Carinderia Buffet: The Cheapest Filipino Eat-All-You-Can

A few months ago, I was invited by my friends Kurt and Stacy of Tsinoy Foodies to check out a Filipino eat-all-you-can restaurant as they have a voucher good enough for four. So with the beau in tow, I didn't only get to eat out but also had my very first double date.
Carinderia Buffet

Located in Quezon City, we visited Carinderia Buffet which offers one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, Filipino buffet rate. Since we had a voucher, we only paid less than a hundred per person. But even without a coupon, their P149 per person fee is already a steal. No wonder the restaurant's famous among the employees and locals in the area.

Utensils Carinderia Buffet Dining Space

I honestly wasn't too excited going in to Carinderia Buffet as the facade is simple and the building looked quite old and forgotten. However, it was the total opposite when we went inside. The dining area looked bright, clean, well-ventilated and very spacious.

The Food

We checked out every corner of the buffet area and I can't believe at the number of dishes Carinderia Buffet got to prepare. There were a variety of both meat and vegetable dishes -- Lechon Paksiw, Kare-Kare, Chicken Afritada, Menudo, Bopis, Lumpiang Shanghai, Adobong Kangkong and Ginisang Petchay.

There was also a Mixed Vegetable Salad, as well as Ginger and Clam Soup, Tinolang Manok and Sinigang na Bangus as both viands and proper meal starters.

Mixed Vegetables
Ginger and Clam Soup

And of course, how can I ignore these enticing selection of hearty Pinoy entrées? At P149 regular rate, I think I can already make my stay "sulit" with all these dishes.

Fried Chicken, Torta and Fried Galunggong
Fried Chicken, Tortang Talong and Fried Galunggong
Ginataang Kuhol
Ginataang Kuhol
Dinuguan
Dinuguan
Ginataang Langka
Ginataang Langka

There are also a few dessert items for those like me who don't find a meal complete without some sweet endings. I just wish there was a halo-halo station though.

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo
Minatamis na Saging
Minatamis na Saging
Gulaman Salad
Gulaman Salad

After checking out all the items on Carinderia Buffet's tables, I still can't believe that I'll be devouring all these for under a hundred pesos! Actually, even at their regular rate of P149, a selection like this is already a big bang for the buck.

What I Got

Of course I wouldn't put my money to waste even if I only paid a little. So to start off my lunch, I got myself a bowl of Ginger and Clam Soup.

Bowl of Ginger and Clam Soup

This bowl of goodness is as hearty as my mom makes it at home. The ginger flavor takes out the fishy quality of the clams, and gives the soup a nice savory heat. I was also lucky to get a lot of clam meat unlike Kurt who got a lot of clam shells without the meat.

My plate of kuhol lechon paksiw dinuguan and kangkong

My first plate for the afternoon had some Ginataang Kuhol, Lechon Paksiw, Dinuguan and Adobong Kangkong with a serving of plain rice. Although every viand is tasty and of good quality, my favorite would probably be the kuhol dish as it was just so flavorful.

My plate of bangus, ginataang langka, bopis, lumpiang shanghai and fried wings

I then got some Bangus, Ginataang Langka, Bopis, Lumpiang Shanghai and Fried Chicken for my next plate. While I was so excited to try the bopis, it left me disappointed. It was spicy as expected, but the meat had a strong unwanted bitter taste. The other dishes were better though. Even the lumpia which looked so thin was surprisingly meaty.

Nilagang Bulalo ng Baka

While our lunch was almost at an end, we saw a new dish on the buffet table. They replenished one item with Nilagang Bulalo ng Baka, and of course what better way to make our stay more "sulit" than to hoard all the bulalo for ourselves. I don't regret it though as the beef shank, despite being a little small, tasted so meaty and so buttery.

Cleaned-out Plates at Carinderia Buffet
Cleaned-out plates definitely spell sulit!

Although I forgot to take photos, I also got to try the 3 dessert items they had. The Ginataang Bilo-Bilo wasn't as flavorful as I wanted so it was quite forgettable. However, the Minatamis na Saging as well as the Gulaman Salad were sweet, tasty and the perfect ending to hearty meal. As for the drinks, they weren't included in the buffet, but the resto had a limited selection anyway -- Soda in Can (P35), Bottomless Mango Juice (P45) and Bottomless Pineapple Juice (P50).

THE VERDICT

Although months have already passed since our trip to Carinderia Buffet, I can still remember everything very clearly as nothing beats their food and service quality for how little they charge. I left the restaurant very satisfied for an amount I can never maximize in a fast food chain. Ambiance may not be the best, but the fresh and tasty food, clean restrooms, and friendly and prompt service can definitely make up for it.

