Where to Eat in Puerto Princesa, Palawan: Local Food, Restaurants & Prices

Puerto Princesa is more than the gateway to the Underground River and island-hopping tours. It is also one of Palawan’s most interesting places to eat: a coastal city where grilled seafood, Filipino comfort food, Vietnamese-influenced noodle soup, and a few genuinely local delicacies can all fit into one short trip.

This guide focuses on six established food stops that were operating when checked in October 2026. It does not pretend to be a firsthand review. The practical details below come from official tourism listings, restaurant websites, current delivery menus, and recent dining references. Menus, hours, and prices can change, so a quick call or message before going is still smart.

A quick look at Puerto Princesa food culture

Palawan’s long coastline naturally puts seafood at the center of many menus. Depending on the catch, diners may find fish, squid, crab, shellfish, and prawns grilled simply or cooked in familiar Filipino styles. Lato consists of tiny, bead-like sea grapes and is commonly served as a bright, briny salad. Lamayo refers to fish that is marinated, partly sun-dried, and usually fried for breakfast. Tamilok, despite its worm-like appearance, is a shell-less marine mollusk harvested from mangrove wood and commonly dressed with vinegar, calamansi, chili, and salt.

Puerto Princesa also has a distinct Vietnamese thread. Refugees who arrived in Palawan after the Vietnam War helped popularize chaolong, the local name for a beef or pork noodle soup that resembles Vietnamese phở but has developed its own Palawan identity. It is often paired with a crusty loaf or garlic bread and remains one of the city’s best-value meals.

1. KaLui Restaurant

Why go: KaLui is one of Puerto Princesa’s best-known destination restaurants. The shoes-off dining room uses wood, bamboo, Filipino art, and low tables to create an atmosphere that feels warm rather than formal. The menu is centered on seafood, vegetables, and set meals; meat is not the main attraction.

Recent menu references show à la carte items starting around ₱245 (about US$3.9) and a set meal around ₱795 (about US$13), with a realistic planning budget of roughly ₱500 (about US$7.9)–₱1,200 (about US$19) per person. Treat those numbers as a snapshot, not a guaranteed price. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially for dinner.

• Address: 369 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City
• Phone: +63 48 433 2580
• Hours: Current hours are not consistently published; call before visiting
• Official website: No working official website was verified

2. Kinabuchs Grill & Bar

Why go: Kinabuchs is the lively counterpoint to KaLui. This open-air garden bar is built for grilled food, cold drinks, sports screens, and relaxed groups. Filipino grill favorites share the menu with conversation-starting Palawan dishes such as crocodile sisig and tamilok. Availability of specialty items can depend on supply, so ask before ordering.

A current third-party listing places the usual spend around ₱500 (about US$7.9)–₱1,000 (about US$16) per person; a recent local dining guide puts many meals in the ₱350 (about US$5.5)–₱900 (about US$14) range including drinks. The street address is consistently listed only as Rizal Avenue, so use the phone number or a current map pin for the exact entrance.

• Address: Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City; exact street number not reliably published
• Phone: +63 48 434 5194 (city tourism also lists 434-5195)
• Hours: A current listing shows Tuesday–Sunday, 4:00–11:00 p.m.; Monday closed. Confirm directly.
• Reservations: Call ahead for larger groups

3. Badjao Seafront Restaurant

Why go: Badjao is as much about setting as food. A long boardwalk passes through mangroves before reaching a dining room on stilts above the water. Arriving before sunset lets the view do its best work, while the menu covers seafood, Filipino family-style dishes, and rice meals.

Recent menu reporting shows individual dishes at roughly ₱125 (about US$2)–₱550 (about US$8.7), a seafood platter around ₱1,150 (about US$18), and an average spend of ₱500 (about US$7.9)–₱900 (about US$14) per person. Shellfish, squid adobo, eggplant in coconut milk, paella, crispy pata, and seafood rice have appeared in published menu references, but daily seafood availability can change.

• Address: Abueg Sr. Road, Barangay Bagong Sikat, Puerto Princesa City
• Phone: +63 48 433 9912; a second published number is +63 927 689 7887
• Hours: Current map listing shows daily, 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; confirm before a special trip
• Payment: Recent guidance reports cash only; bring pesos

4. Haim Chicken Restaurant

Why go: Haim has been grilling in Puerto Princesa since 1999 and is a practical choice for Filipino comfort food. The namesake grilled chicken is the obvious starting point, but the menu also includes noodles, vegetables, beef, and dishes suited to sharing.

As a current delivery-price reference, Haim’s Manalo menu lists solo pancit canton around ₱173 (about US$2.7), chicken wings with three rice servings around ₱281 (about US$4.4), chopsuey around ₱333 (about US$5.2), and beef bulalo around ₱551 (about US$8.7). Delivery prices and portions may differ from dine-in prices.

