Why Iloilo City was Named a UNESCO “Creative City of Gastronomy” — and What You Should Eat There

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Why Iloilo City was Named a UNESCO “Creative City of Gastronomy” — and What You Should Eat There

In 2023, UNESCO honored Iloilo City as the very first “Creative City of Gastronomy” in the Philippines, internationally celebrating its dynamic culinary scene, deep-rooted heritage, and the unique blend of tradition and creativity evident in its local cuisine.

This goes beyond merely boasting excellent restaurants; it encapsulates the city’s profound culinary heritage. Here, native ingredients blend seamlessly with time-honored recipes, creating a vibrant tapestry of flavors that defines both everyday meals and festive gatherings. This rich culinary tradition not only nurtures the palate but also fosters a strong sense of community, where cooking becomes a shared celebration of life and culture.

For travelers and food enthusiasts, Iloilo emerges as more than just a picturesque city; it transforms into a culinary paradise where each meal unfolds a captivating narrative. From delectable street-side snacks brimming with local charm to time-honored heritage dishes lovingly handed down through generations, the city’s gastronomic offerings are nothing short of exceptional. Join me on a flavorful journey as we explore Iloilo’s culinary landscape, savoring breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tantalizing snacks along the way. I’ll guide you through the must-try dishes, explain their significance, and reveal the best spots to experience them for yourself.

Breakfast & Morning Snacks: Soft-Start the Day Ilonggo-Style

Biscocho

This delightful twice-baked bread, generously buttered and dusted with sugar, embodies the essence of a classic Ilonggo breakfast or afternoon treat. Its golden-brown, crunchy exterior gives way to a soft, tender interior, creating a perfect contrast in texture. The sweet simplicity of this indulgence harmonizes beautifully with a steaming cup of coffee or a rich, velvety hot chocolate, offering a comforting and satisfying beginning to your day or a cozy afternoon pause.

Barquillos

Delicately rolled wafer cookies, with their inviting golden hue and whisper-thin, crispy shells, are a beloved snack frequently enjoyed alongside a steaming cup of coffee or offered as a thoughtful pasalubong (take-home treat). Their light, brittle texture, combined with just the right amount of sweetness, creates a balanced treat, ideal for pairing with your favorite morning beverage.

Pancit Molo

Pancit Molo is a pork dumpling soup that originated from the Molo district in Iloilo City. Despite being called “pancit” (which typically refers to noodle dishes), it’s actually a soup made with wonton wrappers filled with ground pork served in a savory broth. The dish has its roots in Chinese culinary traditions, brought by Chinese migrants who settled in the Molo district, which historically served as the Chinese quarter during the Spanish colonial period.

Over time, the Chinese-Filipino community adapted the traditional Chinese wonton soup by incorporating local Filipino ingredients and flavors, creating this unique fusion of Chinese, Filipino, and Spanish culinary influences. Unlike other pancit dishes that feature noodles, Pancit Molo stands out for its wonton-like dumplings, making it one of the most identifiable and beloved comfort foods in Iloilo and a true reflection of the Philippines’ multicultural heritage.

Morning Batchoy from a local “batchoyan.”

If you’re up early and craving something heartier, a bowl of La Paz Batchoy — with its savory broth, pork innards, chicharon, and noodles — feels like a proper Ilonggo breakfast. Head to the public market area in the La Paz district for the most authentic vibe.

These breakfast and snack items reflect the Ilonggo love for simple but deeply satisfying flavors — often centered on bread + coffee, light dumpling soups, or filling noodle bowls.

Coffee at Madge Cafe in La Paz Market

Madge Cafe is an iconic coffee shop tucked inside the La Paz Public Market in Iloilo City. Established in 1940 by Vicente de la Cruz and named after his wife Magdalena (nicknamed “Madge”), it holds the distinction of being the oldest coffee shop in Iloilo City. Now run by the third generation of the family, the cafe offers a refreshing, no-frills, authentic atmosphere with simple interiors that reflect its long history.

