The Best Baby Back Ribs and Steaks – Here’s Where to Find Them in Cagayan de Oro

15 Jan The Best Baby Back Ribs and Steaks – Here’s Where to Find Them in Cagayan de Oro

The venerable Steak and the venerable Baby Back Ribs; both are palate favorites of Kagay-anons next to the venerable lechon and seafood dishes. For those who don’t know the difference, the simplest answer is that baby back ribs are pork meat while steaks are usually beef. There are however, some pork steaks taken from prime cuts.

The generic term for a baby back ribs is pork ribs. Baby back ribs or loin ribs are taken from the top of the rib cage of the pig, between the spine and the spare ribs, just below the loin muscle. The meat parts are usually between the bones and on top of the bones and are considered meatier than spare ribs. Beef steaks are the meat part sliced perpendicular to the muscle fibers of the cow. While the word pork ribs originated from English dialects around the 15^th century, baby back ribs as a dish was invented by an Englishman, Robert Wilson, living in Brisbane, Australia in 1986. Steak is derived from the 15^th century Scandinavian word, “steik,” which means “meat slice.”

Ribs and Bibs

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Searching for a rib and steak place won’t be hard when you enter this restaurant. Located at the corner of J.R. Borja Street and Corrales Avenue, the name is quite obvious as to its specialty dishes. What’s interesting is that upon entering the restaurant the customers are treated to framed old photographs of pre-20^th century and early 1900’s era Cagayan de Oro and some old personalities.

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But once you delve into the menu, your eyes are immediately drawn to the house specialties: Daddy Back Ribs, Mommy Back Ribs, and Baby Back Ribs. Since they go by size you can order either by your eating capacity or share it with a group or another person. The usual side dishes that come with the ribs are buttered veggies, plain rice, grilled corn on the cob, coleslaw salad, sweet potato mash, tropical salsa, chili con carne, and java rice. They also serve great Pork steak, Beef burger steak, Mumsie’s Angus Roast Beef, and Angus Rib-Eye.

Restaurant Damaso

Restaurant Damaso is the new eating place in CDO that serves rich and palatable unique international dishes.

This restaurant hails from the same owners ofChino’s Deli. You can’t miss the place too because it now occupies the space of the former Mom’s Corner Restaurant at Pabayo corner Toribio Chavez Streets (ground floor of Casa Crystalla). Their famous Fuego-to-go Ribs is to die for!

Fuego-to-Go Ribs

Countryside Steakhouse

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As the name implies you don’t need second guesses to figure out what this restaurant serves up as specialties. They are located at the Rosario Strip at the Limketkai Center just outside the mall across from the west side entrance.

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They are one of the few places in the city that serves really good Sirloin Steak, Ostrich Steak, Rib Eye Steak, and Ostrich Salpicao.

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Oh, yes, and their Baby Back Ribs, Countryside Burger, and Mashed Potatoes are really worth the trip as well. This restaurant was one of the pioneers when Limketkai Mall opened back in 1992 during its “open roof” days and is considered one of the city’s oldest restaurants.

Sentro 1850

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Located almost at the corner of Apolinar Velez and Toribio Chaves Streets, this is one of Cagayan de Oro’s fairly old restaurants at 14 years when the place was started by Rene Sia and Eric Yap back in 2001.

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It is one of the first to serve Roast Beef Steak, Baby Back Ribs, Char Grilled Burger Steak, and Tenderloin Steak. Their Bric-A-Brac Baby Back Ribs is charcoal grilled Louisiana-style in smoked barbecue sauce so there’s no need for additional barbecue sauce.

Circa 1850

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Created by the same owners of Sentro 1850, Circa 1850 is located at the ground floor of the now newly named Tune Hotel, formerly the Red Planet, along C.M. Recto Avenue, just in front of the Mindanao University for Science and Technology.

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Like Sentro, the restaurant’s steak dishes are a combination of old school and new concepts, such as the Bistecca Florentina, a beef steak cut served like sashimi and topped with arugula. We do warn you about the delicious Beefsteak Tomato Salad that has no beefsteak in it.

