Best Places for Filipino Cuisine: Where to Find It Today

Discover the best place for Filipino cuisine throughout Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao today. These are regions and cities that offer authentic and superb versions of different Filipino food. This includes popular and lesser-known dishes that you must try!

Without further ado, let’s get the ball rolling at Luzon. 

Best Place for Filipino Cuisine in Luzon

Marvel with Balut in Pateros

Balut is the infamous fertilized duck egg that is incubated for a few days before being cooked. Of course, you know it. After all, it is sold by street peddlers in almost any corner throughout the Philippines. 

But the best place to enjoy authentic Balut is, no doubt, in Pateros. Pateros is the Balut Capital of the country, thanks to the Pateros River where many ducks flock. The first-class municipality even celebrates the Balut Festival every year. And there’s no better balut-eating experience than doing it at the festival.

Crunch Bagnet in Ilocos

Any Pinoy meat lover would love to bite upon this crunchy meat dish. Yes, Bagnet is fried pork. But it is different in many ways.

It is an Ilocano chicharon made from slabs of pork belly. The meat is boiled, air-dried, and deep-fried into perfection. And then, it is flavored with salt, garlic, peppercorn, and bay leaves. Here’s an easy recipe to make this Ilocos bagnet.

Heat with Bulalo in Tagaytay

Bulalo is a popular soup that is made with beef shanks and bone marrow. The meat is traditionally cooked for long hours until the protein and fat melt into the broth. And then, it is seasoned with ginger, garlic, onion, scallion, corn, cabbage, and bok choy or Chinese pechay. Fish sauce is a popular add-on too. Check out this Bulalo Recipe.

Of course, you’d love to have this hearty soup in a cool cozy place. That is why the best place for Filipino cuisine when talking about Bulalo in Tagaytay. Tagaytay is a famous cool place that is a few hours from Manila and has an average temperature of 22.8 °C (73.0 °F). No wonder why many people from Manila want to travel to Tagaytay just for Bulalo. 

Best Place for Filipino Cuisine in Visayas

Grab Slices of Lechon Baboy in Cebu

Lechon Baboy is the popular roasted suckling pig with crispy yummy brown skin. It is cooked on a spit for a few hours over a blazing charcoal pit. Lechon is popular throughout the archipelago with different variations. But Cebu is the undisputed capital of the dish worldwide.

According to Anthony Bourdain, Cebu has the best pigs for cooking lechon. Moreover, it has the best version of lechon too. That involves stuffing different herbs to the belly of the pig before cooking. And that gives the Cebu lechon its unique flavor.

Sip the Noodles of Batchoy in La Paz, Iloilo

You can’t miss Batchoy when talking about soups and noodles in the Philippines. It is a soup with chicken broth, pork offal, and egg noodles, and is usually seasoned with pork rinds or chicharon.

Yes, it is a popular street food. And it is usually considered as a drunk soup or as a remedy for hangover. But La Paz, Iloilo has made this bowl popular among Filipinos. That makes the La Paz district the best place to enjoy a bowl of hot Batchoy. If you are into this and wanted to make this at home, here’s an easy recipe for this La Paz Batchoy.

Get the Challenge of Kalamay in Bohol

The best place for Filipino cuisine when you want Kalamay is in Bohol. Kalamay is a popular delicacy all over the Philippines, and is made from glutenous rice, coconut milk, and brown sugar. What makes it unique is its sticky texture that is even stickier than peanut butter. 

In Bohol, kalamay is usually available in bus terminals, sea ports, and souvenir shops. The delicacy itself is placed inside an empty coconut shell, which is an unspoken mark of kalamay authenticity.

Best Place for Filipino Cuisine in Mindanao

Dare with the Sinuglaw in Davao

This is perfect if you love exotic food. Sinuglaw is a unique dish that is a combination of two distinct food preparation methods. It is the fusion of grilled pork and raw fish in one dish and is a popular food in the Davao Region.

Yes, you grill the pork meat. Then, prepare the raw fish meat by submerging it into a mixture of vinegar, onion, ginger, and lime, among other seasonings. Finally, mix in the grilled pork before serving. 

Stand in Awe with Tuna in General Santos

Tuna is a famous fish worldwide because of its delicious meat. You can cook it or buy canned tuna for easy meal preparation. Whatever you choose, remember that the best place for Filipino cuisine when it is about tuna is in General Santos City

The place is considered as the Tuna Capital of the country. Why? Because of  the marvelous yellowfin tuna that you can see here. People here even celebrate the Tuna Festival every year. 

Enjoy at the Best Places for Filipino Cuisine Authentically Today

The Philippine archipelago has various regions, cultures, and traditions. That is how it has come up with a diverse cuisine that you must enjoy. And if you want the best place for Filipino cuisine, look at the point origin of certain food for authentic recipes and taste.