Besides traveling around the Philippines, another of our passions is food—we love to eat! That’s why, every time we visit a new destination, even if on the first day we find a place we like, we always try to go further and explore all the flavors available. Out of that passion for eating and for the Philippines comes this guide to Where to eat in Camiguin. In it you’ll find a list of our favorite places, a map to locate them, and even many of their menus.
We hope you’re hungry, because right now we’re taking you out to eat in Camiguin!
We’ve divided this guide into 3(+1) sections so that, depending on what you’re looking for, you can easily find it: where to eat in Camiguin, breakfast in Camiguin, going for a drink in Camiguin, and an extra in case you feel like cooking or trying typical bites from this Philippine island.
Where to eat in Camiguin: Best restaurants
Although Camiguin isn’t one of the country’s most touristy islands, it does have a good variety of restaurants that range from “pro” Italian spots to basic carinderias, with Thai places in between. Here we tell you about some of the most interesting ones so you can enjoy.
La Dolce Vita Camiguin
We’re not exaggerating when we say we’ve completely lost count of how many times we’ve gone to have dinner in Camiguin at La Dolce Vita. As the name suggests, it’s run by an Italian‑Filipino couple, so the star dishes you’ll find are their pizzas and pastas.
So why do we recommend this restaurant so much for eating in Camiguin? First of all, for its wood‑fired oven, which gives a unique touch to its wide variety of pizzas. Second, for the homemade stuffed pasta—delicious! Both the pizzas and the pasta are clearly handmade with fresh ingredients. You can taste each thing you’re eating, unlike in many restaurants where everything tastes the same.
Our favorite dishes: the four‑cheese pizza and the truffle ravioli.
Samuel by VjANDEP
We kick off this tasty list of where to eat in Camiguin with one of the most popular restaurants in Mambajao, the island’s capital. In 1990 the now super popular Camiguin souvenir was born: the VjANDEP Pastel. In fact, it’s very common that when you leave the island you’ll see lots of Filipinos carrying away stacks of boxes of this sweet. They’re popular all over the Philippines!
Their success led them to expand the business and now, next to the city’s main mall, you’ll find the Samuel restaurant. There you can eat typical Filipino dishes with a very homemade touch but—trust us—it would be a big mistake to leave without trying some of their cakes or their famous Leche Flan. From the restaurant itself you can access the shop where you can buy the famous VjANDEP Pastel. Tell us what you think when you try them!
Guerrera Restaurant
Eating in Camiguin offers, as you’re seeing in this guide, a journey through the cuisine of half the world. At Guerrera Restaurant you’ll find some of the best Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese dishes. The setting—surrounded by rice fields with direct views of both Hibok-Hibok and the sea—is gorgeous and adds lots of points to those it already wins thanks to its kitchen.
It’s a good place for both lunch and dinner, but keep in mind that it keeps stricter hours than other Camiguin restaurants, and at 14:00 / 21:00 (day / night) the kitchen closes. It’s also a good place for vegetarian dishes in Camiguin, as the menu has plenty of options that can be adapted by swapping meat for tofu. Prices are around 400 pesos, which isn’t especially cheap, but we really think it’s worth it.
Sapore
Another Italian restaurant that won our hearts (and palates) is Sapore. Its prices are a bit higher than La Dolce Vita’s (dishes between 400 and 500 pesos), but the dishes are a notch higher in level as well. You can tell the ingredients are very, very fresh (many come from its own garden), giving their homemade pasta dishes truly spectacular, addictive flavors.
It’s an ideal restaurant for dinner in Camiguin, since the soft lighting and its location surrounded by greenery give it a romantic touch; but note that the kitchen closes at 20:45, so try to arrive with time to spare. Lunchtime hours are also on the early side: open from 11:00 to 13:00.
Kurma
At Kurma you’ll find what we’d call “fusion cuisine” because, as you’ll see on the menu, it has dishes inspired by different food cultures. It offers plenty of vegan and vegetarian options that—even if you usually eat meat—we strongly encourage you to try.
The vegetarian “steak” is made from squash and is super tasty, the kare-kare is finger‑licking good, and the coconut burger is one of its star dishes. You have to try it! Plus, as we’ll mention later, it’s an ideal place for breakfast. It serves great coffee and a variety of options that range from super healthy smoothie bowls to the addictive “German rolled pancakes” that will delight chocolate lovers.
