HOLA PARADE — Restaurant in Mabalacat

We went here for dinner because of the high reviews (4.9⭐️) in Google Maps and the no. of reviews (more than 3500) to support that. And food is really pricey too (1500 to 1800K per person). So I was highly expecting some great dining experience. Upon arriving at the restaurant, there are plenty of parking spaces, though we still faced a little difficulty finding one. I bet parking here is more difficult if there are events in the Clark Open Park. So it's on the 3rd floor and the view was the park. Ambience and views are okay, not too stunning if you ask me, just really not what we expect based on reviews here. Their tables & chairs are plastic ones, the rattan-style, it's quite common. For the price here, you can expect some solid wood or something. Their staff are okay, seems like good guys but they are too stiff, you know like they barely smile, a bit dull and not lively crew, uncommon to a service that needs to interact with people. So it's really hard to try to connect with them and be comfortable with them. Parang minsan nakakahiya tawagin para magparefill ng water (and their glasses are small, so you need to keep calling them for refills).

So as for the food, we ordered not too many. We ordered their truffle mushroom pasta, margherita pizza and 300g. of usda ribeye steak. When it comes on food, I'm a person who is looking for value for money. We don't usually go to expensive restaurants unless it's on a special occassion, which for this one, a birthday. And we didn't find their food a value of our money. Lots and lots of Italian restaurants in Pampanga who serves food just as good as theirs for a cheaper price (ex. Amare la Cucina for pizzas, Italliani's for pasta and pizzas). Though the steak was great, cooked on a hot stone, great presentation too. Plenty of sides (veggies, sauce). Meat was tender, juicy and tasted great. But still, i think a bit pricey for 1,100 per 100gms (Wolfgangs same steak is priced less than 9K for 900g.). Even Teppanya in SM Clark has great steaks, for lesser price.

Overall, i didn't find it a good value for money. I think there a lot more other restaurants in Pampanga that could deliver better food and service than Hola Parade. I just don't understand the hype really. I expected way too...

A. Food [Taste] Dominantly Western style food with interesting but not entirely unique flavors. Brisket burger was pretty good - lighter and fresher than a regular fat-saturated burger you'll find elsewhere. The fries that came with it were not crisp - not limp but almost soggy. The Chop Steak was great - I just think it would be better with some starch like rice or mashed potato. As for the Kimchi beef (forgot the name), it was a bit too salty. It could have been balanced with citrus or less salt if the kimchi was on the salty side (i prefer a less salty kimchi). Maybe I should've opted for the rose pasta.

[Portions] Good serving size.

[Variety] Many dishes to choose from

B. Service Attending staff was friendly and accommodating. He politely answered our questions about the food and was kind to check with the chef/cook if a dish had pork or not (dietary restriction).

Not sure why the rice meal was served sooner than the burgers. And the gap was about 10 minutes or so. Anyway, I think the total waiting time exceeded 30 minutes. It wasn't super busy.

C. Time I think they're open until 12 AM.

D. Ambience Great rooftop hangout place. Pretty chill vibe. You can choose to sit indoor or outdoor.

E. Price ₱₱₱ Quite pricey. Whether it's worth paying for is a different story. For an idea, the brisket burger was at 650. Pastas average at 850 per order. The chop steak and kimchi beef were at 850 each as well. They also have 12-inch pizzas at around 1000.

F. Value for money 3.5/5 It's okay. Cool hangout place. But if you're looking for a good place to eat (like if you're a visitor who wants to try the best food in clark freeport), I'd say there's better food elsewhere for a similar pricepoint. Admittedly, I haven't tried everything on the menu but I could visit the place again.

G. Location and parking Accessible place and lots of...

We were deeply disappointed with our experience at Hola, especially given the high expectations we had based on its glowing Google reviews. Perhaps the chaos of dining on Christmas night, coupled with a lack of sufficient staff to handle the crowd, contributed to the poor experience. Unfortunately, even the complimentary cakes offered to ease our frustration didn’t improve our overall impression.

Here’s a detailed rundown of what transpired:

Seating and Ordering: We were seated at 8:10 PM and placed our order at 8:25 PM. Before ordering, we confirmed with the staff that everything on the menu was available, except for a few blended juices. Shortly after ordering, we were informed of a 40-minute wait for food, which we found reasonable given the busy atmosphere.

Timeline of Events:

The first dish, lasagna, arrived at 9:30 PM—well past the expected wait time—and was subpar, lacking the flavors of a good lasagna.

At 9:30 PM (one hour after ordering), we were informed that rice was no longer available.

We had to cancel one dish because my child, who doesn’t like pasta, had no alternative option.

The food quality was average at best, failing to justify the high prices. For instance, the carbonara tasted no better than a homemade version made with instant ingredients.

The pasta portions were disappointingly small, especially given the price (700+).

Our salad, supposedly an appetizer, was served at 10 PM. While the vinaigrette was good, the timing defeated its purpose.

The steak was dry and overcooked.

The final dish didn’t arrive until 10:05 PM, despite repeated follow-ups.

Overall, the experience was far from what we had anticipated, and we left feeling frustrated and let down. Would not recommend going here during holidays with big group and I'm really thinking twice going back here on a regular day just to give them a...