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7 Should-Strive ZAMBOANGA CITY Eating places & Meals Spots


After we say Zamboanga Metropolis is colourful, we’re not simply referring to the color-blocked sail of the vinta or the rosy glow of Santa Cruz Grande Island’s Pink Seashore. The vividness of Asia’s Latin Metropolis goes past what the eyes can see. Its intricate historical past as a settlement and kaleidoscopic mixture of cultures are greatest skilled via one other elementary sense — the sense of style.

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Zamboanga Metropolis is one among our most-loved meals locations for the sheer vary and variety of what it could actually convey to the (eating) desk. From the saucy red-orange sticks of satti to the motley flavors of knickerbocker, listed here are a few of Zamboanga’s most sought-after culinary delights and the place to search out them.


WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS GUIDE?

Ever heard of curacha?

If it sounds acquainted, it’s most likely as a result of it reminds you of La Cucaracha, a Mexican people music a few cockroach that additionally grew to become fairly standard within the Philippines. Curacha (in Chavacano) and cucaracha (in Spanish) imply the identical — cockroach. And it’s no shock on condition that Chavacano, Zamboanga’s dominant language, is a Spanish-based Creole.

However earlier than you lose your urge for food, know that we’re not going to ask you to go full Concern Consider Zamboanga. As a substitute, we’re inviting you to have a style of probably the most mouth-watering crustaceans that the area has to supply — spanner crabs!

Curacha Aderes Flea Market Guiwan ZamboangaCuracha Aderes Flea Market Guiwan Zamboanga

Curacha received its title due to its spiky, furry look that kinda resembles you-know-what. However in case you look carefully, it kinda seems just like the love little one of a large crab and a protracted lobster. And since it packs extra meat and extra taste than the crabs we’re used to, they’re wanted. Fortunately, they thrive within the waters surrounding the area.

For a lot of, the very best place to have a style of curacha is Alavar Seafood Restaurant, which serves curacha cooked in and doused with its well-known specialty sauce, which is produced from coconut milk, aligue (crab roe paste) and numerous spices. This tremendous wealthy sauce mixed with the seafood umami bombs which might be curacha, you’ll by no means style different crab dishes the identical method once more.

Curacha with Alavar SauceCuracha with Alavar Sauce

Alavar Seafood Restaurant ZamboangaAlavar Seafood Restaurant Zamboanga

However be warned: It’s not low-cost. You possibly can order curacha by the kilo (minimal 1 kg). The final time we dined right here, a kilo of it in alavar sauce prices P1500 to P1700, relying on the scale of the crabs.

The sauce alone is unforgettable. It’s so standard that vacationers drop by Alavar on the best way to the airport to take dwelling frozen packs of it.

Alavar Seafood Restaurant
Deal with: 173 Don Alfaro Road, Zamboanga Metropolis
Working Hours: Each day, 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Specialty: Curacha in Alavar Sauce

However in case you’d fairly take dwelling freshly caught curacha, head over to Aderes Flea Market in Guiwan. You should buy raw curacha at a cheaper price right here, together with lobsters and different seafood.

Aderes Flea Market Guiwan Zamboanga CityAderes Flea Market Guiwan Zamboanga City


How acquainted are you with Moro dishes? Slightly bit? Not fairly? In no way?

If you happen to reside in Metro Manila or close by areas, you most likely haven’t tried it. (Or in my case earlier than my Zamboanga journey, not even heard of it.) We’re used to dishes from Luzon and Visayas. Many people are much more acquainted with overseas fare. So when in Zamboanga, have a style of Moro delicacies!

Greater than a 3rd of Zamboanga Metropolis’s inhabitants apply Islam. The Moros, Filipino Muslims, have developed a meals tradition that’s fascinatingly completely different from different areas. Whereas garlic, onions and ginger stay widespread components, the Moros wish to additionally use spices like galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime and turmeric, that are extra traditional in our maritime Southeast Asian neighbors.

Bay Tal Mal's Latal Moro CuisineBay Tal Mal's Latal Moro Cuisine
Tiyulah itum on the heart, surrounded by (clockwise from the highest) cucumber sambal, piyassak, rooster kiyaliya, utak-utak, beef adobo, fried fish, beef kulma, rooster piyanggang, fried shrimps.

