Cebu guide · Where to eat
Places to eat in Cebu, with what to order and how comfortable each is for families and older travellers.
Updated
Cebu is known for lechon, whole roasted pig, which is the city's signature dish. It is pork, so it is not for vegetarians, Jains or those who avoid pork. Filipino cooking more generally uses pork, fish, shrimp paste and fish sauce widely, often in dishes that look vegetable-only, so vegetarian visitors need to ask rather than assume. Rice is served with almost everything, and many places offer fried or steamed rice that you can order plain.
We could not open a restaurant page or a vegetarian directory for Cebu that let us verify any pure vegetarian, Jain or vegan kitchen, so this guide does not tag a single restaurant for diet. Cebu's Indian community is established, and Indian restaurants and groceries do exist in the city, but we could not confirm any by name from sources we opened, and a restaurant's Indian cuisine is not proof of vegetarian or Jain cooking. Before you travel, ask your hotel or tour operator to find a current Indian vegetarian restaurant and phone it to confirm.
Managing a trip: order vegetable dishes with tofu, eggs or mushrooms only after asking how they are cooked; ask for no fish sauce or shrimp paste; and carry dry snacks for sightseeing days. Large hotels and resorts, especially on Mactan, can usually arrange vegetarian meals if you ask when you book. Jains should tell the hotel kitchen about onion, garlic and root vegetables in advance. Tap water is generally not drunk by visitors, so use sealed bottled water.
Menus and kitchens change. If you follow a strict diet or have an allergy, confirm with the restaurant before you order.
Jose Maria del Mar Avenue, Apas, near Cebu IT Park, Cebu City
A casual Indian restaurant in the Apas area near Cebu IT Park, serving North Indian staples such as aloo gobi, tadka daal, naan and samosa. The menu is not vegetarian-only.
Sanjercasvil Road (Sanjercas Ville Ext. Rd), off Gorordo Avenue, Lahug, Cebu City
A restored turn-of-the-century house in Lahug serving Filipino and international dishes, with vegetarian options, a garden and vintage Cebu decor. A calm, atmospheric meal away from the downtown crowds.
1377 V. Rama Avenue, Guadalupe, Cebu City
A lechon restaurant at 1377 V. Rama Avenue in Guadalupe that serves roast pig and dishes made from it, and is described by a local guide as the benchmark for the style.
SM Seaside complex, South Road Properties, Cebu City
A native-style Filipino restaurant at the SM Seaside complex with open-air seating over the water and set meals priced by one guide at PHP 450 to 900 per person.
Near Fuente Osmeña Circle, Cebu City
An open-air night grill near Fuente Osmeña Circle where skewers are cooked over charcoal and eaten on the spot, with skewers listed at roughly PHP 30 to 60 each.
Third floor, Active Zone, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu City
A Persian and Middle Eastern restaurant on the Active Zone level of Ayala Center Cebu whose menu has separate vegan curry, salad and favourites sections alongside Indian-style dishes such as palak paneer and pakora.
Llorente Street, behind Fuente Osmeña Circle, Cebu City
A Cebu street-food institution behind Fuente Osmeña Circle where you sit at low benches, pick fried snacks such as ginabot and pork chop, and dip them in spiced vinegar with puso rice.
F. Cabahug Street, Mabolo, Cebu City
A well-known Cebu lechon brand, with a Mabolo branch on F. Cabahug Street, that sells plain and spicy roast pig along with pork specialities and some seafood mains.
Burgos Street, Poblacion, Talisay City, south of Cebu City
A family lechon stall on Burgos Street in Talisay City, just south of Cebu City, praised as the standout among the town's roast-pig sellers and reported to open only on Sundays.
Escario Central, Cebu City (other branches in malls)
A lechon restaurant with branches at One Mango, Escario Central, The Walk IT Park and Ayala Center Cebu, serving sinigang na lechon, bangus sisig and seafood.
