Davao City’s dining landscape is growing more diverse, with restaurants that reflect both the region’s deep culinary roots and the modern appetite for global flavors. Two of the city’s busiest hubs, SM City Davao and SM Lanang, have become gathering places for food lovers, offering everything from familiar comfort food to specialty concepts making their debut in Mindanao.

At SM City Davao, choices span family-style meals to sweet indulgences. Emerald Chinese Cuisine continues to draw crowds with its hearty servings of classic dishes, a favorite for big celebrations. Brique Modern Kitchen caters to those looking for casual comfort food, serving plates of barbecue ribs, chops, and flatbreads in a relaxed setting. Chikaan brings the warmth of home-cooked Filipino staples like ginataang monggo and sinigang, while The Good One Café and Yogurt lets diners build their own yogurt cups with toppings priced by weight, alongside coffee and matcha drinks. For dessert, Puffy’s Soufflé Pancake Café is a hit with its towering, jiggly pancakes that melt on the tongue.

Across town at SM Lanang, flavors take a more global turn. Hakura Udon hand-pulls noodles fresh daily, pairing them with dashi broths and customizable toppings for a Japanese comfort food experience. Dencio’s Kamayan and Hukad continue the Filipino feast tradition with grilled favorites and crowd-pleasing dishes that highlight the region’s ingredients. Tuna Express Kamayan Grills, meanwhile, leans into Davao’s reputation for seafood, offering fresh tuna belly, panga, kinilaw, and sizzling sisig paired with lato or guso seaweed salads.

Even hotel dining has carved out space here. Park Inn by Radisson Davao, beside SM Lanang, often features seasonal menus inspired by Mindanao. During the recent Kadayawan Festival, it recreated a Roxas Night Market-style spread while showcasing local specialties such as tiyula itum and chicken pyanggang.

For Davaoeños and visiting travelers alike, the dining options at these malls reflect the city’s broader food culture: rooted in tradition yet constantly open to new flavors. Whether it’s a bowl of udon, a plate of barbecue, or a cloudlike pancake, the choices show how mall dining has grown beyond convenience into a culinary destination in its own right.