Matias Barbecue: A Tradition of Smoky-Flavored Excellence (베스트 치킨 바베큐)

Easter Sunday was an occasion to break the fasting of the Holy Week and we chose Matias Barbecue in Banilad, Mandaue City to break our abstinence from tasty, sumptuous meals. Matias is a popular barbecue grill restaurant that has been in the business for many years already. The ambiance is outdoor picnic-type under the shade of the caimito (star apple) trees. There are seats indoors adjunct the grilling station but it's too smokey in there because there is no exhaust fan.

Matias Barbecue Restaurant along A.S. Fortuna Street, Mandaue City

Matias' outdoor picnic-style setting

People flock to Matias on weekdays and especially on weekends where entire families come. The accommodations are spartan and may be quite a bit below the standard to a foreign guest but people come to eat what is arguably the best chicken barbecue in the entire Philippines. I am not exaggerating. I may not have tasted it all but I have gone through many places in the country and tasted their barbecue chicken (yes, including Larsian's and the Bacolod variety - which are both excellent!) -- and my verdict is that Matias Chicken Barbecue is the best!!


Matias chicken barbecue is tender, juicy, adequately cooked from the outside in, deliciously smoky, with a hint of seasoned sweetness; you don't need a sauce to eat it along with Cebu's favorite hanging rice or puso. Probably it took many hours to process the raw meat into this delicious creation and only Matias knows the secret in doing it.


Matias also serves lanciao, balbacua, pork barbecue, pork chorizo, and other grill fares.

Aside from chicken barbecue, Matias also serves lansiao and balbacua.

The indoor section of the restaurant is sometimes filled with smoke from the grill because there is no exhaust fan.

There is one thing about this restaurant that amazes me aside from their chicken barbecue. It's their system of serving the food you order. First, you line up at the display of barbecue fares near the grilling station and choose your order. Second,  you place your order on a plastic plate and line it up along with the plates of other customers.  Third, just leave your order there and find yourself a seat. Yes, leave your order and find yourself a seat. Your order will find its way back to you perfectly cooked in 10-15minutes. The key is to remember what you ordered because your assigned waiter will ask you about it before she will get it from the grilling station. It's amazing how it works all the time.



NAME OF RESTAURANT: Matias Barbecue Restaurant
OPERATING HOURS: 11:00 AM to 12:00 MIDNIGHT, Daily
LOCATION: A.S. Fortuna St., Banilad, Mandaue City (Google Maps Link)
I LOVE CEBU RATING: