Must Dine-in Places at Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Aside from pristine beaches and wonderful sights, Puerto Princesa is also a haven for the foodie as it is home to the best dining places and unforgettable dishes.   

KaLui

KaLui is a top choice because it serves great food at an affordable price, cheaper than most fine-dining restaurants in Palawan or any Philippine City. Experience the taste of their fresh-catch seafood menu and you will know how mouth watering it would be whenever Ka Lui crosses your mind. Just like most of their dishes, cooked and plated in a simple way, their Tuna Steak is a dish to remember. Every bite of that tuna oozed and burst of flavorful seasoning and juicy meat of fresh fish. Other must-try dishes here are the Blue Marlin, Fish Cordon Bleu, Sinigang ni Kaka, and Sinigang na Hipon.

This tourist-favorite restaurant may not have the grand ambiance and facade of the Badjao Restaurant also in Puerto Princesa, but it certainly is a unique dining place. It is built on native wood and has dust-free and shiny floors so every visitor must leave his/her footwear at the entrance. Its interior design is preened with native crafts and sculptures and the walls are adorned with artsy-craftsy masks.  

The Steak Tuna is pegged at P160 for a single order while the more expensive but big-serve dishes could range from P180- P200, while family platters could be up to P400. Ka Lui’s fresh fruit shakes are in the range of P40- P55 while alcoholic drinks are sold at popular bar prices.

To end your dining at Ka Lui at a high point, you can order a surprising dessert or version of banana split.

Badjao

Badjao is an elegant dining place with a dramatic and romantic setting. This native-designed restaurant stands in stilts at a mangrove swamp and one has to cross a short hanging bridge to get to its entrance. The food is also sumptuous but pricey, and some of its seafood dishes taste flat. They offer a wide variety of dishes though, so perhaps one just needs to try more to get the best out of their menu. With its grandeur and picturesque ambiance, Badjao restaurant is an ideal date destination or wedding reception venue for the well-to-do.

Bilao at Palayok

This restaurant presents an atmosphere of the old-style Filipino way of life with its use of Nipa Huts or Bahay Kubo as attraction and also as dining areas, and of Bilao and Palayok (woven tray and clay pot respectively) for aesthetics and cooking and serving food. Its menu includes a wide-array of Filipino dishes such as adobo and sinigang na baboy (pork stew and pork on tamarind soup), grilled tuna, and salted egg with tomatoes. Although these are common-Filipino recipes, the taste is way better than ordinary, perhaps due to a special seasoning or the use of high-grade meat and fresh fish.    

Dos Palmas

Aside from snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, wind surfing, and sun-bathing on this upscale resort, one can also enjoy eating at its fine-dining area such as the Kara-e-nan, an open-air food hall at the sea front. It can seat up to 200 guests and has a live band entertainment. It offers a grand buffet of seafood sourced from the bountiful Palawan waters and a lineup of sweet desserts like buko pandan and leche flan. I have never eaten a tray of leche flan, but here I had a few, because it was so good.