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Three new dining concepts spice up Visayas food scene

Jason Mago · Sep 26, 2026, 3:33 AM

A SERVING of Chili’s signature ribs is featured as the restaurant opens its first Iloilo branch (left), a Japanese beef hamburg steak topped with melted cheese is served at Niku Niku Oh!! Kome (middle) and a spread of Filipino dishes is featured at George & Onnie’s. — Photographs courtesy of SM Supermalls

The Visayas food scene is getting more dining options as three restaurant brands make their way to SM Supermalls in Iloilo and Cebu.

Chili’s has opened its first branch in Iloilo at SM City Iloilo, bringing its burgers, fajitas, ribs and other Tex-Mex offerings to the city. The restaurant opened on 22 September, marking its first branch in the region.

Meanwhile, two more concepts are set to make their Visayas debuts at SM City Cebu.

George & Onnie’s is opening its first branch in the Visayas, offering modern Filipino comfort food based on family recipes and dishes designed for sharing.

Japanese restaurant Niku Niku Oh!! Kome is also coming to SM City Cebu for its first location in the VisMin region. It specializes in freshly made Japanese beef hamburg steaks grilled in front of diners and served with Japanese rice.

The three concepts cover different dining preferences, from Tex-Mex and Filipino comfort food to Japanese hamburg steaks.

The expansion comes as SM Supermalls continues to add food and lifestyle concepts to its properties. The company said its tenant footprint grew 4 percent in the first half of 2026 to more than 23,000 tenants nationwide, with food, leisure and lifestyle concepts among those driving demand.