The first thing that strikes you about Cucina Higala is not the menu.
It is the feeling.
A Warm Welcome in Cagayan de Oro
There is a warmth that settles over the dining room long before the food arrives. A sense that you have stepped into a place that knows exactly who it is. Wooden accents, soft lighting, and thoughtfully curated local details create an atmosphere that feels polished without being pretentious.
It is elegant enough for a celebration, comfortable enough for a family lunch, and inviting enough for travelers looking to understand a city through its food.
In Cagayan de Oro, where visitors often arrive in search of adventure, Cucina Higala offers something equally memorable: a journey through the flavors and stories of Mindanao.
The restaurant’s name itself reveals its mission. “Cucina” means kitchen, while “higala,” in the local dialect, means friend. Together, the name translates into something more meaningful than a dining establishment. It suggests a gathering place—a kitchen among friends.
From Survival to a Culinary Movement
For Jan Uy, the restaurant’s president, that spirit was never part of a grand business plan.
In fact, Cucina Higala almost did not exist.
The restaurant began in 2009 as a Thai concept. After several years, however, the business struggled to find its footing. Filipino dishes were added to the menu. The concept evolved again into a buffet. Still, success remained elusive.
We were about to give up,” Uy recalled.
It was his wife who convinced him to try one more time. Too much had been invested. Employees depended on the business. Rather than closing their doors, they searched for a new direction.
What emerged was not simply another restaurant concept but a culinary movement.
They first explored modern Filipino cuisine before narrowing their focus to Northern Mindanao heritage dishes. As research continued, they discovered a larger story waiting to be told—one that extended across the entire island.
Eventually, Cucina Higala became a celebration of Mindanao heritage cuisine.
The transformation was built through conversations and collaboration. Friends from Camiguin and Marawi shared family recipes. Local cooks demonstrated traditional techniques. The team refined presentations while preserving the soul of each dish.
It was kind of accidental,” Uy said. “Out of necessity or survival.”
Yet the result feels anything but accidental.
Today, dining at Cucina Higala feels like opening a map of Mindanao and tasting its history one plate at a time.
A Menu of Stories and Regional Flavors
The menu reads like a collection of stories. Some dishes may initially seem unfamiliar, particularly to visitors from Manila or Cebu. Yet the flavors themselves often feel surprisingly recognizable.
That balance between discovery and comfort is part of the restaurant’s appeal.
Take the restaurant’s bestselling beef randang.
Inspired by rendang traditions from neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, the dish tells a distinctly Mindanaoan story. According to the restaurant’s research, a couple from Lanao introduced the recipe decades ago. Without access to certain traditional ingredients, local cooks adapted the dish using what was available.
The result is rich, deeply spiced, and remarkably tender—a dish layered with history as much as flavor. Every bite reveals influences that crossed borders before finding a permanent home in Mindanao.
Then there is the humba, another standout that reflects the region’s unique culinary identity.
While humba traces its roots to Chinese influences, the Cagayan de Oro version has evolved into something entirely its own. Thanks to the abundance of pineapple farms in nearby Bukidnon, the pork is slowly cooked and tenderized with pineapple, creating a sweetness that is subtle rather than sugary. The result is complex, comforting, and unmistakably local.
It is the kind of dish that makes diners pause between bites—not for photographs, but because they are genuinely trying to understand what makes it so good.
Though, to be fair, it is also highly Instagram-worthy.
For younger diners accustomed to chasing the latest food trend, Cucina Higala offers something different: authenticity. The dishes do not rely on spectacle. Their appeal comes from the stories they carry and the traditions they preserve.
Hospitality with Mindanao Pride
That authenticity extends beyond the food.
Service here feels deeply personal. Staff members guide guests through unfamiliar dishes with enthusiasm rather than formality. Questions are welcomed. Stories are shared. Visitors are treated not as customers passing through but as guests being welcomed into Mindanao.
Uy believes that matters.
Sometimes coming over here to Cagayan de Oro takes a lot of effort,” he said. When we have visitors, we’ll make sure that we give Mindanao pride, Mindanao’s way of service.”
That philosophy is evident throughout the experience.
The Art of Rediscovery
By the end of a meal, diners leave with more than a full stomach. They leave with a greater appreciation for a region whose culinary traditions have often been overlooked in national conversations.
For years, Uy notes, there was no widely recognized concept called “Mindanao cuisine.” The term itself was created as a way to help tell the story.
At Cucina Higala, that story continues to unfold every day.
It arrives in steaming bowls, slow-cooked meats, and recipes passed from one generation to the next. It lingers in conversations between tables and in the pride with which each dish is presented.
Most importantly, it reminds diners that some of the country’s most exciting culinary discoveries are not found in reinvention, but in rediscovery.
And in Cagayan de Oro, few places tell that story more beautifully than Cucina Higala.
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