Boracay Food Trip: Food Experiences to Try in the Island Paradise

By God’s grace, my wife and I got married in August last year. We’re supposed to go straight to Baguio for our honeymoon. But there was a surge at that time so the City of Pines closed its borders to tourists and kept it that way for a while. So we decided to postpone our Baguio trip and fly south to Boracay!

Boracay is an island located in Aklan province of the Western Visayas region. It’s known for its white-sand beaches and clear waters, and is always voted as one of best beaches/islands in the world. Locals and foreigners alike flock to the island prior to the pandemic so it took a hit when lockdowns were imposed. But now that restrictions are easing up, visitors are coming back again.

As a foodie, I wasn’t excited to visit Boracay because of its lack of local food. Its Visayan counterparts have something to boast of—Bacolod is known for its chicken inasal (grilled chicken), Cebu for its lechon (roasted pig), and Iloilo for its batchoy (a noodle soup dish). But Boracay? I’m not so sure. So my expectations weren’t that high.

But when I started researching, my excitement slowly grew. And when we were there, our taste buds and tummies were satisfied. So we’d want to share the food experiences we tried and highly recommend that you try. They are:

Barbecue at I Love Backyard BBQ

Located at D’Mall Boracay, I Love Backyard BBQ is your go-to place for Filipino-style barbecue and sizzling items. I tried their barbecued chicken and pork belly, which are juicy, tender, and nicely marinated.

Note: I tried looking for I Love Backyard BBQ’s social media pages so I could include accurate restaurant information. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. Comment below if you can help me out.

Buffet at Sea Breeze Cafe (Henann Regency Resort & Spa)

Hennan Regency’s Seabreeze Cafe proudly claims that it has the best buffet in the island. For P849, you can enjoy seafood, steak, and many more!

How did we find the food? Is it the best? Check out my article on Seabreeze Cafe buffet experience soon!

Address: Station 2, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: Daily, 6AM-10AM (Breakfast Buffet) & 5:30PM-6:00PM (Dinner Buffet) | Facebook (Henann Regency) | Instagram (Henann Regency) | Website (Henann Regency)

Calamansi Muffins at Real Coffee and Tea House

Real Coffee and Tea House is a beachfront food spot with a “million dollar view”. That’s because you can dine there with a stunning view of the Boracay waters!

Real Coffee is a Boracay institution, founded in 1996 by mother-and-daughter duo, Lee and Nadine Rosaia. But it was only when the duo started serving their famous Calamansi Muffins that Real Coffee was put in the map. The Rosaias wanted to replicate lemon cake but it since lemons weren’t widely available at that time, they used calamansi instead, the small citrus common in the Philippines (it’s also called Philippine lime) and Southeast Asia.

The Calamansi Muffin is tart and moist. It’s also dense and a piece is enough to fill you up. It’s definitely the perfect pasalubong (souvenir) to bring home!

Address: Station 2, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: Daily, 7AM-7AM | Facebook | Instagram

Chori Burger at Merly’s BBQ

Okay, this might be the “local” food that Boracay is known for. Chori Burger is simply a sandwich with local chorizo (sweet sausage). It’s so popular that restaurants made their version and “fancified” it. LOL.

But we had to try it at its origin—Merly’s BBQ. Theirs is just two slices of chorizo smothered with ketchup and sandwiched in two cheap hamburger buns. It’s simple but I’ll come back for it. It will also make the perfect after-party snack!

Address: Station 1, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: TBA | Facebook | Instagram

Coffee at Little Wave

We stayed at Hue Hotels and Resorts Boracay (article coming soon!). Aside from an amazing promo, we chose to stay there because of the food spots conveniently located within the hotel complex. One of them is Little Wave, a haven for coffee enthusiasts.

With a partnership with EDSA Beverage Design Group, Little Wave serves both classic and specialty drinks. I tried The Death Cream, which is like an espresso milkshake with thinner consistency. It’s perfectly sweet and creamy, and will definitely bring you to heaven! LOL.

The Death Cream (left; P290) and The Little Wave (right; P250)

Another specialty is The Little Wave, which is espresso and milk shaken together and topped with sea salt cream. I love the hint of saltiness.

Little Wave also serves breakfast and dessert. Try their Millionaire Bar:

Address: Station X, Main Road, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: Wednesday-Monday, 8AM-6PM | Facebook | Instagram

Food Spots by The Sunny Side Group

The Sunny Side Group is the leading F&B group in the island. Started by Nowie and Odette Potenciano in 2014, the group consists of Coco Mama (vegan coconut ice cream), Spicebird (piri-piri), Supermagic Burgers, and it’s namesake cafe, The Sunny Side Cafe. Actually, Little Wave is owned by the Potencianos as well.

Spicebird’s Piri-Piri Pork Board (Pork Belly: P320)

Check out my article on the The Sunny Side Group soon!

