Coco Sugba uses traditional Filipino barbecue for a fresh, new dining experience.
Sampgyupsal restaurants are a booming business all around Cebu. The fun experience of cooking your own Korean Barbecue has made these restaurants quite popular among Cebuanos.
However, Filipino barbecue has also become a large part of the island’s favorite places to eat, as the different grilled pork, chicken, and fish dishes have become staples in local cuisine due to their irresistible flavors.
Customers cook their own sinugba dishes as if they were making Sampgyupsal.
So what happens when you mix the delicious flavors of sinugba dishes and the fun experience of Korean barbecue joints? You get just that at Coco Sugba in Lapu-Lapu City.
SAMGYUPSAL WITH FILIPINO BARBECUE
You can order from a bunch of Filipino barbecue favorites.
This Filipino barbecue joint is a few meters away from JPark Island Resort, located right in front of the newly renovated Hadsan Public Beach. The restaurant’s main selling point? Unlimited sinugba dishes for 300 Php.
Coco Sugba’s owner, Michelle Matias, came up with this concept when she noticed how so many Cebuanos clamor for Sampgyupsal, that traditional Cebuano grilling is slowly being overlooked.
She decided to create a Cebuano-style Sampgyupsal, putting grills with piping-hot charcoal on each table for customers to cook their dishes.
Customers get a vast selection of meat and seafood they can grill for themselves. It is unlimited too, so you can always come back for more. Dishes served at the restaurant include:
- Marinated Pork
- Marinated Chicken
- Fish
- Shrimps
- Chorizo
- Hotdogs
- Bangus
- Crab
- Squid (Seasonal)
- Clams
- Scallops (based on availability)
They also have a selection of already-cooked dishes which include:
- Pancit
- Lumpia
- Chicken Feet
- Kinilaw na Guso
- Afritada
You can pair any of this up either with pieces of lettuce or with a hefty amount of rice.
It’s best to pick a variety of your favorite Filipino barbecue dishes to share. Once you’ve decided what to eat, bring them to your table and enjoy the traditional grilling process.
CELEBRATION OF FILIPINO TALENTS
The restaurant also supports local singers and bisrock talents.
Aside from offering its vast selection of unlimited grilled food, Coco Sugba also promotes Cebu’s music industry as a “House of Talents.”
The restaurant invites a variety of singers, cover artists, and bisrock talents to perform their greatest tunes for hungry customers.
These performances elevate the already energetic restaurant, as cover artists can perform your requested favorite tunes, while local bisrock bands can introduce you to catchy and witty Bisaya songs.
On Mondays, the restaurant also invites Cebuano and Oponganon alumni from the national singing contest, Tawag ng Tanghalan, where some of the best singers in the Philippines compete for bragging rights.
The contest is held every day on “Showtime,” the longest-running morning variety show in the Philippines. Many famous artists got their start in Tawag ng Tanghalan, including Janine Berdin, who was born in Lapu-Lapu City.
One notable artist that performs at the restaurant is Francis Greg from Danao City. Greg is best known for performing pop songs like It Will Rain and I Want It That Way with Clint and Bob Moffat on the Music Travel Love YouTube Channel.
These videos are notable for Greg performing his verses around famous tourist spots in Cebu like the caves in Camotes and the Danasan Falls in Danao.
Sampgyupsal is great, but giving it a Filipino twist makes it more unique and memorable.
Grilling is already important in Filipino cuisine, and getting to taste delicious Filipino barbecue dishes cooked on a grill will get you coming back for more.
Aside from its one-of-a-kind dining experience, it’s also a breeding ground for independent artists. It is one of the best places on the island to witness the talents of Cebuano singers and bisrock musical acts.
This setup has made Coco Sugba a pride of Mactan Island, garnering multiple awards for tourism in the Historic Resort City. It’s a must-visit if you want to know more about Cebu’s food culture.
So what are you waiting for? For only 300 Php, you can have a whole pantry of Filipino barbecue favorites to choose from. Enjoy the delicious flavors and sing your heart out in this house of talented cooks and musicians.
HOW TO GET THERE
Exact Location:
Cebu, Lapu-lapu City, Red Coco Town
Operating Hours:
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
COMMUTING GUIDE
To commute to Coco Sugba, you can ride any jeep going to Maribago. If you’re coming from Cebu City, you can ride a bus to Mactan Newtown at IT Park and then get off when you reach Newtown’s bus terminal. There will be a couple of jeepneys going to Maribago from there.
You can also bring a private vehicle since the restaurant has a spacious parking lot.