Taste - 3.5/5
Ambiance - 3.5/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 5/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Regular Buffet Rate - P149
(Drinks not included.)


Carinderia Buffet, Quezon City
31 V. Luna Avenue cor. Mabilis Street,
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 435-9196
Official Website
Facebook Page

86 comments:

  1. That's really cheap! And they have everything I'm craving for. :) Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. They got most of my fave Pinoy dishes too.. ^^

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  2. OMG OMG OMG... I wanna eat there! I so love Pinoy food! I can't have enough of "lutong-bahay"!

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  3. Ginataang Kuhol! Drool! I'd drag my friends here. :D

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  4. are you sure it's only P149? lol omg this is the new kamayan!

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    1. It is! :D I think they sometimes have promos too. I saw a banner of P99 + VAT on their FB page. Not sure if they'll hold another promo again soon though. But for good lutong bahay fare, this is a nice place to visit! :)

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  5. wow, this is really cheap! hoping to try this one of these days. thanks for sharing!

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  6. i miss eating tulya (clam)and the kuhol :) we must try eating there too, i love your posts Sumi :)

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  7. You had me at "cheapest"! I am such a cheapskate. haha With all the Manila restos you feature, I do not know how I am going to visit them all when I visit Manila. haha

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  8. I miss kuhol! And I wouldn't say no to clam soup :)

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  9. P149 for a buffet? Wow that's really a great deal!

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  10. This is definitely my kind of place! I like places that elevate the concept of carinderia dining. :D Thanks for sharing!

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  11. What a price for such good food :) Wow! Thanks for sharing.

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  12. It's really affordable at P149 and great idea to make the carinderia concept to a buffet scale. They have a large array of dishes to choose from and you can even have the known Filipino dishes. Also, I'm a fan of Filipino desserts.

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  13. whoah! I wanna go here since its very accessible to my place! buffet arghhhh! :)

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  14. I wouldn't put too much stock in buffet eats like these. Although I agree that the price tag is a steal. Pwede na for everyday indulgence. =)

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  15. Cheap indeed for an eat-all-you-can buffet. the foods look delicious. :)

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  16. OMG. It's so inexpensive and I see that you tried Kuhol there. I haven't tried it before. Haha! Interested with the taste. LOL

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  17. that's cheap nga :) wow they have guinataang bilo-bilo!!!

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  18. That's a steal for Php 149! And I'm craving for dinuguan right now. :D

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  19. The place looks nice. It doesn't look like the typical carinderia. Thanks for sharing the photos. I would tug along my husband there as I miss ginataang kuhol badly!

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  20. The kuhol is intriguing, and even more intriguing that you liked it, I've never eaten kuhol before... The buffet price is really a big steal specially in your area, and to think that you have a lot of choices for that small price tag, it's a must to visit Carinderia Buffet!

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  21. I know this place, been there and nabusog naman ako hehe

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  22. You're right: at 149 it's quite a steal. By the way, did I miss reading if there's a time limit at this eat-all-you-can restaurant? I thought restaurants like this usually operate that way.

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  23. I first tried this back in April 2011 when the price was only 99! I've been back there a few times, but not yet this year. Maybe I'll take the boyfriend there this week. Thanks :)

    Does the 149 include drinks already?

    http://verabear.net/2011/04/carinderia-buffet/

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  24. My hubby's office i near the place so he and his friends often eat there. It really is great value for 149pesos.

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  25. Bopis, dinuguan, fried chicken and lumpia shanghai? Ahhh, definitely foodie heaven for me.;) P149 is already quite a steal for this kind of buffet.

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  26. wow! A really must try. Very cheap price! And now I am craving. Will take note of the address so I can check it out when I am at QC :)

    By the way, I would love you to visit my blog http://ow.ly/ctIox :)

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  27. guinataang kuhol and dinuguan ,miss na miss ko na kayo!. I am so jealous here, all of you from the Philippines can eat all the delicious meals for a cheap price.

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  28. Me I would like to try the clam soup. Good deal!

    Pretty Gorgeous Kikay

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  29. cheapest filipino eat all you can tlga especially with those vouchers! :) not much a fan of filipino cuisine but in fairness daming food a.. :)

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  30. Wow, good food and great value, nice!

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  31. That's really cheap for those tasty foods, great photos there!

