Iloilo City is a haven to homegrown restaurants known for their flavorsome dishes that are loved by both locals and tourists. Anyone who has ever tasted Ilonggo food knows that the Ilonggos don’t spare anything to make their dishes memorable to the mouths that eat them.
Since Iloilo is just beside Capiz—the Seafood Capital of the Philippines—and it is also surrounded by large bodies of water, it benefits from an abundance of fresh catch from the sea every day. This gives rise to plenty of seafood restaurants in Iloilo.
Given the overwhelming number of restaurants in Iloilo, here are handpicked few that serve the best of Ilonggos’ favorite seafood dishes.
1. Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafood Restaurant
Branches:
Sto. Niño Sur Arevalo, Iloilo City
Airport Road, Cabatuan, Iloilo
Atria, San Rafael, Mandurriao (Newest Branch)
Contact Number: +6333 8579297
Taste the standard of seafood restaurant of the Ilonggos at Tatoy’s.
Image: Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafood
Every Ilonggo who has to entertain a guest also has to know where to bring them, and Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafood Restaurant definitely comes to mind as a first choice. This is the type of seafood restaurant in Iloilo where you would celebrate significant milestones of your life with your closest friends and loved ones. Tatoy’s bestseller, lechon manok (roasted chicken), which sells at PhP350 goes great with their stuffed grilled squid, grilled fish, steamed or butter garlic shrimp, squid rings, camaron (shrimp), steamed or baked oyster, and baked scallops.
These wide array of choices are available most of the time regardless which branch you visit. If you don’t swing towards seafood, another item on the menu that you can chow down is their famous lechon. After a bite, you certainly won’t regret coming such a long way to Arevalo, their original branch across the beach front.
August 2020 Update: Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafood Restaurant has resumed operations.
2. Breakthrough Restaurant Iloilo
Branches:
Sto. Niño Sur Arevalo, Iloilo City
G/F, Food Court, SM City Iloilo, Mandurriao
Ponsyon by Breakthrough, Plazuela de Iloilo, Mandurriao
Dapli by Breakthrough, Valeria St., Iloilo City Proper
Contact Number: 63917 7942703
Your table will be filled with only the freshest catch.
Image: Breakthrough Restaurant Iloilo
Established in 1986, Breakthrough Restaurant is a traditional seafood restaurant in Iloilo which now has other branches across the city. Ever since opening shop, they’ve captured the hearts and taste buds of the local Ilonggos through their exquisite offerings of seafood dishes. They remain true to their word to only serve the freshest ingredients and cook them in the best possible way.
Breakthrough’s best sellers are their baked scallops, native lechon manok, sinabawan na imbao (shell soup), sinugba nga managat (grilled fish), and their sizzling crab meat which, unless you’re allergic to seafood, is really to die for.
August 2020 Update: Breakthrough Restaurant has resumed operations.
3. Samurai Talabahan
Address: Diversion Road, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Contact Number: (033) 292 0326
Eat whatever seafood that you can finish—make sure baked talaba is on your table!
Image: @chinonil
Yes, it is still possible to eat fresh seafood even if you are right smack at the middle of one of the busiest highways in Iloilo City. By taking a convenient right on the service road of the bike lane, you can find Samurai Talabahan where you can discover what good food you’ve been missing out on. This seafood restaurant in Iloilo is suited for large groups of friends and huge families celebrating their get-togethers.
You need not worry about carrying a limited budget when coming to Samurai. Compared to the seafood restaurants on the list, their prices are friendlier, yet still carry flavors worth queuing for. There are even combo meals that even students can afford. Of course, if your hunger is greater than what your budget can handle, then prices are out of the question, but either way, you’re in for a great time!
August 2020 Update: Samurai Talabahan has resumed operations.
4. Griller’s Oyster House
Address: Branches all over Iloilo
Contact Number: +6333 5087529
Iloilo’s favorite oyster house is everywhere in the city.
Image: Griller’s Oyster House
Griller’s Oyster House is another local favorite in Iloilo. It sets itself apart from other prominent food places in that they offer a number of ways to cook oyster, including a burger with oyster patty. Still, their baked oysters remain to be the must-try for both newbies and long-time guests.
Whichever district you may belong to in Iloilo, there’s certainly a Griller’s Oyster House just nearby. Their menu is also relatively affordable; your PhP130 is already enough to make it hard for you to stand up after a full meal. Its affordability, taste, and generous servings complete its ensemble that’s been raking in the followers and patrons, even tourists!
August 2020 Update: Griller’s Oyster House’s branch at Robinsons Mall has resumed operations.
5. Bucket Lov’n Shrimps
Address: One Esplanade, Molo
Contact Number: 0918 560 9897
Dive in at Bucket Lov’n in satisfying your shrimp cravings.
Image: @mikeflurry_
Bucket Shrimps, the famous seafood restaurant chain from Cebu, brought Bucket Lov’n Shrimps in Iloilo. The Cajun-style shrimp that people of Boracay and Cebu loved is now within the dig of the Ilonggos. The restaurant offers selections of mouth-watering shrimp dishes that are served in buckets; bibs and hand gloves are also a staple here, because you won’t be able to enjoy your meal if you try to be prim and proper.
Those who love to get down and dirty in a boodle fight should make their way here soonest, before the place gets crowded with friendly competition. Whenever you’re strolling down the long stretch of the Esplanade, cap it off with a visit at Bucket Lov’n, and use the walk back to your car to bring down all those good seafood you just ate. That’s a win-win situation anytime.
6. Iloilo’s Nato and Helen Native and Seafoods Restaurant
Address: Bolilao, Mandurriao
Contact Number: +6333 3213109
Dine where everything’s tasty.
Image: Iloilo’s Nato and Helen Native and Seafoods Restaurant
It’s a prerequisite for every hungry tourist in Iloilo City to spend their lunch or dinner at Iloilo’s Nato and Helen Native and Seafoods Restaurant. It’s sort of an initiation to the local cuisines to try out their shrimps, squid, bangus (milkfish), tanigue (mackerel), blue marlin, talaba (oyster), lechon manok, and other fresh catch, and have them cooked in your preferred style.
The family restaurant is managed by couple Renato and Helen Robles. When the business was just starting, they only used to serve fish and oyster. Now, they also accept catering activities and boodle fight preparations for large groups and organizations with an appetite for seafood. The place also welcomes anyone from any and all walks of life, as they serve not only exquisite but also affordable food from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
In addition to these fantastic places, Iloilo has many more seafood restaurants to offer! Just this January, Merraq Seafood Cafe opened to the public their wide array of affordable options for seafood lovers. Those who have a penchant for Chinese foods may also come by Spring Palace in Smallville. Birthday parties, huge reunions, and other large events will find their perfect venue at Ocean City along General Luna St., Iloilo City. And those who miss Roxas City’s Coco Veranda may visit 7 Fishes by Coco Veranda at Diversion Road, Mandurriao.
Home to loving and lovable people—that’s what Iloilo is known for in the eyes of many. Thus, it’s only fitting that all the dishes they create are made more sumptuous with the passion and dedication they put into it. Taste the Ilonggos’ culinary ingenuity come see why the nation holds their signature dishes in high regard.
Make sure to visit Yoorekka to learn and find out more best seafood restaurants in Iloilo.
Which seafood restaurant in Iloilo City do you like best? Let us know in the comment section below!
This article was originally published in Yoorekka on April 18, 2018.
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