Signature Dish Series: Famous Food in Rizal Province

People are taking advantage of the warm weather and going on vacation to the beach or the mountains to get some much-needed rest and relaxation. However, for some, time is a precious commodity, and weekends are the only time they have to rest and relax.

Locals in Metro Manila may easily visit Rizal Province, which is only a short drive away. Pasig, the city next door, is just a few minutes distant, while the remainder of Metro Manila is no more than an hour away. If you want a fast weekend getaway, then this is the place to go.

Aside from it rich national cultural treasure, the province is also perfect if you want to have a quick taste of Rizal's traditions through their local cuisines and delicacies. Below are some of the best food and restaurants that you need to visit in one of your weekend getaways with family or friends.

Delicious food that you must try in Rizal

If you're presently putting up a post-pandemic eating bucket list or would just like to grab this chance of having the lightest community quarantine restrictions so far, these are the top restaurants and cafes that aren't too far from the city-- all located of course in the Province of Rizal.

Salted egg chicken tenders from Crescent Moon Café and Studio Pottery

You won't find anything like Crescent Moon Cafe serves in their menu anywhere else. The tiles came from an imaginary restaurant that their parents named when they were still young.

Indulge in one of these delectable concoctions which are some fresh curry leaves used in their Salted Egg Chicken Tenders, for example, to give it its distinctive taste. There is an ancient tree in their backyard where they collect their curry leaves and honestly speaking, it's hard to find anywhere else. This also goes with grilled pork belly and green mangoes.

As an added bonus, Crescent Moon Cafe also produce their own galangal, a Southeast Asian plant that's not common in the Philippines. The peanut sauce dressing on their Gado-Gado Salad is spiced with galangal, or blue ginger.

Another crowd's favorite from their restaurant is their signature suman spread. Their suman is extremely soft, and the chocolate and mango sauces are both silky smooth and deliciously sweet. Antipolo is known for suman, but theirs was significantly different from what you'd get in the city itself. The ingredient for this addictive flavor was made solely by them.

Crescent Moon Cafe and Pottery Studio is located at Sapang Buho Road. Brgy. Dalig, Antipolo City. Open from 9 a.m-5 p.m.and closed on Mondays.

Aling Kika's food products

Aling Kika's bibingka is a local delicacy in Cainta, which is located just outside of Metro Manila. Bibingka is so popular that you have to stand in line merely to get a box of their popular and a crowd's favorite rice cakes or a biko-like rice cake topped with caramelized coconut milk. Various Filipino delicacies can also be purchased at Aling Kika's Food Products such as sapin-sapin, kutsinta, kalamay, and cassava.

Gourmet pepperoni pizza from Lutong Pugon

As a former art studio turned restaurant, Lutong Pugon has built a reputation for serving gourmet pizza making it a pizza heaven for pizza lovers around the country.

One of their must try pizza flavor is the Gourmet Gambaretto Pizza. It's both an explosion of contrasting and complementary tastes, composed of juicy prawns, fruity olives, garlicky pesto, fresh basil, and chicken chunk as well as a deliciously satisfying meal that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a meatier pizza, try their Gourmet Pepperoni Pizza, which is basic in style but elevated thanks to the addition of pulled pork barbecue for an extra layer of sweetness and richness.

Lutong Pugon Tiongco's Garden is located at Sitio Masanting, Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal 1980. It's open from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Chicken adobo from Balaw Balaw

I'm sure you already heard of Angono, Rizal's Balaw Balaw that serves exotic food and cuisines. But if you are not a fan of this type of food, Balaw Balaw restaurant also has their Minaluto menu item.

If you've ever been to this restaurant before, you've probably seen this meal served in an enormous wooden basin, or bilao, with a wide variety of food from the land and sea. All of the traditional Kamayan dishes are available, including squid, mussels, prawns, crab, kangkong, fried pork, chicken adobo, salted red egg, tomato, eggplant, and okra, among others. You can pair this with the Tanglad Iced Tea produced from tamarind, which has a rich, complex taste and just the right amount of sourness.

Patrons from the restaurant also highly recommend their Organic Fresh Oyster Mushrooms with Vegetables, which is fresh, cozy, and buttery in flavor. Aside from this, you would also love their Nilasing na Hipon is crispy and full of sea taste, so you'll be sure to like it. If you're in the mood for a beer or a gin cocktail, their Crispy Alamang, sprinkled with a little sugar, is the ideal pulutan.

A fusion of Western and Asian cuisines in Yellow Bird Café X Kitchen

You can expect nothing but the best coffee and cuisine at this garden-themed café and restaurant. The Yellow Bird Café x Kitchen is open from 7 a.m. onwards. Before heading out for your morning workout, you may stop by this cafe for a cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast.

Additionally, they are well known for serving up some of the best-brewed coffee in the world produced from genuine and local beans.

Kawayan Farm Restaurant

At this modest roadside eatery in Pililia, you can get an enormous fresh lumpia platter. Kawayan Farm Restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Rizal known for its fresh lumpia packed with sautéed bamboo shoots, which are served at the restaurant. The farm produces its own supply of bamboo shoots, which are then preserved in a simple brine solution.

The beautiful café is popular among bicyclists and riders as it provides them with traditional Filipino dishes like pancit bihon. Guests may also visit the bamboo farm, which overlooks the mountains and the Laguna de Bay, and have access to a panoramic deck.

Also Read: Affordable Staycation in Rizal That You Should Try this Summer

Aside from its good food, exotic fare, as well as rich art and paintings from famous artist recognized by the national museum, the Province of Rizal also offers some great communities that will surely fit each family's lifestyles and needs.

Introducing Lumina Homes set of sites and house and lot packages in the province namely: Lumina Binangonan, Lumina Baras, and Lumina Pililla.

Make your reservations now from these great sites that have a great overlooking on Laguna de Bay and near these restaurants- not to mention various travel attractions in Rizal.