Our October 2025 Favorites. Super late. Oops. But forgive us as we tackle our backlogs. We have pasta, hot pot, desserts, and a refreshing coffee concoction. Our top favorite? The Mixed Berries Cheesecake by Lachi’s. Of course.

Ready? Here are our favorites from February:

• Garlic Alfredo Pasta by The Secret Garden Cafe
• Beef Short Ribs with Kimchi Rice by Dulce Desserts
• Hao Tang Hotpot
• Cheesecake by Lachi’s Sansrival Atbp
• Lemon Espresso Tonic by Cafe de Vivre

Garlic Alfredo Pasta

First, a pasta dish: Garlic Chicken Alfredo by The Secret Garden Cafe.

We love all sorts of pasta dishes and this one is definitely one we love. The pasta is al dente. The chicken is juicy and tasty. And nothing is drowing in sauce. The cream sauce is tasty and rich but not too thick nor too much. Just the right texture and amount.

The garlic is the best part of this because it cuts through the sauce and balances the flavor of everything. And the fresh basil on top adds freshness to the dish.

The Secret Garden Cafe is located in SM Village, Bangkal. We recommend calling or sending a message ahead to reserve a spot.

Beef Short Ribs with Kimchi Rice

Second on this list is Beef Short Ribs with Kimchi Rice by Dulce Desserts.

Dulce Desserts opened at a new location just a stone throw’s away from their old location. Literally just a few meter away. Same street, same building, new and bigger spot. And of course, an expanded menu with savory dishes and more options.

We have tried a few of their savory dishes and the Beef Shortribs with Kimchi Rice is our favorite. Tender and savory beef with a hint of sweetness. Spicy, fluffy Kimchi Rice. Perfect cooked sunny side egg. The mix of flavors and textures is truly delightful.

Dulce Desserts is located at CT Drive in Tulip Drive, Matina.

Hao Tang Hotpot

And we were able to finally try Hao Tang Hotpot.

Our friend ordered for us so we do not remember much of what we ordered but a few things stood out. First, the appetizer of Sweet Potato Chips. Thinly sliced, perfectly fried and seasoned sparsely. Second, the expansive sauce bar with way too many options. Our Editor Ria tried making her usual hotpot sauce and they had everything she loves. We also tried their own sauce mix as prepared by their servers and we recommend it to those who do not have their own favorite hotpot sauce mix yet.

We also love the Tomato Broth. Just the right mix of umami and sourness. All the meat we had looked fresh and tasted just right. The vegetables were crisp and fresh. And all the balls and dimsum tasted right. Nothing was frozen or limp in texture.

We recommend ordering the herbal tea. It cleanses the palate and gives a nice balance to the salty, spicy, umami flavors of the hotpot. And it is refreshing.

Hao Tang has a branch at Azuela High Street and at Sion Building in Juna Subdivision, Matina.

Cheesecake by Lachi’s

And we are back at our top favorite and most recommended Davao restaurant, Lachi’s Sans Rival Atbp.

We will probably never get tired of Lachi’s and we will never run out of stuff to recommend. While we love their signature sans rival, our Editor Ria’s first love at Lachi’s are their cheesecakes. It is always a treat to have cheesecake by Lachi’s. In this October trip to Lachi’s they surprised us with one of our favorites, a whole Lachi’s Cheesecake with a mix of berry toppings.

One fourth is Cherry, another fourth is Strawberry, and the half is Blueberry. The Our favorite is Cherry. The tartness is the perfect balance to the rich and creamy cheesecake. But having all three options in one cheesecake is a great idea for a dinner party with family and friends.

Other must-try cheesecakes by Lachi’s are the Triple Chocolate Cheesecake and the Matcha Cheesecake. The Durian Cheesecake is also a great dessert to try, even if you are not a durian lover.

Lachi’s Sans Rival Atbp is located at Poblacion Market Central along Bangoy Street.

Cafe de Vivre

Finally, our latest recommendation from October 2025 is Lemon Espresso Tonic by Cafe de Vivre.

We tried to accomplish the Davao Coffee Crawl but was just too busy. Luckily, we were able to try three spots and this one was our favorite. It is light and refreshing. It was tangy and a bit sweet. If you are a fan of citrus and coffee concoctions, this is a must-try.

Cafe de Vivre is located at the 3rd Floor of the Expansion Wing of Abreeza Ayala Mall along JP Laurel Avenue.

Try Cheesecakes by Lachi’s and our other Recommendations

Interested in our October 2025 picks? Try them and let us know if you agree with our recommendations.

Link to MAP.

More Recommendations

We had a bit of downtime last October 2025 so we were able to try a lot of stuff. The five listed above are our top recommendations. But we also love other stuff we tried from that month:

• Bake and Beyond’s Foccacia with Herbed Butter
• Prana Cafe’s Alimuot Drink
• Chachago’s Grass Jelly Milk Tea; and
• &matcha’s Number 6 Wazuka for those who love matcha with a strong vegetal taste; and
• Dulce Desserts’ Nasi Goreng and Tirami-Choux.

Plus, of course, the Flourless Chocolate Cake which is on our Best Cakes in Davao list.

2025 (and 2026) has been interesting. We love the growing food scene in Davao. Agree with us? Leave us your recommendations.

See more Davao food and dining options in our Davao Dining Directory.

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