Not Your Typical Karenderia: Orange Karenderia

Something’s been causing a buzz in the city these past few months. Would you guess it’s a karenderia? Orange Karenderia (OK) has been around for almost a year selling exotic seafood dishes and home cooked staples. OK is also a place for chill hang outs for those nights you want to do away with loud music and blinding lights. But the reason why it’s only been causing a stir now would mainly be because of the man who took over management duties just late last year. Michael Pato took over the restaurant his father put up and has slowly been adding his personality to the place.

The Food

Ever wondered how an eel or a barracuda tastes like? Orange Karenderia has these exotic seafood mixed in the local soup staple called Larang. Definitely something you should try out when you visit. Another dish that you shouldn’t miss out on is their Crispy Tuna Buntot, which is a favorite of OK regulars.

The Main Man

Now to anyone who knows Michael Pato, regular isn’t the word we’d use to describe him. When friends think of him, peculiar phrases and terms come to mind like “G to the mornz,” the phrase he uses to greet people in the morning, “It’s time to tipar, people!” which translates to, “It’s time to party, people!” and of course, “Beer, we owe it to ourselves.” How those two words relate, I’m not too sure. Only the main man could give us the answer. Visit OK and you’ll find a few of his famous phrases decorating the place.

More Than Just A Karenderia

Being true to himself, Pato has also managed to turn it into a hang out place by adding a beer pong table and by introducing the OK 60 second challenge – drink a liter of beer within 60 seconds. If you get to do it, you get the beer for free and you’ll be featured on OK’s Wall Of Fame. (As of the writing of this article, 3 people have tried, and 3 people have failed. If you think you have the liver for this, you might just be the first person to be on that wall.)

How to get there: 

As you drive towards Mactan on ML Quezon Avenue, watch out for a small open gate with white walls on your left. If you hit a Shell on your right, that means you missed it by a tad bit.