LA-UD Restaurant: Where Puerto Princesa’s Flavours Come Alive

Where to Stay in Puerto Princesa for Less: Our Flash Deal

Right now, our Puerto Princesa hotel is running a Flash Deal with 40% off the room rate. Book between October 18 and November 18, 2026, for stays from October 18, 2026 to March 15, 2027.

The stay dates work well if you’re escaping a European winter. December to March is Palawan’s dry season, when the sea is usually calmer for island hopping and the Underground River boats run more reliably.



A cheaper room also makes it easier to add a night or two, and an extra night here means another dinner at LA-UD. We’re biased, but that seems like a fair trade. Book before November 18 to lock in the rate.

What Palawan Puts on the Plate

Palawan cooking starts with the sea, and so does a good night at LA-UD. Order the Filipino Salad if you want to taste the islands in one plate. It comes with sea grapes, salted egg, grilled eggplant, okra and kamote tops, finished with ginamos, a salty fermented fish paste. Sea grapes pop like tiny beads and taste of the ocean. Most first-timers have never seen them.



Local prawns turn up twice on the menu. Caridea De Ajillo cooks them in olive oil with roasted garlic, chilli and paprika, a nod to the Spanish side of Filipino food. Lemon Pepper Prawns is the bigger plate, with roasted garlic, lemon and root vegetables.

For something you won’t find back home, try the Pyanggang. It’s a fish fillet marinated and wrapped in burnt coconut, a style of cooking from the southern Philippines, served with sautéed spinach. Inihaw na Isda is simpler: grilled fish with fish bagoong and an onion and tomato salsa.

Calamansi, a small, sour Philippine lime, runs through a lot of this cooking. Palawan is also cashew country, which is handy to know if you’re shopping for pasalubong (gifts to take home).

Breakfast at Our Puerto Princesa Hotel Before a 6am Tour

Underground River and Honda Bay tours start early, and lunch might be hours away on a boat, so eat properly.

LA-UD opens at 7am. That works for a Honda Bay trip, where you want to reach the wharf by about 7:30. At our Puerto Princesa hotel, LA-UD serves breakfast all day, so you can also have it when you get back. The Filipino Breakfast is the one to order before a long day out. You choose bangus lamayo (milkfish marinated in vinegar and garlic, then fried), beef tapa or adobo, and it comes with garlic rice and a fried egg. It’s salty, filling and exactly what you want before hours on the water.

If you’d rather eat light, there’s an omelette with grilled tomato and toast, pancakes, or bacon and egg French toast.

Dinner at One of the Hotels Near Puerto Princesa City Center

Evenings run slower. Start upstairs at The Flamingo Social, the rooftop bar and pool, with a cocktail and the city views as the light fades. Then head down to LA-UD on the ground floor for dinner. It’s open until 10pm, so there’s no rush. The Fisherman’s Soup, local seafood stewed in white wine and a light tomato broth, is a good way to start.



We’re on North Road in Brgy. San Manuel, about 3 km from the airport, with Robinsons Place Palawan within walking distance. Staying at one of the hotels near Puerto Princesa city center also puts downtown restaurants and bars within easy reach if you want to compare. We’re happy to be compared.

A First-Timer’s Guide to Filipino Food

If the menu looks unfamiliar, it helps to know how Filipino food is built. It leans sour and salty, with a bit of sweetness running through. Vinegar, calamansi and tamarind bring the sour. Soy sauce, fish sauce and fermented shrimp paste (bagoong) bring the salt. Very little of it is spicy. Chilli usually sits on the side so you can add your own.



Adobo is the closest thing the Philippines has to a national dish. It’s chicken or pork braised slowly in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaf and black pepper, and it comes out tangy and tender. It’s the safest first order on any Filipino menu.

Kinilaw is raw fish cured in vinegar or citrus with ginger, onion and chilli. If you like ceviche, you’ll like this. Palawan’s fish is fresh enough that skipping it would be a shame.

Sinigang is a sour soup, usually soured with tamarind, cooked with pork, prawns or fish and vegetables like kangkong (water spinach), radish and long beans. It’s lighter than it sounds and surprisingly good on a hot day.



Our advice: start with adobo and a bowl of sinigang, with plenty of rice. Try kinilaw and something grilled the next night.

If you’re feeling brave, Puerto Princesa is also known for tamilok, a mangrove woodworm eaten raw with vinegar. You’ll find it at specialty spots around the city. People compare it to oysters, and it makes a good story to take home

Vegetarian and Dietary Options

Filipino food uses a lot of meat and seafood, and dishes that look vegetarian often contain fish sauce or shrimp paste. The Filipino Salad, for example, comes with ginamos. If you don’t eat fish, tell your server when you order.



LA-UD has its own vegetarian section, which makes things easier. Tortang Talong is a char-grilled eggplant omelette with radish and ampalaya (bitter gourd) salad. Vibrant Curry Burst stews mixed vegetables in a coconut green curry. There’s also a Veggie Sandwich, Pesto Pasta, a Garden Greenery pizza, and Sweet Potato Nachos made with lentil bolognese.

If you have allergies, mention them when you book or check in so the team has time to plan.

Private Dining for Weddings and Events

LA-UD also hosts groups. We can set up private dinners for wedding parties, rehearsal dinners, conference groups and family celebrations, with menus built around Filipino-Mexican favourites and Palawan seafood. 



If you’re planning a wedding or event at our Puerto Princesa hotel, ask the events team about adding a LA-UD menu.

Eat Well at the Best Hotel in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Filipino food makes more sense at the table than on a page, and LA-UD is an easy place to start. If you’re still weighing where to stay in Puerto Princesa, think about where you’d want to eat at the end of a long day. For us, that’s what makes Hue the best hotel in Puerto Princesa, Palawan for people who travel to eat.