Surrounded by colonial-style buildings, Café Leona is located in the middle of Calle Crisologo. We like that it has indoor and outdoor seats in the central plaza. 

What hooked us with Cafe Leona is that their menu practically blends Ilocano flavors with Japanese and Italian cuisine. 

Their bagnet-bacon maki is one of our favorites because the bagnet blends well with the delectable nori seaweed. The strip of crispy bacon also results in an amazing Japanese-Ilocano flavor – no wonder it’s a bestseller.

We’re also amazed that they use a local Filipino vegetable dish cooked in fish or shrimp sauce, pinakbet, as an actual pizza flavor. This makes it a favorite of both locals and visitors!

Based on our assessment, they are also open for approximately 11 hours, which is convenient for customers who wish to eat a late breakfast and dinner.

However, we’re a bit disappointed because they have slow customer service and order fulfillment can take up to an hour, especially during peak hours. Because of this, we only recommend you eat here if you’re willing to wait or have a lot of time to spare.

Anyhow, we’re still happy with Café Leona because their parking is accessible, and there are several attractions nearby.

The Ilocano term “Bartek,” which means “to be inebriated,” is where BarTech got its name. We like that it’s a bar, grill, and restaurant in Vigan City that also offers a dinner buffet, fit for those who want to try multiple dishes.

Aside from their beers, they also offer Ilocano food like bagnet, dinakdakan, and more. 

A dish that caught our attention is the sisig bangus, which is a sizzling-hot dish featuring milkfish chunks with chopped onions, vinegar, and hot peppers. We’re blown away by the flavor because it doesn’t have any unpleasant fishy taste.

The fact that their food pairs well with rice and beer are a bonus. That said, we think they’re the best choice if you’re planning to drink alcoholic beverages with your friends after dinner.

We’re also surprised to learn that the prices of the items on their menu are reasonable and affordable.

In addition, we love the ambiance in Bartech. The outdoor seating at Bartech is what really sold us on this place because it’s nice to sit and feel the night air while enjoying a meal.

We think they are one of the most lively restaurants in town because they are open till 2:00 in the morning. Also, the turnaround time for taking orders is really quick, making us impressed with their customer service.

Lastly, in the evenings, live music is also available, so we think it’s best for those who want to make the most of Vigan nightlife.

Cafe Bigaa’s moniker, “Bigaa,” is an Ilocano term for taro plant, one of the reasons why we think they’re creative. Not only that, but they have unique dishes like Rusangis pasta that you won’t find at any other restaurant.

What amazed us the most with the Rusangis pasta is that it features mangoes, which lend a distinctively local flavor to the traditional Ilocano dish of bagnet and bagoong. 

They also have other Ilocano dishes including Vigan longganisa, bagnet, igado, and sinanglaw. And for those who want to try various Ilocano dishes without spending too much and feeling too full, they offer Vigan sampler on their menu.

The Vigan sampler consists of sinanglaw (boiled cow innards with kamias and bile), pinakbet (steamed vegetables in fish or shrimp sauce), bagnet (crispy pig belly), longganisa (Spanish sausage), and pork daldalem (pork liver in vinegar and soy sauce).

We love that this combo is also versatile because it can be served with rice, or you can also eat it as it is.

The fact that they’re in the Vigan Plaza Hotel makes it understandable that their food can be expensive. Because it’s easy to get to within the hotel, we think it has the most convenient location among the restaurants on this list.

Because it’s situated in the Vigan Plaza Hotel, the prices may be more than average. Though, we still consider it to be the most accessible dining option because of its central location.

All in all, Cafe Bigaa won us over with its prompt service and kind staff. They are the best option if you need to dine early in the morning or late at night because they’re the only restaurant operating from 6 AM to 10 PM every day.

The Ilocos area is well-known for its iconic empanada, and Irene’s Vigan Empanada is one of the best because they use 100% rice flour. 

The empanada dough is always paper-thin and flat, so it’s unique compared to other empanadas in the Philippines. 

Among their empanada flavors, we think that the Jumbo Special Empanada offers the best value for your money. It’s packed with two eggs, a double serving of Vigan longganisa, and vegetables. 

People also love to dip it in homemade vinegar sauce with onions and chili.

Another bestseller is the Special Pork Longganisa Empanada. It has ground Vigan longganisa and egg, with a crispy shell that encloses all the different tastes into one savory snack. 

From what we’ve seen, Irene’s Vigan Empanada has the fastest service time compared to the other restaurants on this list. You won’t be stuck waiting too long because you can order your empanadas to-go.

We’re also pleased that they’re open for business for around 11 hours, making them a convenient choice for grabbing an affordable snack at any time of day.

For us, the 1995 Studio Café is a cutting-edge restaurant and cafe that is considered to be a hip and convenient place to eat.

We like that this café has a wide range of drinks, salads, and desserts. They also have pasta, all-day breakfast meals, Ilocano dishes, pizzas, chicken wings, and more.

Among their offerings, the cheeseburger caught our attention because it is made with 100% beef patties on traditional-style bread. 

We also like that they have eight flavors of chicken wings, which allow their customers to have multiple options to try.

The prices on their menu are also reasonable, and we felt that it’s not too overpriced given that they’re situated in a popular tourist destination.

However, we’re a bit disappointed that orders may take quite a while, especially mains.

Calle Brewery is a local beer shop that also offers steak, barbeque, fresh seafood, and smoked meat. We admire that they also name their beers after local heroes, making an ode to Philippine history.

Their beer list includes Salakot ni Diego (blonde ale), Espada ni Lapu-Lapu (wheat ale), Canyon ni Panday (American pale ale), Bigote ni Antonio (American style IPA), Kabayo ni Gabriela (sweet stout), and Bandila ni Marcela (Vigan common).

Aside from that, we like that they also offer various dishes for people who want to try authentic side dishes in Vigan, like bagnet, bagis with pickled onion, and more.

The BBQ plate, a staple of their lunch menu, is one of their best value-for-money dishes because of its affordable pricing. These range from Php 200 to Php 280.

These plates are also inclusive of meat, rice, sauce, and two sides of your choice so it’s a good deal. 

For those who want to try premium smoked meats, like sticky pig spare ribs, pork baby back ribs, and beef brisket, you can also do so by just adding Php 180. 

We also appreciate the ambiance, which exudes both casual comfort and sophistication.

Overall, if you wish to have a unique beer experience in Vigan, we highly recommend you try Calle Brewery.

Cafe Evelyn, located at the Casa Blanca Hotel, is a restaurant that offers both modern and traditional Ilocano and western cuisines. 

We were pleased to see that besides authentic Ilocano food, they also offer a wide variety of dishes that fused elements of other cuisines with Filipino cooking. 

One of these dishes includes Vigan longganisa which is one of the country’s most popular sausages. We also admire how it incorporates local ingredients like “Sukang Iloko” (sugar cane vinegar) and Ilocos garlic.

Another delicacy that piqued our interest was the Vigan quesadilla which is a playful mix of quesadilla and the well-known Vigan longganisa. We really enjoyed the mixture of smoky, salty, sour, and garlicky flavors all at the same time.

In addition to the delicious food, we enjoyed the cafe’s atmosphere, which is cozy and inviting.

They also provide excellent customer service. Their servers are competent, helpful, and approachable. However, the long wait times for our orders are a bit of a turn-off.

Nonetheless, we still think that Cafe Evelyn is worth visiting because of the great-tasting food they offer.