18th Street Pala-Pala in Bacolod City
18th Street Pala-Pala is the first pala-pala (fish market) restaurant in Bacolod City. They opened last June 2003 as a small nipa hut. Two years after the restaurant’s establishment, the restaurant was burned. They were re-discovered by food bloggers and chefs who raved about their food; this prompted them to expand the business into the restaurant that it is now.
This restaurant is named 18th Street Pala-Pala because it is located on 18th Street and their pala-pala which made them famous. It is similar to a seafood restaurant by the beach, using a collage of Boracay to make the place look like a beach. It is located parallel to Lacson Street where there are only a few cars passing by. It is a family-owned restaurant that serves local Bacolod cuisine and all sorts of fresh seafood.
The owner of this restaurant is currently the president of the Full Gospel Businessman’s Fellowship, an international fellowship known throughout Bacolod City. He is not a chef by profession but loves to cook different kinds of food. Their staff all come from Bacolod residents who make sure you get nothing but the freshest seafood. Some of their recommended dish include:
Shrimp Lusgos. Shrimp sauteed in garlic, ginger, sprite and butter (Php 195.50 per 250 grams)
Fish tinola with sweet potato leaves. Gingaw fish cooked in tomato, onion leaves, chili, batuan (native ingredient similar to tamarinds), and fish broth (Php 169.50 per 250 grams)
Grilled Sugba with atsara. Grilled Sugba fish cooked in garlic, accompanied with a special sauce (Php 171 per 250 grams)
Aside from their best sellers, 18th Street Pala-pala is also known for their manumbos (sizzling blue marlin), sizzling squid, fish head in red bell pepper sauce, and their pepper shrimp.
This restaurant can accommodate about 300 guests including their 3 function rooms that can cater to at least 120 people.They offer a wide-range of food choices for their menu which is very affordable. Aside from their clients that are locally from Bacolod or Filipino nationals, they also receive foreign guests that are usually Japanese or Americans. They accept walk-ins but it’s best to reserve a day before since they can get pretty packed especially at lunch.
They offer free wifi access and parking space for their guests. Payment can be done either through cash, card, debit or credit. They are open daily from 8 am to 11 pm. They only close during Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Black Saturday, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and on New Year’s Day.
Written By: Patricia Antoinette M. Nacianceno
This also appears in the February 2018 issue of the Philippine Primer Japanese Magazine.
