Zoy's Top 5: Davao City Food
I’m now ending an 8-part series on my Davao City food trip with my 5 favorite food from the King City of the South. Starting with top 5:
5. Durian Pie 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!
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!
Cecil’s Durian Pie (P70)
Check out my durian experience and the durian products that I tried here.
Note: 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.
4. Tuna Laing at Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant
A bestseller in Yellow Fin is the Tuna Laing (taro leaves cooked on coconut cream). I went there on an evening to try it. But to my disappointment, it was already sold out. The waiter told me that the tuna laing sells fast. It must be delicious. So I resolved (yes, that’s my commitment) to go on another day and at an earlier time. So for my last meal in Davao, I had the dish. And my resolve was greatly rewarded!
Tuna Laing (P65/pc.)
It has a salty ground tuna which is nicely complemented by the sweet taro leaves and the rich coconut cream. This dish is easily one of my favorite dishes in my trip.
Check out my Yellow Fin (and Marina Tuna Seafood Restaurant) experience here.
Yellow Fin has 3 branches in the city. Check them out here.
3. Barbecue at Nanay Rebecca’s Halal BBQ & Restaurant
Nanay Rebecca’s (literally “Mother Rebecca”) is known for their halal chicken barbecue, grilled tuna, and its secret barbecue sauce (more on this later!). But the most impressive is the chicken, which is available in 2 kinds of: Regular and Native. While the latter is more flavorful, it’s has a tougher meat. Since I don’t want to compromise on tenderness, I got the regular instead. It is basted with the secret sauce and is indeed juicy and tender.
Regular Chicken Barbecue (Leg: P100), Chicken Heart (P20), and Chicken Liver (P20)
Let’s not forget the barbecue sauce, which has a nice caramel flavor. I would describe this concoction as magical!
The Magical Secret Barbecue Sauce of Nanay Rebecca’s
Aside from Nanay Rebecca’s, I also visited 2 other halal food spots in the city. Check them here.
Magallanes Branch Address: 124 A. Pichon St. (formerly Magallanes St.), Poblacion District, Davao City | Operating Hours: TBA
Mamay Road Branch Address: Mamay Bypass Rd., Buhangin District, Davao City | Operating Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 5PM-3AM
2. Durian
No visit to Davao is complete without trying the King of Fruits: Durian! After all, the city is also nicknamed the Durian Capital of the Philippines.
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, 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!
My Durian (P150/kg.)
The best place to buy durian in Davao City is at Magsasyay Fruit Vendors Association a.k.a. the Magsaysay Fruit Stands. 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 like local, pairing it with a cold bottle of Coke. It was an amazing durian experience.
Again, don’t forget to check out the durian products that I tried. Click here.
Address of Magsaysay Fruit Vendors Association: Ramon Magsaysay Ave., Poblacion District, Davao City | Operating Hours: TBA
1. Tuna Panga at Dod’s Ihaw-Ihaw Grill
Panga (literally jaw or jowl) is probably the most popular tuna part in Davao food spots. While it can be cooked in different ways such as sinigang sa miso (sour soup with miso or soybean paste), it’s commonly inihaw or sinugba (grilled). The best place to have grilled tuna panga is at Dod’s Ihaw-Ihaw Grill (some spell it as Dood’s). Helmed by Ranilo "Doods" Felix, this food spot ranked 46 in Top 50 World Street Food Masters by the World Street Food Congress. You know right away that the food will be good!
Inihaw na (Grilled) Tuna Panga (I got the smallest portion available, which is P180)
While others use Yellowfin Tuna, Dod’s uses Big Eye Tuna because it’s juicier. Man, they’re right! Also, the tuna flesh is firm on the outside. But as I dug deeper into the layers, I discovered incredible succulence and tenderness. Flavor-wise, it’s nice and smoky, with a nice sweetness coming from their secret marinade.
Look at that juicy tuna! Glorious!
I tried tuna panga from 2 other places and I declare that Dod’s has the best one. In fact, it’s inihaw na panga is the best grilled tuna I have ever tried in Davao and even in my entire life! So this place is a must visit in any Davao food trip or in any Davao vacation for that matter.
Aside from panga, I tried other tuna dishes. Check them out here.
Address: Roxas Ave. (by the rotunda), Poblacion District, Davao City | Operating Hours: TBA (I’m still checking because my research says they open at 6PM but I went there in the afternoon)
Which of the food above have you tried or would like to try? What’s your top 5 Davao City food? 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) | My Durian State of Mind | Trying Carabao (Water Buffalo) Dishes