The walls are lined with shelves of personalized mugs belonging to regular patrons, each scribbled with their names. Known for its traditional, freshly brewed coffee and sweet treats, Madge Cafe serves as a beloved rendezvous where locals gather, bringing pride to the people of Iloilo and offering visitors a genuine taste of the city’s coffee culture and heritage.

Lunch & Midday Meals: Comfort, Soup, and Local Staples

Laswa

Laswa is a traditional Ilonggo vegetable soup that originated in Iloilo and embodies the simplicity and wholesomeness of Filipino cuisine. It’s essentially a boiled vegetable medley featuring fresh local ingredients like squash, okra, eggplant, string beans, saluyot, and patola, often seasoned with shrimp paste or small fish. What made Laswa popular in Iloilo is its reflection of the region’s culinary philosophy – it’s unpretentious, nourishing, economical, and deeply connected to the land.

The dish celebrates the abundance of fresh vegetables in Western Visayas and represents farm-to-table cooking at its finest. Its popularity stems from its healthiness and ease of preparation, requiring minimal ingredients while delivering comforting, light flavors that resonate with Ilonggos’ appreciation for simple, wholesome meals. Laswa is more than just food; it’s a cultural staple that showcases Iloilo’s agricultural heritage and the joy of cooking with whatever fresh vegetables are available, making it a beloved comfort dish that continues to be passed down through generations.

KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, Langka)

KBL, or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka, is a traditional pork soup originating among the Hiligaynon people of Western Visayas, particularly in Iloilo. The dish gets its name from its three main ingredients: kadyos (pigeon peas), baboy (pork), and langka (unripe jackfruit), which are simmered together to create a rich, hearty stew. What makes KBL distinctively popular in Iloilo is its unique flavor profile, achieved by first grilling or broiling the pork before adding it to the soup, giving the broth a smoky, appetizing taste that sets it apart from other Filipino soups.

The dish represents the region’s resourcefulness and agricultural bounty, combining kadyos, a legume commonly grown in the Visayas, with readily available ingredients to create a nourishing and flavorful meal. KBL has become a beloved staple of Ilonggo cuisine because it embodies the soul and warmth of home cooking in Western Visayas, representing a culinary treasure lovingly passed down through generations of Hiligaynon families. Its comforting flavors, nutritional value, and deep connection to Iloilo’s cultural heritage have solidified its place as one of the region’s most iconic dishes.

Cansi

Cansi, or Kansi, is a rich and flavorful Ilonggo beef soup originating in Iloilo, featuring beef shank and bone marrow that are slowly simmered until the meat becomes tender and the broth thickens into a gelatinous consistency. What makes Cansi unique and popular in Iloilo is its distinctive, subtle sourness derived from batuan, a native fruit indigenous to Western Visayas, or sometimes bilimbi, which gives the dish a flavor profile different from the typical sinigang. The popularity of Cansi has grown so significantly that it has become one of the specialty dishes that helped Iloilo earn its designation as the first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the Philippines.

The dish represents the culinary excellence of the region, often called “The Food Haven of the Philippines,” and showcases how Ilonggos have mastered the art of creating deeply comforting, soul-warming soups with local ingredients. Establishments like Pat-Pat’s Kansi in Jaro, Iloilo City, established in 1999, have become legendary for serving this dish.

Seafood & Grill / Fresh Seafood

Owing to its coastal location, Iloilo offers a wealth of freshly caught seafood, making grilled oysters, fish, squid, and other marine delicacies popular choices for lunch. The unmistakable freshness of each bite—briny oysters, flaky fish, tender squid—offers a sensory connection to the nearby sea. Savoring these grilled specialties reveals that Ilonggo cuisine is not limited to soups and stews but also fully embraces the rich diversity of the surrounding waters.

