Where to Eat in Coron
<< back to ‘A Practical Travel Guide to Coron, Palawan‘
Updated 2016
We’ve visited Coron three times in the last four years and lived there for almost 4 months. Don’t make the mistake of comparing the food and service in Coron to where you come from. It wouldn’t be fair. Coron is still an undeveloped town on a remote island. Here, the supply is inconsistent as most goods are imported from other islands. Don’t be surprised if half the menu is not available. Competent staff are also in short supply as most workers are simple villagers who don’t have much formal training so be patient. With this in mind here are some short reviews of the restaurants we continue to go back to.
Altrove Restaurant
“Wood Fired Pizza”
Down a little side street and up a flight of stairs to the second level you’ll find another of our favourite restaurants. Before entering you must remove your footwear which keeps the floor very clean. As usual we were here very early around 5-ish and were the only diners at that time. It does get very busy as the night wears on. We love it because it’s as close to authentic Italian as you’ll get in Coron. On this night we opted to share a salad with shrimp and a prosciutto pizza. The salad was a perfect warm temperature and bathed with real olive oil and balsamic. We wished we had bread to soak it up. The prosciutto was a real treat and we happily munched away. Great food, attentive service and good ambience. The manager is particularly friendly. We ordered the pricier items on the menu and spent 730 pesos including 2 beers. The restaurant is only open for dinner. Tip: If you sit in the open area you’ll get a view but it’s on top of the pizza oven below so it may get quite hot.
A Few of Our Favourites
- Prosciutto Pizza
- Shrimp Salad
Winnie’s Restaurant
“European & Asian Inspired Dishes”
Winnie’s continues to be one of our favourite restaurants in Coron and probably in all Palawan. Owned and operated by a Filipina (the cook) and her Swiss husband (takes care of the customers) they manage to crank out some delicious dishes in this small resto. Winnie cooks seafood especially good. Look past the humdrum interior, get there early before the crowd comes, order some delicious shakes (not so sweet like other places), and snack on the complimentary garlic roasted peanuts while waiting for your dishes to arrive.
A Few of Our Favourites
- Crab Fried Rice
- Thai Style Kang Kong
- Steamed Fish
- Mixed Green Salad
- Crab Meat Curry
- Chili Squid Stirfry
- Samosa
- Octopus Salad
- Wild Pig Adobo
- Shakes, Home-Made Bread
Dishes are usually shared. Dinner for 2 costs an average of 600-800 including beverages and alcohol but we ate more than we probably should have. They serve you a small, complimentary slice of leche flan to finish your meal, a nice touch. Lunch for two: 400-600 pesos.
Sinugba Sa Balay
“Excellent Grilled Seafood”
Also one of our favourite places to eat, the menu is always changing depending on what’s available. You know you’re going to eat something fresh here. When you arrive head straight to the chalkboard menu and tell them what you want to eat. It’s self- service which is actually a great idea since you won’t have to put up with clueless, indifferent wait staff. You’ll get a number which tells them what table to deliver the food. Pick up your cutlery, napkins, etc. at the front, find a table and wait for your dishes to arrive. The restaurant gets slammed after 7 pm so show up early for the shortest wait time and before menu items get sold out. Some people complain about the restautant interior but we like its rustic charm.
A Few of Our Favourites
- All Grilled Fish
- Blackened Mahi Mahi
- Seafood Fried Rice
- Bok Choy
- Calamansi Slushy with Basil
- Spiny Lobster (special order one day in advance)
- Shrimps in Coconut Sauce
- Blue Marlin Kinilaw (Ceviche)
If you’re looking for a special treat you can pre-order lobster and crabs at least one day in advance. You’ll pay whatever the market rate is plus a small fee for cooking them. Our average cost dinner for two (shared plates) including alcohol was about 600-800 pesos.
Dali Dali
“Korean Heat”
Once you get past the ‘stuffy’ smell (especially if they’ve just turned on the air conditioner) this tiny 16 seat restaurant serves Korean food. It’s not as good as it once was (we heard the owner had to go back to Korea) and they now add a 5% service charge to the bill. The staff is really friendly and if you don’t have any experience eating Korean food they’ll happily explain how to eat it. It’s a really nice change of taste from the regular fare you’ll find everywhere else. Expect some heat.