• Address: 294 Manalo Extension, Puerto Princesa City
• Phone: +63 48 717 1111
• Hours: Daily, 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., according to the official website
• Reservations/contact: haimchicken@gmail.com or phone

5. Bona’s Chao Long Haus

Why go: Bona’s is a straightforward stop for one of Puerto Princesa’s signature everyday meals. Chaolong arrives as a warming bowl of beef, pork, or chicken noodle soup, and garlic or cheese bread makes the natural side order.

A current delivery menu lists chicken noodles around ₱150 (about US$2.4), beef stew noodles and pork buto-buto noodles around ₱235 (about US$3.7), and garlic-and-cheese bread around ₱155 (about US$2.4). The platform shows 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. daily, but the address differs between sources: the current platform lists 188 Manalo Street, Barangay Milagrosa, while the city tourism directory lists Manalo Extension, Barangay Tanglaw. Confirm the map pin before leaving.

6. Viet Ville Restaurant

Why go: Viet Ville adds essential cultural context to Puerto Princesa’s food story. Located in the former Vietnamese refugee settlement north of the city center, the restaurant serves Vietnamese dishes in a quiet garden setting. Chaolong, spring rolls, bánh mì, and other noodle dishes connect the city’s present-day dining scene with Palawan’s refugee history.

A published menu reference lists pork soup-bone chaolong at ₱215 (about US$3.4), chicken chaolong at ₱230 (about US$3.6), beef stew at ₱235 (about US$3.7), and spring rolls at ₱305 (about US$4.8). Because that is not a verified current menu, use it only as a rough planning guide. Current operating hours and a current official menu were not reliably published at the time of research.

• Address: Km. 13, Viet Village, Hung Vuong, Barangay Sta. Lourdes, Puerto Princesa City
• Phones: +63 985 619 7777, +63 917 329 2201, or +63 919 836 6849
• Hours: Not reliably available online; call before making the trip
• Current status: Listed as tourism-accredited by Puerto Princesa as of March 30, 2026

Local dishes worth looking for

• Fresh seafood: Ask what arrived that day and confirm the price before choosing by weight.
• Lato: Sea grapes usually served raw with tomato, onion, and a vinegar or calamansi dressing.
• Tamilok: A mangrove-dwelling bivalve, commonly served kinilaw-style. Try it only from a reputable food business with careful handling.
• Chaolong: Puerto Princesa’s Vietnamese-influenced beef, pork, or chicken noodle soup.
• Lamayo: Marinated, partly sun-dried fish that is fried and commonly eaten for breakfast. Availability varies by restaurant and market.

How much does food cost in Puerto Princesa?

For planning, budget about ₱150 (about US$2.4)–₱300 (about US$4.7) per person for chaolong or a simple local meal, ₱250 (about US$3.9)–₱600 (about US$9.4) for casual grilled chicken or shared Filipino dishes, and ₱500 (about US$7.9)–₱1,200 (about US$19) for destination seafood dining with drinks. These are working ranges based on the menu snapshots cited above, not fixed prices. Add room for service charges where applicable, transportation, and seasonal seafood prices.

Practical dining tips

• Reserve KaLui and Badjao for busy evenings, holidays, or larger groups.
• Carry cash, especially for smaller restaurants and any place where card acceptance is unclear.
• Confirm seafood prices before ordering by weight.
• Expect tricycles to be the simplest point-to-point transport within the city; agree on the fare before the ride.
• Save phone numbers and map pins offline. Mobile service can be uneven outside the center.
• Ask about allergens and preparation if you are sensitive to shellfish, fish sauce, peanuts, or cross-contact.

Final thoughts

The best Puerto Princesa food plan mixes one atmospheric seafood dinner with a bowl of chaolong, a casual grilled meal, and a few Palawan specialties. KaLui and Badjao deliver the destination setting; Kinabuchs brings the social energy; Haim keeps things easy; and Bona’s and Viet Ville explain why Vietnamese flavors belong in the city’s story.

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Photo Credits & Sources

Research sources: Puerto Princesa City Tourism accredited restaurants; Puerto Princesa tourism entrepreneurs directory; Puerto Princesa City Tourism: Tamilok; Haim Chicken official website; current delivery menus for Haim Chicken and Bona’s Chaolong; GMA News on Palawan chaolong; and current secondary dining references for KaLui, Kinabuchs, and Badjao. Restaurant details were checked October 28, 2026.

• Puerto Princesa Bay: Filipinayzd, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Lato (sea grapes): Bim24, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
• Tamilok in Puerto Princesa: shankar s., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
• Daing na pusit with lato: Robertmarrel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Viet Ville Restaurant: Herbertkikoy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.