BALANGA CITY — A newly-opened restaurant here that offers Filipino cuisine has
for its design replicas of passenger jeepneys, the common means of
transportation of ordinary Filipinos, as dining areas.
Located in a busy portion of Barangay Tenejero, the Jeepney Restaurant is in
operation on the 11th day Sunday and customers have begun filling the eatery.
The jeepneys have routes for Mariveles, Balanga City, Dinalupihan, Orani, and
Limay and have for designs the Pahiyas festival of Lucban in Quezon, superheroes,
manananggal, cherry mobile, Philippine flags and stars of the silver screen.
Inside the jeepneys can be seen different phrases common in ordinary jeepneys
plying the country like: Basta driver, sweet lover; Ang maganda sa kanan, ang cute
sa kaliwa, ang sexy sa harapan, ang pangit ay wala ng upuan kung pwede sabit na
lang; Barya mang po sa umaga; and Pag sexy libre, chubby doble.
Owner Sally Javier said that being a Filipino restaurant, the best way to express
about the Philippines and its culture is through the jeepneys.
“Ang jeep ay very iconic so ito ang nagre-represent ng aming restaurant because
we are serving Filipino food and just like the jeeps they are colorful, pang
maraming tao, buhay na buhay malakas ang music,” she said.
“That’s the vibe that we want to imbibe sa aming mga customers, pang
maramihan. Ang jeep hindi aandar kapag iisa, nagtatawag ng kasama so ang ating
restaurant ay pang-pamilya, pang-barkada, pang-magkakasama at pang-bonding,”
Javier explained.
She added that they serve simple Filipino food, no specialty: “Ang aming kaibahan
lang ay nagse-serve kami ng boodle fight kind of eating at since may pandemic
ina-allow namin ang boodle fight but they have to use their own plates para hindi
salo-salo mismo doon sa boodle.”
Javier said they operated first in Maginhawa Street in Quezon City but they have
to close shop due to the pandemic. Being from Bataan, they decided to re-open in
the province starting September 1.
“So far maganda naman po ang pagtanggap ng customers sa aming naiibang
concept at masarap na pagkaing Pinoy. Kaya Bataan, tara na, sakay na, kain na!”
Javier said.
