Restaurant Review: Buddy's Pancit Lucban (Lucban, Quezon)

After checking in at Batis Aramin Resort, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I motored to Buddy’s Pancit Lucban at the town proper to sample some of Lucban’s famous culinary treats for dinner. The restaurant is strategically located and not hard to find as it could be found just across the town's municipal hall and beautiful plaza (Rizal Park). As the streets of the town are narrow, I had to park my Toyota Revo a block away.

Buddy's

The first Buddy’s Pancit Lucban branch was established here in 1991,by Mr. Salvador “Buddy” Veluz. Today, it has 11 branches in the country – 5  in the Quezon province and 6 in Metro Manila. This branch, like any other Buddy’s branch, was decorated with colorful chandeliers made of rice kiping, sunflowers, and indigenous products from Quezon, all inspired from the town's Pahiyas Festival.

Dining area

It being dinnertime, the restaurant was literally packed to the rafters and we were lucky to get a table for the 5 of us.  We ordered Buddy's signature dishes - hardinera (P220) pancit Lucban (P165) and longganisa Lucban (P125/dozen).  Pancit Lucban, a Quezon noodle dish popularly known as pancit habhab, is normally served in banana leaves and eaten straight off of the leaf.  It is made a lot tastier with vinegar poured  on it.

Ceiling with kiping

Hardinera, the province’s variation of embutido (Philippine version of meat loaf), is made of diced pork cooked in tomato sauce with green and red bell pepper strips, pineapple slices and spices added, topped with cheese and hard boiled egg, and steamed in an oval metal pan called a llanera.

Hardinera

Longganisang Lucban is a garlicky pork sausage that looks like a shorter version of chorizo de bilbao. Buddy’s serves it slightly toasted to customers.  We liked this so much, we placed another order.

Lucban longganisa

Other Buddy's favorites include sisig, porkchop steak, spaghetti, asado sandwich, super buddy burger, sago't gulaman, lumpia mixed vegetables (P65), super buddy pizza, cassava cake (budin), fresh lumpiang ubod and crispy pata. Overall, the food tasted really good and was budget-friendly.

Pancit Lucban

Buddy's Pancit Lucban: 99 Avenida Rizal, Lucban, Quezon. Tel.: (042) 540 - 3394, (042) 540-9575 and (042) 911-1178.

How To Get There: Lucban is located 160.36 km. from Manila and 23.7 kms. north of Lucena City. From Manila, it can be accessed via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX, exit at Turbna) and the Manila East Road.