.png)
There’s this one restaurant in Iloilo City’s Downtown
District that I definitely love to visit(again) soon… Café Panay in Rizal
Street.
I highly recommend this place, especially if you feel like
eating local cuisines, while enjoying that old-Iloilo City charm.
It was almost noontime already when my great mentor, Dr.
Reysa Alenzuela, and another friend Mars Boston Yañez decided to try out the
place. Doc Reysa has been hanging out here and she highly recommended we try
the place because of its charming ambiance and the good food.
Café Panay opened in January 2014, but it’s already a
popular go-to place among Ilonggos who want to savor scrumptious local
cuisines. The café serves all-breakfast Ilonggo meals: pork tocino, chorizo and pinakas. We tried
their unique chorz de sal—a mouthwatering
sandwich, with chorizo patties stuffed
with cucumber, tomato and mayonnaise in hot pan
de sal. It also comes with crispy fried camote chips, which I suggest you
should eat fast before the crunchiness is gone!
 |
| Photo: Cafe Panay |
A perfect partner for your breakfast meal is the restaurant’s
signature tablea de batirol, the richness of its taste could rival that of the
hot choco served at Camiña Balay na Bato.
For their thirst quenchers, we fell in love with the
restaurant’s another signature drink: red taho
iced tea, which is a blend of spiced ginger and red tea.
And to satiate our yearning for something sweet, we tried
their fried ibos served with tablea paste. Also on the list is their turon with muscovado sauce dipped in tablea
chocolate, which works perfectly well whenever you’re having a cup of coffee or
enjoying their hot choco.
 |
| Photo: Cafe Panay |
The café houses everything about Panay, with the famous
products from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo and Guimaras available ehre. You can
also shop for the various native souvenirs and delicacies sold at the café,
which range from local wines, preserves and sweets, like biscocho and piaya, to
give aways, like hablon and accessories.
Tucked along Rizal Street, but definitely a few stones throw
away from the frenzy of the Downtown District, Cafe Panay offers guests not
just a dose of culinary wonder, but also a sense of peace and tranquility. The
cafe is operated by Panay Tours Specialists, Inc. (PTSI), the only local tour
wholesaler company in Iloilo City, which offers tour-guiding products around Panay
Island.
Visit Café Panay at Quezon cor. Rizal Street, Iloilo City. Check
out their Facebook page, or you may contact them at (033) 330-1769.
