MAKATI CITY — Tucked within the Makati BLISS 1 compound along Pablo Ocampo Sr. Extension, Aling Banang's has been quietly serving some of the city's most enduring Filipino comfort food. The restaurant traces its roots to the 1930s, when Urbana Silva Santiago began selling halo-halo from a modest stall at the San Juan public market. That humble beginning has since grown into a beloved institution with branches across Metro Manila, including this one in Building 6. For residents and office workers in the area, the Makati branch offers a convenient taste of a culinary legacy that spans generations.
A Carinderia With a Story
What began as a seasonal merienda stall became a family enterprise when Santiago's daughter, Adoracion "Ising" Santiago-Mendoza, expanded the business into a full carinderia. Ising, who worked alongside her mother from the age of eighteen, is credited with creating many of the dishes that define the menu today. She named the eatery after her mother, a tribute to the hard work that established its foundation. Though Ising passed away in 2010, her children and grandchildren continue to manage the restaurant, preserving her recipes and the close family ties that have kept customers returning for decades.
Signature Dishes Worth the Trip
The pancit bihon is the undeniable star, a generous mound of rice noodles cooked in savory stock and finished with a lavish topping of crispy lechon kawali. Regulars describe it as absolute comfort food, plain to the eye yet deeply satisfying to the palate. The halo-halo remains another enduring favorite, a tall glass packed with homemade red monggo, white beans, sweetened banana, pinipig, macapuno, gulaman, sago, ube halaya, and leche flan. It is a recipe that has remained largely unchanged since the 1930s, when it was served in empty evaporated milk cans at the San Juan market.
Practical Information for Visitors
Aling Banang's Makati branch is located at Makati BLISS 1, Building 6, 1198 Pablo Ocampo Sr. Ext, Makati City. The restaurant is open daily, generally from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with slightly later opening hours on Sundays. For those planning a visit, the most convenient public transport option is the LRT-1 Line, with the Vito Cruz Station situated nearby and operating normally. The branch also offers delivery through food platforms, making it easy to enjoy their pancit and halo-halo at home or in the office.
