Must Try Dishes in Davao & Where to Find Them

Must try dishes in Davao were never made for tourists. They were made for fishermen, farmers, street vendors, and anyone else who worked until their hands bled. Their start came during times of struggle and chaos.

A lot has changed in Davao over the years. The city grew, the plates got cleaner, but the struggle that built these meals never really left.

Today you’ll find plates that look clean enough for a magazine and others that look like they were regurgitated by a raptor. But both belong in this conversation and I will be diving into them in this blog post.

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Table of Contents:

1. Must Try Dishes in Davao
   • Sinuglaw
   • Balbacua
   • Kalderobo
   • Mango Kinilaw
   • Grilled Tuna Panga and Belly
   • Bagabay
   • Bulcachong
   • Durian
   • Satti
   • Hito
   • Lechon Buwaya
2. Where to Find The Must Try Dishes in Davao
   • Paz Eatery
   • Bulca Chong
   • Davao Crocodile Park
   • Yong’s Satti
   • Rekado
   • Tuna Republic
   • Magsaysay Park Durian Vendors
   • Hitolicious
3. Must Try Dishes in Davao: Final Verdict
4. FAQ

Must Try Dishes in Davao

You don’t find Davao’s must-try dishes by hanging out in Abreeza Mall. But with a little research and a little ingenuity, you too can be eating fruits that taste like rotting onions on the side of the road or sitting down in an air conditioned neatly plated restaurant.

Sinuglaw

Sinuglaw is a dish that originated in Mindanao and it’s a collision of flavors. Vinegar cured raw fish paired with smoky grilled pork. An awesome contrast of flavors from the tangy melt in your mouth freshness of kinilaw and the charred, fatty, and rich pork. finished off with hints of ginger and onions that is punctuated with kick from the chilies. A definite must try dish in Davao

Balbacua

Balbacua is a Filipino labor of love, and if you ask Davaoenos, it’s also the perfect hangover cure. Forget your basic ass beef stew. This puppy is simmered for hours with spices like star anise, onions, garlic, and ginger. The protein here comes from neglected parts of the cow like oxtail, tendons, and collagen-rich beef skin. The texture in this bowl of beefy goodness is as important as the taste. And if you get lucky, you may even find this being made with carabao.

Kalderobo

Kalderobo is what happens when Davao decides it doesn’t have time to choose between two classics. Take the soy, vinegar, and garlic punch of adobo, crash it into the rich tomato stew of kaldereta. The first hit is salty and sharp, but it gives way to a rich, slightly sweet sauce with a gentle kick of spice. The peanut butter sneaks in underneath it all, leaving a soft nutty finish that pulls everything together.

Mango Kinilaw

You heard me right! Mango mf’ing Kinilaw! The addition of freshly pureed local mangoes introduces a sweetness to that tangy kinilaw base. Not an overwhelming sweetness, but rather a fruity tropical flavor that softens the edge of the vinegar. Underneath, you have the clean oceanic flavor of freshly caught tuna, balanced out with the spicy kick of chili. I can’t say enough about this must try dish in Davao.

Grilled Tuna Panga and Belly

Tuna panga refers to the jaw of the tuna. The meat near the bone becomes extra tender and moist and has a melt-in-your-mouth quality. Tuna belly, on the other hand, is considered the prime cut of the tuna due to its higher fat content. When grilled, this fat renders and crisps along the edges. The grilling of both panga and belly infuses the cuts with a deep smokiness, and both are basted in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and calamansi. Fresh tuna is a massive part of local food in Davao, with new catches arriving at the markets almost daily.

Bagabay

You may want to brace yourselves. Bagabay is usually cooked down with soy sauce, vinegar, and spices. Did I mention spices? Because this thing has a load of chilies in it in addition to garlic, onions, and ginger. But the really unique element in bagabay is the protein. It’s the sperm sack of a tuna. There, I said it. Are you happy now? You’re eating the jizz bag of a tuna. Now that we have that out of the way, the actual sperm sack is surprisingly meaty (shut up). And you can probably tell from the first ingredients that it is very much an adobong preparation. Just super spicy. Sounds weird, but it is in all honesty absolutely delicious.

Where to Stay in Davao

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Bulcachong

Bulcachong is a definite must try in Davao! This hearty soup is a close cousin to Luzon’s bulalo but much more flavorful. This dish uses carabao (water buffalo) for the protein, and its meat and bones are simmered for hours, making the meat fall-apart tender. But the real star of bulcachong is the soup broth. All those bones simmered in a mixture of lemongrass, onions, garlic, and ginger. The flavor of the melt-in-your-mouth meat combined with the hearty broth is incredibly satisfying. As with most Filipino foods, add a shot of calamansi to your soup and a few chopped chilies for extra kick. This, with a plate of steamed rice, is the perfect lunch combination.

Durian

You all know what this is. Every blog, vlog, and news organization around the world has covered the king of fruit at some point or another. But I am going to give it to you straight. Does durian smell like a haunted gas station bathroom? Yup. Is it a custardy and creamy blob of heaven? Also yup. Here is the thing with durian: there are many varieties of it, and some quite honestly will make you wish you were eating Satan’s butthole before putting that vile shit in your mouth. Others, despite their smell, are divine. Durian is the pride of Mindanao, so give it a shot on your visit, or go to McDonald’s like a muppet and give your balls a tug.