Dinner & Indulgence: Rich Flavors, Sharing Plates & Night Bites

Grilled or Roasted Native Chicken / Inasal / Darag

If you’re done with soup for the day, consider a grilled or roasted chicken dish. These are typically marinated in local spices, vinegar, and calamansi, and sometimes stuffed with herbs—a rustic, smoky dinner that showcases Ilonggo expertise with simple proteins.

Street-food snacks / Night-market bites

When night falls, the city’s food stalls glow under strings of colorful lights, drawing crowds with the enticing aromas of street food. Imagine succulent skewered seafood, freshly grilled and brushed with savory sauces, alongside baskets overflowing with golden, crispy fried treats. These local snacks are perfect for satisfying your hunger while exploring, offering a quick, authentic, and delicious way to experience the city’s energy and flavors after dark.

Joanne’s Fishball

Jo-Ann’s Fishball is an iconic street food institution in Iloilo City that has been serving locals since 1970. Located at Molo Plaza, this beloved fishball stand was originally started by Virginia Camandero’s mother with a simple cart and has since become a must-visit destination for both residents and tourists.

What makes Jo-Ann’s special is their homemade fishballs paired with incredibly flavorful sauces that perfectly capture authentic Ilonggo taste. Unlike mass-produced fishballs, theirs are made fresh and have a distinctive quality that sets them apart. The affordable price point and consistent quality over five decades have cemented their reputation as the original and best fishball in Iloilo. It’s more than just street food—it represents the city’s rich culinary culture and traditions.

Queen Siopao or giant siopao

Roberto’s Siopao in Iloilo City is an iconic food destination famous for its legendary “Queen Siopao,” a massive steamed bun that lives up to its royal name with generous fillings of chicken adobo, pork adobo, Chinese sausage, bacon, and boiled egg, all wrapped in soft, fluffy dough. This beloved establishment has been serving Ilonggos and visitors for decades, becoming so synonymous with siopao in the region that locals automatically think of Roberto’s when they crave this comfort food.

What makes it a must-try is not just the incredible size and flavor of their siopao—which is so well-seasoned that it doesn’t need any sauce—but also the authentic, no-frills dining experience that has remained unchanged over the years, offering a genuine taste of Iloilo’s culinary heritage at an affordable price. Whether you opt for the famous Queen Siopao or their other varieties like the Jumbo or Regular sizes, Roberto’s represents a piece of Iloilo’s food culture that shouldn’t be missed, making it an essential stop for anyone visiting the city.

Seafood dinners by the coast or grill houses

Sweet Treats, Pastries & Pasalubong — When You Want Dessert or Snacks

Biscocho and Barquillos

Biscocho and barquillos are two of Iloilo’s most beloved and iconic delicacies, synonymous with the province’s rich culinary heritage and essential pasalubong items for visitors. Biscocho is a twice-baked bread treat, similar to biscotti, with a distinctively buttery flavor and perfectly crunchy texture that melts in your mouth. What makes Iloilo’s biscocho special is the generous coating of butter and sugar that caramelizes during baking, creating golden, crispy slices that pair beautifully with coffee or hot chocolate. Meanwhile, barquillos are delicate, crispy, rolled wafer cookies inspired by Spanish tradition but perfected by Ilonggo artisans over generations.

These thin, cylindrical biscuits are made from simple ingredients—flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla—but require skilled craftsmanship to achieve their signature lightness and snap. The wafer-thin cookies are traditionally enjoyed as accompaniments to halo-halo or ice cream, though they’re equally delightful on their own. What makes both treats iconic is not just their exceptional taste, but the tradition and history behind them, with family-run establishments like Deocampo’s for barquillos and Original Biscocho Haus having perfected their recipes over decades. These delicacies represent the sweet side of Ilonggo hospitality and craftsmanship, making them irreplaceable symbols of Iloilo’s food culture that visitors eagerly bring home to share the taste of this remarkable province.

