Tawhay Resto Cafe

Tawhay Resto Cafe sits in Lala-o, San Juan, on the west coast. It is one of the few addresses on the island listed on the province of Siquijor's own tourism site — a short list, around ten restaurants for the whole island.

Its opening hours are its strongest argument: 7am to 10pm, seven days a week. On an island where most kitchens stop between 8pm and 9pm, a place that serves breakfast and is still cooking at ten at night changes the calculation when you are riding back late from a waterfall or a sunset.

What to order. The menu is broad — Filipino, Chinese and Malaysian, plus pasta and burgers. The dishes reviewers name most: buttered shrimp with egg floss, corned beef, and on the sweet side the oatmeal brownies. The coffee is taken seriously: the double espresso comes up, along with the matcha latte and an iced calamansi. Board games are available in the room.

Our honest read. 4.1 out of 5 from more than 400 Google reviews, 3.8 out of 5 on TripAdvisor: that is decent rather than exceptional, and we would rather say so. What comes up in every positive review is the welcome — the owner and staff are named personally by a lot of guests. The complaints are just as consistent: waits from the kitchen at peak hours, mosquitoes in the evening, and patchy wifi. Portions, on the other hand, are generous.

Who it is for. A late dinner, an early breakfast, or a group meal where everyone wants something different. It is not the table you take someone to in order to impress them.

Practical: open 7am-10pm daily. Phone +63 939 767 1317 (also +63 906 329 5426), email tawhayresto@gmail.com. Reachable by tricycle, habal-habal or jeepney from San Juan. Come on a weekday: weekends mean longer waits.