Four Cheese Pizza and Oyster Sisig at barLO Resto Lounge (Two Seasons Boracay Resort)

When we asked our family what pasalubong they wanted, my brother-in-law joked that we bring home Two Seasons’ Four Cheese Pizza. (We didn’t brought home for him, by the way. LOL.). I was intrigued. What could be so special about a cheese pizza?!

At first, I didn’t include this in our eat-inerary. But I don’t want to have any food regret so we went to try it. I’m glad we did! Its crust is paper thin and crisp, and the cheeses are rightly sharp and balanced. Even the cheddar and bleu cheese aren’t overpowering, giving another dimension of taste. The basil leaves add to the overall flavor. This is definitely one of my favorite food in Boracay…and I wished I bought for my brother-in-law! Peace, bro-in-law!

We also tried another best seller: Oyster Sisig. It’s crispy, chewy, creamy, and smoky. It’s surely rice-worthy!

Address: Two Seasons Boracay Resort, Station 1, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: Daily, 7AM-10PM | Facebook (Two Seasons Boracay Resort) | Instagram (Two Seasons Philippines)

Fruit Shakes at Jonah’s Fruit Shake

One of the best ways to beat the Boracay heat is to drink fresh fruit shakes. And Jonah’s, another institution in the island, does it best!

For their branches and operating hours, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.

Gastropub Food and Craft Beers at Los Indios Bravos

Paying tribute to the “brave natives”, Los Indios Bravos is the only gastrobar in the island that serves craft beer on tap.

Of course, good beer has to be accompanied with good food. Los Indios Bravos serves pub food such as Fish & Chips and Shepherd’s Pie. Unfortunately, their latter was out of stock when we visited, and the former was underwhelming. But we loved their Bitterballen, which are Dutch croquettes of beef mash, and their Deep Fried Mars Bar, which has an amazing batter. We could tell that they make good fish & chips because of how they fried their Mars bar.

Beer Flights (P200). Get this if you want to sample 3 of their craft beers.

Bitterballen (left; P280) and Deep Fried Mars Bar (right; P250)

We’ll definitely be back to try their fish & chips, their Dino Ribs (US Angus Beef Back Ribs), and other pub food!

Address: White House Beach Resort, Main Road, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: Daily, TBA | Facebook | Instagram

Healthy Food at Nonie’s

If you want to take a break from all the unhealthy eating (LOL), then head to Nonie’s. This food spot uses fresh ingredients locally and ethically sourced from the island and the Panay mainland. So at Nonie’s, you get to eat healthily, sustainably, and responsibly!

Nonie’s offers fusion-style, Filipino-inspired menu. We tried their Chicken and Pork Adobo and Tempeh Kare Kare. Both are good. But honestly, it will take time for me to appreciate tempeh and anything vegan. LOL.

Tempeh Kare Kare (left; P490) and Chicken and Pork Adobo (right; P490)

Address: Station X, Main Road, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: Daily, 11AM-9PM | Facebook | Instagram

Italian Food at Forno Osteria (Discovery Shores Boracay)

Literally “oven restaurant”, Forno Osteria is a casual Italian restaurant located in Discovery Shores Boracay (you can dine at Forno without checking-in at the resort). Using its two industrial ovens (a brick pizza oven and a Josper grill), the restaurant specializes in pizza and steaks.

We tried their:

Linguini ala Vongole: Pasta is al dente and mussels are fresh (they ran out of clams)
Margherita Pizza: Tomato sauce is tangy, cheese is perfectly sharp, tomatoes are juicy, and the crust is nicely chewy. Unfortunately, they ran out of basil. How can it be a Margherita?! LOL.
Roman Style Porchetta: This fatty piece of pork is fork-tender. It’s crust give a nice bitterness and a strong rosemary flavor. It comes with apples, which are crisp and juicy.

From Left to Right: Linguini Ala Vongole (P660), Margherita Pizza (P690), and Roman Style Porchetta (P1390)

Forno Osteria makes amazing Italian food. We hope to be back again and try their other Italian dishes. And fingers crossed, they have clams and basil! LOL.

Address: Discovery Shores Boracay, Station 1, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan | Operating Hours: Friday & Saturday, 6-10PM | Facebook | Instagram | Website (Discovery Shores)

Seafood Paluto

Since Boracay is an island, you can’t visit there and not have fresh seafood. Just walk along the beach and you’ll find vendors offering seafood paluto (loosely translated as “to have it cooked”). In this way, you get to choose the seafood you like (sold by the kilo) and the cooking style you want (fee varies per seafood, style, and weight).

Just make sure you ask for prices and do some computation so you won’t be surprised by the bill.

Spanish-Filipino Heritage Food at Dos Mestizos

Dos Mestizos is an institution in Boracay. With locally-sourced fresh ingredients, they make the best Spanish-Filipino heritage food, which my wife and I both loved! We ate there twice!

We loved everything we ate there! Our favorites are Baked Oysters al Espagnola, Paella Negra (Squid-Ink Paella), and Salpicao de Vaca (Beef Salpicao).

Check out my Dos Mestizos article soon!

What food experience/s above have you tried or would like to try? What should we try next? Comment them below!