Social media has seen the rise of different trends in the food industry. Filipinos are slowly becoming more adventurous when it comes to trying out food, hence, a rise in different food concepts to cater to the Filipinos' increasingly demanding palate.
Pampanga, being the culinary capital of the Philippines, proves to be lucrative location when it comes to new food concepts such as food parks. In fact, food parks are popping up in different locations.
But is it just a trend? It's too early to tell but what I can tell you is that Angeles City alone already has three relatively well-known food parks and is expecting more soon.
One of them is Muceno Food Park. It is an open-air food park in Angeles City. The dining area is a bit small but still leaves a plenty of space for food enthusiasts to enjoy their meals and catching-up sessions with their friends and families. They also have a large parking area beside the food park but since it is an open-air area, it can get uncomfortable if it rains.
The Food Stalls
Like other food parks, Muceno carefully selected their concessionaires to ensure that each stall will offer a unique set of menu to their customers. I loved that no two food stalls are alike. Foodies will get to enjoy samplings from over 20 different food stalls which include Clark's Burger, Cone Culture, Benedito's Peri Peri Chicken, Wrap Eat Out, Chie's Sausage, Grandma's Homestyle BBQ & Ribs, Bek's Bibingka, EGI Steakhouse, Wicked Wings, Esting's Belly Lechon, Wagyu King, Yaki-Temaki, Fiorgelato Ice Cream, Milkshake Lab, Tokyo Tempura, Rad Sandwich, Taco Truck, Chef Cozma's Shawarma, Daily Detox and Lemon King.
My family and I got to sample food from some of these food stalls and went home with very happy tummies. Other food concepts are so "out there" that sometimes it doesn't live up to my expectations. Sometimes, all I want is a classic cheeseburger, if you know what I mean? Anyway, here are some of the food stalls I got to try (and I've linked their instagram accounts with their names):
Grandma's Homestyle Ribs & BBQ
If there is one thing you shouldn't miss out on dining here in Muceno, it's Grandma's. They offer mouth-watering ribs that fall off the bone. Whoever Grandma is, she sure knows what she's doing. Their staff is also friendly and accommodating. I can't finish my ribs so I asked them to pack it so I can take it home and they even added some extra helpings of their delicious barbecue sauce when I didn't even ask them to! Now that's good customer service.
 |
| Boneless Spare Ribs |
 |
| BBQ Spare Ribs |
Cone Culture
Cone Culture offers easy-to-eat gourmet food served in cones. We tried the fish and chips. It's not the usual fish fillet. They were probably aiming for crunchy but the fish fillets were too thin, nevertheless still tasty. But between the two, I enjoyed the chips more.
Sweet Maven Desserts
Out of all the food stalls, Sweet Maven was the one I am most excited to try, mainly because of those inviting photos on their instagram account. I have only tried the Salted Caramel waffle. The price is a little steep in my opinion because this girl needs more ice cream on her waffle. It is still worth the try though and it makes for a great foodstagram. I still want to try their other dessert selection next time.
 |
| Salted Caramel Bubble Waffle |
Milkshake Lab
Milkshake Lab's refreshments are a treat for the sweet tooth. Like Sweet Maven, I also want to try other milkshake flavors next time. Their official hashtag is #SimplyExplosive and I couldn't agree more.
Muceno Food Park is located at 2009 Richtofen St. corner Hensonville, Malabanias, Angeles City, Pampanga. Operating hours are from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
