"Our strength is that we've tried to do away with all the inconveniences and complications of most seafood restaurants. We've dared to go against the trend of posh high-brow exclusivity. Our outlets are not fancy restaurants, so people feel welcome and comfortable, but they're air-conditioned. And, we have an enclosed videoke room for small family gatherings, like birthdays and baptismal celebrations. Customers do not have to spend too much money on live seafood, worry about picking the right shellfish or getting the weight of crabs for your family, and wait a long time for your orders to be cooked. We want customers to feel comfortable. So, we advise them to make reservations if they plan to dine in on Fridays and Sundays because they might not find enough seats if they walk-in. We have no solo meals and we do not compete with fast food outlets. We aren't a fancy restaurant but we've intentionally veered away with fast food value meals and rice toppings. What we have are bilao (large woven tray) sets that at Php 1,100.00 is more than a bargain for 3 to 4 people. And you can upsize that to a killer bilao, our top of the line bestseller, except for sauce-based dishes. If you're curious about what makes our cooking tick, there's really no secret to it. We just cook seafood the dampa (cottage) style, plus we don't stock. What's delivered today will be out by end of the day. So, everything is as fresh as they can get." ~Simon Lim Jr., Dampa Express Owner Continues to Hold the Title od "Dampa King"
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Dampa Express
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One fact about me is that I Love Seafood especially shrimp and crab, as well as milkfish, squid, oyster, and lobster that I had only yet eaten once during our cruise and loved it right away. And the best way to really enjoy a seafood boodle fight with the whole family is by eating barehand getting those hands messy and licking all the sauces making me feel craving for a seafood bilao right now.....
There’s no doubt that fish is a vital protein with plenty of brain-boosting, heart-loving, inflammation-busting nutrients. Eating seafood helps prevent some 54,000 deaths from heart disease and stroke each year.
Did you know that the'res a go-to place restaurant that's affordable, fast, and convenient seafood a la carte treats even during and despite the pandemic! And that is
Dampa Express which is getting bigger and better in the new normal. Making Seafood accessible to people.
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| Dampa Express |
Dampa Express is now on their 4rth year in the business but going 30th on their branches nationwide. Mr. Simon said during the pandemic while some restaurants went into closing, they gained x3 of their sales and he also mentioned that they're about to open 7 branches from Batangas, Cavite, to Pangasinan, and a lot more. This phenomenal brainchild of
Simon Lim, Jr, and his best friend
Ronald Lledan, is going on 30 branches, of which 10 are provincial franchises and 10 are company-owned. He used to go about pushing a cart then when he started supplying all Dampa Express branches, he has able to buy a pedicab, and now, he's driving a car. From the fruit of Mr. Lim's labors, they're able to open a private resort in Pampanga, with a giant crab image as a tribute to their success:
katas ng alimango (the fruit of selling crabs).
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| Mr. Simon Lim Jr. and Ron Iledan of Dampa Express |
Dampa Express average riches 5 tons or 5,000 kilos of crabs a week. Dampa Express is 90% Filipino featuring their bilao style from Pangasinan. They make the biggest order for crabs in this part of the world. At one time, their orders reached P10.5M worth of crabs..... holy crab. They get their source of seafood all the way from Capiz and Zamboanga if there is an airline and if the weather is good, and sometimes from Pampanga. Mr. Simon Lim, Jr, make it a point to source everything they use and serve from fellow Filipinos. For instance, all their itlog na maalat (called duck's egg) and bilao are from Pampanga. They're 100% Pinoy to give back to the community.
This unprecedented success as an innovative seafood restaurant that pioneered "Affordability, accessibility, and accelerated service" in the Philippines has earned Simon Lim, Jr, the title of Dampa King. But did you know that Simon Lim, Jr, don't cook and neither don't eat crabs? He has been called MrAlimango, MrDampa, Crab King, or Dampa King because he has successfully brought Dampa Express to communities and expanded on the dampa concept.
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| Dampa Express |
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| Dampa Express |
Usually before if we have relatives abroad who come home for vacation we Filipinos usually take them to Dampa those near in MOA or any Dampa restaurants, but now you can eat seafood that's not too pricey yet affordable pangmasa. Dampa Express wanted to offer and bring their seafood offerings to the people in a convenient and not so pricey way.
