8 Best Restaurants in Mactan Island

Abaca is a Mediterranean restaurant and a part of a boutique resort with the same name. It serves interesting dishes made from local fresh seafood and imported meats and cheeses from around the world. Vegetables and herbs used in their cuisine are from their own organic garden. Abaca has a rich interior with high-end touches which make dining even more enjoyable.

If time allows, you might want to experience dining at one of the floating restaurants off Olango Island near Mactan. They're not really floating – they're on stilts. This type of restaurant is more popular for lunch than dinner.

Fresh seafood is served here, for example, shellfish, crabs, prawns. Ask at your hotel for information on how to get there. Be sure to pick a restaurant with fixed prices.

Hola España is an up-market restaurant in Mactan with a gorgeous ambience and outstanding Spanish food. The menu includes gambas al ajlo (stir-fried shrimp with garlic), paella negra (paella with dark squid ink) and bouillabaisse (seafood stewed in olive oil and flavoured with herbs and spices.

Ibiza Beach Club is a stylish venue to dine and relax, located at the end of the jetty that closes the bay in front of the Movenpick Hotel Mactan Island. The outdoor terrace offers a comfortable place to enjoy a skillfully mixed cocktail while watching the ocean and listening to the unobtrusive live music.

The air-conditioned indoor dining area is elegantly decorated and offers the perfect place to savour the fine cuisine, blending the Asian and Mediterranean influences served here. If you’d prefer a heartier meal, churrasco (seasoned grilled meat) is also available.

If you love Japanese food, you’ll be happy to learn that there are quite a few Japanese restaurants around Mactan Island. Kaishu, (sometimes called “Ku-Kai”) is one of the best-known places. They serve delicious Japanese cuisine including sausage teppanyaki, tonkatsu (deep-fried pork with Worcestershire sauce), torikawa, chikuwa tempura (fried groundfish), and sishamo (grilled small fish).

The name means Thai kitchen and that’s what it feels like when you enter the restaurant. It has such a nice and welcoming ambience. Its red walls are covered with decorative items from Thailand such as wooden arts and crafts.

Try the green curry with chicken or the famous tom yam gung (spicy soup with prawns). If you want something light, try the spicy and sweet fish filet, deep-fried spring rolls, morning glory fried with soy source or fried rice with crab. Singha beer is also available here.

Dishes at MB’s Tavern come in big sizes, especially the salad and pizza, which can feed 2 people with ease. They serve traditional German food as well as Hungarian sausage with French fries, chicken wings with spicy sauce and pepper steak. MB’s offers air-conditioned dining on 2 levels and also has a pool table.

Maribago Grill serves Filipino food in a friendly atmosphere. You can choose to dine in one of their 'huts' with family and friends. They're well known for their delicious food at very reasonable prices. Dishes include chicken adobo (boiled chicken with soy sauce), stir-fried shrimp with garlic sweet sauce, sautéed squid and grilled spareribs.