Cebu City Food in Cebu and Bohol

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Cebu City is one of the best places in the Philippines to eat. It is most famous for lechon, a whole roast pig with crisp skin and a well-seasoned inside. The city also loves grilled food, fresh seafood and small rice parcels called puso. Food is simple, filling and good value. This guide covers the dishes to try and how to find them.

Cebu lechon

Many Filipinos say the best lechon comes from Cebu. A whole pig is filled with herbs such as lemongrass, garlic, onion and pepper, then roasted slowly over charcoal. The skin becomes thin, hard and crisp, and the meat stays juicy. Unlike lechon in Manila, Cebu lechon is seasoned well enough that most people eat it without a sauce. You can buy it by weight at lechon shops, often with rice and a bowl of soup. Popular lechon places sell out, so lunch is the best time to go.

Puso and barbecue

Puso is rice cooked inside a small pouch of woven coconut leaves. It is easy to carry and is eaten with grilled meat. In the evening, street stalls called larsian grill skewers of pork, chicken, intestines and other parts over charcoal. You choose your skewers from a tray, and they are grilled and served with puso and a dip of vinegar and soy sauce. The Fuente Osmeña area is well known for this kind of evening barbecue. Eat where the grill is busy and the food is cooked fresh.

Seafood and sutukil

Sutukil is a local way of eating seafood. The name comes from three words: sugba, which means grilled; tula, which means soup; and kilaw, which means raw fish in vinegar. You choose fresh fish, shellfish or squid from ice displays, and the kitchen cooks each item the way you ask. Mactan Island, near the airport, has many sutukil restaurants. Kilaw is made with raw fish, so eat it only at busy, clean places. Order a mix of grilled, soup and kilaw dishes to share.

Sweets and snacks

Dried mangoes are Cebu's most famous food gift, and many brands are made on the island. Other local snacks include otap, a thin, flaky biscuit, and rosquillos, a small ring-shaped cookie. In the morning, many people eat budbud, a sticky rice snack wrapped in leaves, sometimes made with chocolate. Fresh fruit is everywhere, especially mango. You can buy snacks to take home at supermarkets, the airport and the pasalubong shops found around the city. Pasalubong means a gift you bring home from a trip.

Tips for eating out

Most local restaurants are simple and casual. Many use a self-service counter, where you point at the dishes you want. Rice is served with almost every meal, and some places offer unlimited rice. Food is not usually very spicy, but chilli and vinegar are on the table if you want more taste. Cash is still common at small stalls, while malls and newer restaurants take cards. Drink bottled or filtered water. Shopping malls also have large food courts, which are easy for first-time visitors.

Cebu City Food at a glance

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