Not every meal needs to be an exciting discovery or a riveting reinvention.
Sometimes, you don’t need an unfamiliar ingredient, a clever twist on a classic, or a dish that looks like it belongs in your latest Instagram dump. For days when you just want the classic pairing of sauce-covered, tender meat and a generous serving of rice, Pares House in Marikina might be the place to be.
The 24-hour spot has been serving the Filipino street food classic since 2011, sticking to the kind of familiar, no-frills comfort food that never really goes out of style. So instead of reinventing pares or finding a new way to serve it, they focus on giving you what you came for: beef, rice, and the simple pleasure of a satisfying meal.
And honestly, they seem really good at doing just that.
Beef Pares and Garlic Rice: A Classic for a Reason
And with a name like ‘Pares House,’ their beef pares is the natural starting point.
It brings together all of the elements that make this Filipino favorite so easy to crave, with tender chunks of beef coated in a warm, glossy sauce that’s slightly thick. It’s sweet and savory, with enough body to cling to the meat and seep into the rice instead of pooling into a puddle at the bottom of your plate. And with bite-sized chunks of soft beef each bite is easy and capable of delivering the familiar flavor that makes pares such classic comfort food.
Then there’s the rice, topped with a small mound of fried garlic.
It might seem like a small detail, but the fragrant, crispy bits add another layer to what could otherwise be a straightforward bowl of fluffy, white rice. Pair it with beef, a spoonful of sauce, and you get a savory, slightly sweet, and garlicky combination that makes it hard to put the spoon down.
And there really is no need to overthink it. The sauce does its job, the beef delivers, and the garlic rice brings everything together—reminding you why some dishes become classics in the first place.
Beef Mami at Pares House: Savory Broth, Beef, and Short-Cut Noodles
Of course, not every craving calls for rice and sauce. Sometimes, what you really want is a warm bowl of soup. Luckily, Pares House also serves beef mami for days like those.
The bowl comes with a warm, savory broth, chunks of beef, and noodles cut into shorter strands. Unlike the long noodles you might expect from a typical bowl of mami, these are already cut up, making them easier to slurp along with the almost-translucent broth and pieces of meat.
While it’s the beef that gives the soup substance, it’s actually the broth that brings the comforting, savory flavor you’d typically expect from a bowl of noodle soup. It’s a straightforward combination, but that’s exactly the appeal. You get your noodles, beef, and soup without anything trying too hard to steal the show.
Pares House in Marikina: Beef Pares and Beef Mami as Filipino Comfort Food
Pares House has been around for a handful of years now, serving dishes that have long been part of the Filipino food landscape. And during a time when restaurants are constantly finding new ways to make familiar dishes stand out, there’s something to be said for a place that keeps things simple.
At Pares House, you can go for tender beef coated in a glossy, slightly sweet sauce, pile it onto garlic-topped rice, and enjoy the familiar combination that has made pares a local favorite. Or you can opt for beef mami, with its savory broth, chunks of meat, and short strands of noodles.
Either way, both don’t require any big introductions or dramatic reinventions. Because sometimes, you don’t want to chase the next big food trend. You just want the basics—and a good, comforting meal that hits the spot.
Pares House is located at 1 Chanyungco cor Shoe Ave St. Sta. Elena, Marikina City.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beef pares is a Filipino street food dish of tender beef in a sweet-savory, slightly thick sauce, paired with rice. At Pares House in Marikina, it is served with garlic rice topped with a small mound of fried garlic.
Pares House in Marikina has been serving Filipino comfort food since 2011 and operates as a 24-hour spot. Its menu centers on beef pares with garlic rice and beef mami, dishes that keep to familiar, no-frills preparations rather than reinvented versions.
Beef mami at Pares House is a Filipino noodle soup made with a warm, savory broth, chunks of beef, and noodles cut into shorter strands. The pre-cut noodles are easier to slurp alongside the almost-translucent broth and beef, offering an alternative to rice-based pares.
The sauce in Pares House’s beef pares is sweet and savory, glossy and slightly thick, with enough body to cling to the beef and seep into the rice. Paired with fried garlic, it produces a savory, slightly sweet, and garlicky combination.
Pares House is located at 1 Chanyungco cor Shoe Ave St., Sta. Elena, Marikina City. The 24-hour spot has served Filipino comfort food since 2011, including beef pares with garlic rice and beef mami, so it can be visited at any hour.