Its location is also excellent, right on the seafront next to the terminal where tours to White Island depart. In fact, the restaurant belongs to Kurma Eco Beach Lodge, an accommodation with a dive shop specialized in free diving that offers activities like yoga in its garden. You can see more info about the lodging here: Kurma Eco Beach Lodge. It’s also a great spot to enjoy the sunset.
Cassa Rocca
Cassa Rocca is another of the most popular restaurants where to eat in Camiguin. Its menu is the typical international one where you can find a wide variety of dishes. We’d highlight three things about this place:
- The views: It’s perched on top of a cliff with beautiful sea views. If you can, grab the table by the restaurant entrance—the one that’s like a little box seat—as it has the best panoramas.
- Mango float: This Camiguin restaurant is very famous for its mango float, one of the most typical Filipino desserts. It’s delicious! The problem is that many times, given its success, they run out.
- The beers: What’s better than a cold beer to go with your dish? Here you’ll find, besides the wine list, a good selection of craft beers.
Luna Ristorante
We can’t skip Luna Ristorante in this list of places where to eat in Camiguin. Although for us La Dolce Vista and Saporo are superior, Luna Ristorante might be closer to you or you may simply feel like giving it a chance. Note: being our third pick among Italian restaurants doesn’t mean we don’t like it—the pumpkin stuffed pasta we tried there was really good; it’s just that the other two are exceedingly exquisite.
Here, besides fresh homemade pasta and pizzas, along with other Italian dishes, you’ll also find beef burgers, Filipino dishes, and the odd international plate.
The large terrace where they serve the food is a very pleasant, no‑frills spot for dining in the open air.
DAOS Plant-based Kitchen
There are more and more vegan restaurants in the Philippines, and DAOS Plant‑based Kitchen recently arrived in Camiguin to stay. Potpot is a lovely Filipino who opened this beautiful seaside spot serving wonderful veganized Filipino dishes (the vegan sisig and kare‑kare are top), burgers, pasta/noodles, and the typical buddha bowls and snacks at very competitive prices (200–300 pesos). And don’t forget to try the turon, a dessert that will blow your mind.
The restaurant’s concept is to try to do things as well as possible, minimizing plastic use (their bamboo cutlery is beautiful) and using organic products. The best part is the cooks are happy to tell you more about their dishes, how they’re made, and their ingredients, which makes the experience more interesting. Even if you’re not vegan or vegetarian, give it a chance—you’ll hardly leave disappointed.
Keep in mind they only open Wednesday to Monday from 11:00 to 19:00 (last order time). Given its orientation, it’s a nice place to watch the sunset and then have dinner.
More places to eat in Camiguin
We didn’t want to make this much longer, but we kept trying restaurants in Camiguin and want to recommend these others that have little to envy the ones above:
- Paradiso Hillside Restaurant: a place run by a Neapolitan serving what are possibly the best pizzas in Camiguin. Baked in a wood‑fired oven and with imported ingredients, they’re honestly worth the 400–500 pesos they cost.
- 3Matchos Lutong Bahay: a truly Filipino roadside eatery with homemade food at a good price. It’s a carinderia, so at night they usually have very little—it’s better for lunchtime. They have some vegetarian options and freshly fried banana.
- Cenote Restaurant and Bar: good value for money and decent service. The cordon bleu and the quesadillas are quite tasty. Breakfasts are more than decent, too.
Breakfast in Camiguin: cafés and restaurants with good options
Although most restaurants have some kind of breakfast option, these are the ones that stand out the most and offer good choices to start the day at full throttle.
Saga Specialty Coffee
In 2024 they opened the first specialty coffee spot in Camiguin and, if you’ve spent a few days/weeks in the Philippines drinking instant coffee, we promise it’ll taste like pure bliss. The place is also super cute, and they have cookies and some pastries (croissants, pain au chocolat, etc.) for breakfast. They’re open from 8:00 to 19:00, so it’s also a great roadside breakfast stop.
Hayahay Café
A classic for breakfast in Camiguin if you want a breakfast that, besides being delicious and healthy, looks great in your trip photos. Why? Because all their dishes are prepared with that cool look that’s so big on Instagram.
