When in Iloilo, you don’t just get the best of Ilonggo food; you get the best of the world!
Image: Festive Walk Iloilo Facebook page
There probably isn’t another region in the Philippines that can match the culinary contributions of Iloilo. The flair and flavor they put into all of their dishes is just exceptional: from their famed batchoy (noodle soup made with pork and round noodles) to their amazing array of talaba (oyster) and other seafood servings, the City of Love is truly a haven for foodies.
What makes it all the better is you don’t have to bust your budget to be able to eat all you can and experience this gastronomic feast. Here, we narrow your options down to a handful of the best Ilonggo buffet restaurants in Iloilo. Dig in!
1. Hometown Iloilo Buffet by Freska
Location: Ayala-Technohub, Smallville Complex, San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Budget: PhP299 per head
Challenge yourself and see if you can sample all of their thirty sumptuous Filipino delicacies.
Image: Hometown Buffet by Freska Facebook page
The list starts strong with a buffet restaurant that’s so diverse, it feels like a home away from home, wherever you may come from. Hometown Iloilo Buffet by Freska offers 30 of the best and tastiest delicacies that remind us of the home style dishes we grew up loving.
They specialize in seafood dishes, and serve treats from the sea like talaba (oysters), grilled scallops, crispy crablets, inihaw na tanigue (grilled wahoo), and managat (Visayan snapper), which they can cook in various ways.
They also cook up other meat dishes; to wit, their callos (beef tripe stew) is a dish to die for. After filling yourself up in the main course, you can then proceed to their dessert table, which consists of a lot of Filipino desserts as well.
Just as Freska’s name implies, all their dishes are cooked fresh. They only serve the buffet dishes on an hourly basis or if they need to replenish, which would usually be the case given how popular they are.
2. Asian Spoon
Location: Unit 22 & 23, Shops at Atria Ayala, Donato Pison Ave, Brgy. San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Budget: PhP299 per head
Craving for some exotic Asian flavors? Trust Asian Spoon to excite your taste buds!
Image: Asian Spoon Facebook page
We move from the delicacies of the Philippines to delicacies of the entire Southeast Asian region, which you can find at Asian Spoon. This buffet restaurant in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, features flavors distinct in Malaysian, Singaporean, Vietnamese, Thai, and of course, Filipino dishes. Take a bite of their half-glazed soy chicken, gói cuôn (Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls), laksa (spicy noodle soup), pork satay, mee goreng (Indo-Malay fried-noodle dish), and more Asian-inspired fusion dishes.
A project of the management that brought the fast-rising Silantro restaurant, Asian Spoon offers exotic dishes at an affordable price, too. For just PhP299 a head, you get to chow down on your favorite Asian cuisines as much as you want. Just make sure to come early though, as a lot of people know about their amazing Asian dishes as well!
3. Cabalen
Location: 3F, SM City Iloilo, Benigno Aquino Avenue, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Budget: PhP350 a head
From Kapampangan to Ilonggo cuisines, Cabalen covers all the flavors with a buffet that feels like a fiesta!
Image: SM City Iloilo Facebook page
We venture into familiar territory with a buffet restaurant that’s also well-known across Metro Manila. Opening its 28th store in Iloilo in early 2017, Cabalen brings its famed Kapampangan flavors to an eager Ilonggo audience.
Of course, people know this restaurant for its kare-kare (oxtail stew in peanut sauce) and sisig (sizzling diced pork dish), among other bestsellers. However, Ilonggo eaters always crave for more, which is why Cabalen also serves Iloilo-inspired dishes. Bagongon (snail in coconut sauce) and tambo (young bamboo shoots) are just some of their cuisines that bridge the Ilonggo palate.
Being in the business for 30 years, Cabalen has now almost perfected the art of preparing delicious delicacies that originate from all over the archipelago. Their name translates to “town mate,” which is exactly what Cabalen builds: communities of friends and families sharing special moments over the dining table.
4. Farm to Table Iloilo
Location: Transcom Bldg., Megaworld Blvd, Mandurriao, Iloilo City
Budget: PhP399 per head
At Farm to Table, only the freshest ingredients of the season are served out.
Image: Festive Walk Iloilo Facebook page
An exquisite trait of Ilonggo cuisine is how they always put freshness first. The best dishes come from the freshest catches and the freshest harvests, and this is what’s at the heart of Farm to Table, a lifestyle restaurant dedicated to supporting local, fresh, seasonal, and organic produces as their ingredients.
Founded by Iloilo chef Pauline Gorriceta-Banusing, this up-and-coming and progressive restaurant serves dishes that are as delicious as they are guilt-free. Not only is this a step towards a healthier diet, but also a step towards a more sustainable farming community that connects its consumers directly to their source of food.
Have a bowl of salad from their organic salad bar, or a serving of their coconut fishballs for appetizers, or a plate of their whole wheat pasta dishes. Pair this with a bottle of their local craft beer or a glass of wine from their selection, which is the largest in all of Iloilo City. Indeed, living and eating conscientiously starts with places like Farm to Table.
5. Gerardo’s Kitchen Food by Federico
Location: Bonifacio Drive (in front of Hall of Justice), Iloilo City Proper
Budget: PhP299 per head
Celebrate in the company of friends and families with good, old comfort food in Gerardo’s Kitchen Food.
Image: Gerardo’s Kitchen Food by Federico Facebook page
Sometimes, we just want to eat our comfort food, and the choice need not be too complicated or broad. At Gerardo’s Kitchen Food by Federico, it could not get any simpler. This casual fine-dining restaurant-slash-events place offers probably the cheapest lunch and dinner buffet at only 175PhP a head, but their selection isn’t any less filling at that.
Their Fil-Italian fusion menu features pasta dishes and their must-try, the Big Square Burger, which is what it sounds like—a giant square-cut burger that can probably feed a whole family or a handful of friends in one sitting.
If you’re going to fill your belly with their buffet anyway, then you can take advantage of an upcoming event and book it at Gerardo’s Food Kitchen. The venue caters to birthdays, receptions, family events, practically any large function you’d want to keep in memory. Besides, nothing makes an event more memorable than the food!
Check out our list of buffet restaurants in Iloilo City or browse the Dining & Leisure category of the Yoorekka Shopping Guide.
If you’re still having trouble choosing what to eat, this should solve your problem. Stop struggling and just dive into whatever’s on the Ilonggo dining table!
Which of these buffet restaurants in Iloilo enticed your palate? Let us know in the comments section below!
