Iloilo city is the home for La Paz Batchoy — the most popular variant of Batchoy in the Philippines. La Paz Batchoy is now world-reknowed as it has recently been hailed as the world's best offal (internal organs) soup by TasteAtlas - an online food travel guide.
To date, the three claimants of being the originator of this popular dish has maintained its iconic stores in the La Paz Market, namely Deco's Original La Paz Batchoy (Since 1938), Ted's Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy (Since 1945) and Netong's Original Special La Paz Batchoy. It is a noodle with strips of pork meat and organs, chicharones (crushed pork cracklings), egg, garlic bits, onions, chives and guinamos (local shrrimp paste) in savory and well-seasoned pork caldo (broth). Each of them has stood the test of time and have garnered a lot of followings for their distinct dish renditions.
For practicality, we spared ourselves from going all the way to La Paz Market and just took a short grab-ride from our hotel to Alicia's Special Batchoy in Jaro, Iloilo.
We were expecting a humble carideria-style place so we were a bit surprised when we arrived at a full-scale airconditioned restaurant.
It was easy to spot because it is a big complex that houses Alicia's Car Wash, Pueblo de Alicia's Restaurant and Alicia's Special Batchoy.
Later on, we discovered that you can cross-order from both. So, if you are ordering from the two food establishments, you can choose where to dine.
Food
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| Super Batchoy Pancit (130 php) |
So for the Special Batchoys, you can them in two sizes: 1) super served in a white shallow bowl, or 2) extra served in a green deeper bowl. The price disparity between the two is only 10 php. As you can observe, the difference in serving portion is also hardly noticeable.
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| Extra Batchoy Misua (140 php) |
You also have four options for noodles: 1) pancit (a.k.a as egg noodles), 2) bihon (a.k.a as rice noodles), 3) miswa (a.k.a as wheat vermicelli), and 4) sotanghon (a.k.a. as glass noodles).
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| Special Chili Sauce |
Those types of options are commonly shared across all batchoyans in Iloilo.
What sets Alicia's Special Batchoy apart is its really spicy Special Chili Sauce.
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| ♥ Extra Batchoy Pancit (140 php) |
And, adding some of its Special Chili Sauce on its rightly seasoned Special Batchoy works for me! It was served piping-hot with a smooth and well-balanced taste — from the subtle hints of flavorful marrow without the artificial sharp kick of you can from too much MSG.
Pueblo de Alicia's Restaurant
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| Puto Manapla (30 php) |
The Special Batchoy is best paired with the Puto Manapla. We spotted a bulk of the Puto Manapla displayed just outside Pueblo de Alicia's Restaurant so we ordered it and it was delivered to our table.
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| Baked Talaba (250 php) |
We also ordered a plateful of Baked Talaba. As you can see, the oysters are plump and juicy underneath the rich layers of garlic bits and creamy cheese that complements its natural briny sweetness.
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| ♥ Special Lumpia (200 php) |
The unexpected standout among our orders is the Special Lumpia. The Special Lumpia is a common household dish so we honeslty did not expect much from it. Yet, Alicia's Special Lumpia is oh so good! The lumpia wrapper is so light, crispy and flaky effectivenly locking in the grounded pork meat’s succulent juices.
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
We were so glad to have had our chance food stop at Alicia's Special Batchoy and Pueblo de Alicia's Restaurant. As it gains more success we hope the next time we could come back for a revisit, it still carries with it the same charm for serving quality, home-style dishes.
| Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating | Alicias Batchoy Iloilo Menu | |
| Ambiance | ★★★ | Menu |
| Taste | ★★★★ | |
| Service | ★★★★ | |
| Price | ★★★★ | |
| ♥=Favorites or Recommended | ||
| Alicia's Special Batchoy | |
| Business Address | Alicia's Batchoy Jaro Branch Washington St, Brgy Democracia, Jaro Iloilo City (Left side before crossing Tabuc Suba Bridge coming from Jaro Plaza) |
| Business Hours | 7:00 am - 8:30 pm |
| Payment Options | Cash |
| Service Charge | N/A |
| Budget/Person | 150-500 |
| Free WiFi | No |
| Contact | (0999) 880-5529 |
| Other | |
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