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Best Dining
Ranked by verified guest reviews — updated from live ratings
Palawan's restaurant scene is defined by freshness — the province sits in the Sulu Sea and South China Sea, surrounded by some of the most biodiverse coral reefs in the world, and the seafood reflects this. In El Nido and Coron, cliffside restaurants and bamboo huts serve freshly caught tuna, barracuda, and lobster alongside Filipino classics. Puerto Princesa, the provincial capital, has the island's most diverse dining options, including international restaurants catering to the growing tourist trade. Food is generally simpler and more locally oriented than in Boracay or Cebu — and the better for it. Rankings reflect verified guest review ratings.
How are these rankings determined?
Rankings are based on verified guest review ratings submitted through the Island Seeker directory. Businesses are sorted by average rating (highest first), with ties broken by total review count and featured status. The list is updated in real time as new verified reviews are submitted. Only active, verified listings appear.
insider tips
Try kinilaw — Palawan's freshest dish
Kinilaw is the Filipino cousin of ceviche — raw fresh fish 'cooked' in vinegar or calamansi juice with shallots, ginger, and chili. In Palawan, made with just-caught yellowfin tuna or tanigue (Spanish mackerel), it is one of the best things you can eat anywhere in the Philippines. It requires truly fresh fish to be at its best — the abundance of Palawan's fishing grounds means it is consistently excellent.
El Nido restaurants have spectacular settings but limited variety
El Nido's restaurants line Calle Real (the main street) and the beachfront, mostly offering the same menu of Filipino seafood dishes, pizza, pasta, and Asian staples in bamboo-and-thatch settings with limestone cliff views. The setting is exceptional; the culinary variety is not. For two or three nights this is charming — for a longer stay, visiting the restaurants on the less-obvious back streets rewards with better quality and lower prices.
Tamilok is Palawan's most adventurous food experience
Tamilok are mangrove woodworms — long, soft, pale molluscs extracted from mangrove wood — eaten raw with vinegar and chili, like an oyster. They are a Palawan culinary tradition and are best tried at Kinabuchs or Baker's Hill in Puerto Princesa. The flavour is mild and oyster-like; the texture is soft and gelatinous. Not for everyone — but a genuine local delicacy with a good story attached.
Island resort restaurants set their own prices
Several of Palawan's most celebrated properties — Amanpulo, El Nido Resorts' private islands, Club Paradise Coron — are only accessible by private boat or chartered plane. Their restaurants, while set in extraordinary surroundings, are priced well above the mainland. For those staying at public accommodation in El Nido or Coron town, the local restaurant scene is far better value and more authentic.
questions & answers
What is the best restaurant in Palawan?
Palawan's top-rated restaurants are spread between El Nido, Coron, and Puerto Princesa. El Nido has the most impressive setting — cliffside restaurants with views over limestone islands in Bacuit Bay. Coron has excellent floating seafood restaurants. Puerto Princesa has the most reliable mid-range international and Filipino dining. Browse the current ranked list for live ratings.
What food is Palawan known for?
Palawan is known for fresh Sulu Sea and South China Sea seafood: tuna (yellowfin tuna sashimi is a local specialty), lobster from the Tubbataha area, squid, prawns, and barracuda. Kinilaw (Filipino-style ceviche with vinegar, onion, and chili) made with freshly caught fish is Palawan's signature dish. Tamilok — woodworm found in mangrove trees, eaten raw like an oyster — is a local delicacy most memorably tried in Puerto Princesa.
Where should I eat in El Nido vs Coron?
El Nido's main strip (Calle Real and the beachfront) has bamboo-and-thatch restaurants serving fresh seafood and Filipino food with views of the limestone cliffs of Bacuit Bay. Coron's restaurants cluster around the town pier and Coron Bay, specialising in fresh fish and the Japanese WWII wreck-diving community's informal dining scene. Both towns offer good value by Philippines standards — prices are lower than Boracay but higher than Puerto Princesa.
Is food in Palawan expensive?
Palawan sits between Boracay and Cebu in cost. A local Filipino meal at a small restaurant or carinderia costs PHP 150–400 ($2.60–$7). Mid-range restaurants with fresh seafood run PHP 500–1,200 ($8.70–$21) per person. Upscale island-resort restaurants (on the more exclusive private island resorts) can charge $50–$150+ per person. Fresh seafood bought at the market and prepared at a paluto restaurant is the best value option in both El Nido and Coron.
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