Cebu is almost synonymous to lechon so of course I’d have to have a Food Porn post dedicated to Cebu’s beloved roast suckling pig.
First off, we’re biased, W and I are avid Marketmanila readers hence we would’ve considered our Cebu trip a success even if the only thing we did was eat at Zubuchon. However, everyone from our cab driver to the front desk receptionist at our hotel was telling us to eat at CnT Lechon so we decided to give it a try.
ZUBUCHON
We went to two Zubuchon branches during our stay in Cebu, the one along Escario St. and the one in Mactan. The restaurants are generally small and have less than 15 tables per branch. The service was good (except for when they could not figure out how to work a credit card in the Mactan branch) and the crew were very attentive to our requests.
This is the Zubuchon branch along Escario St. We went there for brunch on a weekday. I loved everything we ordered except for the tomatoes, salted eggs and onions side dish which was a bit too strong for my taste. The lechon was divine, the flavor was very subtle and we easily finished half a kilo. No umay factor thanks to the kamias shake which apparently has ‘anti-fat’ properties so you’d feel less guilty about the amount of lechon you’d consume.
This is the Zubuchon branch in Mactan. We went there before our flight back to Manila on a Sunday afternoon and we were the only diners around. I love how clean both branches are, and how they handle the lechon with *such* great care it almost seems like lechon worship.
CnT LECHON
We went to the CnT Lechon branch near SM Cebu for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed. I got really frustrated with the lack of order in placing orders. It can be confusing if it’s your first time there because you have to get a number and fall in line at the same time. You fall in line to get rice and drinks and you pay for them after which you’ll wait for your number to be called to place orders for your lechon and pay for it on a different counter. We waited for about 45 minutes before we can sit down and eat.
One interesting difference between Zubuchon and CnT Lechon is that CnT’s lechon are handled by women and wow they can really work those knives. They chop the lechon like it’s a freshly slaughtered piece of meat at a wet market, complete with the talsik after which they’ll toss off unwanted lechon parts in a corner. It’s almost like performance art.
Now excuse me while I go work on getting my cholesterol rates down.
RELATED POSTS:
Hello from Cebu!
What we ate in Boracay
What we ate in Bohol
gosh ayla, two lechon places? start the treadmill on fast girl! i’ve only been to cnt and i loved their lechon. totally worth the hyperlipidemia prob.
Try Zubuchon the next time you’re in Cebu! #MarketmanilaFanGirl
and the winner of this round is?
Isn’t it obvious? Hahaha.
T always gets me CNT lechon for pasalubong from Cebu and the skin stays crispy until it gets to Manila
Too bad their place is in need of some order. It does look chaotic compared to Zubuchon.
HOMAYGASH the kamias shake! Is it as good and sour as it sounds?
It’s sour, not that pleasant to the taste but it helps with the umay. I think we’ve had a bad batch of CnT Lechon.
Tell T to try Zubuchon! I’m sure you’ll love it even though the taste isn’t as traditional as CnT’s!
i will try. i’ve been thinking of returning to cebu to bring my folks there. but i got to get my bags to bohol first.
Cheers to more trips in 2012!
I tried CnT and it was the best i’ve tasted so far. but seeing this, omg omg omg! i want to fly to cebu and devour a chunk of that lechon!!!
i can’t get over with the lechon! i’m drooling! hahaha!
HAHAHA. I feel like I should say sorry for making you very hungry.
you should! hahaha!
definitely! oh i forgot to mention, zubuchon looks more posh than cnt!
And it’s a bit more expensive as well but we think it’s worth it.
hala… naku ba’t dun ka nagpupunta sa mga places of guilty pleasures ng Cebu. hehe
Dahil hindi ka nakapunta ng Cebu kung di ka kumain ng lechon tama ba?
Oo, ang galing na defensa mo ah. hehe. wait meron pa ba jan? nagutom ako eh. hehe
Yep, just reheated some of it for lunch.
literal na naglaway ako habang binabasa at tinitignan ang pictures sa post mo… yum…
You should try the lechon in Carcar. It’s a town/municipality a couple of hours away from the city. REALLY GREAT LECHON!!!