You’ll additionally discover that the Tausugs love utilizing coconut milk and — get this — burnt or charred coconut, which supplies a lot of its dishes its black look. It does look a bit of bit intimidating at first look, however belief me, it’s tremendous scrumptious. It doesn’t style burnt in any respect, but it surely gives depth and complexity to its style that’s fairly exhausting to explain. You’ve gotta style it your self.

In Zamboanga Metropolis, probably the most handy place for vacationers to pattern Moro dishes is Bay Tal Mal. It’s as a result of they serve latal (P959), which is a platter of assorted Tausug dishes together with the next:

  • Tiyulah itum (tiyula itum or tiulah itum, actually “black soup”), beef in black broth made with burnt coconut and spices.
  • Beef kulma, beef cubes stewed in a curry sauce.
  • Piyassak, beef liver cubes cooked with pounded spices, charred coconut and coconut milk
  • Rooster piyanggang, rooster marinated in burnt coconut and numerous spices after which grilled.
  • Rooster kaliya, rooster stewed in coconut milk with lemongrass, turmeric, ginger and different spices.
  • Beef adobo
  • Fried fish
  • Fried shrimp or squid
  • Kiyaliya kapaya, papaya; or cucumber sambal (the sambal is so fab delish!)

Though not on the menu, I believe one of many dishes on our platter was utak-utak (fried fish cake).

You possibly can take pleasure in this platter of delicacies with rice. However we normally add a plate of mee goreng (P259), which is served with exhausting boiled egg. We simply love mie goreng so we order it at any time when we spot it on the menu. (LOL.) However they’ve much more gadgets on its menu.

Mie goreng at Bay Tal MalMie goreng at Bay Tal Mal

Once I tried it for the primary time, Bay Tal Mal was nonetheless situated alongside Mayor Jaldon Road. However it has since moved to the 4th degree of SM Mindpro.

Bay Tal Mal Restaurant
Deal with: 4th ground, SM Mindpro, La Purisima Road, Zamboanga Metropolis
Working Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm; Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Specialty: Latal (platter of Tausug dishes)

One other restaurant that serves this Tausug tray of goodness is Dennis Espresso Backyard, located close to the airport. Right here, they name it dulang (P1100), but it surely’s mainly the identical. However whereas Bay Tal Mal’s platter has 10 completely different dishes, Dennis’s has six.

Talking of Dennis Espresso Backyard…


Dennis Espresso Backyard‘s roots may be traced again all the best way to 1962 Jolo, Sulu, the place a small cafe known as Omar’s Place was established. Sixty years later, the title has modified and a number of branches have sprouted together with this one in Zamboanga Metropolis.

Dennis Coffee GardenDennis Coffee Garden

We already talked about the dulang or latal that they serve right here. However it’s extra well-known for one thing else — you guessed it — COFFEE! Dennis Espresso Backyard takes pleasure of their genuine espresso known as the kahawa sug, which may be served scorching or iced. It’s extra on the sturdy finish of the spectrum, so in case you favor daring espresso, this may very well be for you! The iced model, nonetheless, is served with milk.

Dennis Coffee Garden Sulu CoffeeDennis Coffee Garden Sulu Coffee
From left to proper: kahawa sug, iced espresso, and iced chocolate

Except for Sulu espresso, it is usually standard for his or her bangbang sug or native Tausug pastries. We labored up an urge for food earlier that day so we determined to order all the gadgets on their snack menu! Apart from, we actually needed to attempt all of them! Every merchandise prices P95 now. The final time we visited (2022), it was solely P65.

  • Jualan saing, deep-fried bananas with sweetened coconut dip (consider it as a deconstructed banana que)
  • Jualan panggih, deep-fried candy potatoes with sweetened coconut dip (form of a deconstructed camote que)
  • Daral, crepe with candy filling fabricated from coconut (filling tastes like bukayo)
  • Panggih-panggih, deep-fried flour rings
  • Wadjit, glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk (unavailable throughout our go to)
  • Pitis, glutinous rice flour truffles with coconut filling, wrapped in banana leaves
  • Patulakan, pounded rice with milk and grated coconut, wrapped in banana leaves
  • Biyaki, grated candy corn truffles, wrapped in corn husks then steamed
Biyaki at Dennis Coffee GardenBiyaki at Dennis Coffee Garden
Biyaki
Panggih Panggih at Dennis Coffee GardenPanggih Panggih at Dennis Coffee Garden
Panggih Panggih

We additionally ordered pastil, which has similarities to empanada with togue filling and served with a candy and spicy sauce. (We additionally tried pastil in Tawi-tawi but it surely had bihon noodles as filling.)

