Blessed with a rich culinary history, and the fertile resources of both its land and sea, Iloilo has grown to become a burgeoning culinary haven – countless travelers lured by the city’s mouth-watering offerings. Here are a few local favorites you need to taste for yourself, when in this vibrant gastronomic paradise.

Quintessential Batchoy

There is no other dish as synonymous with Ilonggo dining as the iconic batchoy, its origins traced back to Iloilo City’s La Paz district.
Usually topped with generous helpings of chicharon and chives, the Ilonggo staple is highlighted by thick miki noodles and freshly-sliced pork innards, complemented by a rich chicken or pork stock that bursts with savory flavor.

Molo Comfort Food

There’s nothing quite like the simple joy of a hot bowl of Molo Soup in the morning. Also known as Pancit Molo, the wonton soup dish is the most beloved Ilonggo comfort food – bite-sized Molo dumplings floating in a hearty broth, best served with fresh onion chives and a generous sprinkle of toasted garlic bits.

Saccharine Surprises

Sugar was once Iloilo’s main export, so it’s no surprise that the Ilonggos have developed a taste for sinful sweet treats. The city’s myriad saccharine surprises go from the classic barquillos (crisp rolled wafers) and biscocho (toasted buttery bread topped with a sprinkle of sugar) – both the perfect partner for your afternoon coffee or a cup of local hot chocolate tablea – to caloric butterscotch bars, baye-baye (a native snack of toasted pinipig, coconut water and grated young coconut), to piaya (a flaky muscovado-filled flatbread), and so much more.

Bounty of The Sea

Where should you begin? Hearty crabs heavy with fatty aligue, some tender grilled squid stuffed with tomatoes and chopped peppers, or mouth-watering buttered scallops, prawns, and oysters freshly-plucked from the ocean – Iloilo’s sprawling shoreline ensures abundant sea harvests all-year round, and sold at fairly agreeable prices too.

Guimaras Mangoes

With over 35,000 of the fruit-bearing trees on the idyllic island, Guimaras boasts what are claimed to be the sweetest mangoes in the world. The appeal of Guimaras’ famous mangoes is easy to understand – with its vibrant yellow hue, its silky and smooth texture, and its rich sweetness that will make you want to lick your lips after every morsel.

The dazzling Manggahan Festival is celebrated every month of May in the island of Guimaras.

Vibrant Iloilo has been a cosmopolitan city and multicultural enclave since the turn of the last century, first catapulted into economic dominance after its port was opened to world trade in 1855. Nearly two centuries later, Iloilo City remains an invaluable epicenter of business and commerce, with sprawling signs of modernization, growth, and development.

Yet the memory and history of this old-world bygone era has remained fresh in the minds of the Ilonggos, preserved through various efforts by the local government to safeguard the city’s multifaceted legacy, urged on by a nostalgia and wistfulness for Iloilo’s heyday as the Philippines most important port city and trading outpost, second only to Manila.

Mesmerizing Museums

With a history that straddles centuries, the easiest way to get a grasp on the chronicles of this former “Queen City of the South” is to see it’s tangible artifacts for yourself, showcased by the handful museums in the locale’s city proper.

The Western Visayas Regional Museum and the Museum of Philippine Economic History are both testaments to the success of adaptive reuse, themselves antiquated landmarks in their own right, lent new life as galleries. The former is the Old Iloilo Provincial Jail built in 1911, the latter the Edificio de Elizalde y Cia of the 19th Century – both tracing the lineage of trade in the region.

Genteel Mansions and Timeworn Churches

With over two dozen identified heritage buildings in downtown Iloilo alone – the most popular of them being the now iconic Eusebio Villanueva Building along Calle Real – the vibrant locale has been touted a gleaming example of a city that puts a premium on cultural conservation in the Visayas region.

Elsewhere outside the city proper, Iloilo’s enduring architectural marvels include both stately ancestral mansions of the locale’s moneyed sugar barons and age-old ornate churches that defy time. Among them the Jaro Cathedral in central Jaro district, with its recognizable belfry – standing formidable since 1874, dedicated to the Our Lady of the Candles, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria.

