Fads & Food: Where To Eat In Davao City

Going to new places means trying out new food to me as well. The foodie in me growls whenever I try out new restaurants and cafes, the excitement in me has always been evident. So having the opportunity to try out something new is something I shouldn't miss. But I would like to assure you that I'm not a local in this place and the places I will be mentioning are truthfully from my experiences. Let's start talking about the food I ate in Davao City, Philippines.

R E S T AU RA N T S

1. SHATTER PERSIAN KEBAB 

F.Torres Street, Davao City

Shatter Persian Kebab is an Iranian/Persian restaurant that serves mostly kebab related dishes and specialties. The word Kebab already caught my heart once I read it in their poster. Living almost ten years in Middle East made me a bit of Arabian girl, so that includes my love for Arabian food. And Middle Eastean food are mostly non-pork. We made sure if they don't have pork, and the manager told us that they don't serve pork. It's a jackpot.

The interior was Meditterean and very minimal (that's what I like), it doesn't have much decors which is justifiable because the place was actually a bit small (I wish it was bigger so I can bring the whole barangay, haha) so filling it up with decors wouldn't give a good impression. We went for Hummus for appetizer which was so close to Arab's original hummus and Ultimate Kebab Platter for dinner, which was great because their kebab were juicy and the chicken was well marinated. I really enjoyed our food while watching Beauty and The Beast on the screen, perfect! When I get back to Davao City, I'd definitely go back to eat more.

2. THE DOJO + THE KITCHN 

Door 2 Autoville Compound F.Torres St. Davao City

The Dojo + The Kitchn is a fitness gym and a restaurant all-in-one. Basically, they teach Jiu Jitsu in their gym and cooks chicken in their restaurant. Their interior was sporty, there were frames of Jiu Jitsu athletes and decors of animated Jiu Jitsu sparring, but I fell in love with their white space because I got a thing for whites.

It was a dinner with my high school friends Maeidah and Zakey. It was so fun catching up with them that we spent like 2 hours in the restaurant. Maeidah and I got the 10 boneless chicken spiced with five different flavors, we shared it because neither of us can finish a whole dish. With all honesty, I enjoyed the food so much. I didn't ate rice but it felt like it filled up my stomach and it was satisfying. I love the five flavors. However, Zakey went for a Cheese Curry Fried Rice, I'm not sure what it was called but it was something like that. And yes, I got to taste it because Zakey offered. Thanks, yo! I must say that it taste a bit like KFC Saudi's Rizzo. It was full of spices and I fell in love with it.

3. MAJID'S KABAB 

Rizal Street, Davao City

Since it's hard to find halal restaurants in Davao City. We obviously pick places to eat that serve food close to Middle Eastean cuisines. So for our another kebab related restaurant, its Majid's Kabab. Majid is a former actor in Turkey and decided to open a restaurant in Davao City. My mom and I went for Chicken Biryani, and my dad and Fhar went for Beef Biryani. For me, the food wasn't that special maybe because I don't find their biryani close to the biryani I used to eat. However, since we ordered Chicken & Beef Kebab Wrap just to try out, I must say - it was a bomb! It was delish because it was pure and didn't have to put impression on itself, it was plain but once you taste it- the spice and savour will make you fall in love with it. Plus, it was super affordable that I thought that they need to up the price. But please don't, I want to eat more in your restaurant, Majid.

4. JANNAH AVENUE 

Talisay, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur 

This restaurant is located outside Davao City but it's still in Davao so I decided to share it with you guys. Also, it was recommended by my father because he knows the owners and according to him, they're our relatives. So it's a must visit. Basically, the restaurant is owned and managed by Tausugs (a tribe of Muslims in Mindanao, Philippines, I'm a proud Tausug). They have prayer rooms, mini Islamic library, souvenir shop, and the greatest of all, a beautiful view of the sea while eating sea food dishes. Isn't that perfect? It is. Interior was designed for big family dinners or lunch. The food are basically sea food dishes and of course, we went for the Sinigang na Hipon (Shrimp in Sour Soup) and other sea food dishes which I forgot the names. I pretty much ate so much that I thought my tummy was going to explode. Because duh, it's shrimp and duh, it's my favorite. It was a happy day after all the traveling.

