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Baguio City Food Guide 2023

Baguio City Food Guide 2023

A city guide to document contemporary Baguio

 

 

Baguio holds a lot of nostalgia for me. I grew up in the city, and it was a place my family and I always found ourselves coming back to. We visited during Christmas vacations, Holy Week breaks and long weekends. We visited in the summertime to escape the heat and during the -ber months to embrace the “cold.” We visited when it took a five to six-hour transit to get there, and we visited when it took a three to four-hour car ride from home (thank you, TPLEX). 

 

There are what sociologists call “first place,” which is your home, “second place,” which is your school or workplace, and “third place,” which are public places for community building and creativity. In certain ways, Baguio serves as a third place for me—where I could find myself separated from home and school. The people I come with have a version of Baguio in their memory, and here we create and share the experiences melding them into a collective memory.

 

My visits to Baguio are akin to reading my favorite novel at different points in my life. Places evolve, just as people do. 

 

While Baguio will always have its classics—Camp John Hay, Session Road, Burnham Park and Café by the Ruins—this creative city is always innovating, and here are some fresh faces worth checking out. 

 

RELATED: Heading To Seoul? Include These Trendy Spots In Your Café Crawl

 

Rebel Bakehouse

3 Naguilian Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet

 

If you think you have to go to France to get a Parisian-level pastry fix, think again. Partners and Baguio locals, Donna Aldana and Danica Santos, started their venture selling Burnt Basque Cheesecakes and later branched out to making croissants during the pandemic. Donna, the head baker, is self-trained and was on her track to becoming a doctor after passing the boards until she decided to switch careers to arrive where she is today.

 

Their (well-deserved) popularity soared, and they recently opened their brick-and-mortar store along Naguilian Road last December 2022. 

 

Rebellion has never tasted so sweet, especially since it’s in a form of a buttery croissant.

 

 

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A post shared by Hatch Coffee (@hatchcoffeeph)

 

Hatch Coffee

135 Easter Road corner Road 1 Manzanillo, Baguio City

Walk-ins welcome, and reservations are highly encouraged

 

Pastries and coffee go hand in hand. So do Rebel Bakehouse and Hatch Coffee. While they serve the coffee at Rebel Bakehouse, they have their own location in Easter Road—hence the name Hatch. It’s a third-wave coffee shop, which means that they place emphasis on the story behind every cup of coffee they serve, encompassing the whole supply chain from producers, importers, roasters and baristas. 

 

The café is set in a cozy house, where you can enjoy a cup of coffee against their wooden interiors or outside in their garden to enjoy the cool Baguio air.

 

 

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A post shared by Hatch Coffee (@hatchcoffeeph)

 

Gypsy by Chef Waya

6 Quezon Hill Road 2, Brgy Quezon Hill Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet

 

If Baguio is a place of nostalgia for one, it’s a place of homecoming for another. 

 

If you’re from Quezon City, Gypsy by Chef Waya will probably look familiar to you. Chef Waya Wijangcois is the owner of the nostalgic Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe, whose original branch was along Roces Avenue until it closed down at the onset of the pandemic. Chef Waya grew up in the City of Pines and decided to reopen as Gypsy.

 

The restaurant retains its homey vibe and international cuisine, with an addition of new items to put a spotlight on the local ingredients in Baguio, and the former art café fits right in with the creative city.

 

 

If you’re looking for something light, go to the back and find Taguan Cafe where you can have your local caffeine fix in a hidden alfresco setting.

 

Foggy Mountain Cookhouse

172 St Joseph Street, San Carlos Heights, Baguio City

Reservations are mandatory

 

Chef Babes’ Foggy Mountain Cookhouse is the place if you’re looking for a quiet dinner outside of Baguio’s usual bustle. Founded in 2014, Marianito Reyes (Chef Babes) found himself looking for something to do post-retirement after managing an importing business. He found inspiration in his travels during his career and recreated his most memorable food experiences—mostly North European—back at his rest house in Baguio and began Foggy Mountain Cookhouse.

 

The menu changes seasonally, and guests have to make a reservation and order in advance. The heritage house makes such a romantic setting, and its quiet ambiance makes you appreciate Baguio’s undeniable charm even more.

 

 

Bistro Lokal

307 Magsaysay Ave, Baguio, Benguet

 

Bistro Lokal is proof of Baguio’s ever-evolving scene. Chef Miko is part of Slow Food International, an organization that builds communities around the world to preserve traditional and heritage ingredients and cooking. As a Baguio local, he grew up exposed to Cordilleran cuisine, which he now shares with locals and visitors of the city in a 10-course degustation setup. 

 

He serves dishes that put Cordilleran ingredients at the forefront, such as Pinuneg, Kinuday, wild mushrooms and red rice. The best part? 15% of the proceeds are donated to organic farmers at Benguet to develop their practice.

 

 

RELATED: SAAN SAAN Studio: A New Address for Stories and Sensory Encounters

 

Baguio is an ever-evolving city. Which parts of Baguio do you hold dear?

 

 

Words Gwyneth King

Art Matthew Ian Fetalver

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