Table of Contents:
Can You Actually Eat Crocodile in the Philippines?
The Legal Status of Crocodile Meat in the Philippines
Crocodile meat is legal in the Philippines, but it’s not something you can just buy from anywhere. The government only allows meat from saltwater crocodiles that are raised on licensed farms. These farms follow international wildlife trade regulations and operate under the oversight of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The critically endangered Philippine crocodile is completely off-limits. It’s illegal to hunt, kill, or trade it under national law. Any meat that ends up in a restaurant must come from an accredited farm, and it has to pass inspection before it can be served.
Legal farms are required to register with CITES↗, and all meat sold for consumption must be cleared by the National Meat Inspection Service. These checks are what separate a legal product from black market wildlife trade. If a restaurant serves lechon buwaya, it’s only legal if the supplier meets all of those requirements.
This is also why the dish is so hard to find. Farmed crocodile isn’t widely available, and most restaurants don’t go through the effort it takes to source it properly.
Where it’s Sourced
If you’re eating crocodile in the Philippines, it almost always comes from a commercial farm. These farms raise saltwater crocodiles, not the endangered native ones. One of the largest producers is Coral Agri-Venture Farm Inc. ↗, which operates multiple facilities across Luzon, Mindanao, and the Visayas. Davao remains one of the more recognizable access points, but production isn’t limited to just one region.
These farms are tightly regulated. They’re built for meat production, leather trade, and sometimes tourism. Most are certified through CITES and monitored by government agencies to meet domestic and export standards.
That said, sourcing this meat for a restaurant isn’t easy. Supply is limited, distribution is small-scale, and availability depends on what each farm chooses to process. This is why most people have never seen lechon buwaya on a menu, even in cities known for exotic food.
Why Most People Have Never Seen it
I first heard about lechon buwaya when I was in Bacolod. I knew I’d be heading to Davao next, so I started messaging anyone I could find who might know where to get it. Nothing. At some point I convinced myself it wasn’t real. Just some bandana-wearing YouTuber freak who paid a guy to roast a crocodile so he could film himself eating it.
When I finally tracked it down, the timing worked in my favor. The country had just opened back up, and they were roasting again. There’s no menu for this. It’s one whole crocodile served until it runs out. I showed up early, asked a few questions, and everything fell into place. The staff even invited me to stay for the fire show that evening.
That’s the gap. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll never know it’s there. And even if you are, finding it still depends on timing, luck, and whether someone’s willing to speak up.
Where to Stay in Davao
Luxury Accommodations: – Dusit Thani Residence↗ – Dusit Thani Residence Davao redefines luxury accommodation, combining elegance and convenience with full-service amenities and gracious Thai hospitality.
Well located in the city centre, with sweeping views of the Davao Gulf, this luxury hotel in Davao is ideal for business and leisure guests.
Mid-Range Accommodations: – Seda Abreeza Hotel↗ – Seda Abreeza features a fitness center with floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the outdoor pool. It also offers complimentary Wi-Fi access.
Rooms feature a flat-screen TV with cable channels, an iPod dock and a personal safe. Coffee/tea-making amenities and a minibar are included. The private bathroom provides toiletries and a hairdryer.
Budget Accommodations: – Studio1 Apartment Transient House ↗ – Free Wifi is available throughout the property and SM Lanang Premier is a 15-minute walk away.
At $15 and under per night you better not complain
Looking for other great places to stay in Davao? Use the search bar below to find more options!
Read Next: Bizarre Filipino Food
Where to Try Roasted Crocodile in Davao
I’m not going to pretend I know where to find lechon buwaya across the Philippines. For all I know, there could be a small-town resort roasting one every weekend and not posting a single photo of it online. What I do know is this. When I went looking, the only place I could confirm was one location in Davao.
That’s where I filmed it. That’s where it was being served. And that’s the only place that came up after messaging locals, digging through posts, and following dead-end leads for weeks. So everything I’m sharing here is based on that single visit, and what’s changed since.
The Spot That Used to Serve it
Is none other than the Davao Crocodile Park. The park opened in 2005 with a crocodile breeding program and modern farming facilities. Their setup focuses on conservation, education, and controlled meat production.
When I visited, they were roasting one full crocodile every two weeks. So I only had one chance to try it during my time in Davao. I showed up about an hour before serving and watched as the place filled up. Within a few hours, the entire crocodile was gone!
That’s how it worked. You showed up, you waited, and if the timing was right, you got some. Since my visit it seems to have gone quiet. I did reach out to the Crocodile park when writing this post for a statement regarding lechon buwaya and the response I received was simply “Crocodile Lechon is unavailable as of this time. We will post updates on our page so like and follow us.” Hopefully this means it will be returning soon, but I have zero knowledge to say one way or the other
Why Lechon Buwaya Has Gone Quiet
I honestly have no idea, but this dish didn’t fade out with a farewell post or public statement. It just stopped showing up. One day there were people lining up for it, and the next, nothing. No new photos, social posts, government bans, or updates from the park.
That silence feels strange. Most things this unique don’t disappear without a ripple. When I followed up, all I got was a vague message confirming it’s unavailable “for now”.
