PHOTOS BY EDGAR ALAN ZETA-YAP

CITY GARDEN RESTO

What it is
A restaurant situated in the harborfront and “the only steakhouse in northern Mindanao”. They offer a wide selection of Filipino, Asian and Western cuisine, and every dish is pure satisfaction.

Crowd pleasers
The steaks, filet mignon, pork ribs and roast beef are obviously their specialties, but many order seafood like kinilaw Surigao(raw tuna or marlin in vinegar), baked scallops, tuna belly and garlic prawns.

Tried and tasted
“Whenever I’m at City Garden Resto, Oklahoma-style pork ribs in sweet barbecue marinade is my top choice.” Christine Gerasmio

Where
Hotel Tavern, Borromeo Street, Surigao City, tel: +63 (86) 826 8566 (open daily from 6am–12am)

MAMA AIDA’S SEAFOOD GRILL

What it is
A homey eatery specializing in seafood dishes made with the freshest of Surigao’s daily catch. Bring the whole family and order everything to share, plus extra rice — you won’t regret it.

Crowd pleasers
Popular picks are sugba (Visayan-style native grill) of local fish like blue marlin, talakitok (trevally) or kitang (rabbitfish). Also, there’s grilled alimango (mud crab), sugpo (prawn), nokus(squid) and lapu-lapu (grouper)

Tried and tasted
“I recommend Mama Aida’s crispy shrimp and adobong saang, which is a spider conch shellfish native to Surigao and a must-try.” Melva Garcia

Where
Borromeo Street, Surigao City, tel: +63 (86) 826 3448 (open daily from 10am– 10pm)

CAFÉ MAHARLIKA

What it is
A fine beachside bistro offering great food with beautiful views of the neighboring islands strewn across Surigao Strait. Pick a table on the terrace to take in the lovely scenery and dine al fresco.

Crowd pleasers
Guests love their scrumptious servings of pizzas, sandwiches and salads. They also serve sugba na pusit (Visayan-style grilled squid) with your choice of native, lemon butter, barbecue or wasabi-mayo sauces.

Tried and tasted
“We often dine at Café Maharlika to enjoy the sea view with some meat lover’s pizza. The crust is a stand-out.” Leonel Santos Jr

Where
Almont Beach Resort, Barangay Lipata, Surigao City, tel: +63 (86) 826 7544 to 46(open daily from 6am–10pm)

SABETH BBQ

What it is
One of the most popular among the smoky roadside barbecue stalls patronized at the pier area. It’s a great place to experience local life. The atmosphere is very casual, but that’s the beauty of it.

Crowd pleasers
Their chicken barbecue is charcoal-grilled and basted to savory perfection.

Dip the tender meat in a soy sauce, vinegar, lime and chili mixture and have it with some warm pusô or “hanging rice” cooked inside coconut frond pouches.

Tried and tasted
“Sabeth BBQ’s flavor is familiar to generations of locals. The chicken is grilled the way it has been for decades.” Jake Miranda

Where
810 Borromeo Street, tel: +63 (86) 826 5090 (open daily 4am–2am)