You can’t come to Iloilo City and not do a food trip. The city is an amazing food destination and home to iconic dishes that you can only find there. I think that most of its restaurants haven’t reached the Manila shores yet. (Find out the Visayan restaurants that are already in Manila here.)

Iloilo City is also the birthplace of the Lapaz Batchoy, a noodle soup with pork, pig innards, and chicharon (fried pork rinds) bits, originating in the La Paz district. The noodles are usually egg noodles. But in Iloilo, you have the option of sotanghon (vermicelli) and misua.

You might be drooling by now. So here are the dishes I tried (in alphabetical order):

Cakes at Maridel’s

Unlike Bacolod City, there’s are a few known dessert places in the city (or was I under-researched?). One of them is Maridel’s. I tried their Death by Chocolate (P110/slice), which is incredibly fudgy.

Address: Plazuela de Iloilo, Benigno Aquino Ave., Brgy. San Rafael, Mandurriao District | Operating Hours: Daily, 1-9:30PM

Coffee at Madge Café

If you’re visiting the Lapaz Public Market to eat authentic batchoy, don’t forget to drop by Madge Cafe. They serve good coffee brewed traditionally. And the best part? It’s just P40 (minimum) per cup!

Madge Café (Media Puro/Strong Black Coffee: P40)

Who would’ve thought that a cafe serving good coffee exists inside a public market?

Address: Lapaz Public Market, Rizal St. cor. Huervana St., La Paz | Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday, 5:30AM-6:30PM; Sunday, 5:30AM-1PM

Kansi at Pat Pat’s Kansi

Kansi (or cansi) is a famous Ilonggo and Negrense bone-in beef shank sour soup dish. Let me give you a personification: Bulalo (the most popular bone-in beef shank soup dish in the country) and sinigang (another sour soup dish popular in the Philippines) married and had a child. That child is kansi.

But for me, kansi is unique in 2 ways. First is it’s simplicity. Unlike bulalo and sinigang, kansi doesn’t have vegetables (at least those that I tried). Second is the souring agent. Sinigang is traditionally made sour by sampalok (tamarind), sometimes kamias (bilimbi). But kansi is made sour by batwan, a sour fruit native to Southeast Asia, which gives the dish a fruity taste, as in the case of Pat Pat’s version.

There are 2 varieties of kansi in Pat Pat’s: Laman, which is purely beef chunks, and bulalo, which has a bone marrow and is true to authentic kansi. I prefer the former because I think it has more meat. Whichever you choose, you’ll still have an amazing bowl of kansi anyways.

By the way, there’s a Pat Pat’s Kansi in Makati! :)

Address (Jaro Branch): E. Lopez St., Brgy. San Vicente, Jaro District | Operating Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8AM-8:30PM

Lapaz Batchoy at the Lapaz Public Market

As I mentioned above, batchoy originated in the La Paz district of the city. The better thing is that the popular batchoy places, such as Deco’s, Netong’s, and Ted’s are all located at the Lapaz Public Market.

I did a Lapaz batchoy crawl to find out the best one. So I’ll write about my experience on another blog entry. Keep in touch for it!

Address of Lapaz Public Market: Rizal St. cor. Huervana St., La Paz district | Operating Hours: The batchoy stalls have different operating hours

Lechon Manok at Tatoy’s Manokan & Seafoods

There are many seafood restaurants in the city. But there are only 2 that standout: Tatoy’s and Breakthrough (more on the latter later).

But Tatoy’s is known for its Lechon Manok, a roasted chicken flavored with spices and tanglad (lemongrass). It’s normally paired with a liver sauce and atchara, a side dish made with pickled green papaya.

Tatoy’s Lechon Manok is made with native chicken, which in my experience, is chewy and has less meat than regular chicken. But Tatoy’s version is incredibly tender, strongly flavored by the lemongrass. It’s skin is in between soft and crispy, which I like.

I also ordered their bestselling Kinilaw na Tangigue, a dish made with raw Spanish mackerel and marinated with vinegar. But Tatoy’s version is a bit sweet because of the red onions and unripe tomatoes. The fish is also fresh, not even having a tinge of fishiness to it. I love it!

Unfortunately, the kinilaw is the only seafood dish I had at Tatoy’s. That’s because when I ate there, I was still recovering from a bad stomach (I suspect it was the coconut oil that I was taking). So we go to Breakthrough for the seafood.

Address: Baluarte-Calumpang-Villa-Oton Blvd., Brgy. Santo Niño Sur, Villa Arevalo District | Operating Hours: Daily, 7:30AM-9:30PM

Pancit Molo at Tita Paz

One of my favorite childhood dishes is pancit Molo, a soup dish with pork dumplings, shredded chicken, and even shrimp, topped with green onions. I normally eat this during the Christmas season.

I’m glad to have learned that the dish originated in the Molo district. Thus the name of the dish. The dish resembles a Chinese wonton soup and that’s because, I believe, the Chinese resided in the district.

It is said that the best place to have this dish is at Tita Paz. The broth is light, the flat noodles are soft, and the dumplings are rightly plump (but don’t expect to be as big as a typical wonton). It’s the perfect breakfast (or snack)!

Address: Avanceña St., Brgy. South Fundidor, Molo District | Operating Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8AM-6:30PM

Queen Siopao at Roberto’s

This is not your ordinary siopao (filled steamed bun). Roberto’s Queen Siopao is made with chicken and pork adobo, Chinese sausage, egg and...drumroll...bacon! This has be the best siopao I have ever tried!

Address: 61 J.M. Basa St., Iloilo City Proper | Operating Hours: Daily, 8AM-7PM

Seafoods at Breakthrough Restaurant

My best meal was at Breakthrough Restaurant. For fish, I got the managat (mangrove jack) and sibingan (marlin/swordfish). I had the former grilled but its head sinigang, which is nicely soured with kamias (bilimbi). The vegetables had a good crunch.

Grilled Managat and Managat Head Sinigang (P1000/kg.)

The sibingan was grilled. It is firmer and has a slightly stronger taste than the managat. Both are fresh and has no fishiness at all!

Of course, I had to try their other bestseller, which is baked oysters. The cheese is creamy and rich!

What I like at Breakthrough Restaurant is that you can dine by the sea. Well, you can also do so at Tatoy’s but I think you should be a big group to avail of the beachside huts.

It's nice to have a meal by the sea at Breakthrough!

And they accept credit cards! Haha.

Address: Baluarte-Calumpang-Villa-Oton Blvd., Brgy. Santo Niño Sur, Villa Arevalo District | Operating Hours: Daily, 9AM-9PM

Talaba (Oysters) at Bulljack Talabahan

There are many talabahan (oyster joints--if there is such a term) in Iloilo City. They serve fresh oysters that are very cheap. I went to Bulljack because it was recommended by a friend.

The oysters were cheap, fresh, and served steaming hot!

Address: Coastal Rd., Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro District | Operating Hours: Daily, 8AM-9PM

Are there other dishes that I missed to try in Iloilo City? Comment them below.

Iloilo City Trip: Trying the Iconic Dishes of the City