2016 is a promising year for local and visiting foodies in Legazpi. The food industry in the city is bound to get more interesting as local foodpreneurs are getting bolder in offering their gastronomic creations to the eager public. I am listing 4 new places to eat in Legazpi and I hope you can find the time to visit each one and tell your friends about your experience.
Retazo Diner
This resto-diner-bar watcamacallit is an interesting place to dine. For one its interior is very unique. The owners of the place seem to maximize the physical features of the building they leased for the diner and went ahead with rustic-chic décor.
Retazo Diner is so full of personality that eating here is almost irresistible. Good food and good music can be expected here.
Owned and managed by musicians, this diner is not only about good food but most especially about good music. If you are into Jazz, Bossa Nova, Pop R&B, with a touch of Pinoy acoustic sound then this is a must-visit place for you.
Cloud Embassy, one of the leading acoustic acts in the city plays regularly in Retazo. The nameplate for the diner and the photos on the wall makes this place interesting to dine in. Photo by Eli Casim
The food here is good and what makes this place more exciting is that they have an ongoing Man Vs. Food challenge – to finish a humungous spicy beef burger in Ciabata bread, fries, and with Retazo’s signature mango-graham shake in 5 minutes. So far no one has been successful in winning the challenge. Maybe that would be you?
The Retazo Burger is one the diner’s most popular entry in its menu. Pounds and pounds of beef in Ciabata bread is more than enough tickle one’s appetite.
What to eat here? The Retazo Burger would be on top of my list and so is their Bicol Express.
Mamay Ferings
Okay so this place has one of the best if not the best pancit in town. Take my word for it! Well there is a good reason why this is so. According to the owners they were just originally looking for a place to rent out for a “pansitan” but as luck would have it, they saw a huge space that they can make into a full restaurant. And the rest as they say is history.
Mamay Fering’s expansive interior makes it a nice place from some intimate events. The food here is top notch and the place is quite classic looking, charming even.
This pansitan-turned-restaurant is located in the heart of the city on the second level of a charming building that borrows its looks from a Filipino ancestral home, complete with the hard wood façade and Capiz shell-laden windows. The restaurant has a spacious interior with a sizable covered veranda that opens up to the hustle and bustle of the city below.
Mamay Fering’s Porchetta is a must try. The spices in the meat and its tenderness is mouth watering.The mixed sea foods in Mamay Ferings is unforgettable. This is one filling dish that should leave a nice memory of your Legazpi visit.
What to eat here? The Pancit Canton is a must try of course. The mixed seafoods is also a great choice and so is the legendary Porchetta.
Koron
Koron is another restaurant that is worth your try when in Legaspi City. This place boasts of native cuisines, although not exclusively Bicolano. Located in Yashano Mall this restaurant is bound to give you an authentic experience with Filipino food.
The Koron offering is authentic Pinoy food. When you eat in this restaurant, the experience is as nice as the food.
Everything here is “native” from the food presentation, to the interior décor, to the plates and cutlery. When you eat here bring your camera with you because you would be having fun taking photos of the Koron’s unique way of giving you a taste of Pinoy staple food.
Everything in Koron has a native Pinoy touch. The spoon and fork says it all!
What to eat here? There is the boneless crispy pata, the Kosidong Lapu-lapu, and pancit buko just to name a few.
El Mundo Pequeño
Are you in the mood for some pizza, pasta, or tacos? Then you do not have to go far. In the heart of the Old Albay District of Legazpi City is El Mundo Pequeño, a small restaurant that is big in taste and flavour.
El Mundo Pequeño just opened its doors last month but this restaurant is bound to increase its avid diners thanks to its amazingly good food.
The Pepperoni Pizza here is oh-so-amazing that I am tempted to say it is the best in the city. It is authentic, thin crusted, with just the right amount of everything. This resto is located in the very same building where the Locsin Pili Nut was in the past few decades.
This Pepperoni Pizza is the best in town. Try it to believe it.
The restaurant is deceivingly simple from the outside with just a few chairs and tables. But for this resto it is the not the store front that matters, it is the food.
Care for some Tacos? This place should be your destination if you are into this Mexican staple food.
What to eat here? The meatballs spaghetti is a must-try and also the beef burritos. If you are into authentic Italian pizza and pasta then this is the place to dine to your heart’s content.
The offerings of this restaurant is just amazing. It is a fusion of authentic Italian and Mexican food, a must try when in Legazpi.
The millennials are quite familiar with the saying, “travel now, pulubi later”. With the increasing availability and utility of credit cards, travel is becoming a source of debt for many, to the point of begging for food months after a trip. But this does not have to be your reality – if only you travel smart.
Plan your trip in advance
The first sign of trouble for cash-hungry vacations is spur-of-the-moment plans. A good example would be friends in the office are talking about how beautiful Mt. Mayon is. As the conversation unfolds, a raw, “feasible” plan emerge. “Let’s go to Albay next week”! And that my friend is how you travel with huge financial consequences.
If it is possible, go against the trend and book your hotel in the “slow” months.
The problem with spur-of-the-moment travels is that everything costs more from plane tickets to the tours you want to take, even the hotel rooms you need to book. The solution is to plan your trip months before you go. Do your research about your destination, how you can fully enjoy the sights and sounds of the city, find hotels with a view and near to everything you want to experience while in town.
