Iloilo City: Where the Past Meets the Present
FROM EXCELLENT LOCAL DELICACIES, TO HISTORIC SITES AND CONTEMPORARY ELAN, ILOILO CITY HAS IT ALL.
FROM EXCELLENT LOCAL DELICACIES, TO HISTORIC SITES AND CONTEMPORARY ELAN, ILOILO CITY HAS IT ALL.
A city that is inscribed as a member of the Unesco Creative Cities Network and a City of Gastronomy is automatically a city right up my alley. Composed of seven districts, namely Villa de Arevalo, Iloilo City Proper, Jaro, La Paz, Lapuz, Mandurriao, and Molo – this city is one of the few local destinations that has it all: historic sites and heritage houses, excellent food, and contemporary elan. No wonder Iloilo City is one of the best places to visit here in the Philippines.
We start our historic tour at Molo Church, which was built in the Gothic Renaissance style in 1893. It is dedicated to St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary. Molo Church is known for featuring only female saints, of which there are 16, including Sta. Marcela, Apolonia, and Marta. It is around 10 o’clock on a weekday morning, so except for a single woman praying at the front, we have the church to ourselves. Just this year, the church was renovated. The change is immediately apparent in its painted ceiling, which evokes the one in San Agustin.
Our next historic destination is the Jaro Cathedral. Jaro district was home to the elites of Iloilo, which is reflected in the cathedral’s grand, swooping lines. It contains a Marian image personally crowned by Pope John Paul II in 1981. If Molo Church is known for featuring only female saints, its counterpoint is Jaro Cathedral, which features only male saints. Most belfries are typically built next to churches, but Jaro Cathedral has a separate bell tower because this location is prone to earthquakes. The noted journalist and orator Graciano Lopez Jaena was baptized in Jaro Cathedral on December 20, 1856.
Molo Church
Jaro Cathedral
The inside of Agatona, the ancestral house of the Jalandoni and Montinola families built in 1927.
For lunch, we head to Agatona, the ancestral house of the Jalandoni and Montinola families built in 1927 by Doña Agatona Arguelles de Jalandoni and her husband Don Ruperto Jalandoni. Agatona is now managed by the fourth and fifth generation. It is filled with Doña Agatona Catholic memorabilia, such as altars and rosaries, which are cunningly displayed. Agatona is one of the few homes with a private oratory. As such, masses and weddings can be conducted inside it. Agatona is also the proud repository of vintage furniture, including a century-old piano, and cutlery, all from the Jalandoni and Montinola collections. You can even see Dona Agatona’s personalized dining plates. Originally, Agatona didn’t contain a balcony, but Don Ruperto had one built so that he could see his wife and children coming home from church.
Agatona was just opened to the public as a museum and restaurant in April 2024. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Guided tours are available for P320 and include a drink of choice plus heirloom cookies.
Don’t miss the Pinitaw na Manok, chicken adobo flakes with two sunny side up eggs and atchara. The heirloom cookies are delightfully crumbly. These cookies are a family heirloom recipes, but the rest of the dishes were developed with the help of chef Carlo Jalandoni, of the scions of the Jalandoni-Montinola family.
Agatona isn’t the only historic house that’s since been opened as a restaurant. The night before, we dined at Balay Remedios, which just opened in September 2023 and is ably managed by Patirica Villanueva, a fourth-generation granddaughter. Everything in the house is still original, they just had it cleaned.
The standout dish at Balay Remedios is the Eusebio’s Paella Sevillana, an homage to Patricia’s great-grandfather. It’s a seafood paella which has an added depth from chorizo bits. A squeeze of lemon brings out the paella’s piquant flavor. Meanwhile, the Lengua con Champignon, which features tender ox tongue, and mushrooms in a white wine gravy, is fork-tender and perfectly cooked. The Villanuevas worked with Ilonggo chef Miguel Cordova to come up with a menu showcasing Filipino, Spanish, and Ilonggo favorites.
Ilonggo food is delicate and refined. It doesn’t have big, bold flavors, but the more you eat it, the better it gets.
For contemporary Ilonggo food with a soulful twist, it doesn’t get any better than Punot, owned by the Aranador family with chef Christopher Aranador at the helm. Only he would have come up with the Molo Ball Crunch, deep-fried house-made molo balls served with sinamak (vinegar with chili dip). The Crispy Palabok adds a satisfying twist to a Pinoy classic. The refreshing batuan juice is a perfect meld of sourness and sweetness.
Even though our bellies are full, we still drop by Roberto’s on J.M. Basa Street. There’s a long line inside the eatery for their siopao. Their Queen siopao contains bacon and is among the best that I’ve ever tasted. Their siopao is so good, in fact, that it doesn’t need any sauce, as a small sign in the eatery proudly proclaims. Aside from the siopao, you mustn’t miss the meatballs on a stick, which are rich and hearty. Roberto’s has received many franchise offers, but they’ve chosen not to expand, knowing that diners will continue to flock to their sole location.
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J.M. Basa Street is Iloilo’s historic shopping district. Along this lane, we find many historic buildings that have been preserved. According to Iloilo city tour guide Richard Paolo Poral, beginning in the 2000s, owners enjoyed tax breaks if they rehabilitated historic buildings. This encouraged many owners of historic buildings on J.M Basa Street to rehabilitate their historic property. The city hopes that other owners of historic buildings will soon follow suit.
We made sure to drop by the Esplanade, one of Iloilo City’s must-see sites. It started in 2012 with just 1.2 kilometers. There are now 10 Esplanades all over Iloilo City that span 9.29 kilometers. There are no restaurants on the Esplanade itself, but right beside it is a boardwalk which features cuisines like Italian and Vietnamese. The Esplanade is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is mostly bordered by mangroves, which protects it from storm surges. In the early morning and in the late afternoon, the Esplanade is filled with people walking and jogging. At certain intervals, there are steps that lead down to the Iloilo River, which is so clean that people can actually eat the fish that they’ve caught vv My favorite exhibits were the pottery and textile showcases on the second floor.
Horticulture lovers must drop by the Garden of Love, a quiet corner which features sculptural hearts and many varieties of flowers. The garden is cared for by the City Environment & Natural Resources Office.
Governor Armthur Defonsor Jr.
We made sure to drop by the Esplanade, one of Iloilo City’s must-see sites. It started in 2012 with just 1.2 kilometers. There are now 10 Esplanades all over Iloilo City that span 9.29 kilometers. There are no restaurants on the Esplanade itself, but right beside it is a boardwalk which features cuisines like Italian and Vietnamese. The Esplanade is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is mostly bordered by mangroves, which protects it from storm surges. In the early morning and in the late afternoon, the Esplanade is filled with people walking and jogging. At certain intervals, there are steps that lead down to the Iloilo River, which is so clean that people can actually eat the fish that they’ve caught vv My favorite exhibits were the pottery and textile showcases on the second floor.
Horticulture lovers must drop by the Garden of Love, a quiet corner which features sculptural hearts and many varieties of flowers. The garden is cared for by the City Environment & Natural Resources Office.
Exploring Local Spots in Iloilo
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