Apart from the abundance of spectacular landscapes and seascapes that has made it the favorite of many travelers, only a few know that the island also offers a wide variety of best tasting dishes that add to its charm. Though Palawan is part of Luzon, its dishes are mostly borrowed from the Visayas and Mindanao.
Local Cuisine

Next to the enchanting beauty it has to offer, Palawan’s biggest attraction is the mouth-watering sea foods and local cuisines. Be it small or big restaurants, surely there is always delicious food awaiting the hungry traveler. The local favorites in Palawan are mechado (beef or pork in tomato gravy), lechón (roasted pork), crispy pata (deep-fried pork leg) and kaldereta (goat meat in tomato stew).

The freshly cooked sea foods like sinigang na hipon, grilled crabs and prawns, a wide range of tasty fish such as tilapia and bangus (milk fish), clam soup, and fresh shellfish are also not to miss. Try out the lato, commonly an appetizer, which is a seaweed, also referred to as “sea grapes” because they look like a bunch of small green grapes, and when bitten into it releases refreshing saltwater into one’s mouth.

There are also a lot of vegetable dishes which are perfect for the veggie lovers. Among the most popular are, laing (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk and garnished with a copious amount of chili), pinakbet (mixed vegetables), adobong kangkong (sautéed water spinach), ginataang kalabasa (squash in Coconut milk) and ginataang langka (Jackfruit in Coconut Milk).

International Cuisine

While its local cuisine is much sought after, international cuisines are also available to serve the incessantly growing number of international tourists.

Puerto Princesa City, the commercial district and the island’s capital city, is home to the many restaurants that offer Vietnamese dishes. Palawan played host to Vietnamese refugees long before. There, you can find several Vietnamese Noodle Houses and those that specialize in vegetarian foods and pastries.

Meanwhile, the European settlers also established restaurants serving Swiss, German and even English cuisines. A top favorite is the Bavaria Pizza, serving great sausages and pizzas.

Cook your Own Food

If you would rather try cooking your own food, then the place to go is their “wet market”. A large selection of fresh sea foods will welcome you with amazingly low prices. Choose from fresh shrimps, crabs and fish, tuna for instance, which make a great tasting kinilaw (meat or fish cooked in vinegar garnished with ginger and chili and eaten raw).

So there, Palawan ‘s grandeur satisfies you in many ways. Dining in Palawan is just part of the adventure waiting for you to enjoy when you visit this paradise on earth.