Food Trippin : Cafe Uno (Vigan, Ilocos Sur)

The very humid Vigan temperature made us all exhausted and hungry. I have been hearing about Uno Cafe from some people who visited the place and they told me that they serve good Ilocano dishes in very affordable prices. Thing is, I dont know where exactly is this place but Calle Crisologo is very small and finding our way to Uno Cafe isnt that hard. One "ading" from one of the souvenir shops also suggested we take our lunch there and directed us to that place and, viola! Lunchtime.

On our way to Vigan, me and my companions were talking about some must try dishes and good thing everything that we talked about is in the menu.

Cafe Uno, Uno Grill, and Kusina Felicitas are all the same and so the food that they offer can crossover.. We were surprised to see that the menu they showed us have all these restaurant names but the server told us they are just all the same. Cafe Uno basically serve pasta, pizza and other western dishes, Uno Grill serves mostly Asian dishes and grilled foods while Kusina Felicitas have Ilocano dishes on the list. Of course we opted for the latter since we really intend to sample the local cuisine.

Cafe Uno is a quaint cafe found in one of the side streets in Calle Crisologo. The place is indeed tiny which sits only about 15- 20 people. But I love it! Its cozy and justified the fact that youre in Vigan with its very old fashioned interior. The place is cool and very comfy.

A very small entrance door.

The spiderwebs are for Halloween ok? Not because the interior is old. Hehe.

Small tables for small groups, and for people who still manage to have a date. (who are they?) :))

Now lets talk about the food! I can say that they serve affordable and delicious local dishes. Serving size is good for 2-3.

Poqui - poqui (Php 90) - somehow like a "tortang talong" or eggplant omelet but with lesser eggs. Has tomato and onion with it. I love this dish!





Bagnet (Php170) - deep fried crispy pork belly. OMG this dish is the BOMB! The skin is crackling and the meat is very flavorful. Never ever miss this whenever in Ilocos.




Vigan Longanisa (Php90) - their signature sausage in this part of the Philippines. Savory and garlic-y.





Sinanglao (Php175) - beef soup thats has the taste of sinigang (with its faint sour taste), nilaga (because it boarders a simple soup like that) and papaitan (with its papaitan like aroma). I love this soup! Very refreshing to the palate.

We ended our meal with this superb brew of Benguet Arabica (Php 40) served with balikutsa. I think this is one of the best brews ive ever tasted so far. Oh God im still dreaming about this till now. Hehe.




The coffee was served with balikutsa, a local sweetener made from sugarcane. Not as sweet as refined sugar but theres something in it that made the coffee creamy. Took a bite of it before I diluted it in my coffee and it somehow tasted like merengue.

Every dish we order were superb! The humble flavors reflects the humble way of living in this region. Cafe Uno did a very good job in preparing these local dishes. I would definitely be back here again on my next visit.


Cafe Uno is very near the historic Calle Crisologo. Just go ask the people around for direction and im sure they'll be happy to help you.