Food, no matter its culture or origin, is a universal language. Why is lumpia or lechon a must on your birthdays? Alternatively, what makes Tikoy the ultimate staple during Chinese New Year? Food brings people from near and far together to celebrate culture and memories. Jump in, resident foodies, because we have something you’ll truly enjoy!
Whether you are a foodie on a mission or trying out international cuisine for the first time, there’s no need to fly hundreds of miles away! You can all experience this at Baguio’s month-long International Food and Crafts Expo. Back for its second year, with diverse options, there’s more to try and discover.
Launched on March 25th, 2024, the expo is home to a hubbub of food stalls, with customers eager to taste the delicious scents wafting through the air. Are you ready to get a taste? Buckle up those seatbelts, and let’s run down every international food find you can try on your next visit.
Onzen’s Taiwan Scallion Pancakes and YouTiao
Is strolling the night markets of Taiwan and China on your bucket list? There’s no need to go far! Get a taste of Taiwan and China’s finest street foods at Onzen Japanese Restaurant and Cafe.
While the restaurant is Japanese by nature, their stall offers a limited Asian Fusion menu. Their stall, featuring in particular the four-ingredient Scallion Pancakes (or Cong You Bing) and giant friend doughnut sticks, YouTiao. Filling and handy, these best-selling food finds are best eaten and grabbed on the go!
If you are craving a sweet yet savory treat, then their flaky Classic Scallion Wrap (₱100) is just the thing for you. Made with pork floss, egg, and Japanese mayo, enjoy it with cheese for an additional ₱20 (₱130). Depending on your preference, you can also upgrade it to chicken or beef floss (₱15). Their wraps are also best paired with chili soy sauce or a packet of hot sauce you can get in-store.
But if your heart is searching for something sweet, the Chinese breakfast staple YouTiao (₱88 to ₱118) is for you. Light, airy, deep-fried, and coated with cinnamon sugar or powdered milk (Milky, a best-seller or Milo), it is nothing short of heavenly. These are best eaten in bite-sized pieces or enjoyed as a whole!
An unconventional food find indeed! Don’t pass on these tasty treats if you want a cultural bite that checks all the boxes.
Betmer’s Pizza and Pasta
There is no occasion where Italian favorites pizza and pasta will not be the ultimate comfort food! Take a deep dive into the classic Italian favorites at an affordable price with Betmer’s Food Hub’s mix-and-match pizza and pasta.
With Betmer’s, a little goes a long way because, with only ₱100, you can choose between one pizza and pasta or two kinds of pasta or pizzas. Never run out of options with their wide selection of oil, tomato, and cream-based pasta, ranging from Lasagna Roll-Ups, Pesto with Potato, Baked Mac, and Western-favorite Mac and Cheese.
Meanwhile, prepare to be blown away by slices of Overload, Hawaiian, and Beef and Mushroom pizza, loaded with toppings and made fresh every day. Simple yet straightforward, these savory finds are recommended for the budgetarian in you!
Come in with an open mind because these are Italian classics you know, keep in mind that they are made with Filipino tastebuds in mind.
Grub Streat’s Korean Street Foods
Yogiyo! There’s nothing like fulfilling your K-drama dreams with some of the iconic street foods from your favorite series. With Grub Streat Korean Food House’s wide selection of traditional street eats, South Korea is only a jeep away!
Try out the iconic cheese pull with their classic, full mozzarella corn dog (₱90) and potato-covered half hotdog, half mozzarella corn dog (₱100). But if you are seeking the steaming hot stall experience as they did in Doctor Slump, take a bite of their fan-favorite spicy tteobokki (₱100) and savory sotteok-sotteok (rice cake and sausage skewers at ₱70).
For a more satisfying snacking experience, have a filling bite of Attorney Woo’s rice-filled kimbap (Korean rice rolls) at ₱130. You can also enjoy a little of everything in a take-out box for the same price.
It’s time to write your own Korean street food vendor experience. Have your finger hearts ready because this cross-cultural food crawl is too difficult to pass up!
Sushi Ko’s Futomaki and Baked Sushi
Whether it’s a potluck, picnic, or just something to snack on at the International Food and Crafts Expo, the all-time Japanese favorite, sushi will never go amiss. At an affordable price, nothing is as ‘oishi’ as Sushi Ko’s Futomaki and Baked Sushi!
Coming from Urdaneta, Pangasinan, this home-grown sushi place is the perfect place to go if you are looking for colorful and perfectly rolled Futomaki ( ₱100 – ₱150) stuffed with crab sticks, mango, Japanese mayo, cucumber, and more.
