Empanada Nation — Restaurant in Pasig

Empanada Nation is a solid choice if you’re craving Ilocano food. While it may not deliver a mind-blowing culinary experience, it does offer hearty, home-cooked Ilocano fare at very reasonable prices—making it a reliable spot for a casual, satisfying meal.

Their Longanisa plate is a good option, featuring three decently sized longanisas, half a salted egg, and a moderately generous serving of rice. The longanisa is flavorful without being too greasy, making it a comforting and filling dish.

I also tried their Tokwa’t Baboy, which was another solid offering. The portion size was generous, and the meat was of good quality—tender and well-prepared. However, the sauce leans on the sweeter side, which might not appeal to those who prefer a more traditional, tangy vinegar-based flavor.

Their empanada is good too, with a crisp shell and generous fillings. It’s a satisfying bite, balancing the savory meat and egg with just the right amount of vegetables.

The Sili Pinakbet, made with the non-spicy chili variety from Ilocos, was just okay. While the vegetables were fresh and well-cooked, I found the bagoong (shrimp paste) sauce lacking in the rich, savory depth that typically defines this dish.

Overall, Empanada Nation is a good restaurant for those seeking affordable, straightforward Ilocano cuisine without any frills. It’s the kind of place I can see myself and my family returning to when we’re in the mood for comforting, no-nonsense Ilocano...

In Ilocos you have Empanadas in every street corner and served on a cart or some makeshift stall. Different story in Manila, here you have sit down restaurants that go with your very basic, quick bit to eat to stave off your hunger. Ilocos Empanadas are one of those things you wish you had access to all the time - oily, greasy, fatty, eggy and meaty (if you order special) and it’s a great thing Empanada Nation has you covered. It’s definitely not located on the street, more of somewhere you really need to purposefully go to but again, at least you have them. The empanada itself (I got the Special for P65) was the usual stuff, egg, some of the white veg, a piece of Ilocos Longganisa wrapped in an orange dough and deep fried. Tastes about the same as any other Ilocos Empanada in Manila. But I like how COVID ready their place is. Which is their advantage. I would never have gone and bought anything if they were just a stall for fear of social distancing protocols but given that they’ve marked all their seats properly, plastic sheets that cover everything and enforce the maximum amount of people allowed in their store, then they take everything seriously and so I have more comfort eating at their place. You need more places like these during...

Midweek craving satisfied! Before buying dogfood, we decided to drop by here to scratch our longing for bagnet. Since we were here already, I also ordered longganisa meal. The Bagnet stayed true as advertised, crispy, crunchy and oily pork. The best pieces of course were those with some layers of fat. The side veggies/garnish that came with it wasn't my type at all. As for the longganisa, it tasted as it should. Service could be faster. The cashier was also the one clearing up the plates. They could do better with additional...