Boutique hotels
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Abacá Boutique Resort
- Style
- Tasteful tropical base
- Setting
- On the waterfront
Cebu & Mactan Island Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
(+63 (0)32 416 7272)
AA BBQ
Vegetarians avert your eyes. This casual roadside grill serves up classic Cebuano barbecue dishes, with enough marinated meat to make a lion salivate. Laidback, friendly, inexpensive and very authentic, you order the meat you want cooked at the counter, then call a waiter to arrange rice, soups and drinks. Also try their pitchers of iced tea to wash it down.
AS Fortuna Street, Mandaue City
(+63 (0)32 253 1111)
Blu Bar & Grill
Get in the elevator and hit the top button. The Blu Bar & Grill, in the penthouse of the luxurious Marco Polo Plaza, is around 1000 feet above sea level, meaning you can dine on king crab or New York steak with a side dish of unparalleled views across Cebu City and the Mactan Channel. It' dining that, as they say, will take you to new heights.
Marco Polo Plaza, Cebu Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills, Cebu City
(+63 (0)32 233 4243)
Golden Cowrie
Filipino through and through, from the friendly staff to the bamboo seating and paintings of native life, this popular but not wallet-busting restaurant is the place to try local favourites such as Bicol Express (a stew made from long chillies) and lapu-lapu (fish with spicy sauce), plus great seafood. Eat in the traditional family style – order lots of small dishes to share.
Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City
(+63 (0)32 495 4818)
Krua Thai
Filipino’s might envy their Southeast Asian rival’s status in the ranks of the world’s cuisines, but that doesn’t stop locals lapping it up. This thriving Thai restaurant, on Mactan Island, has a reputation for authentic flavours, including spicy soups, noodle dishes and curries. It’s also good for vegetarians – something of a rarity in the carnivorous Philippines.
Near Marina Mall, Airport Road, Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island
(+63 (0)32 233 8601)
Lemon Grass
Only a foolish restaurateur would ignore Cebu’s abundance of fresh coconuts and mangoes. This trendy, authentic, reasonably priced restaurant puts them to good use in curries, salads and other Thai-Vietnamese fusion dishes.
Level 1, The Terraces, Ayala Center, Cebu
(+63 (0)32 238 9552)
Maya
Tasty, authentic Mexican can be hard to come by in the Philippines. Maya’s ambience and décor has the same elegant simplicity that owner Jason Hyatt brings to Abaca Resort & Restaurant on Mactan Island, but with lower prices, while the bar stocks more than a hundred varieties of the sophisticate’s drink of choice, tequila.
Crossroads Mall, Banilad, Cebu City
(+63 (0)32 422 3159)
Nonki
The Philippines gets a large number of Japanese visitors and this is where those in the know go. Excellent friendly staff and a good, inexpensive menu (with helpful pictures) of authentic Japanese dishes, and some of the best gyoza and tempura on the island.
219 AS Fortuna Street, Bakilid, Mandaue City
Bars
(+63 (0)32 238 0836)
Club Vudu
Word of mouth has established this as one of Cebu’s premier clubs and lounges – Hollywood celebs are said to party here when they’re holidaying nearby. The dual-level venue plays hip-hop and R&B upstairs, house on the lower floor. Leave your beachwear at the hotel and dress to impress.
Crossroads Mall, Banilad, Cebu City
(+63 (0)32 232 2698)
Jazz’n Bluz
This corner of Cebu is where touring Filipino musicians return from playing bars and ships around Southeast Asia, serving up an energetic blend of, not surprisingly, jazz and blues. You can sit back and listen, with a plate of kinilaw (the Visayan take on ceviche), scallops or a steak, or hit the dancefloor, where dance instructors are on hand to help you bust a graceful move.
27F Cabahug Street, Ayala Access Road, Mabolo, Cebu City
(+63 (0)32 238 0532)
The LOFT
The place to be and to be seen (and to be seen looking good), The LOFT is Cebu’s trend-setting after-hours venue, hosting the region’s biggest clubbing events, with international and regional DJs and occasional live bands. There is a door code, so dress smart and hip to fit in with the local glamarazzi.
2F CJRS Point Building, Asiatown IT Park, Lahug, Cebu City
Cafés
(+63 (0)32 505 3565)
Vienna Kaffeehaus
More than 25 years ago, Austrian businessman Kurt Schnabel noticed a lack of places to get a decent cup of coffee while working in the Philippines. The solution? He opened his own café. Well, if the mountain won’t come to Mohammed… Goulash, schnitzel, homemade sauerkraut and pastries are on the menu, to accompany a variety of Austrian coffees, including excellent espresso and original Vienna eiscoffee.
Ford’s Inn Hotel, AS Fortuna Street, Cebu City
