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Lola Helen's

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768295482701unnamed (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Lola Helen Panciteria in Sto. Niño, Marikina on December 24, 2025. Mary Rose Maligmat, ABS-CBN News Digital Intern"/>Lola Helen Panciteria in Sto. Niño, Marikina on December 24, 2025. Mary Rose Maligmat, ABS-CBN News Digital Intern</div>Lola Helen Panciteria owner Pacita De Guzman found herself back in the store frontlines amid the holiday rush in Marikina City&#x27;s first Michelin-selected eatery. During Christmas Eve, several bilao orders were laid on a row of enjoined wooden chairs where the finished orders await pickup.The staff were never unoccupied that day as customers from as far as Las Piñas, Parañaque, Taguig, and other neighboring cities come to dine in. They even received delivery orders from as far as Cavite and Bulacan.This rush went on until the night of December 31 as they remained open for media noche.Ever since its <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/food-travel/2025/10/31/michelin-guide-launches-first-ever-ph-selection-108-restaurants-make-the-cut-0705">Michelin Guide recognition in October 2025</a>, Lola Helen seems to have  returned to its pre-pandemic heyday, this time with a new generation of diners and a well-earned place on Marikina’s culinary map. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768296146670unnamed (2).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Pancit at Lola Helen. Mary Rose Maligmat, ABS-CBN News Digital Intern"/>Pancit at Lola Helen. Mary Rose Maligmat, ABS-CBN News Digital Intern</div>Along J.P. Rizal Street in barangay Sto. Niño once stood an ancestral house — owned by the De Guzman family — with a silong that housed a Chinese-owned panciteria since the 1930s.Pacita recalled how she frequented Marikina in her youth because of her auntie, who married a Chinese man who is non-native to the city. There she met Ruben De Guzman, the youngest of the De Guzman kin, and eventually married.The panciteria has always been a popular spot for locals. When the eatery was no longer in the hands of the Chinese cook, the De Guzman family inherited the woks and put them into good use.Since the 1950s, the panciteria has been operated by Ruben&#x27;s elder brother for 19 years. They named it Nanay Helen after their mother, Elena, who owned the property.It was finally turned over to Pacita and Ruben in the mid-2000s and became the Lola Helen that the world knows today. The ancestral house was no more, as it was renovated to be a four-story building in 2017.<div> &#x27;For long life&#x27;</div>Filipinos have eaten pancit for long life and prosperity, both during celebrations and on normal days.Lola Helen offers noodles in many variations, and among them are two dishes that stood out to the anonymous Michelin Guide tasters: the &quot;deeply satisfying&quot; and &quot;aromatic&quot; Bihon Canton con Litson, and the warm, slurpy Hototay Guisado.Also available are chop suey, fried chicken, bola-bola, lumpia, and sweet and sour fish and pork, among other dishes.Pacita shared that much of the menu today is the same as the past, aside from the pancit that was originally served by itself. <div>Back in the day, litson was only reserved for special occasions. They began topping these &quot;moist, springy noodles&quot; with crispy pork as it became popular among customers.<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768296510473unnamed (3).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Other dishes people can try at Lola Helen. Mary Rose Maligmat, ABS-CBN News Digital Intern"/>Other dishes people can try at Lola Helen. Mary Rose Maligmat, ABS-CBN News Digital InternAside from the taste, the Michelin Guide noted how the &quot;generous portions, fair prices, and a well-ventilated upstairs area&quot; make Lola Helen a constant favorite among locals.</div>It has since become a part of countless gatherings by pancit-loving Marikeños.<div> Nourishing locals for generations</div>Some Marikeños say that one is not a true local if they have not eaten at Lola Helen.Pacita chucklingly agreed with this, remembering the homesick customers who migrated to the United States and Canada that she had reconnected with after the Michelin pick. Some of them went straight to the panciteria upon coming home to taste the nostalgia once again.