CDOkay tips you on some of our favorite destinations, with the best
restaurants, cafés, bakeries, bars, videoke, live bands and other entertainment spots in the city.
Our favorite fast foods side by side with obscure turo-turo serving local Filipino dishes – oh yes, the RM is one hot CDO dish…for the taste, yes! Fill your plates here,
kay basta lami,
CDOkay!
CDOkay’s First Plateful
For foodies on a weeklong or even just a weekend trip to Cagayan de Oro, scheduling their recreation and business meets around fine meals is a must. Here are some pocket reviews of restaurants and cafes in the city.
OIC (Only in Cagayan)
Corrales St.
(08822) 72-81-81
OIC can give Manila’s Dencio’s and Gerry’s Grill a real run for their money—food and setting wise. Anything grilled here—pork, beef, fish, and seafood is truly appetizing. Pair these “sinugbas” with green mango, fresh lumpia or lato (seaweed) and you have a meal worth a fine dining place sans the high prices. This barkada-friendly restaurant can be enjoyed indoors or al fresco. Beer overflows on happy hours while the resident band’s music soothes diners’ frayed nerves.
Blueberry Cafe
Velez Street
(08822) 72-52-91
This café has an old-world charm reflected in its entrees--chicken cordon bleau, chicken au gratin, spaghetti and meatballs, and fettuccine in mushrooms. Now, don’t these remind you of your urbane Aunt’s party cuisine that has guests forgetting the greasy lechons and pancits? Finish that hearty serving of Chicken Alexander with a big slice of either blueberry or black forest cake. Then go for a smoke (they have a smoking area) or a tall glass of cappuccino that can rival Starbuck’s’.
Candy’s
Limketkai Center
Candy’s as a “sophisticated country lass” is about the best comparison a first-timer can make. From the refined furnishings and décor, Candy’s is a superb choice for both intimate dates and business meetings. Though pricier than most eats in Cagayan, Candy’s makes up for it with its extended menu of delish Italian, American, Tex-Mex and Filipino dishes served in hefty sizes. The Three Cheese Torta (cheese, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes on wheat pandesal) is a must-order along with generous slices of Peach Melba or any of those sinful-looking chocolate cakes.
Loreto’s
Tomas Saco Street
This is the place to go if you want some three-in-one fun without having to resto hop. Loreto’s is quite immense -- housing a spacious dining area, videoke and billiard rooms. If you don’t wanna hear your buddy’s hapless singing, dine under the stars on onion rings, crispy calamares, and Cagayan de Oro staple—sinugba as acoustic singers put you in relaxed mode. Loreto’s gets extra stars for its rest rooms—cozy enough to hang out in.
Dimsum Diner
Divisoria
If you want some authentic Chinese dishes without the generic “Chow fast food taste,” check out Dimsum Diner in Divisoria (across Dunkin Donuts). With its trendy black and red on white interiors, this is not your typical Chinese diner. If you want a filling meal, best bets include the Three Way (asado, century egg, jellyfish!), Japanese siomai (and a looong list of siomai variants) and congees (chicken, beef, century egg, etc.).
PICKS AND PIECES
It’s perfectly okay for CDOkay to hype the following foods on Cagayan de Oro restaurant menus—we’ve tried them once, twice, thrice (!) and we’re all giddy to share these finds with friends and guests:
- Heavenly Crème Brulee @ Sentro 1850
- Man, those are large potato fries @ OIC and Inilog
- Whoa, real strawberries on my shake @ Sports Zone
- Fat and yummy cheese sticks @ Rhythm Café, Riverview Hotel
- Oi! Sisig with gravy?! @ Butcher’s Best
- Pinoy classic—sweet “pang-birthday” spaghetti @ Persimmon’s
- Rich prune cake @ Bo’s Coffee Club
- The barbecued chicken, the barbecued anything @ Dear Manok
- Ultra-filling shawarma is still the rage here @ Oro Shawarma
- Tapsilog and other mixed–logs @ Tapsi Time, and if Tokwa’t Baboy is ever a match, please have some anyway.
