[Iloilo City EATS] Seafood Feast at 7 Fishes by Coco Veranda

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Iloilo City for a day. Yes, I know it was a super short trip but I wasn’t really there to EATSplore. I was there to impart some of my knowledge about something with the local hotels and restaurant people. However, I had some free time before my engagement and it allowed me to check out one beautiful restaurant that serves up the best seafood from Iloilo, Capiz, and other neighboring islands in the Visayas. That’s right, when in places like Iloilo City, never ever miss out the chance to try out local seafood because it’s going to be as fresh as they can be! In this edition of EATSplorations, I will be sharing about my Iloilo City EATSperience through a Seafood Feast at 7 Fishes by Coco Veranda! Imagine, I was still able to squeeze out an EATSperience even though I was in Iloilo City for less than 24 hours, hehe! Keep on reading to find out about all the good food this restaurant has to offer, enjoy!

7 Fishes by Coco Veranda in Iloilo City!

Thank God for Instagram, someone suggested for me to go visit 7 Fishes by Coco Veranda! Also, it was awesome because the restaurant is just a good 5-minute walk from the hotel where I stayed at. So right after checking in, I walked along Iloilo City’s Benigno Aquino Avenue towards this place called The 21 Avenue Place to EATSperience 7 Fishes! TRIVIA: In case you were wondering, the name 7 Fishes came from Feast of the 7 Fishes, a Christmas Eve dinner of the Italian-Americans where they only eat seafood and prepare at least 7 kinds of fish or mixed seafood for some.

 

The place was really lovely and welcoming! Its also perfect for amazing family meals and eat outs with friends. Nothing beats being in a place like 7 Fishes with the people you love while devouring the Philippines’ best seafood, right?

 

Marine inspired decor all over the place. 7 Fishes was indeed very pleasing to the eyes. I almost forgot about my intense hunger.

I was really in the right place. I was ready to EATSperience the Flavors of the Seafood Capital of the Philippines. At this point, my excitement was already off the roof!

Flavors of the Seafood Capital of the Philippines!

Before I forget, 7 Fishes is the sister restaurant of Coco Veranda, a really famous restaurant in Roxas City, Capiz. Their first restaurant being in the seafood capital of the Philippines, it was easy for 7 Fishes to serve up nothing but the freshest and the best seafood from Roxas to the seafood loving people of Iloilo City. The quality of seafood is never a question when it comes to what they offer at 7 Fishes!

Shrimp Balls (Php 190)

Great combination of textures and pure shrimp sweetness! Lovely crunch on the shell, complemented perfectly by the juicy minced shrimps. Make sure to dip in its sweet and sour sauce to complete the EATSperience!

Seafood Sisig (Php 295)

Scallops, dilis, and oysters! Yes, this sisig is all about the bounty of the seas and I absolutely loved it! This is probably one of the best sisig interpretations I have ever eaten. Definitely a must try at 7 Fishes!

Grilled Diwal (Php 270 for 1/4 kg)

It was apparently the season of Diwal or Angel Wing Clams when I went to Iloilo. Therefore, the owner of the restaurant said, I really needed to try it and I did. Good thing I did because it was extremely good! Yes, it tasted like the sea and it was just super fresh and tender. If you ever get the chance to find Grilled Diwal, please please please try it out! You will surely love it, too!

Baked Oyster (Php 165 for 10-12 pieces)

I was left speechless after my first oyster at 7 Fishes. Yes, it was really really good. It was just an explosion of amazing flavors. Super tasty and fresh!

Baked Scallops (Php 360 for 10-12 pieces)

Roxas Scallops for the win! Yes, straight from the seafood capital itself. I couldn’t help but smile for every tasty scallop that I had. Every scallop was simply amazing! Sweet, fresh, and extremely juicy. Awesome stuff!

Native Fried Chicken (Php 515)

The Native Fried Chicken may be considered a bit tough and dry but what makes it good is that it’s all natural and filled with so much flavor. The flavor really compensated the lack of tenderness pretty well and I loved it!

Sizzling Stuffed Squid (Php 263)

Perfectly cooked squid with rice, minced pork, and all the good stuff inside it. One of my favorites of this EATSperience! Why? Well, it’s been a long time since I had a really good squid dish and good thing I tried this beautiful dish at 7 Fishes. If you are a squid person, make sure to order this one!

Coco Veranda Chili Crab (Php 300 for this size)

I am not really a crab person because I don’t enjoy cracking shells for its meat but this one was an exception. Why? Because of the heavenly creamy and spicy sauce! It tasted like Crab Gising Gising if there was any. I just had to eat rice with this one. The sweetness of the crab meat went so perfectly with the spicy coconut sauce. The best dish of this EATSperience!

Steamed Lapu Lapu in Light Sauce (Php 253 for this size)

Probably the second best dish of this EATSperience! The classic Steamed Lapu Lapu! This one reminded me so much of my meals at Chinese restaurants in Binondo together with my family. The flesh was so soft and the sauce was just right. Simple things done right.

I was stuffed like crazy after my first-ever 7 Fishes EATSperience and I would most definitely be back again. The food was top-notch! The service was great. Servers were really attentive. It was all about the star of each dish, the fresh seafood from Iloilo, Capiz, and the surrounding islands of the Visayas. The chefs and cooks of the place did a great job in creating recipes that would bring out the best in each main ingredient and that’s what’s making 7 Fishes by Coco Veranda a great place to try when you are in Iloilo! I, 100%, recommend this place for you to try! That’s it for this special edition of EATSplorations, ’til next time!

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7 Fishes by Coco Veranda

The 21 Avenue Place, Diversion Road, Mandurriao, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo

+63 33 331 2760

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Operating Hours:

11:00am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 10:00pm (Mon-Sun)