This article is part of the "Asia Route Travel Log 2025-2026" series.

This time I went to Cebu in the Philippines for five days to get my diving license.

The diving itself is written up separately in Cebu Diving.

Unlike my usual trips, the main goal here was going underwater.

On top of that, a friend who'd been to Cebu before told me "Cebu food might not suit Japanese tastes," so honestly, I wasn't expecting much from the food.

But once I actually went, it was way better than I thought.

In fact, everything I ate was just plain good, and that surprised me.

In this article I'll go through what I ate over those five days — not as a polished gourmet guide, but based on how it actually felt to eat it.

I went to Cebu for diving, but looking back, the food memories are pretty vivid too.

I sweated at Jollibee, got full on lechon, drank Ally Mango again and again, and froze up in front of balut at the end.

One place I wanted to hit at least once in the Philippines was Jollibee.

I like spicy food, so I didn't hesitate much and picked the spicy-looking chicken. I figured it was fast-food spicy and totally let my guard down.

But it was genuinely spicy.

The first bite was just "oh, tasty," but it was the kind that creeps up on you. The more I ate, the more I sweated. I glanced over and my friend was sweating too, which made me laugh a little.

The flavor is very straightforward. Crispy coating, a rich sauce, junky and just good. Eating something like this mid-trip is oddly reassuring.

If you're weak with spice, maybe don't go too hard right from the start. I like spicy food so I enjoyed it, but eating that with a straight face would've been a stretch.

One of the things I wanted to eat in Cebu was lechon.

The first thing that made me think "this is Cebu" was the feel of this lechon.

Not a neatly arranged plate, but meat and rice landing in front of you with a thud. Seeing food like this suddenly makes the "I'm really traveling" feeling kick in.

I went to a famous spot too, but lechon eaten at a stall-like place has its own thing going. People standing in front of the shop, the smell of meat, a bit of bustle — it really felt like "ah, I'm pretty deep in the local scene right now."

Honestly, I was a little wary at first. If I got a stomachache, diving would be out of the question, so I get a bit cautious with street food every time.

But trying it at a place where the locals were eating normally, this was a hit. The fat and salt of the skin are strong, and it goes just right with rice. Not refined, but flavors like this stick with you oddly well on a trip.

I also went to a famous lechon restaurant.

Here, the food came served on something like a banana leaf for a plate. Even just that kind of presentation lifts my mood a little. It's a touristy reaction, but what's nice is nice.

Being famous, the lechon was genuinely satisfying. There was a lot of meat, and I got fuller than I expected. Parts of the skin were crispy, and the fat was on the heavier side. If you go thinking it's a light lunch, it might be pretty heavy.

They also served halo-halo.

Halo-halo looks cute and really gives you the "I'm in the Philippines" feeling. But the taste might be a matter of preference… The purple ice cream, sweet beans, and the texture of the ice are unique, and I ate it thinking "I see, so it's like this."

Honestly, personally I like Ministop's halo-halo best. That's purely a matter of taste, haha.

This time I went to House of Lechon.

You can check the location on the map below. Hours and prices can change, so it's safer to check the Google Maps reviews before you go.

The best drink in Cebu this time was Ally Mango's mango smoothie.

I drank this so many times during the stay. Walking around in the Cebu heat, a little sweaty, then drinking a cold mango smoothie — it hits hard.

Sweet but not too heavy, with a solid mango flavor, it felt like my body got reset once. After diving, or when I was a bit tired from getting around, it was just right.

If you asked me "would you definitely drink it again next time?" among Cebu foods, this ranks pretty high. More than food, it's a flavor that's complete with the heat included.

The food I hesitated over most in Cebu was, without a doubt, balut.

Before eating, I was already braced just from the look and the information. My friend and I went back and forth — "you going?" "no, what do we do?" — and even right before eating I just froze.

But once I actually tried it, it was way more doable than I thought.

The impression was close to a rich cod-roe soup. There's an egg-like quality too, but the savoriness of the broth is strong, and it was far easier to eat than I expected. Once I got past the initial resistance, it was like "huh, I might actually want this again…"

That said, it's not something I can irresponsibly recommend to everyone.

Depending on the place, the hygiene might feel a little scary by Japanese standards. In my case, I tried to pick spots where lots of people were eating, places with a crowd.

For people who are scared, part of me wants you to give it a shot once. But if your stomach feels off, or the shop's atmosphere makes you uneasy, you don't have to force it.

This article is part of the "Asia Route Travel Log 2025-2026" series. The full route and article list are organized in the summary post.

Before going to Cebu, I wasn't expecting much from the food.

But by the end, I clearly remember sweating at Jollibee, eating lechon with rice, drinking Ally Mango again and again, and freezing up in front of balut.

It was supposed to be a five-day trip for diving, but the food memories stuck with me more than I expected. I honestly want to go back to Cebu just to eat.