We flew 30 hours from the United States to the Philippines, and I came to Boracay with one mission: eat all the good food. This was my first time trying Filipino food in the Philippines itself, and I had a long list. Lechon, Jollibee in the motherland, Bicol Express, street taho, and that famous coconut ice cream everyone kept telling me about.
We arrived right around sunset (and just barely missed it after the long travel day), dropped our bags, and went straight out to find our first meal. Here is everything we ate across my first days in Boracay, in order.
Stop 1: Smoke Resto
Our very first meal in the Philippines. We had walked toward an island chicken spot first, but it had a 30-minute line (the only place that did), so we saved it for the next day and landed at Smoke Resto instead.
We ordered three dishes plus calamansi to drink. One quick note on the calamansi here: it is not as sweet as the American versions I have had, probably because they use the real thing.
Beef Salpicao: Stir-fried beef strips in a dark chili sauce topped with garlic bits. I expected a soy-sauce smell but it was different. It is surprisingly sweet, sweet and salty at once, with a distinct flavor I traced to Worcestershire sauce. You have to eat it with rice, and the garlic toast they serve alongside soaks it all up. Really good.
Spicy Garlic Kangkong: Local water spinach cooked in a spicy garlic sauce with sesame seed and fried garlic on top. I first tried kangkong in Malaysia and wanted to know the Filipino version. This one leans sweet with a saltiness and a little spice. I did not expect the sweetness, but the more I ate it, the more I loved it. Vincent (who is Malaysian) noted it is the same vegetable they cook back home, just a totally different, sweeter style.
Stuffed Squid: Calamari stuffed with tomato, onion, and tarragon, with butter veggies, served with the cutest molded rice and a citrusy calamansi soy sauce. This was my favorite of the three. Not too sweet, not too salty, with the squid and vegetables balancing perfectly and great seasoning. Even Vincent, who does not really eat seafood, found it refreshing.
We cleared every plate. If you are in Boracay, Smoke Resto is a great first meal, and that kangkong won us both over.
Stop 2: Street Taho
The next morning at the hotel, I spotted a vendor selling taho, a warm Filipino street snack, so I had to try it. It is soft tofu with sago pearls and a sweet syrup, served warm for 100 pesos in a cute Starbucks-looking cup.
I thought it would be super sweet, but it is only subtly sweet, almost like a very mild brown sugar boba in cup form. It is warm, comforting, and genuinely filling. I would happily eat this for breakfast every day.
Stop 3: Jollibee Philippines vs USA
This was the moment I had been waiting for. I flew 30 hours partly to eat Jollibee in the motherland and compare it to the US version. For context: I love Jollibee so much in the US that I basically stopped going to Korean fried chicken chains over a year ago, and I eat it about twice a month.
We ordered a Super Meal, the Jolly Spaghetti, a Yumburger, the Jolly Hotdog (which the US does not have), and a chili cheese crunchy chicken sandwich.
Chickenjoy: Okay, I have to be really honest, and I know some Filipino viewers might come for me on this one. The US Jollibee Chickenjoy was better. Here the chicken was dry, not as juicy as the US version, and it came with way less gravy. I had really high expectations and walked away a little disappointed. To be fair, this is a tourist spot in Boracay, so I genuinely want to give it a second chance at a different location.
Jolly Spaghetti: This one redeemed the meal. The US version is much sweeter, while this one is richer and more savory-sweet. I love Filipino spaghetti, and this was genuinely good. Vincent agreed it was less sweet and more flavorful.
Yumburger: Smaller than the US one and a little less soft, a bit drier, which I actually liked. It is light and not greasy.
Jolly Hotdog: Somewhere between a hot dog and a corn dog, not as salty as the American style. I do not usually love hot dogs in Asia, and this was fine, not something I would seek out, but the bun was great. Jollibee is genuinely good at buns.
Chili Cheese Chicken Sandwich: The chili cheese sauce (their most popular) tasted great, but the chicken was dry again, so it was just okay. I think this specific location was the issue.
Bottom line: I left a little sad because Jollibee is my favorite in the US, but the spaghetti and buns shined, and I am chalking the dry chicken up to the location. Second chance coming.