In Molo district, facing the famed Sta. Ana Church is the Molo Mansion, formerly the Yusay-Consing Mansion built in the 1920s, restored to its former glory and ready to welcome guests into its halls – on the ground floor a dedicated gift shop and souvenir center, on the second floor an artist-run gallery with rolling exhibitions by young and well-established artists alike.

In Iloilo Province, Miagao Church, or the Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church, towers triumphant in Southern Iloilo – the sole Baroque Spanish-era church in the country, outside of Luzon to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Festivals in Vivid Color

VIVA SEÑOR STO. NIÑO! Lively dancers in technicolor headdresses and impressive costumes take to the streets and revel during the annual Dinagyang Festival. Photo by Manny Librodo

Wooden beads dancing with tribesmen’s every move, feathers in vivid color standing out against the gathered crowd, prisms of sinamay and hablon fabrics paraded by smiling dancers, and body paint gleaming under the sun. Ilonggo revel in the kaleidoscopic spectacle of the Dinagyang.

Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of January every year in honor of the Sto. Niño, the Dinagyang Festival is a long-standing tourism lure of Iloilo City, its streets coming alive with the vivid colors of the Ati Dance competition.
Meanwhile, Iloilo Paraw Regatta Festival continues to be largest sailing celebration in the country and the oldest traditional craft event in Asia. Its festivities kicking off every February, the event highlights the unparalleled seafaring abilities of Ilonggos, as well as the creative resourcefulness of local boatmen.

Iloilo Province’s notable festivals include the Pintados de Pasi Festival of Passi City held every March, Bayluhay Festival of San Joaquin in January and Miag-ao’s Salakayan Festival in February every year.

It’s no easy task to take into account how multifaceted Iloilo Province is, much more whittle down a list of just ten or so must-visit tourist destinations, when the province has literally an innumerable attractions – all with different appeals, diverse sights, and an assortment of unique experiences.

Iloilo’s sprawling coastline boasts pristine white sand beaches and sandbars to the north in Concepcion and Carles. Tracing the shoreline south, from Miag-ao to San Joaquin, are 15 consecutive marine protected areas, ideal for responsible free-diving, underwater tours of the region’s diverse marine life, and no-frills lounging next to the soothing sound of waves.

MYRIAD ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS. Iloilo Province boasts countless lures to appeal to any type of traveler. (Clockwise from top left) Tee time at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club in Santa Barbara, Iloilo – the oldest golf course in the country (Photo by Tara Yap). A leisurely dip at Kuliatan Marine Sanctuary in San Joaquin, Iloilo. Take a pilgrimage to Garin Farm in San Joaquin, Iloilo. Be at one with nature and lounge in style at Damires Hills Tierra Verde in Janiuay, Iloilo. Chilly Bucari, Leon boasts breathtaking mountaintop views. Photos from Iloilo Provincial Tourism Office

For those seeking more time with nature, trek upland to discover chilly Bucari, Leon – 2,000 feet above sea level – Iloilo’s top ecotourism spot and camping ground. Short hikes from the outpost can lead you to dazzling mountain-top views, relaxing cold springs, and breathtaking waterfalls, the trail easily accessible by even the most green hikers. If you’re an adrenaline junkie or a seasoned climber, there’s towering Mt. Napulak in Igbaras, perfect for day trudges and taking in the beauty of rugged interior Panay.
But of course, why go too far when the island paradise of Guimaras, with its unscathed beaches and mango plantations, is just a 15-minute motorized banca ride from Iloilo City’s downtown area? Iloilo also stands as a gateway and jump-off point to multi-cultural Panay Island – each of the provinces of Antique, Capiz, and Aklan boasting their own popular tourist spots.
But probably, more than the heritage sites and natural landmarks, it’s the diverse culture and warm people that have enthralled many to visit and often return, again and again, to Iloilo.