I've only been to Cabalen, about four times in my entire life. The first two times I ate there, it was awesome. There were a lot of foods to choose from. Every Filipino dish and desert you could think of, it was all on the buffet table. This was almost 20 years ago.
Fast forward a decade or so, and here comes Vikings, Sambokojin, Four Seasons, City Buffet and all other buffet restaurants. Not to mention the influx of Asian-themed restaurants that offer unlimited items.
So my next two visits to Cabalen was after the arrival of the new buffet and unlimited item restaurants. Cabalen was not like it was before. Mind you, these two visits were to two different branches. Both visits were sad. The buffet table was down to 15 dishes at the most; and this includes the deserts. Not to mention the dishes are the ones you usually cook at home like Adobo, Dinuguan, Menudo, and Sinigang to name a few. It least there was Lechon.
My third visit was already a sign, as far as I was concerned. That said to me that Cabalen isn't what it used to be. I need not go on my fourth visit. But one day, I had the craving to eat at a buffet restaurant. Unfortunately, the newer ones were full. Only Cabalen had unoccupied tables. So I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, it was the same as my visit before.
Perhaps it's time to not visit Cabalen anymore. I could buy whatever they have at a Carideria with a much cheaper price. If I want to level it up a bit, I'll just go to Max's.
So, is it still worth it to go to Cabalen? In my opinion, no. Like I said, there are other options if what you want is what they serve.