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It’s the name of the salad tomato and is called beefsteak tomato because it is large and juicy and can be eaten fresh after harvesting. They also serve other steak dishes and baby back ribs.

Mooon Café

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The name is not a typo, though many people do notice that the name is spelt with three o’s. In truth it actually represents the three names of the owners.

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If you decide to go to Mooon out of curiosity, then get ready for your tongue and taste buds to be bamboozled by a variety of Mexican steak dishes and Mexican baby back ribs all cooked to real Mexican standards. You’ll find their new location at the Lifestyle District on Corrales Extension.

Mykarelli’s Grill

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With two locations at the Lifestyle District along Corrales Extension and on J.R. Borja Extension Highway, this restaurant is normally associated with grilled Filipino foods.

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While this is true, they actually have a specialty called the “Baby Come Back” Ribs, baby back ribs cooked in sweet sauce and chopped garlic and served with steamed veggies and rice. They also serve awesome Hungarian Beef Steak.

Bigby’s Café and Restaurant (International cuisines)

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The major concept of Bigby’s is to serve international cuisines, and their specialties are their steak and baby back ribs dishes. Bigby’s is one of the oldest restaurants to be established in the Limketkai Center, and presently with another branch at the Centrio Ayala Mall.

Rack-A-Bye-Baby

It was also the grand champion in the “Kumbira” International Competition for the years 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Their specialties are their Full House Ribs, Wild West Steak and Gravy, Rack-A-Bye-Baby and Rack-A-Bye-Baby-Go Easy Ribs, Uncle Sam Roast Beef, Porterhouse Steak, T-Bone Steak, Gold Medal Steak, Captain Joe’s U.S. Rib-Eye Steak, and Porky Steak.

Brewsky and Fry

One of the newly opened eating places at the ground floor of the Empire Lounge at the Lifestyle District along Corrales Extension. It’s a dine-in restaurant where the customers can either eat inside the place or bring the food to nearby tables outside, especially at night. This restaurant serves really great steaks and baby back ribs dishes.

T.G.I. Fridays

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One of the most popular steak and ribs restaurant in the United States, the ambience and food is no different at the T.G.I.F. at the ground floor of the Ayala Centrio Mall fronting Capt. Vicente Roa Street.

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Their whopping and super delicious specialties include the Boneless Buffalo Bites, Jack Daniel’s Cajun-Spiced Baby Back Pork Ribs, Jack Daniel’s Steak, Jack Daniel’s Ribs, New York Strip Steak, Texas Ribeye Steak, and Peppercorn Strip Steak.

Capt. Richie’s Baby Back Ribs

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This restaurant’s name isn’t hard to figure out. Originally located at the corner of Tomas Saco Street and 16^th Street in Nazareth when it opened in 2012, it’s still there though the restaurant tried to open two other branches in Divisoria and at the Big Tree Arcade along Kauswagan Highway. These branches have since closed. They recently opened a new one at the J.R. Borja Extension Highway. They claim to serve the best baby back ribs in town (hence the restaurant’s name) as well as other specialized ribs. This is because unlike other back ribs restaurants that cook baby back ribs the old-fashioned American way, Capt. Richie achieved a somewhat American-Filipino mixed taste to its pork ribs. And because the place is owned by a Cagayanon, they call their specialty the St. Augustine’s Ribs.

Vienna Kaffeehaus

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The name might cast doubt at being a steak place since it’s a coffee house located along Don Apolinar Velez Street. However, they are actually a European inspired Austrian restaurant that serves some of the best steak dishes in the city. Their specialties include the Backhendl Steak, Kranier Steak, and Gulasch Steak. Another branch is at the Limketkai Center Mall, while there are five main branches in Cebu and another in Bacolod.

Conclusion

So there you have it, some (if not the best) of the steak and baby back rib restaurants that you will easily find around Cagayan de Oro, and need we say that these places are actually affordable. They may all look and feel like five-star restaurants, but when you see the prices on the menu you might get the surprise of your life that the food isn’t pricey after all. Naturally, you’ll need to spend a little bit more than your average fast food place, but the food is all worth it because, hey, pork ribs and Angus beef don’t come cheap on the market. But these restaurants cook so well you might desire to come back again and again.