Maybe it’s temporary. Maybe it’s something simple, like not having enough saltwater crocodiles ready for slaughter on a consistent schedule. I have no way of knowing. But after seeing how quickly it sold out the day I went, I find it hard to believe demand was the issue.
Full video checking out Davao’s Food Scene Including Lechon Buwaya:
What Crocodile Meat Tastes Like
This wasn’t my first experience with crocodile. I grew up in Florida, so, I’ve eaten alligator more times than I can count, and I like it. I’ve also had barbecued crocodile in Thailand, which was absolutely terrible. So I wasn’t sure what to expect this time around. But honestly? This was a pleasant surprise.
Texture-wise, it lands somewhere between chicken and pork. The bite has a clean, lean feel, but there’s still enough density to give it some weight. The flavor is mild with a hint of seafood in the background. Some people call it gamey but I didn’t taste that at all.
There are fatty sections, but don’t expect anything rich or buttery like pork fat. It’s denser, almost neutral in flavor, and doesn’t infuse the meat. You taste the protein, not the fat that’s along for the ride. Compared to other times I’ve had crocodile, lechon buwaya was easily the best version I’ve tried.
Is Crocodile Meat Actually Healthy?
Crocodile meat is one of those things that gets labeled “weird” long before anyone looks at the facts. But nutritionally? It stacks up surprisingly well.
It’s high in protein, low in fat, and rich in potassium, vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3s. It’s leaner than beef, less greasy than pork, and doesn’t have that heavy, sluggish feel that comes with fattier cuts of meat. Even the fat it does contain is denser and doesn’t melt through the protein like pork fat does.
In terms of pure numbers, it’s closer to chicken breast than red meat if chicken had a slightly fishy cousin that grew up in a swamp.. You just don’t hear about it because most people are too busy freaking out over the idea of eating a reptile.
(source ↗)
Why Exotic Meats Like This Get Ignored
This might be the easiest question in the whole post. At the root of it is fear. People naturally pull away from what they don’t understand. Look at my home country. The U.S. is packed with people who hate Muslims without ever having met one. A single day in 2001, and some cleverly placed propaganda were all it took to convince millions of yankee doodle dumb fucks that over 1.6 billion people in the world are the enemy.
Food works the same way. Tourists land in the Philippines with decades of conditioning baked in. They already believe what counts as safe, normal, and acceptable. Anything outside that gets labeled disgusting by default. Crocodile meat. Balut. Dinuguan. It’s not that they tried it and hated it. They never tried it at all. Most won’t. It’s easier to mock a dish than admit you’re afraid of it.
The Myth That Lechon Buwaya Can Kill You
Crocodile meat has caught a lot of heat online. People claim it causes food poisoning, convulsions, even death. None of that’s true. At least, not in the way they say it is.
Here’s the actual risk: crocodiles carry Salmonella in their gut, and if the meat isn’t handled properly, it can get contaminated. But that’s true of chicken, pork, beef and just about every other animal you eat. (source ↗)
The bigger issue is ignorance. People hear “reptile meat” and assume it’s inherently dangerous. It’s not. As long as it’s cooked to a safe internal temp and prepped cleanly, lechon buwaya is no more dangerous than eating chicken. Like with any high-protein meat, people with compromised immune systems or ongoing infections should be cautious, specially when it comes to foodborne bacteria. (FDA guidelines ↗)
Wondering What to do in Davao? Have a Look at Some of These Tours From Viator:
You Might Also Like: Rabbit Meat in the Philippines
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, if it’s farm-raised and properly cooked. Legal crocodile meat in the Philippines comes from licensed farms registered with CITES and cleared by the National Meat Inspection Service. The real danger is eating it from an unverified source that skips all those steps. If it’s legit and cooked right, it’s no riskier than eating chicken or pork from a regulated source.
Not quite. It’s closer to a cross between chicken and pork, with a lean bite and a mild seafood note in the background. It doesn’t have that gamey funk some people expect, and it definitely doesn’t taste like swamp. If you want the full breakdown, here’s what crocodile meat actually tastes like.
Depends who you ask. In most Western countries, anything outside chicken, beef, or pork gets labeled “exotic” by default. But in the Philippines, dishes like crocodile, balut, and dinuguan have been around for years. That label usually says more about the person eating it than the culture serving it.
Yes, and probably cleaner than most stuff in your fridge. It’s high in protein, low in saturated fat, and rich in B12, iron, and omega-3s. The fat it does have is dense and doesn’t melt into the meat like pork does. It’s closer to chicken breast than red meat, if chicken had a swamp-raised cousin.
Right now, the only place that ever roasted it publicly was the Davao Crocodile Park. It’s gone quiet lately, but they told me to follow their page for updates. That’s as official as it gets.
Lechon Buwaya: Final Verdict
Lechon buwaya isn’t stunt food made to shock tourists. It’s a real dish, with real history, that just happens to be made from a prehistoric-looking animal most people won’t touch. And whether it’s being served today or not, the fact that so few people have even heard of it says more about us than it does about the food.
If you’ve tried it or you’ve got the inside scoop on where it’s still being served, drop a comment. I’m always looking for updates, and this post will get updated if anything changes.
