other snacks you can take home with you.
This area is separated from the main dining room by a pair of sliding glass doors. Ass you go through then, walk slowly and pay attention to the sign on the door as only one side is functioning.
Once past the sliding doors, you will now be in the main dining area.
To your immediate left, beside the doors, is a cooking area used for deep frying. You will find the Shrimp Tempura here. The chefs here also prepare Tuna Sashimi to patrons who want more Japanese food.
If you are still standing at the entrance, three steps diagonally to your left is the buffet table. The food is arranged in three rows, with the dishes of the first row at table level. The second row is slightly elevated, with the third row being the highest. The unique thing about the arrangement is that each dish sits on top of a jar with a burner inside to keep the food warm.
Using the entrance again as the starting point, three steps diagonally to your right will be a shorter table. This is where you will find a guy chopping pieces of Lechon Kawali. The Lechon sauce will be there too.
Still standing at the entrance and taking about ten steps directly forward, will be several clusters of dining tables. If you turn right, a door will lead you to a function that can seat a maximum of forty people.
It is tough to estimate the number of people in the restaurant as I was dizzy with hunger. But if I had to gauge the number of people in the place, I’d say there were more than sixty people with more coming in. The place became so packed that we had to sit in the function room, which in itself had at least twenty people already.
Rest Rooms
The rest rooms were clean. But before charging in, you need to decipher which is for the male and the female. Since the words are in the local dialect of Capampangan, one tip is to look at the wooden statues perched on a shelf beside the door. You will need to look closely as they are easy to miss because their dark brown color blends with the surroundings.
If you have difficulty focusing your eyes on the statues due to the urgent call of nature, look for the longer word on the signs. On one hand, Masanting stands for handsome so you know it is the male restroom. On the other hand, Malagu is for beautiful, hence the female rest room.
Now if you have become so desperate and just cannot spare another second, the male rest room is on the right side. I’m not sure if this will change if they remodel the place so you might want to take a second to look at the statues and words on your visit.
Service
From the looks of things, the waiters in Bale Capampangan are more used to tourists since they don’t move at the typical leisurely pace. It may not be snappy, but it isn’t as relaxed as the other places I’ve encountered.
Our waiter was very accommodating. Even as the other people in the function room grew to about thirty people, he did his best to service everyone.
Food
Let’s set expectations before I go in to the food; if you are expecting a lavish presentation of gastronomic delights, this is not the exactly place for it.
But if you are looking for a no-frills buffet that represents the best of Pampanga and doesn’t make you feel like you paid off the country’s foreign debt, you’ve come to the right place.
There was a good representation of the meats and veggies in the nearly twenty dishes around the main dining table. Then there were the usual comfort food, such as Lechon Kawali, Roast Beef, Shrimp Tempura, and Tuna Sashimi.
After the drive from Manila with a light brunch, no merienda, and a late mass, we were famished. And even after piling up tons of food piled on our plates, absolutely nothing, other than bones, were left; so much for our diets.
Several of my friends and relatives managed to squeeze in a Halo-halo and fruits for dessert. When they offered me a portion, I raised my hands in surrender because I just couldn’t eat anymore.
To round off our meal, we ordered five cans of soft drinks while the others preferred to stay with plain water.
Bill
With nine adults and one child, our bill was under PhP2,450. Overall, that’s just PhP225 per person!
As of today, there is no place in Metro Manila that offers a buffet at that price, especially during dinner. Talk about bang for the buck!
No wonder this place was packed with people. And according to our waiter, this is the case every weekend. So if you plan on going, it is best to go early so you can get a table.
Final Thoughts
If you happen to be in Pampanga and want a buffet that won’t make your wallet cry, stop by Bale Capampangan. Not only does it provide the best bang for the buck, you get to sample dishes that have made Pampanga famous.
Just make sure to drop by early so you can find a parking slot and a place to sit because the restaurant is popular not only with tourists but with the locals too.
Finally, don’t worry if you are short on cash, they take major credit cards as payment. So bring your appetite and eat to your heart’s content. Just leave space for dessert as that is part of the Pampanga experience.
Till next time, may the meal you partake of be even better than the one before.
_____________
We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Winefredo Rodriguez helping us with our Pampanga itinerary.
