I’m doing a series on my Davao City food trip until the end of April. Today, as I did last Monday, I’m writing about the city’s most popular fruit and its products.

A visit to Davao City is incomplete without trying the King of Fruits: Durian! After all, the city is also nicknamed the Durian Capital of the Philippines. So in my recent food trip to the city, I resolved (yes, I’m deeply committed!) to eat the fruit and even try products made out of it. Check out my durian experience!

The People’s Park Welcome Arch and the structure beside it is designed after a durian

To the uninitiated, durian is a tropical fruit indigenous to Southeast Asia. It has thorny exterior, creamy flesh, and, most notably, pungent smell. It’s either you love it or abhor it. My favorite food vloggers Mark Wiens, The Food Ranger Trevor James, and Chasing a Plate’s Thomas and Sheena Southam love it. Even the late Anthony Bourdain is a fan of it. He humorously said that after eating durian, “Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.” LOL. I’m just glad to have joined those foodie heavyweights in the list of durian lovers!

But let me first talk about my experience eating the fruit. I had my first try of the fruit also in Davao three years ago. I was just given one piece of the flesh and paired it with Coke (locals say that’s how they snack on durian). Honestly, I don’t remember if it made an impression on me. I guess I wasn’t a durian lover back then yet.

Since then, especially with visits to Malaysia and Singapore where there is abundance of the fruit (it’s even the national fruit of SG), I’ve been exposed to a lot of durian products (yes, not the fruit). I’m guessing that McDonald’s Singapore’s D24 Durian McFlurry was the trigger. After that, I slowly developed a love for the King of Fruits.

My Durian Experience

The best place to buy durian in Davao City is at Magsasyay Fruit Vendors Association a.k.a. the Magsaysay Fruit Stands. Just look for a stall to settle, choose your durian, and the vendors would gladly open it for you. You can even get a soda from the stalls so you can eat your durian in true local fashion.

The durian is priced at P150 per kilo. I’m guessing that it’s the same for all stalls. The price is very affordable, as it can cost around above P250 per kilogram in Manila. The peeled ones even cost a whopping P450 a kilo! Wow!

So I bought a 2-kilo durian. Its yellow flesh is nicely creamy and sweet with a hint of bitterness. Some parts of the flesh had the texture akin to a jackfruit. Of course, I ate it with a cold bottle of Coke and it was an amazing durian experience. I ate this by myself and tried to finish it in one sitting. But it was just too much so I brought the rest to my Davao home (takeaway box is sold separately). I did finish the whole fruit in the same day. I guess that certifies me as a durian lover!

Now, let me share the durian products I tried:

Durian Cheesecake at Lachi’s Sans Rival Atbp.

Lachi’s is one of my favorite food spots in my first visit to Davao. This casual restaurant serves comfort food and is known for their Sans Rival (literally “no rival” or “without rival”), a Filipino dessert made with layers of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashew nuts.

Aside from their bestselling sans rival, Davao Durian Cheesecake, which is recognized as the best in Davao by SunStar Best of Davao. It’s rightly rich, has a nice durian flavor, and very cheap (P85!). (Prior to my visit, I didn’t know that there is a Best of Davao. The Best of Cebu helped me a lot on my trip in Cebu, an island in Central Visayas. Think of it as Cebu’s Michelin Guide. Start my Cebu Food Trip series here.)

By the way, they also have Durian Sans Rival. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to try it and I’m not sure why. Now I’m regretting it!

Address: Door 1-H, Values School Building, Ruby St., Marfori Subdivision, Poblacion District, Davao City | Operating Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11AM-10PM | Facebook

Durian Ice Cream

Finding a durian-flavored ice cream is quite easy. Just go to popular places like parks and you’ll find a sorbetero (ice cream vendor) standing by. I tried it at People’s Park and at Magsaysay Park. I also found vendors at the Roxas Night Market as well (see my article on the night market here.)

Durian Pasalubong

If you want to buy durian as a pasalubong (souvenir) and you’re flying home, take note that you only the peeled and frozen ones. If that doesn’t work for you and is okay with durian-infused products, then head over to Lola Abon’s (literally “Grandma Abon”). It was started by Abondia “Lola Abon” del Puerto Raaken in 1956 by selling Pastillas de Leche, a sweet delicacy of Cagayan de Oro, a city 5 hours drive away.

Famous for durian candies, tarts, yema (custard candy), and other durian products, Lola Abon is easily the most popular pasalubong store in Davao City.

You can also go to Apo ni Lola, another pasalubong store which is just stone’s throw away. Funnily, the brand name literally means “grandma’s grandchild”. That’s because it’s owned by one of Abondia’s grandson. Whatever the reason for this competition, I heard that both brands has good quality durian products.

Lola Abon’s Address: 23 San Miguel Village, Talomo, Davao City | Operating Hours: Daily, 8AM-8PM | Facebook

Apo ni Lola Address: 28 San Miguel Village, Talomo, Davao City | Operating Hours: Daily, 7AM-9PM | Facebook

Durian Pie and Durian Roll at Cecil’s Snack Inn & Bakeshoppe

I was supposed to visit Cecil’s in my first trip to Davao. But due to a loaded itinerary, I passed on this one. I’m not sure what I missed back then until I visited it in my recent trip!

Cecil’s is an institution in the city with more than 50 years of existence. It was started by Rosita Ginoo back in 1963 when she turned her cooking skills into a business venture. After a few years, she opened a small store together with her husband Nazario. In 1971, they named the business after their youngest child at that time, Maria Cecilia. Today, it has several branches across the city.

While Cecil’s is most known for their Pancit Lug-Lug (or Luglug), a version of Pancit Palabok, a popular noodle dish, it was their Durian Pie that made an impression on me. It has a creamy filling with a perfect durian flavor. This is what I missed in my first visit! How can I miss this amazing pie?! I love it so much that I had 2 slices of it. If I only had extra money, I would buy a whole pie and finish it by myself!

I also tried their Durian Roll. It’s made with chiffon that encases a durian filling. While this is also nice, I still prefer to pie more.

I looked for a Facebook page or a website where Cecil’s branches are listed and I couldn’t find one. So just Google the nearest branch to you. LOL. Or chat them at their Facebook page here.

With all the durian and durian products I ate, I can say that I was in a durian state of mind! LOL. (I can’t wait to go back to Malaysia or Singapore and try the Musang King variety of durian. A lot of food vloggers say that it’s the best kind of the King of fruits.)

Are you a durian lover like me? Which of the durian products above have you tried or would like to try? What durian product should I try next? Comment them below!

Other entries in the Davao City Food Trip series: Food Experience to Try at the King City of the South | The Night (Market) Crawler Goes to Roxas Night Market | The Ultimate Tuna Experience Part 1 (Kinilaw, Pakfry, and Panga) | The Ultimate Tuna Experience Part 2 (Marina Tuna and Yellow Fin)

Davao City Food Trip: My Durian State of Mind

My Durian Experience

Durian Cheesecake at Lachi’s Sans Rival Atbp.

Durian Ice Cream

Durian Pasalubong

Durian Pie and Durian Roll at Cecil’s Snack Inn & Bakeshoppe