A Few of Our Favourites
- Spicy Pork with Mixed Vegetables
- Bibimbap with Beef
- Spicy Squid
- Fried Dim Sum
- Dim Sum Soup
Dinner for two costs 600-800 pesos, lunch 500 pesos.
Bistro Coron
“Good Sauces, Salads and Bread”
You might see a cantankerous looking Frenchman sitting in front chowing down and sipping wine. He’s Bruno the owner. If he’s there the staff will be extra attentive lest he bare his wrath on them. Because the restaurant is open to one of the busiest intersections in town expect it to be very loud and because it’s open to the street the furniture looks a little worse for wear. The menu is a curious mishmash of European influenced dishes and is quite extensive but like a lot of restaurants in Coron it seemed like half the items weren’t available. It seems to get mixed reviews but we find the food to always be consistent and the flavours geared more to the European palate. We go here when we need a salad fix.
A Few of Our Favourites
- Salami Sandwich
- Beef Tenderloin with Pepper Sauce
- Pork Tenderloin with Pepper Sauce
- Fish Fillet with Butter and Herb Sauce
- Salad Nicoise
- Schnitzel
Dinner for two costs 800-1,200 pesos, lunch 400-700 pesos.
Lolo Nonoy’s Food Station
“Filipino Comfort Food”
Just west of St. Augustine Church along the National Highway is Lolo Nonoy’s Food Station. Walk a few steps down past a bamboo facade you’ll find a spacious eatery with rustic wooden tables and fans overhead. If you crave uncomplicated filipino food at a fair price then this is the spot for you. Past the entrance and on the right you’ll find a display of hot, ready made foods like chicken adobo waiting to be selected if you’re in a hurry. On the menu are the usual filipino standards like sinigang (sour soup), bulalo (beef bone marrow soup), gambas (sizzling shrimp), embotido (meatloaf) and sisig (sizzling pork or tuna). Caution: Their shakes are really sweet.
A Few of Our Favourites
- There were no real stand-out dishes or anything bad. Everything is pretty much just ‘okay’.
Dinner for three (shared dishes) including beer was an average of 1,100 pesos. Lunch including drinks was 200-300 pesos per person (individual dishes).
Blue Moon Resto Bar
“Drinks”
We no longer find the Blue Moon good value for food. We found the Filipino dishes to be okay but excessively oily and inconsistent, a common problem in Coron restaurants. The Bicol Express was good the first time I had it but the second time I ordered the dish it had about a quarter inch of oil floating on top. The same with the Pancit Canton – the next time it was too salty from an overdose of soy sauce. It’s a good place to have evening drinks and snacks although one night got a little too exciting when the owner had to kick out a very drunk and rowdy group of Korean guys.
A Few of Our Favourites
- Spaghetti Bolognese
Average cost for lunch (individual dishes) for two was 600 pesos including drinks.
Next up for review: Altrove
The Great Escape 
We just went to Winnie’s. The food was delicious and we couldn’t hardly eat it all! Thanks for the recommendations!!
We miss Winnie’s now that we’re living in Puerto Princesa.
Thank you and best regards! ❤️
This is really helpful! I’ll surely save these restaurants. Thanks! But do you have any idea if gaano kalayo ang Coron Underwater Garden Resort sa City Proper ng Coron? Thanks you in advance ❤
It’s about a 15 minute boat ride from Coron town.
This blog is really helpful. Thank you.
You’re welcome Cris. 🙂
Thanks for the great reviews. They’re very helpful since we’re planning our Coron trip early next year. Anyway, are these restaurants inside the Coron Town Proper or walking distance from each other?
Yes, all these restaurants are within walking distance. Coron town is very small and you can walk to just about anywhere or if you’re feeling lazy take a trike for 10 pesos.
Thank for the input. Do you recommend any tours?
I would go on a tour that includes Kagangan Lake. Also a trip to Malcapuya Island. Beware of tours that take you to too many places in one day.