Zoy's Top 5: Philippine Food Destinations

06-18 ZT5 PHILIPPINE FOOD DESTINATIONS CP.png

Since it’s Independence Month (the Philippine Independence Day was on June 12), I planned to do 4-part series of Proudly Pinoy (a slang for Filipino), which is a celebration of Filipino brands and products that have achieved national and/or international recognition and/or reach (I did one last year; links to the articles coming soon!). Because of the pandemic and quarantine, I wasn’t able to do foodventures for new content. Last Monday, I updated my article on the World Street Food Masters of the country, since I was able to visit another one this year (check it our here).

In celebration still of the country’s independence, I’m listing down my Top 5 Philippine food destinations. Subjectively, these are the destinations where I enjoyed its gastronomy.

But coming up with only 5 isn’t too hard. What’s hard is ranking the 5 because they all have the potential to be first. So I’ll be objective and methodical in my approach. I considered the following factors and asked the question per category:

Dishes: What are the iconic dishes of the city? Do they have recognition, formal or informal?
Ingredients: Are all the food groups (fruit, grains, meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables) used in local dishes? Does the destination have its own native ingredient? Or does it have any ingredient that is abundant in this place than others?
Culinary Diversity: How diverse are the cooking methods employed (fried, grilled, roasted, souped, etc.) in its local food? The representation of local and international cuisines (but with more weight on the latter)? The food experiences to try?

Answering the questions, I was able to rank 5, although with huge difficulty. I won’t be discussing it below because it’s extensive and can bore you out. LOL.

So let’s start with the Top 5 destination:

5. Iloilo City (Iloilo)

Iloilo City is the capital of Iloilo province, a city in the Panay Island of Western Visayas, the country’s central region (okay, that’s too much geography; want the coordinates?). It is also the birthplace of the La Paz Batchoy. Originating in the city’s La Paz district, it’s a noodle soup with pork, pig innards, and chicharon (fried pork rinds) bits. The noodles are usually egg noodles. But in Iloilo, you have the option of sotanghon (vermicelli) and misua. (Check my La Paz batchoy crawl here.)

Miagao Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s located in Miagao, a municipality south of Iloilo City.

But what I enjoyed the most are the fresh seafoods. Being near the sea, Iloilo City is full of seafood restaurants and talabahan (oyster spots).

Seafood Feast at Breakthrough Restaurant

My Favorite Dishes (in alphabetical order):

Kansi (bone-in beef shank sour soup) at Pat-Pat’s Kansi
La Paz Batchoy at ? (Check out my batchoy crawl here to find out!)
Lechon Manok (rotisserie chicken) at Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafoods
Queen Siopao (steamed bun with filling) at Roberto’s
Seafood at Breakthrough Restaurant

Related Articles:

4. Angeles City (Pampanga)

If I want to do get out of the Metro and do a food trip without travelling too far, Angeles comes to mind. Located in the province of Pampanga, which is dubbed as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, Angeles is home to many legendary restaurants and world-class chefs.

It is also the birthplace of a Filipino favorite: the Sisig! No wonder that the late American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain visited the city for his show No Reservations. You just can’t leave this place without experiencing its gastronomic wonders.

My Favorite Dishes (in alphabetical order):

Chicken Barbecue at Jun Jun’s Restaurant
Crispy Aromatic Duck at Downtown Cafe
Crispy Pork Belly + Truffled Macadamia Kare-Kare at Cafe Fleur
Pancit Palabok at Susie’s Cuisine
Sisig at ? (Check out my sisig crawl here to find out!)

Related Series: Start with Angeles Food Trip: Food Experiences to Try at the Birthplace of Sisig

3. Davao City

Davao City is located in, although it is independently governed from it, Davao del Sur, a province in Mindanao, the southern region of the Philippines. It is famous for its tuna and the king of fruits—Durian. There are a lot of food experiences to try in the city as well.

Aside from Cebu, Davao City is another destination visited by foreign foodies and vloggers alike. That list includes Best Ever Food Review Show’s Sonny Side, Singaporean KF Seetoh, and Strictly Dumpling’s Mikey Chen. So if they visited the King City of the South, so we should!

My Favorite Food (in alphabetical order):

Chicken Barbecue at Nanay Rebecca’s Halal BBQ & Restaurant
Durian
Durian Pie at Cecil’s Snack Inn & Bakeshoppe
Tuna Laing at Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant
Tuna Panga (grilled tuna jaw or jowl) at Dod’s Ihaw-Ihaw Grill

Related Series: Start with Davao Food Trip: Food Experiences to Try at the King City of the South

2. Bacolod City (Negros Occidental)

Known as the City of Smiles, Bacolod is located in the northwestern part of Negros Island and is the provincial capital of Negros Occidental. The western Visayan city is also known of its amazing food, home to cansi, desserts and sweets, and, of course, Chicken Inasal (grilled skewered chicken).

The Ruins. This is located at the neighboring Talisay City and has become a must-visit for tourists visiting Bacolod.

My Favorite Food (in alphabetical order):

Chicken Inasal at ? (Check out my chicken inasal crawl here to find out!)
Cansi (Regular and Fried) at Sharyn’s Cansi House
Ensaimada and Hot Chocolate at Felicia’s Pastry Shop
Linaga (beef soup) at Saning’s Eatery
Napoleones (a multi-layered puff pastry) at Roli’s Cafe

Related Series: Start with Bacolod Food Trip: Food Experiences to Try at the City of Smiles

1. Cebu City/Metro (Cebu)

Cebu City is the oldest city in the Philippines, founded in 1565. It’s also the capital of the province of Cebu in Central Visayas. You can’t tour the city and not experience its amazing culinary scene. How can you visit Cebu City and not eat barbecue, Lechon (roast suckling pig), and seafood?!

I chose Cebu City as Top 1 because it met all the criteria above. I said I won’t be discussing this extensively but I’ll make an exception for this one. The city has several iconic dishes, most notably lechon, which has gained the admiration of Anthony Bourdain and Mikey Chen and was even featured in Netflix’s docuseries, Street Food.

Ingredients and cooking methods are also diverse. You can try 3-way seafood (SuTuKil), barbecued chicken, beef soup (Pochero), deep-fried anything (like Pungko-Pungko), fish soup (like Linarang), and roasted pig (lechon), among many others. The city, being a bustling and rapidly-developing metropolis, is also home to highly-rated restaurants offering international cuisines.

You won’t run out of food experiences in Cebu Metro!

My Favorite Dishes (in alphabetical order):

Barbecue at AA BBQ and Matias
Cebu Lechon at ? (Check out my Cebu lechon crawl here to find out)
Linarang at Larangan sa Pasil
Pungko-Pungko at Pungko-Pungko sa Fuente
SuTuKil at STK ta Bay! at Paolito’s Seafood House

Related Series: Start with Cebu Food Trip: Trying the Local Dishes of the Queen City of the South

Do you agree with my list? What are your Top 5 Philippine food destinations? What food destination in the country should I visit next? Comment them below!