Out of all of this, we loved jualan saing, daral, biyaki and panggih-panggih probably the most!

Dennis Espresso Backyard
Branches: San Jose Street (Baliwasan), KCC Mall Zamboanga Metropolis, Yubengco (Tetuan), and Southern Heights (La Paz)
Specialty: Kahawa sug (Sulu espresso) and Bangbang sug (Tausug pastries)


As we explored Zamboanga Metropolis, we couldn’t assist however discover that a number of institutions serve so-called satti. We even noticed plenty of regular-looking homes with indicators that learn, “We serve satti”. It received us extremely curious! Satti seems like satay (rooster satay, beef satay), so I had my concepts on what it may very well be. However many satti signages had illustrations of bowls, not sticks of meat, which confused us at first.

Effectively, nicely, it turned out that satti is certainly just like satay (grilled skewered meat). However on this a part of the world, it’s normally served half-dipped in a bowl of red-orange spicy sauce with cubes of molded rice. And to my shock, that is truly a breakfast favourite! Nothing beats a spicy kick to start out the day!

Satti in Zamboanga CitySatti in Zamboanga City

After we requested the locals (principally tricycle drivers) for the very best satti place within the metropolis, all fingers pointed at Jimmy’s Satti Meals Haus. Sadly, on account of time constraints, we didn’t pay a go to. Too dangerous!

(That stated, we have been in a position to attempt satti at Dennis Espresso Backyard! I’m a sucker for something grilled and spicy, so it was love at first chew for me. I nonetheless want I received to attempt Jimmy’s although. However I suppose this offers me a motive to return to Zamboanga!)

Jimmy’s Satti Meals Haus
Deal with: Pilar Road, Zamboanga Metropolis
Working hours: 3:30 am – 5:30 pm
Specialty: Satti


If you happen to’re craving pork, you may be stunned to know that one space in Zamboanga has mastered the artwork of constructing lechon! Sure, complete pig roasted to perfection! Right here in Tetuan, lechon is offered at kiosks stationed alongside the highway. And there are many them right here!

Prince Tetuan Lechon ZamboangaPrince Tetuan Lechon Zamboanga

I used to be fairly shocked to find out about it at first as a result of the town has a major Muslim inhabitants. Earlier than setting foot right here for the primary time, I initially (mistakenly) assumed that pork — a staple protein in Pinoy kitchens elsewhere — can be notably absent in most elements of the town as a result of it’s forbidden in Islam. However there it was, a road lined with pork lechon stalls promoting kilo after kilo of suckling pig.

After we requested locals for suggestions, one institution that was constantly talked about was Prince Tasty Lechon. They’ve a number of stalls all through the town, however we selected the one in Tetuan, only a quick stroll from Alavar.

Like others beside it, Prince is a small stall with a suckling pig on show as a employees member chops away. You possibly can ask for a chunk of the crispy pores and skin to have a style. A kilo prices P550 (as of January 2025, it’s now P600). You may also order half a kilo, which is at P350. You possibly can have it as a complete slab or have it chopped.

Tetuan lechon is commonly in comparison with Cebu’s extra well-known model. When you style it, it’s not obscure why. It’s simply so flavorful! The pores and skin is tremendous crispy however not exhausting; it breaks with the gentlest of bites. The meat is moist, juicy and tender. The mix of calamansi, garlic, onions, pepper, bay leaf and different herbs seeps so deep into the meat. We weren’t given any sauce. Undecided if it truly is eaten with out it or the employees simply forgot. However regardless, there’s no want for it.

If a kilo or half a kilo continues to be an excessive amount of for you, you may order a combol meal from Prince Foodcourt, situated on Estrada Road, only a quick stroll from their stall alongside Don Alfaro Road. For P150, the set consists of 200 grams of lechon, two cups of rice, a small bowl of soup, and a drink.

Prince Tasty Lechon Fastfood
Deal with: Estrada Road, Tetuan, Zamboanga Metropolis
Open: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm


Up to now, we’ve already coated principally foremost programs and heavy proteins. How about we transfer on to dessert?

