Top Restaurants in El Nido

Puerto Princesa has the island's most varied and consistently good restaurant scene — the Rizal Avenue strip has everything from traditional Filipino carenderias to grilled seafood restaurants to international cafes, at the most accessible prices on the island. El Nido town has a concentrated dining area on Calle Hama and the streets behind the beach, with several well-regarded restaurants including Trattoria Altrove (Italian wood-fired) and Filipino seafood spots. Coron has a smaller restaurant scene clustered near the town pier and main road, with a number of solid Filipino and international options. Port Barton is the most limited for dining — a handful of beachfront restaurants serving fresh catch of the day.

Fresh seafood is Palawan's defining culinary offering — tuna, mahi-mahi, grouper, prawns, squid, and crab caught daily from the surrounding waters. The sutukil format (grill, soup, or ceviche) lets you choose how your fresh seafood is prepared. Kinilaw (Filipino ceviche — raw fish marinated in vinegar and calamansi) is a local speciality worth trying. For a fuller Filipino meal, try kare-kare (peanut stew with vegetables and oxtail), sinigang (tamarind-sour soup), and lechon (roasted pork) available at most Puerto Princesa restaurants. Coconut-based dishes and fresh tropical fruit (mango, papaya, jackfruit) are available island-wide at very low prices.

El Nido town has a surprisingly good restaurant scene for its size. Calle Hama is the main dining street — Trattoria Altrove (wood-fired pizza and pasta, consistently rated the best in town), La Plage (Filipino-French fusion on the beach), and several Filipino seafood restaurants. The El Nido bay waterfront has open-air restaurants with sea views at moderate prices. Budget-conscious travellers should head to the back streets parallel to the beach road where Filipino carenderias serve rice meals for ₱80–₱150. Note that El Nido town has limited ATM infrastructure — bring sufficient cash from Puerto Princesa.