Abli Cebu

The food here is incredibly delicious. What I will never forget is the atsuete butter paired with their pandesal. My friends and I were truly mind-blown. It was a flavor I had never tasted before in my life as a local. Their lechon kawali was also exceptionally good. The twist was that it came with a kare-kare–inspired sauce, but it had its own distinct elements and flavor profile—different, yet still very Filipino at heart. The pancit was delicious as well, although they didn’t really change much from the original flavor. For dessert, we had the Morta, and it was absolutely amazing. It’s different from the traditional torta, with added elements—but what they added wasn’t foreign; it was still proudly Filipino. As for the cocktail, it was okay. I appreciated that it highlighted Filipino local flavors, but I found it a bit lacking in alcohol since it wasn’t quite strong enough for my taste. Overall, I had a wonderful experience and would love to come back. It makes me proud that there’s a place like this that elevates our Cebuano dishes into something we can confidently showcase to anyone—whether Filipino or foreign. I will definitely return.

This small cafe specializes in Filipino food with a creative twist. I loved their Morta (their take on torta de Cebu) topped with whipped cream and yema bits. Their savory dishes were sophisticatedly plated and photogenic, however, fell short of my expectations in terms of flavor and texture. The Crispy Cebu Express had a rich and spicy sauce, but the pork belly slices were not crispy enough and had too much fat. The Pasta Chorizo Olio was on the sweet side and didn’t have depth of flavor. One of the better dishes we had was the Butter Inun-unan. Customer service was excellent at the restaurant itself, but there’s room to improve with their reservation system. The waiters were friendly and attentive. However, it was difficult to get in touch with the cafe for reservations as no one was picking up for a long time when we ringed the contact numbers listed here and on their Facebook page.

Abli is easy to miss, I would urge you not to. The frontage is set back from the street, so look out for the sandwich board (see photo). It is tiny, only room for about 20 ish covers, so if you're keen call ahead and book. Once inside the experience is faultless, the staff are attentive, polite, highly communicative and efficient. I ordered a Champorado coffee the Arice (Arroz) Caldo (small) and the Crispy Cebu Express, everything was generous, well presented and tasted exactly as described on the menu, some great cooking going on in that kitchen. I've been in the Philippines almost a month and this was the best food I've had anywhere in Manila or Cebu. I will be going back. Update 27 Jan (Dinner) I did go back, this time I had a garlic rice, Chicken Inasal and their Hmmmmba. Sadly, the food did not live up to my first experience. The sauce/dressing flavours and presentation were all good,. However, the pork meat was tough and dry. The char on the chicken had been taken too far and the bitterness of the sear marks on the chicken skin just came through any dressing or sauce. It didn't taste bbq smoky it just tasted burnt. Once again the components named on the menu were all there and sauces / dressings were identifiable and tasted good. Sadly, the primary component in the two meat dishes left a lot to be desired. The garlic rice was good. The dried pineapple slice on my G&T was pretty but a bit too powerful (aroma & taste) for the drink.

The food were great. Although, I suggest that the level of spiciness be reduced for the hmmmba and bicol express as I think customers with low tolerance for spicy food will not be able to enjoy it as much. The ginabot was spectacular. I don't normally eat ginabot but theirs is made with glaze which elevated this street food. Very good morta. I don't suggest eating here when you're super hungry as portions may not be enough, though it can be for sharing when you're with a group. Just order a couple more dishes. The prices of the food is reasonable and worth it. The indoor dining space is quite small, only sits a few people (>20?) but they have tables outside as well. However it could get hot during lunch time. No dedicated parking space.

We decided to visit this place after buying pasalubong, looking for a chill vibe before picking up our luggage since it was highly recommended on TikTok. Upon ordering, they informed us that the waiting time for food would be around 30 minutes, which was fine since we were already there. We ordered a flat white and an iced Americano, but honestly we don’t recommend the coffee due to high acidity and that it wasn’t brewed well at the time. Some of listed food are not available. For the mortas, the available flavors were mocha, ube & cheese, and tiramisu. We decided to try them, and we highly recommend the ube & cheese flavor—it was the best among the three. Overall, it’s okay to visit once for the experience, but not somewhere we would personally come back to. Expense (4 pax): ₱835 (3 mortas & 2 coffees)

They don’t have proper parking, and the street is very narrow. The dining area is also quite small, but the food more than makes up for it. Their humba is incredibly tender and packed with flavor. The Crispy Cebu Express is a creative take on lechon kawali, paired with their own version of a Bicol Express–style sauce—and we finished the sauce completely. Their torta, which they call Morta (a play on “Murag Torta” since it’s not a traditional torta but their own take on it), was also a pleasant surprise. I was initially taken aback by the Queso de Bola Mornay, as it was new to my palate, but I genuinely respect the creativity and innovation they bring to their dishes. They also offer a great variety of drinks. They enjoy reimagining familiar flavors, and it clearly works for them as they continue to push boundaries. Overall, this is a must-try place.

Just had an awesome dinner at Abli in Cebu City—def worth the trip if you're craving elevated Cebuano vibes! Started with drinks: the Kuan was , super refreshing and unique. The Tinolang Vodka though, basically just fancy calamansi juice. Wanted the Salted Egg Chicken Skin (sold out ) so went with Ginabot Sa Abli instead. Sweet glaze wasn't our jam. Mains: Crispy Cebu Express was solid but nothing crazy, tom yum-ish sauce was ok. BUT the Hmmmmmba? GAME CHANGER. Presentation is and flavors pop—soft-boiled egg was perfection. Only nitpick: bigger pork chunks were a tad tough. Smaller, uniform slices would make it next-level. Ended with Original Queso De Bola Morta for dessert—SO yummy, cheesy heaven in every bite. Overall 4.5/5—come for the Hmmmmmba and stay for the local twists!

The food was genuinely good — I loved the mix of sauces and the overall plating. You can really see the thought and creativity behind each dish, and the flavors were well balanced and enjoyable. However, my main disappointment was that we couldn’t try most of the dishes because half of the menu was unavailable. This was especially frustrating since we made a reservation expecting to get the full experience. The service was slow, disorganized, and clearly reflected poor management, which you can tell from how chaotic the operations were and the lack of coordination in both service and menu availability. The food has strong potential, but the overall experience suffers due to poor management, unorganized service, and limited menu availability.