Baye baye

Baye-baye is a traditional delicacy deeply rooted in Iloilo’s culinary heritage, particularly in Pavia, which is considered the town that produces the finest version of this sweet treat. Made from glutinous rice or pinipig (pounded young rice), grated young coconut, coconut water, and sugar, baye-baye is formed into small, chewy patties with a distinctively sweet and coconutty flavor. What makes it iconic in Iloilo is its status as a cherished kakanin that represents the region’s agricultural abundance and traditional food-making practices passed down through generations.

The delicacy requires careful selection of ingredients and skillful preparation, with each bite offering a perfect balance of textures—chewy from the rice and soft from the fresh coconut. Baye-baye is a staple during fiestas, religious holidays, and special occasions, and is often found in local markets, where families continue to make it using time-honored methods. This humble yet flavorful snack embodies Ilonggo hospitality and the province’s connection to its rice-farming and coconut-growing roots, making it an essential taste of authentic Western Visayas culture.

Sweet snacks at the many bakeries and local shops around Iloilo – ideal for take-home treats or late-night cravings after a heavy meal.

Bingka

Bingka in Iloilo is a beloved rice cake that holds deep cultural significance for locals, representing tradition, family legacy, and community identity. Made from rice flour and young coconut (butong) and traditionally baked in native ovens with heat applied from both top and bottom, this delicacy is especially cherished during the Christmas season after Simbang Gabi masses.

What makes Iloilo’s bingka particularly special is its generational business model, with families like the Zabicos selling it for over 46 years near Jaro Plaza, turning this humble treat into a livelihood and legacy. The aroma of freshly baked bingka, drawing churchgoers and passersby, has become an integral part of Iloilo’s street culture, symbolizing not just a delicious snack but also survival, love, and enduring Filipino tradition passed down through generations.

Where to Eat: From Humble Stalls to Sit-Down Restaurants

Here are some recommendations if you want to taste Iloilo’s gastronomic diversity — from budget-friendly eats to more ambient, heritage-style dining:

Netong’s La Paz Batchoy

Netong’s Original Special La Paz Batchoy, nestled inside the historic La Paz Public Market, is a pilgrimage site for anyone seeking the authentic taste of Iloilo’s most famous dish. This humble eatery claims to be one of the originators of La Paz Batchoy, and one taste of their rich, savory broth confirms why they’ve earned that reputation. The soup is a masterful blend of pork and beef stock, perfectly seasoned and topped with tender pork slices, crispy chicharon, fresh scallions, and crushed garlic that releases its aroma with each spoonful.

What sets Netong’s apart is the depth of flavor in their broth—it’s hearty without being overwhelming, with a subtle sweetness that beautifully balances the savory notes. The noodles have the ideal texture, and the generous toppings make each bowl feel like a complete meal. While the market location might seem unassuming to first-time visitors, the authentic atmosphere adds to the experience, transporting diners to old Iloilo, where this beloved comfort food was born and perfected over generations.

Deco’s Original La Paz Batchoy

Deco’s Original La Paz Batchoy, established in 1938 by Federico Guillergan Sr., is one of Iloilo’s most historic and beloved batchoy destinations, with multiple branches across the city. Their signature bowl features a rich, flavorful broth made without shortcuts, combining miki noodles with generous portions of pork, liver, intestines, chicharon, and aromatic spices that create a deeply satisfying comfort-food experience.

What makes Deco’s special is their commitment to traditional stock-making methods passed down through generations, resulting in a soup base that’s both complex and well-balanced. The restaurant has evolved beyond its classic offerings, introducing innovative variations like spicy batchoy with chili sauce, all-meat dinuguan, and even batchoy kits for pasalubong in travel-friendly thermal pouches.

While some locals note that taste can vary slightly between branches, the nostalgic ambiance and consistently hearty portions make Deco’s a must-visit for anyone wanting to experience authentic Ilonggo culinary heritage.

