Cebu is one of the Philippines’ most popular vacation spots, with white, sandy beaches and spectacular diving locations. Known as the Queen City of the South, Cebu City has huge potential in terms of commerce, trade, education and infrastructure due to its strategic, central location. As the oldest city - and the original capital of the Philippines - Cebu has numerous historical sites with amazing stories to tell.
In the day, you can choose to enjoy a guided tour to learn more about the history of this city, or dive off the coast to hunt for graceful and mysterious sea creatures. But when the sun sets, you might start to wonder what Cebu can offer. To get you exploring this growing city, here’s a Late Night Guide to the tropical paradise of Cebu.
Eat
The Pig and Palm
MSY Tower, Pescadores Rd. Cebu Business Park, Cebu City
Monday to Sunday
Michelin-starred British Chef Jason Atherton pays tribute to his Filipino wife by opening his first restaurant in the Philippines in her hometown of Cebu. The restaurant offers a modern Spanish tapas menu with a focus on pork dishes and also includes a stand-alone bar that serves innovative cocktails. Here’s a fun fact! The name of the restaurant actually came about because Chef Jason had this vision of pigs in the Philippines relaxing on the beach and hanging out under palm trees.
The restaurant offers traditional seating arrangements in the main dining area as well as bar seats where you can watch the chefs in action, preparing your dishes. Even though it’s run by a Michelin-starred chef, The Pig and Palm is good value for money for the quality of food served.
The restaurant uses locally produced ingredients (e.g. pork sourced from local farms in Cebu). If there’s one dish you have to try, it has to be the Confit Pork Belly.
The pork is salted for three hours, then barbequed, and then cooked for another 24 hours! This well-loved piece of pork belly comes topped with onion jam and apple caramel, together with potato puree and broccoli cous-cous. The meat is delightfully tender on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside.
Sugbo Mercado
Garden Bloc in IT Park| Thursday to Sunday
Cebu Business Park| Friday to Sunday
City di Mare SRP| Friday to Sunday
What better place to enjoy the variety of Philippine cuisine than a weekend food market? Sugbo Mercado is the perfect place for Cebu’s food entrepreneurs to showcase their dishes or products to the locals and tourists. And with three strategic locations within Cebu, you’ll not be able to miss one.
With more than fifty food stalls, you will be spoilt for choice. Whether you’re craving Lechon, Yakitori, Paella or dishes from other international cuisines, you’ll definitely find it there. Head there with friends and order from different stalls to share. That way, it’ll leave you with enough room in your tummy to try everything and still have space to end off with the many dessert offerings. Good food and drinks should be paired with good music. Live acoustic bands and singers will serenade you with the latest hits and classic oldies.
Larsian Barbecue
Don Mariano Cui St, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
Monday to Sunday | Open 24 hours
Larsian is a barbecue haven offering inexpensive grilled meats and seafood on skewers. Select the skewers and ingredients you like and the owner of the stall will grill it up and serve it to your table.
The Chorizo de Cebu is smoky, with a sweet marinade and grilled to perfection. Complete the experience with a Cebu-specialty; hanging rice, otherwise known as “Puso”, which is rice wrapped in a case made of woven coconut leaves, very similar to the Ketupat. Don’t ask for cutlery though. You will be given plastic gloves so eat the way the locals do – with your hands. Larsian’s an affordable dining establishment, so head there with a few friends and you’ll not break your budget.
Gemma’s Puto Maya
Carbon Public Market, Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
Monday to Sunday|
If you’re looking for cheap eats, Carbon Public Market is the best place to be. It has some of the most delicious yet affordable food around Cebu, and Gemma’s Puto Maya’s Puto Sikwate is one of them.
A very popular breakfast combo for the locals, you will be served a plate of puto (glutinous rice) which can be topped with sugar to enhance the taste and a cup of sikwate (hot chocolate) at a very low price. Talk about an energizing breakfast!
ACTIVITY
Melvin’s Reef Black Light Mini Golf
Sky Experience Adventure, Tower 1, Crown Regency Hotel and Towers, Fuente Towers, Fuente Osmeña Blvd, Cebu City, 6000 Philippines
Monday to Friday
Saturday to Sunday|
A perfect opportunity to channel your inner Tiger Woods and aim for a hole in one. Melvin’s Reef Black Light Mini Golf provides an underwater golfing experience where you will get to challenge your friends to a game with accompanying ultraviolet glowing deep-sea creatures all around you.
A surreal, glow-in-the-dark experience, the entire golf course bursts with colour. The 9-hole miniature golf course is a relaxing and easy activity that’s fit for the young and old.
Having so many dining options to keep you from going hungry throughout the night till the next morning, your belly will thank you. Walk it off by visiting the many historical attractions around the oldest city in the Philippines, and when you’re hungry, repeat the process. Eating is always the best way to understand the culture of a city.
