The best restaurants Southern Luzon

Zoe's Kitchen is ideally located on the famous Boulevard. This restaurant, which was recommended to us by locals (we would probably not have turned over in front of it otherwise), serves a rather international kitchen a little revisited with the Filipino sauce as for the sisig pasta. We find a little of everything: meats, fish, burgers, pizzas (rather good), pastas, Mexican quesadillas, etc. The restaurant has a terrace on the second floor from which you have a nice view on the waterfront: go there at noon or at the end of the day to enjoy it.

Superb view of Mayon. Lovely house open all in bamboo. Excellent specialities from the region. You have to taste the gabi, a vegetable that looks like its taste and its appearance in Chile.

The former Josephine Buffet Restaurant, a Tagaytay institution, became Rosario Restaurant in 2023, with the same commitment to showcase the cuisine of the region, with fresh products and a "family meal" atmosphere. You can enjoy exquisite Filipino dishes such as shrimpcharon (fried shrimp marinated in rum), kilawing puso ng saging (mix of banana, pork, shrimp) for a small fee, while admiring the beautiful view of the lake and the Taal volcano, either from the air-conditioned restaurant or from its beautiful garden.

The chicken is delicious. Mexican and Italian cuisine.

You can't spend the night, but accommodations (huts and grills) allow a picnic. There is also a restaurant, an amphitheatre, fruit stands, souvenir shops and a museum.

It is an institution in Angono. The Balaw-Balaw restaurant takes its name from the speciality made of rice, fish and shrimps fermented in coconut wine. The cuisine (many specialties from the Rizal region such as Itik duck) is delicious, the decoration traditional and refined. While waiting for your meal, you can linger in its gallery of folk arts and antiques. Exhibitions of local artists are regularly organized.

This upscale restaurant is an institution, all the beautiful people of Manila come here just to have lunch or dinner in an enchanting setting. The interior is tastefully decorated with Filipino inspired wooden furniture. The beautiful outdoor terrace, lit up at the end of the day, offers a magnificent view of Taal Lake. Moreover, it is one of the best tables in the country, the European-inspired cuisine is refined, with exceptional meats on the menu (the duck confit is divine) and a menu that varies according to the chef's inspiration.

This restaurant, a little hidden in the vegetation, is a true haven of peace, in addition to serving, in the form of an all-you-can-eat buffet, a delicate and excellent food. It takes its name from the fact that here, the dishes are prepared with vegetables directly from the garden. It is delicious. The establishment also offers Bed & Breakfast formulas with of course breakfast and lunch or dinner included. A good address to go green.

Spaces have been arranged for picnic. 

Even if it's hard to believe when you see its faded yellow and green front, between fast food and supermarket, this restaurant is one of the institutions of the city since 1993! And nothing seems to have changed here, in the decoration or in the plate, since 30 years, for the greatest happiness of the nostalgic inhabitants and the travelers of passage. It is renowned for its Chinese and Filipino cuisine, including its delicious pancits, the best noodles in the region, or its sweet and sour lapu-lapu, a traditional Chinese fish dish.

Prepares Chinese specialities.

Calle Arco is located in an old renovated house, with a neat, authentic and personal decoration. Here is a very good restaurant which proposes essentially a traditional Filipino cuisine and some western dishes. We recommend the sinigang na baka na may langka, a beef soup with tamarind. The place is very popular with local families who like to come and enjoy the large terrace of the restaurant (often quite full... but it's a good sign!). A good quality-price ratio.

Renowned by tourists and locals as one of the best restaurants in town, Small Talk Café has been around since 1999. It serves a varied cuisine with local Bicol specialties and international dishes, the choice is vast. From the starter to the dessert, the prices are reasonable, the wait can sometimes be a little long but it is not what we remember. The staff is friendly and attentive and the decoration which mixes wooden furniture and colored walls is warm. There are vegetarian options, which is always appreciated in the Philippines.

Restaurant held with passion by the sparkling Juliet. On the plate, the menu varies from one day to the next. In fact Juliet shows you the catch of the day and then lets you choose the fish that will end up on your plate. It couldn't be fresher and more local! All this in a heavenly setting since this big rattan hut, illuminated with its garlands in the evening, directly overlooks the sea. Grilled fish and sunset... an exceptional evening in perspective.

Here is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant (quite rare in Legazpi). Located in a former garage and open on the street, it is true that it does not look like much and yet! Here is a family address which serves excellent food and classics of the Philippine cuisine revisited in vegetarian version and that, it does not happen every day so you have to enjoy it! The sizzling sisig is amazing (normally a typical pork-based dish) and convinces even the carnivores. Delicious burger too. Very nice address and very reasonable prices!

A very secret address that we are proud to let you discover! Behind a grilled facade that doesn't look like much, in an alley away from the road (as we said, it's hidden!), a pretty patio and a café with a slightly bohemian-chic decoration. It is especially for the cooking of the chef Ian that we come: pasta (the gratinated penne with tomato, cheese and pesto are exquisite) and more local specialties, cooked to perfection by this former chef of a starred hotel restaurant in Manila who left everything during the Covid to come here. We love it!

Located next to the Daraga church, Red Labuyo offers internationally inspired food (pasta, fries, salads...), nothing revolutionary on the plate, which can nevertheless be well executed. The staff are welcoming. So, what's the best thing about this restaurant? We recommend this place above all for its unique setting: the rooftop terrace offers one of Legazpi's finest views of the Mayon volcano, and sipping a drink or even enjoying a meal at the end of the day promises to be a very pleasant experience.