When popular Hong Kong restaurant brand Eat Fresh announced that they do not have a branch in San Juan, there was a mild furore among its many fans. The statement was published on their main Facebook page at 5 PM on Wednesday, March 28. Eat Fresh HK Famous Street Food has been famous for its signature laksa, best selling dim sum, and other Hong Kong-style comfort food for decades.

“Please be advised that we currently DO NOT have a branch in San Juan,” it said. “Please refer to our official directory for the complete list of stores.” The official directory listed seven outlets in Marikina, BF Homes, Don Antonio, Pasig, Malate, Katipunan, Banawe/ Maria Clara, and a new one soon to open in Bicutan.

This surprised many, especially people who have been patronizing the restaurant in San Juan. And triggered some humorous comments. “Are we in a Black Mirror episode?” asked one, while others wondered if this was an April Fool’s Day prank come early.

We reached out to Eat Fresh to get the score.

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Apparently, while there is an Eat Fresh restaurant existing in San Juan City, it no longer has any associations with The Eat Fresh Group since October 2020.

“We have taken this opportunity to inform our loyal customers about our official branches so they can continue to support us and our official restaurants,” said Lou Bootan, marketing manager of The Eat Fresh Group.

Metro reached out to the Eat Fresh San Juan Branch, but as there has been no response. Their Facebook page has been up since 2016 but seems to have been inactive since 2021.

Batoon assures Eat Fresh fans that “all the restaurants under The Eat Fresh Group will continue to serve the comforting and familiar dishes our customers know and love.” You need not worry you’ll be deprived of your favorite dishes, from the laksa to the HK fried noodles to the salted egg spare ribs we discovered recently. They even have a new line of pastries, including pineapple tarts.

Eat Fresh’s first branch opened in 2005, as a tiny restaurant in Masangkay Street in Binondo and quickly became famous for its delicious, authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine.

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Plans are also in the works for even more expansions in the next few years, so please stay tuned! Follow Eat Fresh HK Famous Streetfood on Facebook and Instagram.