Dumaguete’s Painitan is a spot you can never miss out on and is best for a complimentary breakfast.

You can always pay a quick visit to this place, as it is just located in Building 5, Public Market of Dumaguete City, where it is open (literally; open-aired stalls) and accessible for everyone. As a walking distance from the City’s Cathedral Church, church goers can go there right after mass at dawn because the Painitan opens at 3:30 am and some even earlier than 3 am.

For the old folks, earlybirds, and morning joggers, this place is a/their go-to place to eat, as the food of Painitan will surely help them warm their bodies up and energize their systems with freshly made food “Puto and Tsokolate” (Sticky Rice cake with Hot Chocolate made from pure tablia) together with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate drink also known as sikwate. 

(A secret to share for the sweet tooths- you can always ask for a PHP5 worth of condensed milk to be drizzled in your puto or hot chocolate drink.)

This place surely does tell you why they are called Painitan.

It is not only the puto and tsokolate that they have; they also cook eggs, hotdogs, and the famous delicacy, made fresh from Tanjay, the so called Budbud made from rice and the Budbud Kabog made from pure millet, which is at a higher price that is PHP 25, for it is finer in texture and sweeter than the Budbud made from rice at the price of PHP 10. They also have the Budbud with chocolate around it, wrapped with oily banana leaves. All around, prices are still affordable and cheap.

If you thought it closes at 10 o’clock in the morning, then you are lucky, because this Painitan closes in the afternoon. Some Painitan stalls closes at 5 pm and some closes at 6 pm.

Though, the ambiance is not that great for it is in the market and beside the road, but it is bearable, for because the people around are kind and welcoming with their big smiles, especially when tourists are their costumers. This is because the locals are so hospitable and wants the tourist to have a part of their “locality”- a piece of Dumaguete. Greeted with this warm welcome, you will surely want to come back.

I would greatly recommend this place to you and let you have a taste of Dumaguete’s Painitan.