Nana Heleng’s Pancit Estacion: The Original Pancit Estacion of Tanza, Cavite Open Since 1934!

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Pancit is a Filipino stir-fried noodle dish. It is usually served in Filipino eateries and restaurants, during family occasions, and even corporate gatherings. It has regional varieties, and is usually named after the kind of noodles used (Bihon or Canton) or the place of its origin (e.g. Cabagan or Malabon).

In this article, I’ll be featuring the origin of Pancit Estacion—Nana Heleng’s Pancit Estacion.

My wife and I were once driving along CAVITEX way past midnight when I suddenly thought of going to Nana Heleng’s Pancit Estacion, which opens at 3AM! So we decided to do a spontaneous food trip to Tanza, Cavite.

The luglugan (luglog spot) is an institution in Tanza, founded in 1934. It’s founded by Nana Heleng and is now run by his son, Johnny Bobadilla, who is super friendly. He engages in conversations, telling the story of Nana Heleng’s Pancit Estacion.

Nana Heleng’s is popular for its namesake pancit estacion. This dish is interesting for two reasons. First, it was originally sold in a train station; hence the name. Second, it’s similar to the Pancit Luglug of Pampanga, which has an orange-colored, shrimp-based sauce. But instead of using the typical thick rice noodles, pancit estacion uses toge or mung bean sprouts, which was born out of necessity when noodles were scarce.

Many content creators have already featured Nana Heleng’s

But in Nana Heleng’s, you have three noodle options: Soft “taba” (thick rice noodles), springy “payat” (thin rice noodles), or crisp toge. You also have the option of combining them all!

Left to Right: *Taba*, *Payat*, and *Toge*

I like that the pancit are placed in a cone-shaped banana leaves. Now that’s sustainability!

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The noodles are covered with an orange-colored sauce that has a shrimpy aroma and taste. Then it’s topped with chicharon (deep-fried pork rinds), fish crackers, tinapa (smoked fish), and a special concoction that has chicharon bulaklak (ruffled fat or pig mesentery). So imagine the flavors and textures!

Honestly, the pancit is on the salty side so it needs a squeeze of calamansi.

If you order the toge, they also add kamias or bilimbi, which is a crisp, sour fruit. I’m just not sure if you can add it to taba or payat.

Pancit estacion is usually paired with Pan de Rasyon (a.k.a. Monay), which is a bread that’s soft and dense, and Kasilyo/Kesong Puti (white unaged cheese made with unskimmed carabao’s milk), which is salty and creamy.

Nana Heleng’s also sells barbecue and empanadas:

Left to Right: Pork Barbecue and Empanadas

Nana Heleng’s Pancit Estacion makes good pancit estacion and luglug. But honestly, I’m not a big fan of its sauce because it’s shrimpy (I’m allergic to shrimp but I can tolerate it). So if you love pancit with a strong shrimp flavor, I think you’ll love it and I recommend that you pay it a visit.

Nana Heleng’s Pancit Estacion

Address: 6 Hugo C. Arce, Tanza, Cavite, Philippines | Operating Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 3AM-10AM

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