Alternatively, get their student-favorite Baked Sushi (₱100 – ₱150) to share with your friends. Baked fresh every day, it features your favorite mixed sushi toppings on a bed of rice covered in melted cheese, mayo, and fish roe – a literal chef’s kiss!
Cereal Breath’s Smoking Balls Magic Ice Cream
Whoever said dragons don’t exist? Puff out smoky breaths with Cereal Breath Puffball Food Hub’s one-of-a-kind Smoking Balls Magic Ice Cream (a.k.a. Dragon’s Breath)! But be warned: Cereal Breath did not use ice cream in making this crazy dessert.
Contrary to its name, this dessert is dipped or swirled in nitrogen and will instantly transport you to Los Angeles, where it was first invented. Prepare yourself because this cereal-ball dessert experience comes with a smoke show before being covered with a flavored syrup of your choice! Choose from classic Chocolate and Caramel, Baguio-favorite Strawberry and Ube, or the unconventional Blueberry for ₱150.
Be careful before taking a big bite because the cereal, which tastes similar to sesame balls, is numbingly cold and has an acquired taste. Other than that, enjoy and take in all of its smokey glory!
King Michael’s Shawarma and Shawarma Rice
Baguio may be dubbed the Summer Capital of the Philippines, but to locals, it is known better as the Shawarma Capital. With many shawarma joints scattered around the city and during food bazaars, it is impossible not to find or try one at this summer’s expo.
For your Middle Eastern food finds, head over to King Michael’s Shawarma for their filling jumbo (₱100) and extra jumbo-sized (₱120) shawarma filled with spit-roasted beef, marinated in-house. Don’t miss out on the student-favorite Shawarma Rice (₱150), loaded with meat on a bed of yellow rice, topped with their house-special garlic and spicy sauce. Oh, and if you think it does not get any better than that – these items also come in twos for the price of one.
What are you waiting for? Don’t walk, run! And find their towering hunk of shawarma spit only at the International Food and Crafts Expo!
Food is Love’s Tanghulu
Let’s get crackin’ because the new fan-favorite Tangulu is only a stop away at the food expo! Coated in a delicious layer of melted sugar, you thoroughly enjoy this trendy layer of fruit on a stick at Food is Love’s food stall.
Being only one of two food stalls offering this Chinese snack craze, you can choose between Baguio-fresh strawberries as it is, with a mix of local grapes or traditionally sweet green Muscat grapes. For only ₱100 per stick, it is the perfect opportunity to try this juicy and crisp snack if you don’t have the time to make it yourself at home.
Best-selling among children and teens looking to try this trendy bite, the strawberry and Muscat grape combo is a sweet treat to experience, with their grapes flown in fresh from outside the country!
Nicdao’s Putok-Batok Rice Meals
While touring the world’s food can be overwhelming, nothing is better than coming home to enjoy some good old Filipino grills and deep-fried favorites at Nicdao’s Grill and Resto. Nicdao’s delicious fried and grilled options promise a putok-batok or neck-popping experience, served with a generous serving of hot rice and homemade vinegar.
If you are having doubts about their authenticity, this family-managed Los Baños, Laguna business has been making waves in the South since 1992. The stall boasts their generations-old homemade recipe and marination process, favored by the masses for their sisig, chicharong bulaklak, and barbeque. With their delicious taste and affordable price of ₱100, their food has even made tourists and locals fall in love.
If meat is not your thing, you can also try their Chicken BBQ in petcho and thigh rice (₱130) or calamares rice (₱100) as a seafood option. They also offer combo meals of customers’ all-time favorites if you want to experience just a little of everything for only ₱150.
These foods come with a warning, as they are highly addicting and dangerous to your blood pressure. So, it is always best to eat in moderation!
Experience It All at the International Food and Crafts Expo
Whew, what a long food journey that has been! With so much food and so little time, the food expo is truly the best place to be! With a variety of food available, there is always something for someone to enjoy. You just have to be brave enough to seek it out!
If that’s not enough reason to go, supporting the expo can also mean a lot to the student scholars of the event. Culinary students, who will receive scholarships from the month-long event’s earnings. More than that, it would also mean patronizing the products of local businesses that have come to showcase the variety of cuisine we offer in the country. Talk about food with a cause!
So, what are you waiting for? Plan your itinerary and head to the Rose Garden (Intersection of Juan Luna Drive and Lake Drive Extension). Located in Burnham Park, Baguio City, these food finds are available only until April 25th.
Did you just miss it? The Rose Garden will also abound with a local showcase of Cordilleran food at the upcoming Mangan Taku Food Fair, beginning April 25.