The second Michelin Guide for the Philippines will be revealed on Thursday, 29 October 2026. The ceremony for the Michelin Guide Manila and Environs & Cebu 2027 starts at 5 p.m. at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Newport World Resorts. The event itself is invitation-only, but anyone can watch the livestream on the Michelin Guide YouTube channel.
For Cebu, the big question is simple. Last year's first edition listed 18 Cebu restaurants but gave none of them a star. This guide covers what gets announced on the 29th, which Cebu places are on the current list, and how to plan a meal around them.
We will update this page once the 2027 selection is out.
What will be announced on 29 October
The 2027 selection will name the restaurants that earn Michelin Stars, the new Bib Gourmand list and the wider Michelin Selected list. Michelin has also said it will hand out special awards to individuals in the Philippine dining scene.
The coverage stays the same as the first edition: Metro Manila, the surrounding provinces it calls "environs," and Cebu. In its preview of the second edition, the guide describes Cebu's food in terms of lechon, seafood, charcoal grilling and home cooking. It also notes that its inspectors have seen more consistency in Philippine kitchens and more use of local sour flavours like calamansi, kamias and tamarind.
Restaurants can move between categories each year. A Selected restaurant can become a Bib Gourmand or earn a star, and places can also drop off the list. Nothing on the current Cebu list is guaranteed a spot in 2027.
How Cebu did in the first Michelin Guide
The first edition, revealed on 30 October 2025, listed 108 establishments across both areas. One restaurant got two stars and eight got one star, all of them in Manila and its environs. There were also 25 Bib Gourmands and 74 Selected restaurants.
Cebu's 18 entries split into six Bib Gourmands and twelve Selected restaurants. In December, the Department of Tourism held the plaque handover for the Cebu awardees at The Pig & Palm, where Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco tried dishes from the Bib Gourmand kitchens.
Cebu's Bib Gourmand restaurants
A Bib Gourmand is Michelin's nod to very good cooking at a reasonable price. For most visitors, this is the most useful part of the list, since you can eat at these places without a tasting-menu budget.
- Esmen – Rallos Street, Pasil. A local eatery best known for larang, the spicy, sour fish soup that Cebuanos eat at any hour.
- Pares Batchoy Food House – C. Rodriguez Street. Combines beef pares and batchoy in one bowl and also serves a lechon pares.
- The Pig & Palm – MSY Tower, Negros Road, Cebu City.
- Abaseria Deli and Cafe – Villa Aurora Subdivision, Kasambagan.
- CUR8 – Banilad Town Center, Gov. M. Cuenco Avenue.
- Lasa – Roosevelt Drive, Busay.
Esmen and Pares Batchoy are the two that get the most attention from local diners, mostly because they are simple places serving everyday Cebuano food. If larang is new to you, our list of Cebu's best local food beyond lechon covers more dishes to order once you're there.
Cebu's Michelin Selected restaurants
"Selected" means the inspectors recommend the restaurant without giving it a star or a Bib. The 2026 Cebu list includes:
- House of Lechon – Acacia and Tojong Streets, Cebu City
- Abli – A. Climaco Street, Cebu City
- Pares Pares – N. Escario Street, Cebu City
- Ato-ah – 38 Park Avenue, Cebu IT Park
- Maya – Crossroads, Cebu City
- Socarrat – Bonifacio District, Cebu City
- Sialo – Pres. Laurel Street, Kasambagan, Cebu City
- Soba Kamakura – Greenhills Road, Mandaue City
- Enye by Chele Gonzalez – Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City
- DIP Nikkei – Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort, Punta Engaño Road, Lapu-Lapu City
- Coco – Mactan Seaport Village, Punta Engaño Road, Lapu-Lapu City
- Lantaw – Guiwanon, Compostela
House of Lechon is the only lechon specialist on the list. If you want to compare it with the roadside and market favourites, see our guide on where to eat lechon in Cebu.
Planning a Michelin food trip in Cebu
Group the restaurants by area
The 18 restaurants are spread over four cities, and Cebu traffic can turn a short drive into an hour. Planning by area saves time:
- Downtown and uptown: Esmen in Pasil, Pares Batchoy on C. Rodriguez, Pares Pares on N. Escario, House of Lechon and Abli. These are good for lunch while you're seeing the old city.
- IT Park, Ayala, Banilad and Kasambagan: The Pig & Palm, Ato-ah, CUR8, Maya, Abaseria and Sialo sit in the northern half of the city and work well for dinner.
- Mactan: Enye, DIP Nikkei and Coco are near the resorts on Punta Engaño Road, which helps if you're staying on the island or flying out the next day.
- Day trips: Lasa sits up in Busay, so it pairs well with a day in the Busay hills. Lantaw is in Compostela, north of Mandaue, and Soba Kamakura is on the way there.
Book ahead after the reveal
Restaurants on the Michelin list usually get busier right after a new edition comes out, and the holiday season adds to the crowds. For the hotel restaurants and the dinner places near IT Park, book a table or at least call ahead. At the smaller eateries, going outside the noon rush makes for a shorter wait.
Check hours and prices directly
Opening hours, menus and prices change, especially once a restaurant gets more attention. Check each place's official page or call before you go, particularly if you are travelling across the city for one meal.
How to watch the reveal
The ceremony is livestreamed on the Michelin Guide YouTube channel from 5 p.m. Philippine time on 29 October. The full list usually appears on the Michelin Guide website and app soon after the event. After the first edition, Cebu news outlets published their own Cebu-only lists, so expect the same this time.
Whatever happens on the 29th, the current list already gives you a solid eating plan for Cebu, from a bowl of larang in Pasil to a long dinner on Mactan. This page will be updated with the 2027 results.
Sources
The MICHELIN Guide Returns to the Philippines for Its Second Edition on October 29, 2026 – MICHELIN Guide
Michelin Guide Manila and Environs & Cebu 2027 to unveil new selection on Oct. 29 – Inquirer Lifestyle
The MICHELIN Guide Makes Its Philippine Debut with One 2-Star and Eight 1-Star Restaurants – MICHELIN Guide, 30 October 2025
Complete list: Michelin Guide 2026 awardees in Cebu – SunStar Cebu
Cebu restaurants make Michelin Guide debut – The Freeman, 14 December 2025
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