The perfect cone volcano in the Philippines, Mt. Mayon. Majestic, breath-taking, magayon (beautiful in the local dialect). Credits to the owner of this photo.
Know more about the peak season of tourist arrivals in your planned destination. Summer and the Holidays are often when hotels are charging more for their rooms and airlines are cashing in with the influx of vacationers. If it is possible, go against the trend and book your hotel in the “slow” months.
File your leave at work early, start losing weight if you plan to wear that swimsuit, talk about your trip at the office or among your friends, the more the merrier! Plan out your itinerary, book the local tours early, reserve the hotel rooms, and build up the excitement as your departure date draws near!
Nothing beats a well-planned, well-timed vacation.
Book your flights early
Look out for seat sales from budget airlines. You can even call your preferred ticketing office to reserve seats for you as soon as the sale is announced.
Seasoned budget travellers even plan their vacation around the travel dates of their discounted plane tickets. This is also a good way to plot your vacation plans. Seat sales in local airlines are often in harmony with tourist peak seasons.
Wait for seat sales like these. This was a promo by Cebu Pacific 2 years ago but you can still secure this low fare in their annual seat promos. Travel period will vary.
There is a huge chance that plane tickets on sale would mean lower local hotel room rates, lower tour fees, lower price of everything plus you get to enjoy your space in the beach more.
Talk to the locals
Vacations are nice when you fully integrate yourself to the local lifestyle. The last thing that you want to happen is to fail to get the real vibe of the city. Do not insulate yourself in the comforts of your hotel room and shuttle service. Get into the local lifestyle.
Engaging locals to small talks often mean a treasure chest of tips on to-do’s and to-eat. (Phot0 by Arnel Banawa)
Talking to locals also give you a deeper experience with your destination.
The best way to do that is to talk to locals. Have short walks around your hotel or ride jeepneys to go anywhere. Engage locals into casual conversations, and perhaps ask them what you can do to really enjoy the city. It is often from these conversations popular local hang outs are revealed, something no amount of online research can give you.
Talking to locals also give you a deeper experience with your destination. This can even give you windows of opportunity to go back to the city, but this time with local friends. Now that’s exciting!
Eat where locals eat
The Sili Ice Cream pioneered by a local restaurant in Legazpi City. This is a must try for visitors of the city.
Tired of the same breakfast at the hotel? Try the local gastronomic treats of your destination city! Eat where locals do! It could be a popular carenderia right on the next corner, or a mamihan or lugawan 50 meters from your hotel. Specialty restaurants are also a good idea to have an authentic food experience.
By eating where locals eat you can have a more accurate feel of the city
Lava Bar’s Volcanic Fire Pizza is another must try for Legazpi City visitors. Lava Bar is located at Ayala Malls Legazpi. (Photo by William Ong)
In Legazpi City, the sili ice cream is a must-try and only one restaurant offers that. Go there! Then there is the pinangat, a local dish that has charmed local tourists for decades now. Small Talk Café also offers the pinangat pizza, another must-try for tourists.
Pinangat, a local delicacy in Bicolandia. You need to try this when in Legazpi City. (Photo by Claire Dee Lim)
By eating where locals eat you can have a more accurate feel of the city. It also makes a good story to friends back at home. Yeah, you ate sili ice cream and you can brag all about it.
Do not be fooled with hotel published rates
Do not settle with the rates you see on the hotel’s website and in their other booking outlets. Always ask for a better deal. At least try.
Published rates in any hotel are not always accurate. These rates are often subjected to discounts especially during the off season. Booking a room in advance can give you more flexible rates. You can even ask the hotel for some tips when to book your room/s.
The Emerald Boutique Hotel, a newly opened small, intimate hotel in Legazpi City. This hotel is bound to exceed your expectations.
Planning to book several rooms? Some hotels give discounts to rooms reserved and paid for in bulk. This is often true in small boutique hotels, or in some little inn or bed and breakfast.
Do not settle with the rates you see on the hotel’s website and in their other booking outlets. Always ask for a better deal. At least try.
Emerald Boutique Hotel’s Double Deluxe Room. Convenient and elegant.
Pursue the tours you really like
Thanks to the Internet and Google it is quite easy today to find something to do in any city in the Philippines. Travel blog abound (like this one) and your friends on Facebook often have experiences in places you want to visit. Reading and asking around is not that hard.
Malilipot, Albay’s vanishing island. This is a beach in the middle of the sea. Now that’s interesting! Credits to the owner of the photo.
Plan ahead, be informed, be intentional with your trip, and get into the local lifestyle.
But what do you really want to do? That is the question you must have an answer for especially if you are travelling on a budget. Pursue the tours that have immense personal value to you.
In Legazpi City the Mayon ATV tour is a huge hit. You do not only get to see Mayon up close but drive through its lava path up to the very foot of the majestic volcano.
The Mayon ATV Tour. Imagine driving through the lava flow from the majestic Mayon Volcano! (Photo by Melo Villareal)
You can also try the vanishing island tour in Malilipot Albay. If you love the beach then this tour should be in your thing-to-do list while in Albay.
So don’t be a “pulubi” after travelling to beautiful cities around the country. Plan ahead, be informed, be intentional with your trip, and get into the local lifestyle. Who said you have to be in debt to enjoy the perks of travel?