Oh and between Zubuchon and CnT, I’d pick the latter as well. =)
Yup…Carcar lechon with puso is one of the best.
Just buy it in Carcar market on your way to Simala or Moalboal. 
you could also try this one on your next visit…. boneless lechon…
http://buyincebu.blogspot.com/2012/05/cebus-original-lechon-belly-different.html
Thanks for the heads up Caloy! Can’t wait to go back to Cebu!
Thank you for visiting Zubuchon twice on your last trip to Cebu and for writing about it with such terrific photos! I am glad you enjoyed your meal(s) with a couple of exceptions… The primary difference between Zubuchon and many other lechons is the absolute absence of added MSG, this changes the flavor profile of the finished product, and kinevitably increases cost as our stuffing ingredients are several hundred pesos more than say a cup of MSG. As for “boneless lechon”, it’s interesting to note that we have had a “bamboo roasted whole liempo” similar to this concept already on offer in all of our restaurants for the past year… so a change of name creates a new dish… Experiments with this type of preparation were documented much earlier on marketmanila.com. Regards, MM
Thank you MM, looking forward to our next visit to Cebu or a Zubuchon branch in Manila (whichever comes first!)
have you tried RIco’s Lechon? Try it on your next Cebu visit.
They are known for their spicy lechon.
http://ricos-lechon.com/
Thanks! Will check it out!
Share ko lang experience ko.
Before going to Cebu, i read this article and then went to CNT last Saturday and then Zubuchon yesterday to really taste the difference. Too bad kase nilagnat ako at may sipon so useless din kung ijujudge ko sya.. As expected ganun nga talaga pala sa CnT, magulo, maingay at madaming tao. Pero it’s ok.. Sanay lang tayo sa Jollibee at Mcdo e haha. Pero sa Zubuchon (Mango Ave)… Max’s like ang dating, pero nadisappoint lang ako kasi it was 10:30AM when we went there and one of the staff said na “Quarter to 11″ pa daw magiging available lechon nila. So i said ok lang… kailangan ko talagang matikman yan kahit may sipon ako.. She was quite not happy serving us. Pero 11:30 na e nakakatulog na kami sa mesa kakahintay at wala pa din. And because we are speaking in tagalog and told her na take-out na lang yung isang order ko so that may pasalubong naman ako sa mga walang sipon dito sa office. I never knew na may “box-type” pala na pasalubong version nun. Nagulat na lang ako pagdating ko sa airport at may zubuchon boxes ang ibang mga kasabay ko sa flight. Sigh… Tagalog ako nung kinausap sya di man lang nagsuggest or nagtanung kung kailangang ibox. Naka styro lang wrapped in a plastic wrapper.
Hi Chris, ang naiisip ko dun sa take-out ay baka inassume nila that you’ll eat it right away kaya styrofoam and plastic lang? For our pasalubong kasi they asked if we’re going to bring it to Manila kaya naka-box na and frozen pa talaga yung lechon.
Hi! It’s amazing how you guys in Manila talk and crave for lechon. If I may share my fave lechon as a full-blooded Cebuana, we always say CnT Lechon in a heratbeat. The skin has just the right fat and crispness to it and the ribs and belly where all the flavors are will make us close our eyes and forget feeling guilty for a second. hahaha! We always go to the mall branches like in ayala where it’s not too chaotic. Try it with puso, the hanging rice and that’s a perfect, distinctly Cebuano food. Til your next visit. Better yet, shoot me an email and I will tell you where the best places to dine when in Cebu.
http://marrylallwrite.com/
after reading all the comments its really hard to choose which one is better the cnt b or zubuchon can u help me decide which resto we should go kc wer going in cebu this coming june 2013
which zubuchon branch is nearest to crown regency hotel and towers dun kc kmi mgstay pls help me wd my queries thanks
Hi Jam, I suggest you try both Zubuchon and CnT so that you can decide for yourselves which is better. Isa sa lunch, isa sa dinner ganun since minsan lang naman.