Stop 4: Island Chicken Inasal (The BBQ Spot)
This was the popular local BBQ spot we tried to go to on day one. It is hugely popular with locals and tourists (and oddly, a ton of Korean reviews on Google Maps). I came at 2 PM to beat the line, and it was still longer than dinner. Worth it.
We ordered pork BBQ skewers, Bicol Express, spicy pa-a, kangkong, and a Pale Pilsen (my first Filipino beer, smooth and easy). The server made us the local dipping sauce with soy sauce and tiny fresh calamansi, so we could eat it the way locals do.
Pork BBQ Skewer: Smells incredible, with great char, not overly sweet, and so good. With the dipping sauce (which has spice and vinegar) it gets even better and more refreshing.
Bicol Express: I had wanted to try this for ages (they even sell it at At My Place Cafe in Arizona) and this was my first time. The flavor surprised me: strongly coconutty, savory, with green beans that go perfectly. Not greasy at all. So good I told myself I had to find it back home too.
Spicy Pa-a: I called this the best Filipino food I had eaten. Charred and perfectly seasoned outside, juicy and not dry inside, with a side veggie that looked like Korean jangachi and tasted slightly sweet.
Kangkong: Once again, the kangkong stole my heart. Soft, with a distinct sauce I could not place but absolutely loved. I love Filipino kangkong everywhere I go, and the way they cook it here is special.
We finished the entire spread. This was a highlight of the whole trip. A must try.
Stop 5: Coco Mama
Everyone kept recommending Coco Mama, so we walked over for dessert. We got the coconut ice cream in two flavors, original and pandan, topped with fresh Filipino mango (220 pesos). Filipinos say their mango is the sweetest in the world, and this was my first one in the Philippines.
The original coconut ice cream with the sweet mango is the move: sweet on sweet, with crunchy rice crisp and real coconut adding texture. The pandan was also excellent (Vincent called it the best pandan ice cream he has had, and he is the pandan expert), but the mango pairs better with the original. Order both flavors together and you cannot go wrong. Definitely worth coming here.
Stop 6: Gary's Restaurant (My First Lechon)
We finished with my very first lechon in the Philippines at Gary's. I picked it from a comment recommendation, it was available in Boracay, and the reviews were high. There was a short wait (lucky number seven).
We ordered ginataang gulay, lechon kawali, Gary's special binagoongan rice, and two special drinks (their special iced tea and a watermelon cucumber).
Gary's Special Iced Tea: Not citrusy like I expected, more of a honey sweetness with a green tint. No idea what it is, but it tastes good and is genuinely special.
Ginataang Gulay: Warm, with pumpkin, coconut milk, veggies, and shrimp (only two small shrimp, smaller than the photo, but you eat it for the vegetables). The flavor is a subtle coconut-milk curry, close to Thai food but with no spice and very easy for anyone to enjoy. A great appetizer.
Lechon Kawali: My first lechon, and a success. The outside is very crispy, the inside is seasoned beautifully (not too salty), juicy, and not even that fatty. I could eat it without rice. With the acidic vinegar sauce it is even better. I have had pork belly that came out dry inside despite a crispy exterior, but this was perfectly moist inside and crisp outside. I loved it.
Binagoongan Rice: A garlic fried rice with fish sauce. It tastes familiar and good. The fish sauce will be polarizing, but I personally liked it.
We could not finish everything (and discovered one of the veggies was bitter melon, a first for me, very bitter), but we left stuffed and happy. I love lechon.
Final Thoughts
These first days in Boracay cleared my expectations. A couple of places surprised me, one humbled me (sorry, Jollibee, I will give you another shot), and the rest were everything I hoped for. If I had to rank the meals: Island Chicken Inasal and Gary's lechon were the standouts, Smoke Resto was a great start, Coco Mama is a must for dessert, and Jollibee gets an asterisk until I retry it at a non-tourist location.
If you are planning a Boracay food trip, eat the lechon, find the Bicol Express, and do not skip the kangkong anywhere you see it. I am already planning part two.
