how i accidentally found the best street food in surigao city
so there i was, wandering around with no plan, just following the smell of grilled fish and diesel fumes. the air was thick-like 83% humidity thick-and the temperature was sitting at 26.9°c, but felt more like 29.79°c because the sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds. i checked my weather app and it said something about pressure at 1011 and ground level at 997, but honestly, all i cared about was finding shade and a cold drink. i just checked and it's...like that right now, hope you like that kind of thing.
i ended up on a side street near the port, where a bunch of locals were huddled around a cart selling skewered chicken intestines-yes, really. someone told me that the best street food in surigao city is always where the smoke is thickest and the line is longest. i took that advice, queued up, and got myself a stick of isaw and a bottle of sarsi. messy, greasy, perfect.
"if you're not sweating by the third stick, you're not doing it right,"
the vendor laughed, flipping another batch over the coals.
later, i wandered down to the boulevard, where the breeze off the sea made the heat slightly more bearable. the sky was that kind of hazy blue you only get in coastal towns. i overheard a group of teenagers talking about how the sunsets here are "legendary but inconsistent," which felt like the most honest review i'd heard all day.
if you get bored, butuan and siargao are just a short drive away, though honestly, i was too busy stuffing my face to think about leaving. i did check out a few spots locals recommended: the Surigao City Night Market for fresh seafood, and a tiny carinderia called "Aling Pacing's" that supposedly serves the best pancit canton in town. someone told me that if you go after 8pm, they'll give you extra chicharon for free-i didn't verify, but i'm choosing to believe it.
by the time the sun started to dip, i was sticky, slightly sunburnt, and completely satisfied. surigao city doesn't try to be anything it's not-it's loud, it's humid, and it smells like grilled meat and salt water. and honestly? that's exactly why i loved it.
for more on surigao's hidden eats, check out Yelp Surigao City or the local food blog Kain Na Surigao.
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