[PHILIPPINES] Sugbo Mercado Top 10 Food Must Try in Cebu’s Night Market

Our recent trip to Cebu City for the first time in the Philippines gave us a pleasant impression especially after we visited the Sugbo Mercado Night Market. Sugmo Mercado Market is known as an open-air weekend food market with over than 65 food vendors from local Cebuano startups and several local F&B brands. We had the opportunity to speak with Carlo, a nice young man, who’s apparently the owner of Sugbo Mercado Market. He took us around this market that evening while explaining that he managed to introduce fresh brands and curate the food to suit everyone’s taste buds.

Not only that, they also offer live band performances for diners, and since this place is set within 2,500sqm, Sugbo Mercado Market is now considered as the largest night market in Cebu, Philippines. Guess what? We ended up spending almost 3 hours exploring most of the food which was recommended personally by Carlo, and overall, we can say this place is one of the best night markets ever for a gastronomic adventure in Asia. You can easily find local Philippino foods, a variety of grilled foods, other Asian foods (Japanese or Thai food), and other cuisines from spicy ramen, seafoods, fried chicken, etc.

Sugbo Mercado Market open schedule: THURSDAY TO SUNDAY
Garden Block, IT Park from 5PM to 1AM

Here’s a list of some of the best vendors we’ve tried at Sugbo Mercado Market for your reference, scroll down to see more!

Top 10 Food Must Try at Sugbo Mercado Weekend Market

1. Baked Scallop Garlic Butter from Senyorita Scallops, 120 Peso (equal to IDR 36K)

For 120 Peso, we enjoyed 8 pieces of baked scallops with a choice of flavor; Pesto or Garlic. We can add some rice to be enjoyed with the scallop for an extra 20 Peso, but that night, we only ordered the scallop. Simple and straight-forward flavors from the fresh scallops seasoned with garlic butter, so yummy!

2. Grilled Cheesy Scallop from SEABO Scallop, 140 Peso (equal to IDR 42K)

Before leaving this market, we stumbled upon this scallop stall which offered fresh and bigger scallop than the first one we tried above. They grilled the scallops and served it with a choice of toppings: Cheese / Butter Garlic / Crunchy Parmesan for 140 Peso per serving. It’s a bit pricey than the Senyorito Scallop above, but we’ll definitely back for this; the scallop was slightly bigger, and loaded with generous cheese and garlic toppings which made them tasted even more delicious!

3. Chicken Adobo from Visayas,
79 Peso (equal to IDR 23.7K)

Of course, when in the Philippines, we should try their local dishes, and one of them was this Chicken Adobo, Pinoy’s favorite. When I tried this, it tasted similar to our comfort foods in Jakarta, and we usually called this as Chicken in sweet soy sauce. Here in the Philippines, they added vinegar to it so it tasted not only sweet but also slightly sour, yummy!

4. Lemonade Watermelon Basil from Lemon Boss,
70 Peso (equal to IDR 21K)

From what I heard from Carlo, this stall is quite popular among other drink vendors at Sugbo Mercado Market because of their homemade lemonade drink which is available in various options. We opted for the Watermelon Basil Lemonade, and loved it! The sweetness of watermelon and a hint of fresh garden basil in the lemonade tasted so refreshing!

5. Tinuom from UMA, 99 Peso (equal to IDR 29.7K)
UMA is also a favorite for locals and is known for their native chicken. We tried one of their signatures, Tinuom, a soup dish made of native chicken as the main ingredient, marinated with tomatoes, garlic, onions and lemongrass, and wrapped in banana leaves. It was so simple, and healthy, but it lacked flavors to our taste bud. It would be nice if they added some chili in the soup to enhance the taste of the soup.

6. Grilled Native Chicken from UMA, 300 Peso (equal to IDR 90K)
From the same food stall, we also tried their signature Native Chicken. Although the serving size was quite small, the grilled chicken was mouth watering-ly good, covered with herb and spices all over the chicken. It’s so simple but so juicy and delicious! It’s best to eat just like that or you can dip the chicken into the sauce.

