Learn Why These 8 Famous Restaurants in Palawan Are Crowds’ Favorites

Where: Sirena St., Brgy. Buena Suerte, El Nido

Best For: Lovely artwork; Hearty, healthy food

You can’t say you’ve gone to El Nido without visiting the homegrown and famous restaurants in Palawan, El Nido Boutique & Artcafé. It’s well-known for serving hearty, healthy food and has become a destination restaurant for its walls full of lovely artworks from local artists. As a café, this Palawan’s best restaurant primarily serves brewed coffee and espresso, which you can pair best with its daily baked tasty bread and cakes. You can also try out its mouth-watering seafood specialties and fresh vegetable salads from its organic farm. The best spot to dine when you visit this famous restaurant in Palawan is the breezy second-floor terrace overlooking Bacuit Bay.

El Nido Boutique & Artcafe is open daily from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Where: Serena St., Brgy. Buena Suerte, El Nido

Best For: Authentic Middle Eastern food

Are you looking for a where to eat in Palawan with authentic Middle Eastern food with a Mediterranean twist? Whether it is hummus, falafel, or shakshuka you want, Happiness Beach Bar is one of Palawan’s best restaurants is the place you’re looking for. One of its must-tries in this famous restaurant in Palawan is the fish kebab served on pita bread. This bar also serves a delicious variety of healthy vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options with the speed and consistency of a fast-food restaurant. Also, you can drop by the bar from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM to avail margarita and daiquiri at a discounted price of PhP180!

Happiness Beach Bar is open daily from 7:00 AM to 11:45 PM.

Where: 369 Rizal Ave., Puerto Princesa City

Best For: Homey ambiance; Filipino food

When you want to experience the warmth of Filipino hospitality, look no further than this famous restaurant in Palawan, the KaLui Restaurant. In this Puerto Princesa restaurant, you will be asked to enter barefooted and walk on a clean, polished floor as if you were in a typical Filipino home. This best restaurant in Palawan is famed for its homey ambiance and has earned a name for turning its place into an art gallery. This Palawan’s best restaurant is bursting with colors and life; locally-made handicrafts and artworks are visible everywhere, even inside its restrooms. Oh, and don’t leave this famous restaurant in Palawan without trying its complimentary dessert! If you’re a seafood and veggie lover, you will be delighted with KaLui’s Special of the Day.

KaLui Restaurant is open from Monday to Saturday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM and from 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM.

Where: 348 Rizal Ave., Puerto Princesa City

Best For: Exotic dishes

Are you feeling adventurous? Head to this famous restaurant in Palawan, the Kinabuch’s Grill and Bar, for its exotic dishes! Slimy tamilok (woodworm) and sizzling crocodile sisig (chopped meat with calamansi and chili) are worth trying when you’re here. Kinabuch’s is a bar and the best restaurant in Palawan that proves the presence of nightlife in Puerto Princesa City. Here you could order a wide selection of local and imported liquors and drink with your friends all night! This famous restaurant in Palawan h also serves mouth-watering crispy pata (pork leg) and sumptuous seafood specialties that will make you return for more! With its rustic indoor and outdoor seating that adds to its island life ambiance, there’s no doubt why it’s always jam-packed.

Kinabuch’s Grill and Bar is open daily from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Where: Rosario St., Coron

Best For: Authentic Italian pizzas

You don’t need to visit Italy for authentic Italian pizzas. Trattoria Altrove, a famous restaurant in Palawan, has no hint of pretension about how it prepares pizzas. Trattoria Altrove will surely give you a genuine taste of Italy, from picking imported ingredients to cooking them in a wood-fired oven. Its must-order pizzas are Prosciutto Crudo con Tartufo, Quattro Stagioni, and Margherita. This Palawan’s best restaurant also serves homemade gelato and pasta (one of its bestsellers for pasta is Gamberi e Olio d’Oliva). You can also find this famous restaurant in Palawan in El Nido.

Trattoria Altrove is open daily from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Where: Felicidad St., Sinamay, Bgy. Poblacion 1 , Coron

Best For: Pork baby back ribs

Many had tried to imitate Santino’s Grill’s pork baby back ribs, its signature mainstay, but no restaurant has come close. This famous restaurant in Palawan’s pork baby back ribs serving size is enough to fill your grumbling tummy. As for its side dish, you can choose French fries or mashed potato paired with sour cream onion dip. Santino’s bulalo (beef shank, bone marrow stew) and java rice are must-tries. Cooked to perfection, it’s the best restaurant in Palawan, and we tell you this so you cannot miss it when visiting Coron.

Santino’s Grill is open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Where: Brgy. Poblacion, San Vicente

Best For: Authentic Italian food

Marina Terrace is a famous restaurant in Palawan. It specializes in Venetian and traditional Italian cuisines and uses authentic local fresh ingredients. Must-eats at this best restaurant in Palawan is its bread with imported olive oil from Sicily, Venetian-style mussels cooked in tomato sauce, white wine, herbs, and Lasagna Melanzane Alla Parmigiana. The restaurant’s name came from the fact that it overlooks the marina of San Vicente, where all the traditional fishing boats are moored. Every detail of this Palawan’s best restaurant carefully follows the natural environment’s harmony and gives clients the experience of being on a 50s wooden yacht deck.

Marina Terrace is open from Monday from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM; Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM and from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM.

Where: Rizal St., Brgy. Port Barton, San Vicente

Best For: Beachfront location; Jambalaya version

In a small tourist village of Port Barton, Jambalaya Cajun Café is making a buzz for its version of Jambalaya—a Louisiana comfort food typically consisting of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. This famous restaurant in Palawan serves Cajun version, a concoction of slices of tomatoes, fresh fish chunks, and nicely spiced rice. Tourists also come back for its aromatic coffee and selections of tasty breakfasts and refreshing shakes. What’s good about Palawan’s best restaurant is it’s located at the beachfront, giving guests stunning sunset views. If you want to drink and maybe meet other travelers and locals, visit Cajun Café during its happy hour that starts at 5:00 PM daily.

January 2023 Update: Jambalaya Cajun Café is permanently closed.

Visit Yoorekka Magazine for more dining options in Palawan!