Satti

This may be one of the most underrated dishes in all of the Philippines. Satti was created by the Tausug people in the areas surrounding Zamboanga. It’s a Halal dish that utilizes chicken and beef skewers similar to satay you would find in Indonesia and Malaysia. The grilled skewers are combined with a spicy red sauce that looks like it should be leaking from a nuclear reactor. The sauce is made with peanuts, chili, spices, and annatto seeds to give it its deep orange/red color. Add in your puso (hanging rice), and you have one of the best breakfasts you will ever eat in your life.

Hito

Hito is the SE Asian catfish and is often considered the working man’s fish. It’s cheap, easy to raise, and can survive in harsh water conditions. You can find hito all over the Philippines, but only in Davao have I seen restaurants dedicate their entire menu to it. Grilled whole, deep fried, added to sinigang, catfish sisig, lumpia. The list goes on and on. It’s a tender, slightly fatty, and mild meat that doesn’t have a strong fishy flavor and has a delicate creamy texture. Is it a must try dish in Davao? You’re damn right it is.

Lechon Buwaya

This is another of the more unusual dishes you will find in Davao. You probably know what lechon is, and this is another version of it. And you probably know that lechon is usually an entire pig (baboy). But lechon is just the cooking method, and everything is cooked lechon style in the Philippines, not just pork. Chicken (manok), beef (baka), even the catfish (hito) we discussed is cooked lechon style. Lechon Buwaya is crocodile, and this prehistoric beast gets roasted on a spit too.

Many people consider its flavor a cross between chicken and fish, but I experienced no fishy flavor at all. In fact, I would say it’s more a cross between chicken and pork. The meat is extremely lean, and the fat content it does have does not render very well while cooking. This allows the lean meat to take on more of the herbs and spices stuffed inside of it.

An absolute must try in Davao, but be warned, this is hard to find even in Davao.

Wondering What to do in Davao? Have a Look at Some of These Tours From Viator:

Where to Find The Must Try Dishes in Davao

You know what to eat. Now here’s where you find it without getting stuck at some mall food court eating generic lechon kawali and crying inside. Davao doesn’t hide its must try dishes, but you still have to know where to look. Here’s where to start.

Paz Eatery

Paz Eatery is a diving head first into Filipino food experience. It’s rough around the edges and they have been serving everyday Filipino dishes for decades. With a huge selection of dishes that changes regularly, this famous eatery can be found in Bankerohan Market. It’s not the only place in Davao to find Sinuglaw and Balbacua but it is where I would start.

Bulca Chong

The dish Bulcachong got its name from the establishment it can be found, Bulca Chong. Bulca is a shortened version of bulalo and Chong is the owners surname. You can find this dish at other places but this is the original and I wouldn ‘t go anywhere else. When it comes to local food in Davao, it starts and ends at Bulca Chong.

Davao Crocodile Park

I told you lechon buwaya was hard to find and this is the only place you will find it if you’re lucky. The Davao Crocodile Park on occasion roasts an entire saltwater crocodile. It is used to be more common but currently there is no official word on when that will happen again. I will update this post as soon as that changes but for the time being the best thing to do is follow their Facebook page for updates.

Yong’s Satti

Yong’s Satti is where you can find the spicy halal dish by the same name. The owner is from Zamboanga and has been making it his whole life. It’s a small charming location where you can watch your skewers being grilled and check out the bubbling caldron of spicy sauce. Is it the only place to find Satti? Nope. Should you go here because I said so? Absolutely, because why the hell else are you here?

Rekado

Rekado took your classic Filipino dishes, poured gasoline on them, and lit them on fire. This is the only spot in Davao to find mango kinilaw and kalderobo and they’re killing it. But don’t worry, they still have a stable of Filipino classics too. But they play the modern Filipino food game better than anybody. If you’re wondering where to eat in Davao, you just found it.

Tuna Republic

Have you ever wanted to try tuna 100 different ways? So have I, and I found it at Tuna Republic. It’s also the only place I know of in the city to find spicy bagabay. While they are not the only place to find grilled tuna panga and belly, they do excellent versions of both. Tuna is a Davao food staple, and here you can also try their version of kinilaw, tuna Bicol Express, and many more.

Magsaysay Park Durian Vendors

Just outside of Magsaysay Park’s entrance and directly across the street from the Chinatown arch, you will find a series of durian sellers. Maybe a dozen or so in total. The group is actually called the Magsaysay Fruit Vendors Association, but who the hell can remember all of that? Anyway, go here and pick up some durian. Just be sure to ask for the highest quality or you might find yourself eating a creamy version of rotting flesh.

Hitolicious

You can find catfish all over Davao and done a myriad of ways. But Hitolicious does all of them in house including lechon hito. It feels like a cross of a fast food joint and a family style restaurant and it sits a fair distance from the city centre. But the menu is catfish all day everyday. They do other protein dishes as well but as the name implies, this is where you go when you need a catfish fix.

Must Try Dishes in Davao: Final Verdict

Davao doesn’t waste time when it comes to food. It smacks you with sperm sacks, durian stink, and bowls of carabao stew strong enough to make you forget your own name. Whether you’re sitting on a plastic chair in Bankerohan Market or trying not to gag at the Crocodile Park, this city makes damn sure you earn every bite.

Tried any of these dishes before?
Got a local spot you think can throw down harder than the ones I mentioned?
Drop a comment below, or just start a fight about who makes the best balbacua.

Must Try Dishes in Davao – FAQ:

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