Editor’s Choice
Go around Cebu like a local. Our Editor’s Choice is a curated guide on what we think is the best his island can offer. Our list of food and destinations are essential to help visitors traverse this multi-city island!
Best Service to Move Items Within Cebu: LALAMOVE
If you need a parcel or a huge box to be moved from one end of the city to another, Lalamove is your essential tool! This neat app is all you need to move things around, be it a bulky purchase of a huge TV to a basket of fruits from the local fruit stall. Courier services are reasonably priced at P88 (USD1.58) for envelopes and small packages. Most tourists with only a few days to spare in Cebu are pressed for time, and Lalamove conveniently transports tickets, shopping items and balikbayan boxes to your hotel, giving you more time for other experiences instead of getting caught in Cebu’s famous rush hour traffic.
Mangoes: R & M MANGOES
Cebu is famous for its sweet golden mangoes.
Properly ripened mangoes are juicy and sweet, but they are not easy to transport and can easily spoil. So, for a taste that reminds you of Cebu, try the best dried mangoes that the island has to offer. R & M Mangoes is the top brand to seek if you are looking for quality dried mangoes. This heritage brand has expanded to other mango-based products as well, and if you can find their sold-out Choco Mangga on the shelf, grab a box fast. R & M products are available in most reputable groceries and at Cebu’s airport shops.
Working Away from Office: KMC SOLUTIONS
Not all of us have the pleasure of working by the beach, with margaritas in hand. With many offices still not open, nomadic workers have the option to choose where to go. For the best co-working space in Cebu, nothing beats KMC Solutions’ location at the heart of Cebu IT Park.
Open 24/7 18th Floor, W Geonzon St, Cebu IT Park (02) 8779 6540 loc 1110
Shopping: METRO AYALA
With its 5 levels, Metro Ayala is the preferred store for most locals. Their expansive grocery is the best source for produce and local food delicacies, just go in the morning before 10:00am to avoid the line at the cashier counters. Two floors up, ladies will love the experience of shopping for cotton frocks while on the 5th level, tucked in one corner, is the travel section where luggage sets and travel packs come at great prices. Metro Ayala Department Store is the anchor store of the sprawling Ayala Center Cebu shopping mall. Open daily from 10:00am to 9:00pm. Cardinal Rosales Avenue, Cebu
Business Park, Cebu City 6000
(+63) 917.886.3876
shopmetro.ph
Waterviews: bai Hotel’s TWILIGHT ROOFDECK
LOUNGE & BAR
With the mountains behind, and the sea in front, bai Hotel’s rooftop bar on the 23rd floor view is unsurpassable in Cebu. Easily accessible from all parts of Metro Cebu, this scenic lounge features great entertainment with their house DJ and live bands on weekends. Open on Friday and Saturday 5:00pm to 11:00pm
23rd floor bai Hotel
(032) 342.8888
@twilightroofdeck
Culture: FORT SAN PEDRO
Cebu’s colonial heritage is no more apparent than at the 2,085 square meter fort. Erected in the 17th century, the fort’s stone walls are reminiscent of centuries past when pirates rampaged and galleons sailed around many ports across the globe.
Open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm
A. Pigafetta Street, Cebu City
(032) 256.2284
FORT SAN PEDRO cebu official
Best Breakfast to Eat Like a
Local: DANGGIT
Danggit is a dried fish delicacy from Bantayan Island, and Cebuanos’ go-to fare for breakfast. Best eaten when freshly fried and crunchy, it is usually served with garlic rice and fried eggs, and eaten dipped in seasoned vinegar. You can spot them in most hotel’s breakfast menu or at the morning buffets. It is an acquired taste, but definitely worth a try!
Recommended Food Market: FARMER’S MARKET
The local farmer’s market at the Marco Polo Hotel parking lot has expanded to include stalls with cooked food and quick delicious meals, in addition to produce that farmers from nearby Busay Hills bring down at the crack of dawn. Fresh harvests of ginger, garlic, bananas, lettuce and other vegetables are for sale here. Of course, there’s always Carbon Market downtown for hardcore shoppers, but if you don’t want the bustle of 200 or more stalls, this Saturday
Market is a good alternative. Open on Saturdays only from 7:00am to 2:30pm.
Best Comfort Food: EDDIE’S HERITAGE HOTEL
Craving for an old-fashioned apple pie? Look no farther than Eddie’s famous pies. SOpened way back in the 50s by an American GI, Eddie’s Log Cabin was the place to be for honest to goodness meals. This little secret known only to locals serves comfort food in a convivial setting that clearly states that you are there for a satisfyingly good meal. Top sellers include their fresh corned beef, pork knuckles served the German way, and the famous crispy pata, brined and deep fried to perfection.
Open from Monday to Saturday at
6:00am to 10:00pm and
Sundays at 7:00am-3:00pm
F. Manalo St., Sambag Cebu City
(032) 254.8570
Eddie’s Log Cabin Restaurant
Handicraft: CURIO CEBU
CURIO is the brainchild of mother- daughter tandem aiming to modernize native Philippine-made products by creating functional, fashionable pieces for every lifestyle. Follow @curiocebu for your home and lifestyle accessory needs. CURIO offers hats, bags, and trays that are all 100% made in Cebu, with other locally weaved items from Argao and Ilocos Norte.
Best buffet: FERIA AT RADISSON BLU CEBU & CAFÉ MARCO AT MARCO POLO PLAZA CEBU
Locals love good value, that’s why buffets are very popular. While many restaurant and hotels offer this style of food service, two locations stand out for their extensive spreads and interactive cooking stations — the breakfast buffet at Marco Polo Plaza’s Café Marco priced at P950 nett per person and the dinner buffet at Radisson Blu Cebu’s Feria priced at P1,488 nett
per person. If you have the time and the appetite to enjoy the variety of dishes that buffets offer, dining at either of these two hotels would be very much worth your while. Radisson Blu Cebu
Opens daily
Breakfast – 6:00AM-10:00AM
Brunch/Lunch – 11:30AM-3:00PM
Dinner – 6:00PM-9:30PM
Sergio Osmeña Avenue cor. Juan Luna,
Avenue, Cebu City
+63 32 402 9900
@FeriaRestaurant
Marco Polo Plaza Cebu
Breakfast – 7:00 to 10:30 AM
Lunch – Fridays & Saturdays
11:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Dinner – Fridays & Saturdays
6:00 to 10:00 PM
Sunday Brunch:
11:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Nivel Hills, Cebu Veterans Dr., Cebu City
+63 919 083 6768
Marco Polo Plaza Cebu