Koreatown in Angeles City is a highlight of any visit here. There’s a lot of reasons to come to Angeles City (GIG), and food might not be necessarily be at the top of your list. But did you know that Pampanga – Angeles’ province – is the culinary capital of the Philippines? There’s only so much Sisig and Adobo you can eat before needing a change of pace, and Angeles City has by far the biggest Koreatown in the Philippines.
I’ll add that as well as being genuine Street Food Guy, I have also spent 11 years ferrying people to and from North Korea. I therefore consider myself to be something of an authority when it comes to Korean food. Check out my North Korean street food blog for further evidence.
Without further ado, then: here are my top tips on what to do in Koreatown, Angeles, in no particular order.
Koreatown Angeles City and during Covid-19?
Much like the rest of Angeles City and indeed the Philippines Koreatown Angeles City did not exactly cope great during the pandemic and largely resembled a ghost town. Some businesses closed, but the Koreans are largely localised and there was far from the mass exodus seen other countries.
And lets be honest, remember the Roof Koreans? This was nothing compared to that. So, now as the borders have opened Koreatown Angeles City is once again a viable place for nosh and booze.
Drink Soju
This may be stating the obvious – but is it though? Here’s the deal: most bars in the Philippines give you a choice of San Miguel, San Miguel Light, Red Horse, Tanguay Rum or the subpar Fundador Brandy. A beer costs a dollar or two in a bar, but a bottle of South Korean soju costs $3-5. For an alcoholic looking for the maximum blood alcohol level, soju is clearly the superior choice.
Unlimited Samgipsal – Koreatown Angeles City
Korea Town has taken the whole ‘all you can eat’ vibe and run with it. Unlimited side dishes plus $3 soju makes it easy to kill a night in Korea Town, and all for under 20 bucks (including transport).
Koreatown: the Samyang Challenge!
Let’s be honest: any food that involves a challenge is usually shit (the Tamilok Challenge, anyone?), but this one involves eating the spiciest ramen on the planet without dying. I really enjoyed it; the next day, my arse unfortunately did not.
They have Korean-style KTVs
The women line up and you choose the ones you’d like to keep you company, if that’s your thing. It’s not my thing; I personally collect Canadian quarters.
Koreatown: W-Bar
As is the Korean wont, you can’t just sit and get hammered without buying food. W-Bar does, however. They also have blueberry cheesecake which is simply orgasmic.
Kim-Mart (etc)
There’s a tonne of convenience stores all called Kim – or some variation thereof – that sell a whole bunch of great Korean shit. Bulgogi tuna, fresh kimchi, and of course the quintessential soju. At $2 a pop, maths enthusiast will note that it’s a whole dollar cheaper than its restaurant counterpart.
Koreatown has a Jollibee!!!
Angeles’ Koreatown has a Jolibee. There’s nothing Korean there, but who doesn’t like Jolibee?
If you have not heard of Jolibee FOR SHAME this is the BIGGEST fast food outlet in the Philippines. To learn more about the Jolibee story click here.
So, there you have it! Angeles City and its wonderful Koreatown are back after Covid-19 and doing their bit to get us back to the new normal in the Philippines. And of course it also makes a fine charge for watching scantily glad ladies shake their moneymakers of Fields Avenue.