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  32. Oh my! so yummy! :-)

    http://carmiscaprice.blogspot.com/

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  33. Hi sis, you know what, I have been planning to eat here for like 2 yrs already but it still have not materialized yet. But because of you rpost, now I want to do it finally. Haha! You made all their food look amazing =)

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  34. What a yummy treat!

    Nice pictures! You made me hungry! Haha

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  35. Wow super cheap!~ And the menu is not so typical either, you know menudo, afritada etc.

    Are they doing ok?! What if a person is a really big eater ^-^; At 150php price isn't that too cheap?

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    1. With a lot of customers naman, I think they're doing quite well.. :) At least this way, they don't have to waste unbought food.. :D

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  36. definitely very cheap. can't wait to go home haha

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  37. You're right! That's a pretty good price for a hearty meal!

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  38. Omg! I can't really imagine eating kuhol ; p

    xoxo
    MrsMartinez

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  39. Waaahh! Pwede ba magpa-birthday dyan? Haha. As in P149 lang for regular yung buffet?! Kaloka huh! Kaso ang layo ko lang!! :/

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  40. I can see Filipino foods here. Yummy!

    Plus, an affordable price. Here in Cebu, the price are usually Php 189.

    Follow me. http://theworldofupsdowns.blogspot.com/

    Following you now :D

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  41. Is this a new Carideria Buffet? Did not heard about this before... Super cheap ever, I m drooling now... I will put this in list... Thanks for sharing this place sis....

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  42. What makes this resto truly Pinoy is the dahon ng saging incorporated to add style into the dishes. All are yummy! Can't pick a favorite.

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  43. If only it weren't so far away from me, I would be here every day!

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  44. thats cheap and looks good so i bet that taste good too! ginger and clam soup nakakamiss kainin! hehe and parang gusto ko tuloy ng minatamis na saging... amp! kagutom! thanks for sharing!

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  45. Food looks good and the price is very tempting try. Thanks for sharing this. Must visit this soon.

    Denise
    http://satisfyingjuansappetite.blogspot.com/

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  46. Filipino foods are still the best! :)

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  47. gosh! looks yummy :) im all in lol :) i like all the dishes and i think you will pay for the sulit taste of the foods. parang ang sarap magkamay :D

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  48. Nothing beats the Filipino dishes! Sulit pa! :)

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  49. Wow, seriously?! Must check & visit.


    The catch these days though is that a lot of establishments offer eat-all-you-can pero may kamahalan. Better to really go prepared. :)

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  50. is this serious, a lot of food selections for only 149 the cheapest price ever I think. this is great!

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  51. This is visually delish Sumi, appetizing. I have always wanted to try buffet style, and I might consider this actually.

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  52. wow!! Filipino dish FTW!!! super sulit nga..

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  53. winner na kaagad nung makita ko palang ang ginataang kuhol... this dish costs approx P300 on mall restos, kaya nung makita ko na part xa ng buffet, napa-wow nlng ako! I will really go to that place... hope its still P149 :)

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  54. this is a steal! i love ginger & clam soup too and i'll bookmark the place :)

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  55. Wow, gusto ko dalhin dito sila nanay!
    Tnx for the review!
    tiyak gusto nila dito, pinoy na pinoy!:)

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  56. Wow, that's really cheap! I've been hearing about Carinderia Buffet but thank you for this honest review! The ginataang kuhol looks delish!

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  57. wow! for the price and the food! i crave for the minatamis na saging! yum!

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  58. cheapest price, delicious food, what are you waiting for? TARA!!!

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  59. Wow! Amazing to see all of those delicacies .. Hope to visit this place one of these days. :D Picture pa lang nakakatakam na :) and aside from that, very affordable! Thanks for sharing :D and making your readers starve. hehe kiddin'

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  60. dati 99php lang.. naging 150 na pla. pero ayus lang sulit naman.. :)

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  61. waaaaah,. i wanna try,. mahilig ako sa eat all you can,.

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  62. I agree! This is the cheapest buffet in town :)

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  63. And this is what we call buffet! affordable and with wide selection of food. thanks for sharing!

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  64. try here. trimo shawarma at lagro q.c. affordable great food here

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  65. sabi po lumipat n daw po kau...? is that true? san n po location nyo?

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  66. How I wish there is a carinderia buffet near us for sure Our family will be regular customers. Super affordable and all my favorites are there will make it more awesome if they have letchon hahaha

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  67. I am a fan of buffets. I love the native dishes that they offer and it is really really cheap!

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  68. I want to try this with my friends.

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  69. IVe heard that theyve moved already.. may i know where po?..

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  70. Ang Sarap!! Will try this with friends

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