Photos aside, the smoothie bowls are really tasty and their charcoal (activated‑charcoal) pancakes with chocolate are delicious. That said, we couldn’t finish them—they’re huge and very filling! They also offer vegetarian options, like coffees with soy milk, something that can be rare to find in the Philippines. One tip: don’t go in a hurry. Although everything they make is really good, they’re not the fastest at serving breakfasts in Camiguin.
The BeeHive
We hesitated when classifying The BeeHive between the places where to eat in Camiguin and those for breakfast. Although they have a more than recommendable lunch menu, after several visits we fell much more in love with their breakfast menu.
If you’re a coffee lover, this is possibly one of the best places in Camiguin to have one. They have tons of different options (most of them local and organic) with delicious flavors and surprising nuances—like macadamia nuts, for example. You can also try different kinds of natural smoothies (order the guayabano/soursop if you want something local) and cakes that will be the perfect complement to your breakfast.
It’s impossible to talk about The BeeHive without mentioning its seafront location and beautiful décor. Honestly, it’s a gorgeous place! Its patio and terrace are full of handcrafted wooden décor and even a long bench that really recalls Gaudí’s trencadís style. It’s a perfect place to watch the sunset.
As we said at the start of this section, there are more places to have breakfast in Camiguin that we ended up classifying under “Where to eat in Camiguin” because of their dish offerings. At Samuel by VjANDEP you can have breakfast with their tasty pastries. Kurma also has a super complete and recommendable breakfast menu. You can take a look at the menu at the link above.
Going for a drink in Camiguin
Unlike other islands like Siargao, El Nido, or Bohol, which have a lively nightlife, Camiguin is much more relaxed. Even so, on weekends you can feel a bit of a buzz, especially around the Yumbing area, where you’ll find a few bars with live music. Here are the most important ones:
- CheckPoint Food Camiguin: although it is mainly a restaurant, it’s a good place to go for a drink once the sun has set. It was right here that we had the pleasure of enjoying a few beers with two lovely readers of the site one of the last times we were in Camiguin. Cold beer, cocktails, snacks to nibble on, and live music make a perfect combo for a drink on the island.
- Alex Restaurant + Bar: the food doesn’t impress, but the beer is cold and it’s a modern spot.
- Isla 9100 Restobar: right next to the two above, on weekends there’s usually lots of local atmosphere, as they set up a stage for Camiguin bands to play. They also serve food and grilled fish.
- Chill’s Beach: a cool place to watch the sunset with a beer or cocktail in hand. It’s, as the name suggests, on the beach. They serve Italian food that’s quite decent, so it’s also fine for dinner.
Other tips for eating in Camiguin
Yumbing public market
If you’ve opted for accommodation in Camiguin with a kitchen (like the Mountain View Cottages, where we stayed for more than a week), the Yumbing public market will be your best ally. Here you can buy all kinds of vegetables and meats for cooking. Next to it there’s a small sari-sari where you’ll also have handy products like oil, pasta, rice, and other products.
Likewise, even if it’s not for cooking, it’s a good place to buy fruit and take it with you as you explore the island, go on the Camiguin island hopping or, if you’re up for it, do the trek to the Hibok – Hibok volcano.
Lanzones
Just as Valencia is linked with paella or Madrid with the calamari sandwich, Camiguin is inseparable from lanzones. This fruit is, in fact, the main star of the island’s biggest festival: the Camiguin Lanzones Festival.
Similar to lychee but less acidic, we recommend trying it as soon as you get the chance. The harvest season is in September and October. It’s delicious!
Kiping
Another food you’ll run into many times in Camiguin is kiping. This crunchy wafer is usually sold for 5/10 pesos in front of the main tourist spots. Luckily, it tastes much better than it looks and is a great stopgap to trick your stomach before lunch and keep exploring the island a bit longer without stopping to eat in Camiguin. That said, fair warning: sometimes they put on so much chocolate that it’s practically impossible to eat it without ending up covered.
Map of recommended restaurants where to eat in Camiguin
If you want to see all these great places where to eat in Camiguin in a more visual way, take a look at this map:
Feeling full after this Where to eat in Camiguin guide? Now that you know the main places, you can get down to preparing your route around the island. In our Camiguin Guide you have all the details to make the most of this wonderful destination in the Philippines.
Enjoy!