Tatoy’s Restaurant

Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafoods is a beloved Iloilo institution that has been serving exceptional grilled chicken and fresh seafood for decades, earning its reputation as a must-visit dining destination for locals and tourists alike. Located along Villa Beach, this casual, open-air restaurant offers a laid-back atmosphere where diners can enjoy the coastal breeze while feasting on its signature dishes.

The star of the menu is their perfectly grilled chicken or “manokan,” marinated in a special blend of spices that keeps the meat juicy and flavorful with a beautifully charred exterior. Beyond chicken, Tatoy’s excels in seafood preparations—from grilled fish and buttered garlic shrimp to scallops and crabs, all sourced fresh and cooked to order. The portions are generous, prices are reasonable, and the no-frills dining experience feels authentically Ilonggo.

While service can be slow during peak hours due to popularity, the quality of food and the genuine taste of home-cooked Iloilo cuisine make the wait worthwhile for any visitor exploring the city’s culinary scene.

Street-food stalls and public-market eateries

Experience the La Paz Market,

especially after sundown when night-market stalls spring to life. Adventurous food lovers will find an array of humble stalls and open-air food markets specializing in authentic Ilonggo flavors. Sample local staples such as La Paz batchoy, barbecued meats, fresh seafood, and an assortment of street food, all prepared on the spot.

The food is not only inexpensive and satisfying but also offers a deep dive into Iloilo’s daily culinary culture. Mingle with friendly vendors and locals as you explore the unique flavors and spirited atmosphere that make this culinary hotspot a favorite among residents and visitors alike.

Why This Matters: More Than Just Great Food

Culinary heritage & identity — Iloilo’s culinary scene is a vibrant tapestry woven from the rich threads of local history, culture, and the daily lives of its people. Each dish tells a story, reflecting the unique heritage and traditions of the Ilonggos. The esteemed UNESCO designation highlights not only the remarkable flavors but also the profound significance of gastronomy in the community, showcasing how deeply it is integrated into their way of life.

Sustainability & resilience through food — The city harnesses the vibrant world of gastronomy to foster economic opportunities, creating a dynamic landscape filled with diverse restaurants, charming small-scale food stalls, and exciting culinary events. This rich culinary scene not only stimulates local economic growth but also fosters social cohesion, bringing people together to celebrate shared tastes and experiences.

A destination for food lovers and culture seekers — For travelers, Iloilo is far more than a mere stopover; it’s an enchanting sensory journey. Here, you’ll marvel at the stunning heritage architecture that tells the stories of a rich past, while the warm, genuine hospitality of the Ilonggos wraps around you like a cozy embrace. Each meal you savor isn’t just food; it’s a vibrant connection to the local culture, infused with flavors that celebrate the soul of this captivating place.

Visiting Iloilo City for Food? Why Not?

Visiting Iloilo isn’t just about sightseeing — it’s about tasting. From the buttery crunch of biscocho at dawn, to a steaming bowl of batchoy or KBL at lunch, to grilled inasal or seafood at night, every meal offers a story. The city earned its UNESCO “City of Gastronomy” designation not because it follows global food trends — but because its cuisine is intensely local, generational, and lived.

If you love food that speaks of history, community, and homegrown flavor, Iloilo should be high on your travel list. Come hungry. Come curious. Leave with a full belly and a deeper appreciation for the soul of Ilonggo cuisine. Thank me later <3

Iloilo Travel Tour Packages You Should Try

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Read:

• 6 Reasons Why You Should Visit Iloilo
• Iloilo is now a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy
• FOOD TRIP: Exploring Iloilo’s Best Food Spots
• Top 20 Best ILOILO TOURIST SPOTS + Things to Do

Why Iloilo City was Named a UNESCO “Creative City of Gastronomy” — and What You Should Eat There

Melo Villareal

Out of Town Blog

The post Why Iloilo City was Named a UNESCO “Creative City of Gastronomy” — and What You Should Eat There appeared first on Out of Town Blog