Davao Food Tour: Some of the most delish dishes in Davao, Philippines

Hola, amigos!

Located on the southern island of Mindanao is a city bustling in culture, tradition, and the arts. It is currently known to be the home of the country's President. It's the cleanest city, with the cleanest and safest water where you can drink right from the tap. It's laid-back, but its people are disciplined. It's strict, but fun-loving. And, it has some great food!

Now, perk up the foodie in you and feast on these photos of Davao's best-tasting dishes!

We'll start with every Filipino's favorite: grilled chicken with unlimited rice (because it's never complete and sulit without an unlimited serving of rice)!

Nadies' is a halal food chain that serves grilled native chicken with rice. Compared to others, this chain is relatively new. There's an option to add on a stick of a barbecue of your choosing. You can either have a stick of chicken liver, gizzard, or pork barbecue. As for their chicken, it's as good as a native quarter cut can get: juicy and flavorful.

Nadies' pecho with sticks of chicken gizzard. No, that cup of rice won't suffice, I tell you.

Another place where you'll want to try grilled chicken is Delongtes. They serve it with rice too. However, if you're eating at Delongtes, you might want to try the best-tasting (That's right!) lechon manok there is in the city. It's sad that I don't have a picture of it. But I'm telling you, you won't ever want to buy a grilled whole chicken elsewhere. Trust me, me and my girlfriend actually had this challenge to find the tastiest lechon manok in town, and we tried Delongtes, well, the search is over.

Delongtes' pecho served with a stick of pork bbq, with toyo-mansi and sili for a spicy flavor!
Pro-tip: For the brave, you might want to crush that sili and even ask the waiter for more pieces for some real kick.

Ha! Now you know why you find grilled chicken with unlimited rice everywhere in the Philippines. It may well be considered our staple.

Another dish you may want to try when in the provincial regions in the Philippines is the ever-infamous sinuglaw. That's a compound foodie word here in the Philippines which is short for sinugba (grilled) and kinilaw (seasoned raw fish with cucumber, garlic, and onions). I'm not exaggerating when I say that you can have a taste of this from 98% of the side-walk eateries in the city. It's widely common and cheap, too!

All hail Kuya J's sinuglaw. It's the glorious combination of charred pork with a twist of tang from the vinegar and lime.

Since we're on the topic of common and cheap eats, here's another one: the palabok! Other locals call it lug-lug. It's comprised of pancit (noodles) topped with an orange sauce made from sauted ground pork, diluted annatto powder, and a shrimp cube. For more texture and flair, most eateries serve with a sprinkle of chicharon bits and sliced spring onions. I do apologize for making your tummy rumble from all the tastiness and yumminess you're seeing in this photo.

Taste of Home's palabok at Php 80.00 or roughly $1.75

Since 2016, there's been a recognizable rise of Japanese cuisine in Davao. I hear ya, these Japanese pop-ups needs to chill. But kidding aside, the reason why these stalls thrive is because, well, they're food is not only yummy, but it's a Davaoeno's secret craving (well, most of us). Who wouldn't want a chopstick loaded with flavorful ramen noodles, and rolls, and maki, and... oh, I'll let these photos do the talking. Itadakimasu!

Tadakuma's best-seller ramen. Sluuurp!

Here's their Yaki Udon. Again, apologies for the inconvenience.

Kaizen is the hippest Japanese food joint in the city and they serve up some real sushi rolls!

Lastly, I would urge you to go to Matina Town Square and try the best apple pie I've ever had in my life.

See that? That's for only two dollars at Taste of Home. Won't even break the bank. But it'll surely break your heart once it's finished.

These are only a few of the hundreds of dishes that I'd want you to try. If ever you do come here, let me know. I'll bring you to these places and more.

Who knew this strict, laid-back city could be a haven for foodies?