Since dine-in is limited still in most restaurants, they venture into delivery and glad to know that they're boosting during the pandemic up until the new normal. Customers just simply dial Dampa Express hotline or message them for home deliveries. Mr. Lim said he thought he'd lose everything during the pandemic, but to his surprise sales grew exponentially with greater demand for deliveries. It turned out that seafood is pandemic proof.
With only the Greenhills branch closing shop for reasons not related to the lockdown, the restaurant chain had let go of 100 people overall given that branches had to temporarily suspend operations. Thus, Dampa Express continues to operate on 300 employees who receive the minimum wage plus all the government-mandated benefits they deserve as food service workers.
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| Dampa Express |
Dampa Express meals are priced and prepared for families. It's known as the original house of seafood bilaos. It's interesting, however, that Dampa Express's specialty, alimangosabilao (crabs in large woven trays) was discovered by accident. Now, alimangosabilao gets from 50 to 100 orders on an ordinary day to 200-250 orders on special occasions like Mother's Day, on holidays, and during the Christmas season December, ringing in a total of P300K at its peak.
Dampa Express Menu
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| Dampa Express Bilao |
A lawyer friend ordered crabs and for lack of a better packaging for the crabs, had it delivered in a large woven tray. He took a picture of the generous serving and posted it on social media. The post generated a lot of likes and bombarded him with inquiries, so they started using that packaging to represent their brand the seafood in bilao.
Mixed Crab and Shrimp
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| Dampa Express Mixed Crab and Shrimp Bilao |
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| Dampa Express Mixed Crab and Shrimp Bilao |
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| Dampa Express Mixed Crab and Shrimp Bilao |
Baked Tahong and Oyster
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| Dampa Express Baked Tahong and Oyster |
Pusit Lumot
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| Dampa Express Pusit Lumot |
Grilled Tuna Panga
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| Dampa Express Grilled Tuna Panga |
Adobong Pusit
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| Dampa Express Adobong Pusit |
Halaan in Ginger Soup
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| Dampa Express Halaan in Ginger Soup |
Dampansit
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| Dampa Express Dampansit |
Chopsuey
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| Dampa Express Chopsuey |
Crispy Pata
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| Dampa Express Crispy Pata |
Dampa Express Menu
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Dampa Express Menu |
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Dampa Express Menu |
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| Dampa Express Menu |
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| Dampa Express Menu |
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| Dampa Express |
To date, Dampa Express serves around 2,000 customers daily in all their branches combined. Dampa Express Seafood Paluto & Grill brings you traditional dampa recipes at affordable prices. Mura, mabilis at masarap.
Ang PAMBANSANG SEAFOOD FOR ALL!
You can also conveniently order via Foodpanda and Lalafood.
Contact Branches:
HOLY SPIRIT DR, DON ANTONIO, Q.C.
(02) 77504460; (0906) 2236330
BRITTANY, FAIRVIEW, Q.C.
(0915) 9232596; (0953) 173 4918; (0918) 927 6840
KAMIAS, Q.C.
(02) 79441036; (0956) 4468932; (0917) 8711700; Tel no. 0919-4986-734
BRICKROAD, STA.LUCIA
0935-337-7671
PIONEER CENTER, PASIG CITY
09104038065 ; (02) 7757-8836
STO.NIÑO MEYCAUAYAN
0906 318 9215; 0939 554 4210
GUIGUINTO BULACAN
09156865037; 09291093045
ANGELES, PAMPANGA
09774486410; 09677848832; 09474744278; 09334307788
DON JOSE, STA. ROSA, LAGUNA
09197673777; 09152792054
OLYMPIA, LAGUNA
09565042380; 09512188480
DR. A. SANTOS, SAN ANTONIO, PARANAQUE
09159232598
DOΓA SOLEDAD, PARAΓAQUE
09272298760
GENTRI CAVITE
0917 187 9246
STO. TOMAS BATANGAS
0917 110 5258; 0919 000 3512
TAGAYTAY
09171749727; 09053393464; 09087239101
CALAMBA
0956-831-1171
SAN PABLO, LAGUNA
0910 416 9690
BALANGA, BATAAN
09518706515; 09267122376
