Pagadian started as a rest station for traders traveling between the old Spanish fort-town of Zamboanga on the southern tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula and other larger towns in the old Zamboanga Province to the north. Despite its sheltered bay and abundant fishing grounds, it was not a suitable site because it is situated on sharply sloping terrain. Throughout its history, waves of different types of people have settled in the area, eventually becoming a group known as “Pagadianons.”
GREENHOUSE FISHING STATION AND RESTAURANT
As the locals say, “If you haven’t been to Greenhouse, you haven’t been to Pagadian!” They offer a variety of dishes for kinds of seafood like tilapia, tuna, shells, squid, prawns, and shrimp.
When in Mindanao recommends that you try Kinilaw for Tilapia, Sizzling Shells, Sinuglaw for Tuna, Camaron Rebosado, Crispy Squid Flower, and Tinolang Sugpo!
They also have another set menu for chicken, native chicken, beef, pork, soup, and vegetables. You can also quench your thirst with their offers of tea, milk tea, lemonade, and more!
Say no more! Desserts are also delicious! From fruit popsicles, choco banana, and even milk tea popsicles are here, too!
The restaurant’s personnel and owner were friendly and accommodating, and it provided the much-needed peaceful and relaxed mood. It’s a no-frills eatery with all the necessities. They also go beyond their services to have a golf cart to take you from the parking lot since it was a little muddy on your way to the restaurant.
Adhering to the new normal, the tables have sufficient distance in between, making the customers feel safe.
It is located at Brgy. Dumagok, Pagadian City, Mindanao.
PINOY GRILL MANOK & LIEMPO HAUZ
This restaurant is attractive since it has a Pinoy fiesta motif. Their meal is incredibly excellent, delectable, and inexpensive. I adore their binakol; it’s delicious! An acoustic band entertains customers in the evenings. When on a Pagadian City trip, try to dine the best and yummiest chicken BBQ and mouth-watering liempo; try it at Pinoy Grill Manok and Liempo Hauz!
Pinoy Grill Manok and Liempo Hauz is located at Lawiswis Drive, Rizal Avenue, Pagadian City, Mindanao, Philippines.
JEPOY’S GRILL
It would be best to try their specialty, “Grilled Buntot sa Bariles.” It was great. If you are in for a live band performing, it is also a go place.
Jepoy’s Grill is located at Ariosa St., San Francisco District, Pagadian City, Mindanao, just across Hotel Camila and a 2-minute walk to Gaisano Mall and C3 Mall.
RODOLFO’S CUISINE
It is said to be the ultimate dining destination in Zamboanga del Sur! Rodolfo’s Cuisine offers classic Filipino favorites like chicken barbeque, crispy pata, pochero, and more! Rice all you can and be full with these delicious dishes!
KAN-ANAN SA BALSA
Are you up for good food and an instagrammable nature? Kan-anan sa Balsa is the place to be! It is a farm-to-plate concept restaurant with a relaxing ambiance. The restaurant is committed to uniting fresh, locally grown produce with farm-raised and wild-caught seafood to make the freshest dishes for their customers.
A roadside coconut nursery has been transformed into an Agri-Tourism site along the national highway connecting Pagadian City and Zamboanga City.
Sayao Farms is owned by farmer Rey Quisumbing, an agriculture graduate from UP Los Baños. It offers a one-of-a-kind encounter with their Kan-anan sa Balsa, bamboo rowboats with nipa huts in which they serve soft-shell crabs and, of course, young coconut.
The bamboo rafts are moored by a large artificial lagoon where Rey raises Kois, Tilapia, and Hito, which rush towards the rafts to be fed as soon as they see people.
Kumalarang is known as the Philippines’ Crab Capital, and Rey sells frozen soft-shell crabs for P500 per kilo.
Sweetwater Coconut is the coconut variety that Rey offers his customers. It was developed in Thailand and is now propagated by a small subset of farmers in the Philippines.
This variety, along with the Buko Pandan variety, is the current frenzy among coconut farmers because it provides a higher income than ordinary coconut used for copra production.
A fresh Buko Pandan, for example, sells for P30 per piece in Mataling, Malabang, Lanao del Sur, which is more expensive than one kilo of copra, which requires about four pieces to produce with such high labor costs.
Buko Pandan seedlings sell for P300 per piece if you can find them.
Sweetwater Coconut seedlings by Rey Quisumbing sell for P250 per piece and come with on-site guidelines on how to appropriately plant the seedlings.
So, if you are planning to travel the Pagadian City to Zamboanga City Highway, a 270-kilometer stretch that passes through Zamboanga Sibugay, you could stop by Sayao Farms.
YAMMY’S SEAFOOD GRILL
This open-air restaurant has fresh seafood that you can choose from tubs. Yammy’s Seafood Grill offers crab, squid, large prawns, shrimp, and several kinds of fish. The seafood they offer will be cooked according to your request.
Aside from seafood, they also offer a variety of good soup for a group’s serving and other different menus for chicken and pork.
BREW’N BAKE
Indeed, one of the city’s cutest eateries! The perfect place for a brunch, good coffee, and sweet pastries that make your days feel bright, especially when you feel gloomy. They also offer special packages and lovely events on different occasions like Christmas and Valentine’s Day!
The place is tidy and well-organized. You can also enjoy a variety of books for customers to read, a swing in the corner that is ideal for bookworms. But if you are in a work mode, the internet connectivity is also good, and it matches the excellent food and coffee. It’s also quiet, so if you’re looking for a place to read a book, do research, or relax, this is the place to go.
Visit them at Trace Arcade, F.S. Pajares Avenue, Pagadian City.
SIKWATE HOUSE
Sikwate House is a fast-casual Resto that serves signature healthy food with no adulteration, just all-natural! With an All Pinoy Meals and delicacies with their specialty hot chocolate or Sikwate, you can indeed feel their theme, “Feel your native taste!”
When you visit this place, it has a distinct ambiance, similar to a bahay kubo vibe. There are many other kakanin, such as suman, biko, puto leche,and more food that matches the sikwate drink. Plus points to their advocacy of promoting organic food.
So, what are you waiting for? Order lamiang pinoy best-tasting meals! Gikan rani sa atong kaugalingon nga farm, so the food is clean, naturally grown, and loaded with nutrients because they do not use chemical fertilizers or chemical pesticides.
And as a way to address the new normal, they also installed Air Purifier HEPA Filters in the indoor dining to make you safe.
Also Read: Ultimate list of the places you can explore when you are in Mindanao.
When in mindanao 