One of the many pleasures of traveling is indulging in vacation food. The meals you enjoy while on vacation often seem tastier and more satisfying than your everyday fare. Our Coron trip in the Philippines was no exception.
Global Flavors Restaurants in Coron
Altrove
Trattoria Altrove Coron serves authentic Italian cuisine. The restaurant offers wood-fired pizzas, freshly made pasta, and a cozy, tavern-style atmosphere. Diners often go for classics like the Margherita or opt for bolder choices such as the Pancetta con Tartufo (truffle). For pasta lovers, favorites include Spaghetti alle Vongole, Risotto alla Pescatora, and various truffle- or mushroom-based pasta dishes.
Poco Deli
Poco Deli offers a delightful blend of European and Filipino comfort food. Artisanal sandwiches and gourmet pizzas are often highlighted as standouts, while the bacon slab also comes highly recommended. The restaurant is a great spot for a relaxing brunch or breakfast.
Manggis
Manggis is a fusion restaurant serving dishes that span Italian, American, Mediterranean, and Asian flavors. It is the in-house restaurant of Vela Terraces Hotel, conveniently located near the Mount Tapyas View Deck. The Taco Pizza is a must-try fusion favorite!
Also read: Acacia Hotel in Coron
Ramen Sakura
From the name itself, it specializes in Japanese ramen with Tonkotsu broth simmered for over 24 hours—no wonder it’s praised for its rich, flavorful taste. It is often highlighted as the only authentic Japanese ramen shop on Coron Island.
Filipino and Seafood Restaurants in Coron
Island Boy Grill
We had dinner at one Coron’s most famous restaurants, Island Boy Grill. Our tour guide recommended it as one of the best places to eat in Coron.
Island Boy Grill is your typical grill joint, offering plenty of sizzling dishes, grilled food (of course!), hearty sabaw dishes, and generous servings of rice. The ambiance had a relaxed bar-and-grill vibe, with 90s OPM hits blasting from the speakers.
We sampled what the restaurant had to offer by ordering pork barbecue on a stick, spaghetti, sizzling squid, and cheesy shrimp. The servings were just right, but if you have a big appetite, you may want to order more.
The cheesy shrimp was a pleasant surprise — saucy, sweet, and a delight for the palate. The sizzling squid was a bit spicy and came with a reddish sauce that we didn’t expect. Actually, everything came with a sweet red sauce except for the pork skewers and rice.
Our Island Boy experience satisfied our hungry tummies. Be ready to spend anywhere between P275 – P325 per person if you plan on dining at this bar and grill.
Kawayanan Grill Station
Kawayanan Grill Station is a Filipino-owned casual resto-bar. The menu features some exotic local seafood, such as kinunot na pague (stingray), Bicol Express octopus, pitik lobster, and crocodile sisig. It’s worth visiting if you enjoy open-air dining and bar vibes with convenient amenities.
If you’re feeling adventurous and craving a taste of Palawan’s exotic cuisine, consider giving tamilok a try. Also known as woodworm, this unique delicacy might surprise your taste buds. I had the chance to sample it during my Underground River Tour in Puerto Princesa, and it was quite the experience! The texture is distinct, and the flavor is surprisingly delicious. So, if you’re up for a culinary adventure, don’t miss the opportunity to indulge in this Palawan specialty — who knows, it might become your new favorite dish!
Buffet Eats at Beach 91
What’s better than vacation food?
BUFFET VACATION FOOD, OF COURSE! That’s exactly what we enjoyed during our Coron island tour the next day. Buffets are some of the best dining options in Coron, and there’s no shortage of them.
Our tour, like most full-day island tours, included a buffet lunch at Beach 91. Our spread was a smorgasbord of grilled meats and seafood, pasta, fruits, and fresh seaweed. We dined by the beach with other tourists under a kubo-style shade, making the experience even more memorable.
We devoured our meal in a flash — what can we say? We were hungry after our very eventful morning tour.
Food on Float in Coron
When you’re stuck in traffic in Manila, it’s common to see street entrepreneurs offering fish crackers, cold water, or chicharon. In Coron, there are similar food sellers too — but the twist is they sell their goods from a boat. Our tour guide even joked that you could get Starbucks from them. That would have been something! We wouldn’t have said no to a venti iced caramel macchiato while hanging out by the boat under the hot sun.
During our island tour, we stopped at a small island called CYC Beach, where we had the option to go down or stay on the boat. We opted to stay on the boat as we were a bit tired, and the island was still a few meters away.
As we were relaxing, boatmen approached our group to offer “chichirya” and ice-cold beer. They also had iced candy and iced buko for those looking for an alcohol-free way to cool down. It was a novel experience buying beer in the middle of the sea. The snacks weren’t overpriced, but you do pay a little extra for the convenience.
Snacking in Coron
Coron is famous for its delicious and nutritious kasoy (cashew nuts). It was one of the many “pika-pika” snacks we enjoyed throughout our short town tour in Coron.
These tasty kasoy nuts make for perfect pasalubong for family and friends. They’re sold by the gram, so you can choose how much to buy. Don’t be too surprised, though, as the price per gram of kasoy nuts is almost the same as in Manila.
You’ll find plenty of kasoy-based snacks in Coron — kasoy tarts, kasoy polvoron, turones de kasoy, and more. Prices range from P100 to P200. We highly recommend trying the kasoy polvoron!
Conclusion
Our dining experience in Coron can be summed up as “dining with familiar Pinoy favorites.” We worked up quite an appetite, so we chose dishes we knew would satisfy our hunger.
This is not to say that these are the only things Coron has to offer. The variety of food in Coron is as diverse as its marine life. There are Chinese restaurants, Italian cafes, and Korean eateries just waiting to be explored. We’ll be sure to check them out next time we visit.
Until next time!
