Kermit Surf Resort and Restaurant

Kermit is one of Siargao's longest-standing dining institutions, a surf resort restaurant in General Luna that's been a reference point on the island for years and holds that position through genuine food quality rather than just familiarity. The focus is wood-fired pizza and fresh pasta, made in the Italian tradition and done consistently enough to have stayed people's first recommendation for years.

The open-air setting, tropical fruit shakes, and the constant energy of a surf crowd that's adopted it as its natural dining room add up to an atmosphere that's hard to replicate. It's a proper Italian kitchen and a very Siargao experience at once, and the two sit together naturally.

For a first dinner on the island, it's the local recommendation almost everyone makes, and the food delivers on it. The wood-fired Margherita is the baseline, and they get it right, which tells you the rest of the pizza menu is in good hands.