&quot;Ang sarap pakinggan, siyempre, nakakataba ng puso. Hindi rin naman din namin binabago &#x27;yung mga ginagamit naming raw materials. Consistent kami sa mga gamit (ingredients). Kaya &#x27;yung lasa siguro, ganoon pa rin. &#x27;Yan din siguro &#x27;yung nagugustuhan nila, &#x27;yun &#x27;yung nare-remember nila,&quot; Pacita said.&quot;Hindi nila makakalimutan talaga &#x27;yong lasa ng pancit namin. Kaya &#x27;pag uuwi sila, nalalaman namin &#x27;yon kasi kinukwento rin ng mga customer namin.&quot;Aside from consistency, another secret to achieving their signature taste is the use of black woks, just like how traditional Chinese cooks do it. The woks develop a coating called patina that &quot;seasons&quot; the surface over time, adding a depth of flavor to dishes.&quot;Maliit pa lang ako, &#x27;yan mismo ang original na gamit nila, &#x27;yong kawaling maitim. Ang walis naman na &#x27;yon, na-sterilize &#x27;yan. Exclusive lang doon kasi &#x27;yung kawali, hindi talaga sinasabon &#x27;yan,&quot; Pacita clarified after sanitary concerns over the use of walis tingting.The original woks have long retired and were replaced with the same type.<div> </div><div>Strength in adversity</div>Even in adversity, Lola Helen relentlessly sustained the people.When typhoon Ondoy submerged Marikina, the flood reached the panciteria&#x27;s stovetops but fortunately they still ignited. Ondoy struck on a Saturday, usually their most crowded and busiest day of the week.Pacita said they had a full stock of ingredients then so after the water subsided, it was business as usual. They served hungry, flood-stricken residents whose kitchens were unusable until their inventory ran out.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768296820482unnamed.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Photos by Mary Rose Maligmat, ABS-CBN News Digital Intern</div>They may have easily recovered from Ondoy, but this was not the case a couple years later.The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the government to impose strict quarantines, limiting social mobility that forced many businesses to close.Fewer customers ordered from Lola Helen. Not only that, Pacita and other staff found themselves bound by restrictions on senior citizens which hampered operations.Pacita said Lola Helen incurred heavy losses at the time, with many regular customers no longer coming by, possibly because they had lost their jobs or moved back to the provinces.&quot;Kaya lang naman kami nagtatiyaga noon kasi naawa rin kami sa mga tauhan namin na, siyempre, kapag walang pasok, wala silang kita. Kahit papaano kapag open kami, libre na ang pagkain nila &#x27;pag pumasok sila. Pinapadalhan namin sila ng pagkain nilang pamilya dahil &#x27;yon ‘yong tinutulong namin sa aming tauhan noong pandemic,&quot; she said. &quot;Parang bumagsak kami. Lahat naman bumagsak talaga eh... Pero bandang huli, naka-recover din kami after two years tayo na naghirap. Iyon, bumalik ulit sa dati. Pero... hindi na &#x27;yong kasinglakas noong dati,&quot; she added.For the team, the Michelin Guide selection means a lot as the international recognition helped them gain momentum.They are looking forward to welcoming more people to their restaurant and to more growth this year, and all blessings are shared among the team.As more people go all the way to Marikina&#x27;s Michelin-approved pancit, Lola Helen is currently eyeing to come closer. Perhaps it will pop out in your neighborhood&#x27;s nearest corner? But one thing is certain: the panciteria is walking —  or should we say &quot;woking&quot; — the path to longevity.

Ever since its Michelin Guide recognition, Lola Helen seems to have come back to its pre-pandemic heyday, but now in the presence of new diners and with an honorable name in Marikina's gastronomical map.

Ever since its Michelin Guide recognition, Lola Helen seems to have come back to its pre-pandemic heyday, but now in the presence of new diners and with an honorable name in Marikina's gastronomical map.

Marikina eats: Michelin-recognized Lola Helen Panciteria 'woks' path to longevity

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Marikina eats: Michelin-recognized Lola Helen Panciteria 'woks' path to longevity

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Mary Rose Maligmat

Published January 14, 2026 11:00 AM PHT

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Lola Helen Panciteria

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