Cebu is one of the best places in the Philippines to eat, and its reputation rests on a few simple things done very well. The island is best known for lechon, roast pig with skin so crisp it crackles, but the real pleasure is the everyday food around it: grilled skewers, rice cooked in woven pouches, fresh seafood and a long list of sweets that visitors carry home as gifts. You do not need a reservation or a big budget to eat well here. You need curiosity, a little cash and an empty stomach.
Lechon: the dish to start with
Cebu lechon is a whole pig roasted over coals, traditionally stuffed with lemongrass, spring onions and other aromatics so the meat is seasoned from the inside. The skin is the prize, and many locals say a good piece needs no sauce at all. You will find it sold by the kilo, in small portions, and on buffet tables in most hotels and restaurants. Order a modest portion with rice rather than a whole pig unless you are feeding a crowd, and ask for the crispiest pieces.
Puso and the street-food habit
Puso, or hanging rice, is rice boiled inside a pouch of woven coconut leaf and sold in bundles. It is the traditional partner for grilled meat, and you often unwrap it and eat it with your hands. Grill stalls serve pork, chicken and offal on sticks, and the simplest way to eat is to sit at a communal table, order a handful of skewers and a few puso and pay by counting the sticks. Look for stalls with a steady crowd and food coming straight off the coals. Cebu also has pungko-pungko, a casual street style where you sit on low stools and pick fried snacks from a tray, often with a spicy vinegar or sauce. Ngohiong, a spiced fried roll, is another local favourite.
Seafood by the sea
Mactan and the coast are the places for fresh fish. A popular local format is the grill-and-soup-and-ceviche meal, where you choose seafood at the counter and have it cooked three ways: grilled, simmered into a sour soup and prepared as a lime-cured kinilaw. Prices are usually quoted by weight, so confirm before you order. Island hopping lunches on Mactan are also built around simple grilled fish and rice.
Sweet things and gifts
Cebu is famous for dried mangoes, which come from the island's mango harvest, and for dried rabbitfish known as danggit, which is salty and eaten fried for breakfast. Flaky biscuits called otap, crunchy rosquillos and peanut-based sweets also fill the souvenir shelves. Rice cakes made from millet, called budbud kabog, and sticky rice treats are popular at roadside stalls. Buy packaged items in sealed bags for the flight home, and check the rules on food imports for your own country before you pack them.
Drinks
The easiest drink to find is fresh coconut water and sugarcane juice, and many places make juices from local fruit. For something stronger, local beers are cheap and widely available, and tuba, a fermented coconut sap drink, is a rural speciality you may be offered. Hotel bars and restaurants in Ayala and the Mactan resorts offer cocktails and imported wine at much higher prices. Drink only bottled or filtered water.
Where to eat in a day
The simplest approach is to go in layers. Start the day in the old downtown, where the heritage walk and the food tour cover snacks, markets and a sit-down meal, and then follow with seafood by the sea on your Mactan day. Evening is the time for street grills, when stalls fill up and the temperature drops. Markets such as the big public market in the old downtown are fascinating for fruit, dried fish and sweets, but go in the morning, keep your bag in front of you and wear closed shoes.
Tips for eating well
Carry cash in small notes, since many stalls and small restaurants do not take cards. A service charge is often added to restaurant bills, and extra tipping is welcome but not expected. Eat where the turnover is high, choose food cooked in front of you, and take it slowly if your stomach is not used to spicy or oily food. Vegetarians will find the menu heavily built around meat, so ask for vegetable dishes, tofu or rice with eggs, and say clearly if you avoid pork or shellfish. If you would like a guided introduction, the Cebu food tour is the easiest first step, and the heritage walk includes tastings along the way.
