For your Ilocos Norte/Sur Food Trip!
It’s no secret that Filipinos are masters of the culinary arts. Wherever you go, food is always being served non-stop, with each city specializing in a variety of dishes and flavors of their own. The region of Ilocos is no different - in fact, in addition to its historical landmarks, this Northern Luzon region is exceptionally known for its cuisine. From Ilocos Norte to Ilocos Sur, visitors will find an array of delicious, exotic, and even vegan-vegetarian delicacies that’ll tickle their taste buds.
If you have plans of visiting this northern town soon, which is now open to the local public, trying the best food in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte is a right of passage. Not only will you find savory viands, but hearty street foods and crunchy snacks will be waiting for you as well.
Read through this article and make this your checklist of must-try Ilocos delicacies on your trip!
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Vigan Longganisa
Photo Credit: @lilyhilllunch on Instagram
A list of the best food to try in Ilocos will not be complete without the inclusion of Vigan Longganisa. This plump sausage originated from Ilocos Sur, typically bite-sized but packed with garlicky flavor. For breakfast lovers, it’s often paired with silog, or a combination of fried egg and fried rice, with a spicy sukang iloko (vinegar native in Ilocos) on the side.
Photo Credit: @whatin.jansplate on Instagram
If you’re planning to take home a couple of Vigan Longganisa, stop by the Vigan City Public Market!
Vigan City Public Market
- Address: Alcantara St, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
- Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 5:00am to 7:30pm
Ilocos Empanada
Photo Credit: @crisibanez on Instagram
Another well-loved product of Ilocos is its version of an empanada. The popular street food originated in Batac, Ilocos Norte, and is now a favorite snack even in Manila. What sets Ilocos Empanada apart from the rest is its color and ingredients! Ilokanos use annatto seeds to add color to its dough, making it vibrantly orange. Inside, you’ll typically find chopped Vigan longganisa, green papaya, mung beans, and an egg. It is then deep-fried to perfection and best devoured as soon as it leaves the pan.
Although Ilocos Empanada is abundant in the region, Batac City is where you can find the most authentic ones! Drop by Lanie’s Batac Special Empanada for a taste of authentic Ilocos Empanada.
Lanie’s Batac Special Empanada
- Address: Riverside R.S. Empanadaan Building 2906 Batac, Philippines
- Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 8:00am to 10:00pm
Bagnet
Photo Credit: @busuganpinoy on Instagram
Bagnet, known locally in Ilocos as chicharon, is a deep-fried pork dish known for its crunchy skin and a golden-brown color. Although it’s similar to lechon kawali, Ilokanos prepare bagnet differently to make it uniquely their own. They first boil a slab of pork, then air-dry it for a couple of hours before deep-frying it multiple times to achieve its crispy state. Albeit a tedious process, this is what makes bagnet one of the best food in Ilocos - and in the entire country.
Freshly-made bagnet is prepared daily at Vigan City Public Market and makes for the perfect pasalubong. If you’re craving some of this pork goodness while still in the region, dine at Cuisine de Iloco and try their different iterations of bagnet.
Cuisine de Iloco
- Address: Hernando Ave., Bgy. 7-A, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
- Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 10:00am-8:00pm
Pinakbet
Photo Credit: @lutonikuyalevi on Instagram
Pinakbet may be a beloved dish all over the Philippines, but not everyone knows that it’s a product of the Ilokanos. This vegetable stew is made of eggplant, okra, bitter gourd, garlic, onions, string beans, winged beans, and tomatoes as its base ingredients. Unlike other versions, the Ilokano pinakbet does not include squash as locals believe that it distorts the aroma and taste of the other vegetables.
If you find yourself in Vigan’s well-known Calle Crisologo, visit Cafe Leona and order their pinakbet! Not only do they serve a classic and authentic version, but they are also known for their Pinakbet Pizza!
Cafe Leona
- Address: #1 Calle Crisologo, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
- Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 11:00am to 9:00pm
Okoy Tiyosko
Photo Credit: @kusinafelicitas on Instagram
Okoy Tiyosko is another famous food from Ilocos that should be listed in your must-tries. This crunchy snack is a deep-fried fritter made of glutinous rice batter, shrimp, and various vegetables. You can either eat it alone or pair it with rice and spicy vinegar.
Kusina Felicitas of Grandpa’s Inn in Vigan is especially known for their take on okoy! So if you’re curious to taste this mouth-watering dish during your Ilocos Sur adventure, you know where to go.
Kusina Felicitas
- Address: 1 Bonifacio St. Corner Quirino Blvd., Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
- Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 10:00am to 9:00pm
Poqui poqui
Photo Credit: @chad_the_filipino on Instagram
Poqui poqui is a simple delicacy found in the region of Ilocos that vegetarians will surely love. It’s made with grilled eggplants mixed with onions, garlic, and tomatoes finished with one whole beaten egg. The end product will resemble a slightly soupy scrambled egg best matched with a steaming cup of rice.
Photo Credit: @sereneappetite on Instagram
If this dish is right up your alley, add Bistro Candon to your Ilocos itinerary. This restaurant offers various international and local dishes, but their poqui-poqui is one that’s constantly raved about.
Bistro Candon
- Address: Bistro Candon, National Highway, Candon, 2710 Ilocos Sur
- Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 7:00am to 7:30pm
Dudol
Photo Credit: http://laoagcity.gov.ph/tourism/products/dudol.jpg
For fans of sweet treats, Ilocos’s dudol will appease your sweet tooth cravings. This well-loved Ilokano snack came from the Malay and Indian settlers who lived in the coastal towns of Ilocos, even before the arrival of the Spaniards. It’s a mix of rice flour, coconut milk, and sugarcane juice, cooked continuously under slow fire. This process is what makes it thick yet sticky and incredibly delicious.
Dudol is a favorite in Ilocos, even among locals, so you won’t have difficulty finding it here as it is available almost anywhere.
Chichacorn
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No visit to Ilocos is complete without taking home a bag of chichacorn. Many might think that this is similar to cornick, but the Ilokano version uses glutinous white corn instead of the usual yellow ones. The corn kernel is then cooked until crunchy and semi-puffed, making it easier to chew.
One of the most well-known producers of chichacorn in Ilocos is Clemencia Padre, owner of Ilocos Food Products! Their chichacorn is boiled, dried, then fried to perfection and comes in different flavors, including garlic, spicy, barbeque, cheese, and more!
Ilocos Food Products
- Address: National Highway, Brgy. Taleb, Bantay, 2727 Ilocos Sur, Philippines
Sukang Iloko
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Sukang Iloko is another popular product of the Ilocos region made from a local wine called basi. Basi comes from extracting the juices of crushed sugarcane, then boiled and stored in an earthen jar. When the wine is further fermented, it turns to a sour, dark, and aromatic vinegar that is Sukang Iloko. Its taste is somewhat similar to apple cider vinegar and best paired with other famous food in Ilocos, including Vigan Longganisa and Ilocos Empanada!
Sukang Iloko is readily available in any pasalubong or souvenir stores in Ilocos. One of the best brands is the one from Alilem, Ilocos Sur!
Tupig
Photo Credit: @mommychocco on Instagram
Another sweet treat that originated from Ilocos is tupig. This beloved snack is often served during the holiday season, basically the equivalent of puto bumbong and bibingka to Manilenyos. Tupig is composed of glutinous rice cake with grated coconuts and molasses wrapped in banana leaves. It’s cooked over a charcoal fire, giving the final product both an aromatic and smoky hint to it.
For a bite of authentic Ilokano tupig, you can stop by Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. Here, you can find various stalls selling tupig and other native delicacies.
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