7. Unicorn Freak Shake from Crazy Curly,
95 Peso (equal to IDR 28.5K)

We then tried one of the popular desserts stall with a variety of trending forms ranging from Avengers, Unicorn, etc from this stall. We chose the Unicorn shape and guess what? This lovely looking dessert indeed tasted so sweet; chocolate drink served with spun sugar candy, fairy frosting, marshmallows, gummy bears, etc. If you’re looking for an instagrammable dessert, this gotta be it!

8. Iced Coffee Jelly from Jelly Bar,
50 Peso Large (equal to IDR 15K)

Despite the rainy season this month in the Philippines, the weather was very hot and humid even at night. So when I heard from Carlo that the Iced Coffee Jelly from this stall is his personal favorite, we decided to buy it and it didn’t disappoint me! Although it’s a bit too sweet for our liking, we enjoyed drinking this cold Iced Coffee and chewing the grass jelly bits together – so refreshing!

9. Boneless Lechon Belly from Jamal’s Lechon, 145 Peso (equal to IDR 43.5K)
We always wanted to try a classic Filipino dish called Lechon Belly and Lechon Baboy. Lechon itself means a roasted whole pig slowly cooked over charcoal heat and since we’re in Cebu, I heard that Lechon Cebu is known for their spices, just as Jamal’s Lechon has to offer at this eatery. All herbs and spices such as lemongrass, leeks, salt, pepper, and garlic are stuffed inside the pork belly. The meat was so tender, and juicy, but the skin wasn’t crispy at all, not as we expected! However, this dish was so flavorful and worth to try!

10. Lechon Baboy from Ana’s Lechon, 160 Peso for 1/4 size (equal to IDR 48K)
Last but not least, our top favorite was the Lechon Baboy from Ana’s Lechon. Everyone knows that Lechon Baboy (roasted pig) is an all-time favorite Filipino dish that is usually served during events, holidays and festivities. And yes, we’re so excited and been eyeing Lechon Baboy in full size with that golden brown skin part which is displayed on their table and can’t wait to taste it! We ordered for 1/4 portion and personally liked this dish because of its crispy skin, and the soft juicy and flavorful pork flesh; oh I could finish the whole meat I guess! Ha-ha…

Overall, it was a pleasant experience at the Sugbo Mercado Market in Cebu, Philippines. All the food was good, reasonably priced, prompt services from each eatery, and plenty of tables so everyone gets to sit and enjoy their meal. If you come in a group, it’s easy for you to try things you can’t get anywhere else! And if you stay in the Cebu area, make sure you go there hungry so you can try as many different dishes as you want. We will try other food when we get the chance to come back to this place. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share this good news with your friends on Facebook / Instagram.

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Sugbo Mercado Market

Inez Villa Street at Garden Bloc, IT Park, Cebu City

Opening Hour: 05 PM – 01 AM

Phone: +63 917 772 7077

Price: starts from IDR 30K

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Author: myfunfoodiary

Myfunfoodiary as Indonesian Food and Travel Blog was born in July 2012 and has become one of the valuable online source for locals, tourists, food enthusiasts and industry professionals. It is a Jakarta based Food and Travel Blog managed by Mullie Marlina, a young, lovely, cheerful and blessed wife who loves to share her culinary and travel experiences through her writing. You’ll find her honest reviews, valuable suggestions, objective ratings and recommendation of eateries in Jakarta and selected cities in Indonesia and abroad. Her curated restaurant reviews are based on her meticulous inquiries and her rich dining experience in various restaurants in Jakarta. She has also traveled to different cities and countries where she finds interesting and inspiring dishes, cuisines and excellent dining ambience which she also included in the list. From recommendations, restaurant experiences, events, travel destinations, and recipes, readers will find anything food related in this website. She would really appreciate your feedback, and would love to hear about any suggestions, events regarding food, or just to drop in to say "Hi". Again, thank you so much for dropping by, and she hopes you enjoy reading her journal. Thank you so much for all your supports! God bless you! ^_^

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