Cebu Lechon Restaurants: House of Lechon Don Jose Avila Street

When it comes to food, the number 1 item that Cebuanos would be proud of is our inasal or lechon.  For years, it has been our trademark and even the late Anthony Bourdain exclaimed that here in Cebu, he found the best pig ever.  In the past, we normally eat Lechon Cebu at hole-in-wall eating places.  Now, we see the rise of many restaurants that offer Lechon as its main specialty and one of the best of this kind of establishments is the House of Lechon.  I recently visited their newest branch at Don Jose Avila St., Capitol Site and here is a short review.

House of Lechon Don Jose Avila Street Initial Impressions

The new House of Lechon Branch is located very close to Sacred Heart School Hijas and Cebu Doctor's University Hospital.  It is in the building that was once Captain A's Restaurant.   One good thing about this place is that this will be a convenient place to eat for the doctors, med reps, nurses and student in the nearby hospitals.  Capitol Site also has a lot of nearby offices, schools, and hotels which give this branch many potential customers. There is ample parking space in the establishment which makes it convenient for car owners to dine here.

Entering the new branch for House of Lechon, the first thing I noticed is the lighting.  The place is well-lit and it gives the impression that it is new and clean.  The cool blue accents give the restaurant some calming effect.  I also noticed the local touch when it comes to furniture, lights, and walls.  It has a unique vibe for a Lechon restaurant.

A kilo of lechon here is priced at 785 (Carcar Lechon) or 850 (Spicy).  If you compare that to the streets, you might say it is a bit expensive but if you compare it to other lechon restaurants, it is actually very competitive.  The other dishes on the menu are priced reasonably.  House of Lechon is positioning itself as a great alternative to Filipino restaurants that mainly serves the B, Upper C, and tourist markets.

While the menu is filled with many delicious choices, you have to order lechon when you come here.  They offer the Cebuano specialty in two variants: The Special Carcar Lechon and The Spicy Lechon.

Carcar City, a city in the Southern part of Cebu, is known for having a different way of serving the pork specialty.  In Carcar, the lechon makers save the drippings and when people buy a kilo or two, the lechon vendors then pour some drippings on it.  The drippings will give the lechon that extra oomph.  House of Lechon serves you lechon with a serving of lechon drippings.

You can have the option to pour it over your lechon or over your rice which I do sometimes.  The sauce is oily and salty but it typically makes me eat more.  If you like your lechon spicy, you can order the other variant.

The House of Lechon menu has many other dishes that complement their lechon.   You can start your meal with some soup or seafood.  Their scallops, gambas and the newly-introduced Tuna Sisig are highly recommended.  If you want to go local, you could order dinuguan and bam-i (When I was younger, lechon plus dinuguan plus bam-i was my ultimate birthday combo).   For veggies, you can go with Gising-Gising, Bicol Express, and Pinakbet.

There are so many amazing savory dishes here and the dessert choices can make any sweet tooth happy.  One of the desserts that I can recommend here is the Oreo Mango float.

Kalami Cebu Verdict on House of Lechon

House of Lechon is surely one of the best places to eat lechon in the lechon capital of the world.  It is a perfect place to take tourists and balikbayans who look for lechon and want to eat it in a comfortable setting.

Personally, I always get a #happytummy when dining here because the menu is filled with excellent dishes that make every meal a feast.   I normally eat here with family and friends especially when we have visitors from out of town.  Just like in any other lechon restaurant,  I normally come at around 11 a.m. or just before 6 p.m. to get the best lechon servings.

You have to come "early" so that you can truly have a great lechon experience.  You cannot expect to have a 5-star lechon if you arrive at 1:30 for lunch or past 8 pm for dinner.  This tip is for any lechon place in Cebu, be it in a restaurant or a lechon stall.

In the end, House of Lechon is an awesome restaurant with a lechon-centric menu accompanied with a solid line-up of Filipino dishes that will guarantee that diners will have a well-rounded meal.  It is definitely one of the best lechon restaurants out there.