On my first visit to Cebu 3 years ago one of my companions got sick, a ladyboy tried to rob me and I found Mango Square to be a hive of scum and villainy. In fact I was so unimpressed I left after one night. Yet work dictated that I was to come back to Cebu for a week, so I decided to give it another crack!
Here’s my top seven tips to doing your thing in Cebu City.
7) Cebu City and Cebu Island are different things
So the basics to Cebu! There’s Cebu City that has all he night life, and there’s the other side of the bridge which has Lapu-Lapu, the high end resorts, and obviously the nice beaches.
6) Mango Square is less sleazy
Mango Square seems to have been cleaned up a bit; there’s a lot fewer clubs, only a few bars and it seems to be mostly trendy type bars now. In some respects it’s lost some flavor, but there are fewer ladyboys trying to rob you.
5) Semi-Final bar is quite good
Semi-Final Bar is in Mango Square, plays sports, has a pool table and even better has daily specials like one-dollar whisky! Decent food menu and cheaper than the Irish bar downstairs.
4) Fango Food Bazaar is awesome!
One of the best damned food bazaars I’ve been to in a while! Great selections of meats, fish and even weird Filipino fare!
3) Bottles of rum are cheap
OK, so this might not be the most earth-shattering Filipino or Cebu fact, but few places sell mixed drinks. You can, however, pick up a small bottle of rum with calamansi, and ice for under 2 dollars. It’s not hard to get drunk at those rates!
2) There’s BBQ EVERYWHERE in Cebu
Once the sun starts to set in Cebu City smoke starts to hit the air as seemingly every 3rd shop starts selling BBQ. The Cebu Sausages are a particular treat.
1) Go cockfighting in Cebu
The cockfighting arena in Cebu City is epic! One of the best arenas I have seen during my travels in the Philippines. Yeah it might be a bit cruel, but who doesn’t like winning money on a fight to the death?
And that’s the Street Food Guy’s guide to Cebu City!