Spot Out of Town: Where to Eat In Nagsasa Cove + Delicious Detours Along the Way

(SPOT.ph) Zambales is one of those go-to destinations when you need a quick getaway from the noise of the city. You can go to Liwliwa, Subic, or, if you really want to go off the grid without your boss and the gentle reminders, you can go on an overnight trip to one of the province's many coves.

In this SPOT Out of Town guide, we’ll take you to Nagsasa Cove. While there are no traditional restaurants in the area, you can enjoy a hearty boodle fight by the beach as the sun sets over the cove. We've also rounded up cafés and restaurants along the way that are well worth a quick detour, making the journey just as memorable as the destination.

If you’re leaving Metro Manila early, you can pass by Hometown Café for your breakfast and coffee needs. Since this is a café, the operating hours are earlier, making it a great pitstop before heading to Nagsasa Cove (or any of its neighboring coves).

They have an extensive coffee menu, with signatures like the Zambales Sea Salt Latte, but if you want to explore the menu's hidden gems, go for the Coco Cold Brew for coffee and Cascara Yuzu for non-coffee. The drinks menu also includes an extensive matcha menu by Kamai (previously Jacque & Matcha), making the Matcha Banana Bread Latte or the classic Matcha Latte a non-negotiable.

The brunch menu leans heavily into breakfast comfort food, with something for every craving. Go European with Eggs & Toast, American with Chicken & Waffles or Bacon & Pancakes, or keep it local with silogs such as Beef Tapa, Chicken Tocino, and Pork Longganisa—all served with an unexpected side of smoked eggplant baba ganoush. The standouts, however, are the Corned Beef—which uses homemade corned beef chunks—and the Mushroom Burger Steak, smothered in a rich gravy that's good enough to have you scraping the plate clean.

Familiar with Hometown Cafe, even if you haven't been in Subic for quite some time? Well, it's probably because you've seen the café’s second branch open in Quezon City. If you suddenly miss the drinks you've tried at the Subic branch (which is likely), you can go to this branch next time.

BONUS: Hometown Café has a hidden bar accessible through its velvet curtains. It's not very breakfast-appropriate, but you can always pass by on your way back from Nagsasa.

One of the perks of camping in Nagsasa Cove is that most campsites have their own food offerings. We stayed at Marahuyo Cove, tucked on the far right side of the beach beside a cliff that's worth hiking—especially with the island's friendly dogs often acting as unofficial guides.

The campsite's boodle fight is timed perfectly for sunset. Prepared in the late afternoon, it's served on a long, low bamboo table lined with tealights, right by the shore as the sky tints a warm pinkish orange.

The spread is exactly what you'll want after a day spent swimming in saltwater: grilled squid, fish, liempo, and a generous pile of crabs, alongside sawsawan to dip them in. There's also ensaladang talong topped with salted egg, plenty of rice, fresh fruits, and pitchers of drinks to complete the meal. And because this is a boodle fight—a communal Filipino dining tradition— everyone eats with their bare hands (kamayan-style).

Once you're back on land, Indochine is worth the detour for its lineup of steaks, cheeses, cold cuts, and carefully curated wines. The restaurant is helmed by Chef Armand Lafare, formerly of Element Boutique Hotel in Makati. When the hotel closed, he brought his expertise to this charming Subic hideaway, tucked behind cascades of bougainvillea. The setting feels more like a secret countryside retreat than a restaurant, with the chef's friendly black Labrador often greeting guests at the door as its unofficial host.

At Indochine, you can always start with the obvious: a charcuterie board built from a careful selection of meats and cheeses, followed by a properly cooked ribeye and a bottle of vino from the cellar. Nothing is overthought, just well chosen.

Still, skipping the escargot would be a mistake you wouldn't want to make. Cooked in garlic and butter, it’s unapologetically rich in the best possible way. The crab-stuffed ravioli, lifted with a squeeze of lemon, is equally a must-order—it's the kind of dish that doesn’t demand attention but ends up lingering longest in memory. The kind you’d happily reroute for, just to have it again, as we did.

Before you leave, there’s one last temptation: a small counter of meats, cheeses, and bottled goods, including the pickled vegetables used throughout the kitchen. Nearby, baskets of pastries add a final layer of persuasion—most notably the pain au chocolat, which is worth grabbing without overthinking it.

Need one last caffeine stop before heading back to Manila? Make a detour to DOFI, a café tucked away in Pampanga that's easy to miss if you don't know where to look. Getting there feels a bit like a scene taken from Narnia, but instead of passing through a closet, you pass a busy road and enter a nondescript gated area with lush greenery, with a small café tucked within the landscape.

Most visitors gravitate toward signatures like the Salted Cream Latte, which walks the line between sweet and savory, or the Strawberry Matcha, a refreshing mix of earthy and tart flavors. For something more straightforward, the Honey Oat Latte is a reliable choice. But what sets DOFI apart is its focus on coffee. Its pour-over menu offers beans from different origins, including Wene Age Mariwo and the priciest on the menu, the Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha.

DOFI is the café counterpart of Ardesia by Sage, the restaurant right across from it. If you need something heavier to fuel the two hours (that is, if it isn't too traffic), you can always go over to the other side for pasta bowls and rice plates.

Also read: Spot Out of Town: Exploring Nagsasa Cove in Zambales