Whether you want to warm up on a cold rainy night or looking for a hangover cure, nothing can be better than a bowl of steaming hot batchoy.

Several places in Cebu serve their own take on batchoy, but for a more authentic taste, head over to Row’s Batchoy House. This hole-in-the-wall eatery, run by the family of makeup artist and stylist Romero Vergara, serves the traditional Ilonggo specialty using an original recipe that hails from Iloilo City itself.

Row’s Batchoy House’s Special Batchoy is made using an original recipe from Iloilo (Photography by A.J.)

While the batchoy (Php 35 for regular and Php 45 for special) is the runaway bestselling dish, Row’s Batchoy House also serves fried chicken, beef steak, pancit canton, chopsuey, and barbecue.

The place is also a conversation piece in itself. What used to be a portion of Romero’s home that served as a beauty shop has transformed into a homey place, with a whimsical combination of kitschy furnishings and paintings and photographs on the walls subdued by warm lighting.

The interiors of Row’s Batchoy House (Photography by A. J.)

With its lived-in ambiance and delicious comfort food, Row’s Batchoy House feels like home.

Open from 4:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m
F. Ramos St., Cebu City
+63 917 717 7084 / +63 917 911 1292
FB: Row’s Illonga Batchoy 

Edited from ‘Oodles of Noodles’, originally published in Zee Lifestyle Directory, July 2014. Like Zee Lifestyle Directory  on Facebook.