Right here in Zamboanga Metropolis, no different dessert has reached the legendary standing of the knickerbocker. The what?

Knickerbocker at Palmeras ZamboangaKnickerbocker at Palmeras Zamboanga

Knickerbocker! Consider it because the fruitier, more healthy stepsister of the halo-halo. This loopy colourful concoction is a mixture of jellies and recent fruits like watermelon, apple, pineapply and mango, drizzled with condensed milk and topped with strawberry ice cream. It’s shiny, candy, and creamy, good for laundry down no matter lunch or dinner you had.

Today, you may take pleasure in a cup from distributors at Paseo del Mar, however in case you’re after the unique, head over to Hacienda de Palmeras Resort and Restaurant, broadly thought to be the institution that invented this tropical dessert. The restaurant is ready in a backyard in a quiet nook of the town, however nonetheless simply accessible by jeepney or tricycle.

Hacienda de Palmeras Resort and Restaurant
Deal with: Pasonanca Street, Sta. Maria, Zamboanga Metropolis
Working Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 10:00 am – 10:00 pm; Saturday-Tuesday, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Specialty: Seafood and Knickerbocker


In fact! Any TPT journey isn’t full with out pillaging the parks and again alleys for some good old school road meals! These on a regular basis accessible munchies inform loads in regards to the place, its individuals, and its tradition. Yow will discover road meals wherever, particularly in busy areas like the general public market and across the metropolis corridor.

Common Pinoy faves like kikiam, fish balls and banana que can be found, however you’ll additionally discover one thing distinctive to the area. My favourite is chikalang. No, not chika lang. Chikalang! It’s a glutinous rice cake rolled in brown sugar. It’s similar to pilipit or karioka, solely larger, denser, heavier and really very purple.

It’s normally among the many many gadgets on peddlers’ bilao. We had it at Paseo del Mar!

Chikalang Zamboanga Street FoodChikalang Zamboanga Street Food
Chikalang is within the decrease proper nook
Chikalang before fryingChikalang before frying
Chikalang earlier than frying

R.T. Lim Boulevard additionally hosts plenty of road meals distributors. A number of the road meals selections are satay or “ihaw-ihaw”, pastil, and lokot-lokot. You’ll additionally discover balut and penoy as quickly because the solar begins to set.

On our final go to, we seen locals promoting one thing in styrofoam containers. Curious, we approached one and requested what was inside. To our (pleasant) shock, it was mie goreng! It’s served with fried egg on high and a calamansi on the aspect, and drizzled with scorching sauce. At the moment, we snagged it for under P35!

Coincidentally, we have been simply speaking about craving noodles simply moments earlier than so we didn’t even give it some thought! We additionally had a pleasant dialog with Kuya Jul, the vendor, as we stuffed our face with noodles.

Mie Goreng at Lim Boulevard ZamboangaMie Goreng at Lim Boulevard Zamboanga
Mie Goreng
Mie Goreng vendor ZamboangaMie Goreng vendor Zamboanga
Kuya Jul, mie goreng vendor
Balut Vendor RT Lim Boulevard ZamboangaBalut Vendor RT Lim Boulevard Zamboanga
Balut vendor

It’s totally doable to attempt all of the eating places and meals spots talked about above by yourself. In your itinerary, you may insert a lunch or dinner cease, whichever is closest to the world you’re exploring that day. (We’ll publish a pattern itinerary, so you’ll want to verify again quickly.)

But when you need a extra insightful expertise, you could be part of a Meals and Tradition Tour, provided by iTravel Vacationer Lane, led by Errold Bayona.

It was truly Errold who launched to us these superb foodie locations years in the past. So once I not too long ago returned to Zamboanga, I already knew the place to go to eat.

You might contact them via any of the next:

iTravel Tourist Lane ZamboangaiTravel Tourist Lane Zamboanga

We paid for all the meals featured on this submit.


Ever O Business Hotel ZamboangaEver O Business Hotel Zamboanga
Twin Room at Ever O Enterprise Resort, Zamboanga Metropolis

We’ve got tried three completely different lodges in Zamboanga and all of them have been first rate and nice:

You probably have a much bigger price range, you might also try these different properties within the space:


2025 2 1 – Up to date data together with opening hours and costs
2022 6 5 – First uploaded

Phrases by: Yosh Dimen
Images by: Yosh Dimen & Vins Carlos


Extra Recommendations on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️



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