Zamboanga's Best Eats!

(Part 2)

Crabs, Prawns, Curacha and more! That’s what!

One thing we noticed in Zamboanga City was, it's dotted with many inviting restaurants that even by the looks of it you can already feel the ambiance they offer. Luckily, we were offered to try 3 of the Best Eats in Zamboanga.

Entrance to Alavar's (FB Page)

When in Zamboanga, you should not miss to dine at landmark Alavar’s Seafood Restaurant located at Don Alfaro St., in Brgy. Tetuan. This home-grown resto is popular for its delicious seafood treats including their specialty dishes of crabs and curacha (spanner or redfrog crab) in Alavar sauce. The famous Alavar sauce is sweet, mildly spicy, and aromatic recipe of Ma. Teresa Camins Alavar, a descendant of Filipino-Muslim and Spanish intermarriages., handed-down to generations. The most popular way of enjoying it is with curacha (sea crab), cangrejo (mud crab) and locon (prawns).

With our host, the Wee family, we had a platter of seafood consist of crabs, squid, tuna, shells and prawns. But the star viand was Curacha! We relished at its tasty meat and sauce.  For our drinks, my wife had Zamboanga White, while I ordered their avocado shake.

Curacha in Alavar Sauce (FB Page)

Hacienda de Palmeras Hotel and Restaurant is another popular dining place you should visit. We were served Filipino food, Special Bilao of assorted seafood and lechon kawali, Mongolian rice, and of course we will not miss another chance to have knickerbocker. Palmeras made the original Zamboanga Knickerbocker. It was such a hit that other restos copied the recipe.

Credits: wazzuppilipinas.com 

Special Bilao

Knickerbocker, a Palmeras original

Dining 

 Dennis Coffee Garden is your window to authentic Tausug cuisine. We had all assortment of kakanins which is called collectively as “bangbangs.” We had panpan, jualan, palikambing, pangi-pangi, panyam, and pastil.  We even ordered Satti, which is typical a breakfast food. Of course a must-try and should-not-to-be-missed here is the now becoming famous Sulu Coffee, a richly flavorful brewed coffee.  The place is homey and serene. All their staff belongs to the Tausug Muslim tribe.

Dennis Coffee Garden. Source: FB Page

Main Lobby of Dennis Coffee Garden. (FB Page) 

With with Avellaneda's. 

The Taste of Tausug Culture

Later, I learned that Dennis Coffee Garden is the upscale version of the original Dennis Coffee Shop in Jolo, Sulu started by the family of Imelda Ahalul-Dagus. Indeed, Dennis Coffee Garden is a taste of culture. 

We had a day full and so as our tummies! 

Visit them:

Alavar's Seafood Restaurant 
173 Don Alfaro Street
Tetuan, Zamboanga City

Hacienda de Palmeras

Pasonanca Road
Barangay Sta. Maria
Zamboanga City

Dennis Coffee Garden

Block 2, Lot 8, San Jose Road, Baliwasan

Zamboanga City

(You may also read part 1 of this story here.)