I’m doing a month-long series on my Cebu Food Trip last year. I’m also launching a series (an inception of series!) called The Night (Market) Crawler, which is about the night markets (duh!) I have visited around the world. Today’s article is about the premiere weekend market of Cebu City.

If Manila has Mercato Centrale, then Cebu has Sugbo Mercado!

Literally “Cebu Market”, Sugbo Mercado is a weekly night market located in Cebu I.T. Park, a mixed-use development that has become the city’s primary commercial and lifestyle hub. The night market is home to a lot of food and retail stalls and has become a venue for entertainment and events. It’s also recognized as the “Best Food Market” by SunStar Best of Cebu (think of it as the Michelin Guide of the city).

With stalls offering a wide range of local and international cuisines, any true foodie visiting Cebu can’t miss out on Sugbo Mercado. So I, the Night (Market) Crawler (LOL!), went there and ate my heart out. Here are the food that I tried and recommend to you:

Cheesy Scallops at SEABU

Whenever I see shellfish with cheese on it, I know I should get it right away. The Cheesy Scallops of SEABU are superb. The scallop is buttery, cheesy (although it borders to over-cheesy), garlicky, smoky, and tender.

Chicken Satay at CRIBS

What I like about the Sugbo Mercado is that it has at least 2 stalls offering Southeast Asian food, which is one of my favorite cuisines. This stall serves Malay dishes such as Beef Rendang (beef stew made with coconut milk), Nasi Goreng (fried rice), and Satay (meat skewers).

Cribs'' Satay BBQ Combo (4 Skewers with Rice: P100)

I was full when I bought food from this stall. So I just ordered chicken satay, which is tender and has a pronounced lemongrass flavor. It’s also covered with a nice, crunchy peanut sauce.

Nikumaki (also the store’s name)

Nikumaki is a type of onigiri, which are rice balls mixed or filled with other ingredients and may optionally be covered in nori or seaweed wrapper. The distinctiveness of nikumaki is that the covering is either beef or pork (the name is literally “wrapped in meat”).

Sugbo Mercado’s version is wrapped with pork and may have additional toppings such as cheese and Japanese mayo. It’s like eating a rice ball covered in a sweetly glazed bacon. It can be an affordable (as low as P38!) and yummy on-the-go snack.

Pad Thai at Banana Pancake Trail

This is another Southeast Asian stall in the night market. Before I talk about its bestselling dish, here’s a little trivia about the name of the stall. The Banana Pancake Trail is actually a backpacker trail in Southeast Asia. In this route, banana pancakes are commonly sold. The stall’s founders, who are also travellers, adapted the trail’s name and opened a stall serving Southeast Asian food.

It’s most popular dish is Pad Thai (Thai stir-fried noodles), which is also awarded as “Best Pad Thai” by Best of Cebu. Man, I never would’ve thought that Sugbo Mercado has one of the best pad thais that I have ever had, at least in the Philippines! (I’ve never been to Thailand; hoping to visit soon!)

Special Pad Thai at Banana Pancake Trail (P150)

The pad thai has a nice smokiness. It’s also a world of textures, with chewiness from the noodles, crunch from the bean sprouts, tenderness from the chicken, and softness from the tofu.

Tinuom at Uma

Tinuom is an Ilonggo soup dish that’s made with native chicken, ginger, lemongrass, onions, and tomatoes, all wrapped in banana leaves. Eating this flavorful dish made me felt healthy!

Watermelon Juice at Skweez

Skweez serves fruit juices and shakes placed in its origin fruit carved into bowls. I got the watermelon juice, which is ice cold and refreshing.

Which of the items above have you tried or would like to try? What food or stalls did I miss in Sugbo Mercado?

…And where should the Night (Market) Crawler go next? Comment them below!

Address: Garden Bloc, Inez Villa St., Cebu I.T. Park, Cebu City | Operating Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 5PM-1AM | Facebook | Website

Other entries in the Cebu Food Trip series: Trying the Local Dishes of the Queen City of the South | The Search for the Best Cebu Lechon | The Ultimate Seafood Experience Part 1 (SuTuKil and Paluto All-You-Can) | The Ultimate Seafood Experience Part 2 (Linarang and Bakasi) | Sharing in the Cebuanos’ Love for Barbecue

Cebu Food Trip: The Night (Market) Crawler Goes to Sugbo Mercado