5. JALAN LOKLOK AND BBQ BY CHEF ANGELO : 

#948 Sobrecary St. Brgy.17-B, Obrero, Davao City 

From the word Jalan, a Malaysian word, we assume that they serve non-pork dishes. But I messaged their facebook page to make sure, and according to them, they have a non-pork establishment. Thank God! We actually got to try this out in "Smoke in the City" Food Festival in SM Lanang. "Jalan" means street in English. Yes, you're right, they serve Malaysian street food. But their feature is their Chicken Satay and Roti, and we thought why not try it. The chicken was well marinated and the spices in it were unique. Honestly, I haven't tasted anything like it before but I loved it, and their Roti bread was to die for, I wish I bring some back home. But I couldn't.

What I regret is I ate so much that day and we went to the food festival at night. We were basically so full that we couldn't eat more than the Satay and Roti. And I really wanted to try their street food which we come to the word "Lok Lok" that means "to dip in hot liquid", they basically dip the street food in a skewer for 2-3minutes. Then, viola! Ready to eat. Philippines street food are being fried, so hearing this dipping in skewer street food made me want to try it more. I promise, I won't miss this out as soon as I go back to Davao. Soon.

DESSERTS & SNACKS

6. ICE GIANTS 

Damosa Gateway Complex, Davao City 

I never say no to ice cream, even though how full my stomach was from Jannah Avenue. I just couldn't say no to ice cream. So, to end our day we went to eat ice cream. Yey! We actually went for different kinds of ice cream in the menu. All in all, we ordered Halo-Halo, Banana Split, Berry Delight, Season Fruits, Cookies' n Cream, Chocolate, and I went for Chocolate Brownie Ala Mode. I loved it! The brownie was warm on the inside and it really matched the taste of vanilla icecream on the top. I definitely enjoyed it. I also loved the Cookies' n Cream Giants, because they put munches of cookies that is as soft and as taste as the brownie from Ala Mode. It was perfect.

7. YOH FROZ 

Autoville Center, F. Torres St. (across Green Coffee), Davao City

My friend Maeidah and I went to this yogurt place just beside Shatter Persian Kebab to wait for our friend Zakey. First thing I want to say is, I love the interior! It was like 90% white, I couldn't be more in love with the place. Plus, it has minimal design. Too much perfection. So my friend and I went for a large yogurt with two toppings, Cheesecake and Fruit Loops. I fell in love with the yogurt, it's so much better than the other yogurts I've tried in my life and we got the yummiest toppings so it's a win-win.

8. LA LOLA CHURRERIA 

SM Lanang, Davao City

It was my first meet-up with my highschool friend Maeidah, and decided to treat me with my fave food ever ever, churros. Thanks so much, babe! I've heard so much about this place from Filipino celebrities and bloggers. When I got the opportunity to try it out, I grab it. So we went for the Original Chocolate Dip Churros. Their churros are so much bigger than what we have here in Zamboanga City. The dip was a bit dark or they add on coffee or something. Even though I don't drink coffee, I assumed that it was dark chocolate because I don't want to stress myself out. Haha. I love Churros! I love La Lola Churreria!

9. MIGUELITO'S 

Malls in Davao City

Another ice cream shop, my eyes are turning into hearts. I'm sure Miguelito's is available nationwide, we actually have it here in Zamboanga City. However, the difference is, we don't have the other offers like fried icecream, burgers, churros, and etc. Here in Zamboanga City, we only have a one featured flavor of ice cream a day. However, in Davao, you get to choose what flavor you want.

Since Miguelito's Davao offers fried ice cream, and I haven't tried nor seen how they do it. Fried ice cream it is! I went for Chocolate with Nips Toppings, Maeidah went for Cookies' n Cream with Cheese Toppings, and Zakey went for Strawberry with Cheese Toppings. It was a normal taste of Miguelito's ice cream, but how they did the fried ice cream was very amusing.

10. LEYLAM SHAWARMA 

Malls in Davao City

Shawarma was my first love. We used to eat one almost every day in Saudi Arabia, it just never go out of style. No matter how far the difference of Saudi Arabia shawarma over Philippines shawarma, I still enjoy both because it's still shawarma. I mentioned this on my May Faves 2017 post. It was my fave for almost a month in Davao City because we always buy their shawarma. However, I've just realized that I didn't get to try their shawarma rice, mainly because I wasn't aware that they have it. So when I get to Davao City again soon, I'm definitely going to try it out.

I hope you find this blog post helpful. If it did, please do share it with your friends and family. This is my last post about my trip in Davao City. I'm looking forward to go back to the city for good. I'm leaving my Davao Travel Vlog link for you guys to enjoy.

PS: Not all photos in the polaroid films are mine. Credits to owners.

More about my Davao trip:
What's in my Backpack (Davao Edition)
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Behind the Blog by Kryz Uy | Review
Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort