Food · Cebu · Philippines
What to eat in Cebu
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Cebu, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Tyrll Adolf Itong, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Cebu lechon, Hanging rice and Sutukil. Order a plate of lechon with puso and a bowl of soup at one of the city's lechon restaurants, or buy by the kilo at Carcar's market. Puso is the local alternative to plain rice at barbecues; buy a few per person.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Cebu lechon
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 2
- Tipping
- Restaurants often add a 10% service charge; otherwise leave about 10%.
- Food experiences
- 3
10 foods to try
Dish
1.Cebu lechon
Whole roast pig stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, spring onions and spices and spit-roasted over coals until the skin is glassy and crisp. Cebuanos say it is so well seasoned it needs no sauce.
Where: Lechon restaurants across Cebu City and stalls in Carcar and Talisay, sold by the kilo or by the plate.
Dish · Vegetarian
2.Hanging rice (Puso)
Rice cooked inside small woven pouches of coconut leaves, sold in bunches at barbecue stalls and eaten by cutting the pouch open.
Where: Barbecue stalls, street grills and Larsian.
Dish
3.Sutukil
A seafood meal named for three cooking methods: sugba (grilled), tuwa (in soup) and kilaw (raw, cured in vinegar). You pick seafood from the display and choose how each is cooked.
Where: Restaurants next to the Mactan Shrine and along Mactan's coast.
Street food
4.Larsian barbecue
Skewers of pork, chicken, intestines and seafood grilled over charcoal and eaten with puso and spiced vinegar at open-air tables.
Where: The Larsian barbecue strip near Fuente Osmeña Circle in Cebu City, busy from evening until late.
Breakfast
5.Dried rabbitfish (Danggit)
Small rabbitfish split, salted and sun-dried, then fried crisp and eaten with garlic rice, eggs and vinegar for breakfast.
Where: Breakfast canteens and the dried-fish stalls of Taboan Market.
Street food
6.Ngohiong
A Cebuano spring roll of julienned ubod (palm heart) and vegetables seasoned with five-spice, deep-fried and served with a sweet-spicy sauce; a legacy of the island's Chinese community.
Where: Street stalls and canteens around Cebu City, especially downtown.
Street food
7.Siomai sa Tisa
Steamed pork dumplings from the Tisa district of Cebu City, served with puso or rice and a generous spoonful of chilli-garlic oil.
Where: Siomai stalls in Tisa and throughout the city.
Street food
8.Tuslob buwa
A bubbling sauce of pig brain, liver, shrimp paste and spices cooked in a small pan at your table, into which diners dip puso; the name means 'dip in bubbles'.
Where: Street-side stalls in Cebu City's Pasil and Mambaling areas.
Snack
9.Chicharon
Crisp deep-fried pork rind, with Carcar's version, sold with or without fat, considered the island's best.
Where: Stalls around the Carcar public market and pasalubong shops in Cebu City.
Snack · Vegetarian
10.Dried mangoes and otap
Cebu is famous for sweet dried mangoes made from local carabao mangoes, and for otap, a flaky, sugar-glazed oval biscuit.
Where: Pasalubong (gift) shops, supermarkets and the airport.
Food experiences
Lechon lunch
Order a plate of lechon with puso and a bowl of soup at one of the city's lechon restaurants, or buy by the kilo at Carcar's market.
Night at Larsian
Choose raw skewers at the Larsian stalls, have them grilled, and eat at shared tables with puso and vinegar.
Sutukil seafood feast
Pick fish, prawns and shellfish at the Mactan Shrine restaurants and order them grilled, in soup and as kinilaw.
Quick bites and street food
- Larsian barbecue — The Larsian barbecue strip near Fuente Osmeña Circle in Cebu City, busy from evening until late.
- Dried rabbitfish — Breakfast canteens and the dried-fish stalls of Taboan Market.
- Ngohiong — Street stalls and canteens around Cebu City, especially downtown.
- Siomai sa Tisa — Siomai stalls in Tisa and throughout the city.
- Tuslob buwa — Street-side stalls in Cebu City's Pasil and Mambaling areas.
- Chicharon — Stalls around the Carcar public market and pasalubong shops in Cebu City.
- Dried mangoes and otap — Pasalubong (gift) shops, supermarkets and the airport.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 2 are usually vegetarian: Hanging rice and Dried mangoes and otap. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Puso is the local alternative to plain rice at barbecues; buy a few per person.
- Lechon is priced by weight; ask for a mix of skin and meat.
- Sutukil restaurants charge by weight for the raw seafood plus a cooking fee; confirm both first.
- Malls in uptown Cebu City have food courts with many Cebuano favourites.
- Service charge of about 10% is often added to restaurant bills.
Tipping
Restaurants often add a 10% service charge; otherwise leave about 10%. Boat crews, dive guides and canyoneering guides appreciate a tip at the end of the day.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Maayong buntag | Good morning (Cebuano) |
| Salamat | Thank you |
| Pila? | How much? |
| Lami | Delicious |
| Palihug | Please |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Cebu famous for?
Cebu lechon, Hanging rice, Sutukil and Larsian barbecue. Whole roast pig stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, spring onions and spices and spit-roasted over coals until the skin is glassy and crisp.
+Is Cebu good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Hanging rice and Dried mangoes and otap.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Cebu?
Restaurants often add a 10% service charge; otherwise leave about 10%. Boat crews, dive guides and canyoneering guides appreciate a tip at the end of the day.