Picture this: you’re sitting in the dappled shade of a sea almond tree, sand beneath your feet, twinkling overhead lights catching the shimmer of the waves, only a few metres away, chilled beer in hand. Bliss, right? At Maremegmeg Beach Bar, it’s the state of play every night. This laid-back venue is a favourite of El Nido’s WFH (work from holiday) crew, thanks to its captivating views across the waters and karst cliffs. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant’s menus are low-key and unshackled. You can expect wagyu burgers one night, a creamy carbonara the next, then tongue-tingling drunken shrimp or a hearty rice bowl to follow. The bar doesn’t skimp on it’s responsibilities, either – during the pandemic, it regularly donated food to the local El Nido Community Pantry.

Keep an eye on this experimental supper club’s Instagram page to catch one-off pop-ups around El Nido. You’ll not only get to feast on playful, expertly prepared dishes, but also to discover the small independent restaurants and bars changing up the food offering in the area, including soon-to-open Butanding Bar and The View, El Nido. Plates showcase native Filipino produce from nearby permaculture farms: picture a startlingly scarlet octopus ceviche, a cool papaya salad atop a coconut ice cream and pinangat (smoked fish and coconut meat wrapped in taro leaf), all arranged on a bed of black rice with a warm, spiced pumpkin purée, pan-seared shrimp and tangy pickled veg.

It’s all in the name at Local Provisions. Tucked behind Vanilla Beach, this pint-sized, Filipino-owned joint is a new addition to El Nido’s dining scene, but has made a name for itself thanks to its fresh, sunshine-fuelled plates. A sharp cocktail list, meanwhile, makes the most of Palawan’s natural larder. Dishes include grilled jackfish served over sautéed seaweed with a mango mayo, beer-battered goldband snapper with a zingy calamansi-peanut sauce, and native, pink-speckled calamari. Owners Kurt Famador and Barbra Sia are huge supporters of small-scale food producers in the region, and use local fishermen and farmers to provide the raw ingredients for their menu. They’re also hot on reducing food waste, so expect a gill-to-fin ethos: unused fillets are home-cured, roe is salted and dried, and everything else heads straight into flavourful stocks for crowd-pleasing broths.