A Guide Where Locals Buy Vigan Pasalubong

Located just before you enter Calle Crisologo from Plaza Burgos, Tongson’s is dubbed as the home of the original Vigan royal bibingka (glutinous rice cake). There are many other shops that sell their version of the delicacy, but locals still flock to Tongson’s for their royal bibingka. A box of eight is sold at PhP85, while a pack of 16 is at PhP165. Tongson´s pudding is also a local favorite, which is sold at PhP75 for eight pieces and PhP140 for 16 pieces.

The store also sells other Vigan pasalubong such as bagnet (deep-fried crispy pork belly), longganisa (Filipino-style sausage), chicha corn (crispy puffed white corn), taro chips, and dried miki (egg noodles). If you are looking for Ilocos vinegar, Tongson’s has it in different varieties as well: regular, spiced, and dark.

Tongson’s closes at around 6:00 PM, so if you want to buy Vigan Delicacies and Pasalubong, be sure to go there early in the day.

How to get there: You can ask any tricycle or kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) driver to take you to Tongson’s store for some Vigan pasalubong. If you have a private vehicle, the major street leading to Tongson’s is closed every weekend. You can ask locals where to buy pasalubong in Vigan or go directly to De Los Reyes St. parallel to Calle Crisologo, then turn left to Florentino Street. Tongson’s is at the corner of Crisologo and Florentino.

Their main branch is located at Bantay, Ilocos Sur. They have stalls at Galleria de Vigan and Partas Bus Station. Marsha’s Delicacies offer a wide range of Vigan pasalubong, such as royal bibingka, bibingka supreme, pudding, and kalamay (sticky rice cake). Marsha’s royal bibingka is sold at PhP90 for eight pieces and PhP170 for 16 pieces. The bibingka supreme is PhP 190 for the whole box.

The stalls mostly sell Vigan Delicacies and Pasalubong from Marsha’s Delicacies, while the main branch is a coffee shop and restaurant offering other food products. At the main branch, you can find various Vigan pasalubong like Ilocos vinegar, Basi wine, guyabano (soursop) concentrate juice, taro chips, rice coffee, chicha corn, and chicharron (pork cracklings), among others.

Browse our list of restaurants in Vigan in the Dining & Leisure Category of Yoorekka Directory.

Vigan City Public Market is the place to go to if you want to buy Vigan pasalubong you need in one place. On the second floor, you can find different food items, but there is a whole section there dedicated to just bagnet and longganisa. Some stalls sell bagnet chicharon. Longganisa is sold by the dozen, from PhP100 (small) to PhP120 (large). Bagnet is sold at PhP360 per kilo.

In another section of the second floor are Vigan Delicacies and Pasalubong. You will find that a different version of the bibingka is sold there. As opposed to the royal bibingka, which is individually wrapped, this Vigan pasalubong is almost as big as a plate and only half an inch thick.

It is best to drop by in the early morning as there are stalls that are open only until noon. Several stalls serve breakfast, so you don´t have to worry about getting hungry if you don´t have time to grab some food before going.

A branch of Ammianance’s Ritch Delicacies is also in this section. Their main branch is located at Quirino Blvd, Vigan City. Aside from selling Vigan pasalubong, such as the mamon (sponge cake) and empanada (turnover), Ammianance also has its own royal bibingka, which is sold at PhP150 for 16 pieces.

Trinkets, T-shirts, and other household items are sold on the first floor of the Vigan City Public Market. Abel blankets (made of traditional handwoven textile from Ilocos), woven mats, *buri bags (made from buri palm), and alis tambo (soft whisk broom) can be found in several stalls lining the middle area of the market. Abel blankets start at (single).

If you are looking for a muscovado, you can also find it here. Prices for muscovado vary depending on the time of the year.

How to get there: Vigan City Public Market is located at Alcantara St. It is just in front of the Partas bus station. If you have a private vehicle, head to Rizal Avenue, then turn left towards Alcantara St.—turn right when you see the market. It is a one-way street, so be sure to observe the traffic.

Check out our list of Pasalubong Shops in Vigan or browse the Locals' Favorites category of the Yoorekka Directory.