The D’Talipapa Seafood Market is one of my favorite places on Boracay, and at the same time, my least favorite.
Seafood is one of those things that I’m mostly apathetic towards (it just seems like too high prices for not too much payoff), but if I happen to get my hands on some, I don’t know why I don’t eat more of it. It’s delicious! On the other hand, D is a big seafood fan (check out the gigantic shrimp we had in Bangkok Chinatown!), so I can always count on him to bring me out of my shell (errrr… pun not intended).
The D’Talipapa market is a mecca for seafood lovers. I’ve never been anywhere like it. Tables of brightly colored fish. Prawns as big as your forearm (D could hardly contain his excitement). Tanks of lobsters and crabs. Piles upon piles of clams, oysters, and other shellfish. You want them alive and kicking? No problem! Prefer them dead instead? Sure, just means it’s cheaper.
I may have discovered that I actually like seafood, but I hate shopping here. It’s a dreadfully stressful situation. As you wander through the narrow aisles, vendors yell at you from every which way. Crabs will be dangled in front of you. Prawns with furiously kicking legs will be shoved in your face. Wiggling fish will be handed to you for inspection.
The vendors’ main goal is to get as much money from you as they can. And your main goal is to get your seafood for as cheap as possible. Here, bargaining is a game. And it takes skill to play.
However, we’re not skilled. Bargaining makes me incredibly nervous, while D doesn’t understand why they can’t just be honest to start with. A couple of times, we’ve arrived with rumbling tummies but left empty handed simply because he refused to play the game.
“It was too high. 1,200 pesos for one prawn, are you kidding me??” He’d scoff as he storms away from the vendor.
“Yes, but you know they purposely quote you high, right?? Because they’re expecting you to come down.”
“Yeah but I still didn’t like his attitude.”
“But that’s how it works! Do you not understand bargaining??”
“Fine, next time you try it if you don’t like how I play.”
Challenged accepted!
After a few stressful, but successful, attempts at bargaining, the market no longer seemed like such an intimidating place. Here are my 6 steps to have a happy, delicious experience at D’Talipapa:
Step 1: be familiar with how much things should cost
Never go in completely blind. We did a little bit of research first, so we knew how much we were willing to pay (and I even went as far as to ask other diners how much they paid for their stuff). This is a good guide to use as a starting point (D’Talipapa used to have a price list posted, but no longer does), but of course the prices varied from our experience. Also know whether you want alive or dead, which is a huge difference in cost. We find that the aliveness levels come in: very much alive and kicking, barely alive (twitches if splashed water on), or dead.
dead large jumbo prawns: 650 pesos, or US$14.63, for 8 pieces (approx. 1 kilo). Want these alive? You’re probably looking at one for 400 pesos, at least.
the prawns grilled for an extra 150 pesos
From our experience, here are the prices we paid (in pesos):
- (dead) giant prawns: 8 for 650
- (barely alive) giant king prawns: 2 for 600
- scallops: 1/2 kilo for 200
- small-medium-ish lapu-lapu fish: 450
- clams and other small shellfish: 125/kilo
* 500 pesos = approximately $11 US
** note: these prices are just from our experience. These are the lowest that we’ve paid for. Maybe we still overpaid… who knows. But we were happy customers. We didn’t get crab or lobster as we feel they’re too expensive for not too much meat (for lobster, you’re talking maybe 1,500 peso for a medium one.). I think the prawns are the best value in terms of price + meat.
Step 2: come during early afternoon hours
the quiet market during early afternoon hours
During dinner hours, the narrow aisles are crammed full with people and the vendors may be less willing to bargain. But during the early afternoon (1 pm – 4 pm), we find that the market is mostly empty. Take your time browsing the aisles. The vendors are more likely to chat and you’re in a better position to strike a good deal.
Another tip I find that works well is saying that we’ve already eaten and we’re just looking. Immediately, the vendors go from aggressive to friendly once the pressure to make a sale is off. Then, we can chat and casually inquire about the price.
Step 3: ready to buy? Cut the price by 2/3
See something you like? Now is time to ask for the price. The vendor will type a number into a calculator and hand it to you. All communication is done via calculator, so don’t worry about language barrier or misunderstandings.
Look at the number. Do they really think you’re stupid?! Well you are not, because you’re reading this guide!
The number displayed will be much, much too high. If it’s too ridiculously high (like the vendor who wanted 1,200 pesos for ONE giant prawn), then just walk away. If it seems like a good starting point, cut it by 1/2 or even 2/3. Type it into the calculator and hand it back to the vendor. Now, this number you’re offering is probably too low. But it’s okay. We’re going to work our way up from here.
For example: Vendor quoted 850 pesos for 2 giant (barely alive) king prawns. My first counter-offer: 400 pesos (knowing this to be too low). His comeback: 650. We finally settle on 600, and we’re both happy.
two gigantic prawns for 600 PHP, or $13.50 US
the tail is seriously like a small lobster tail!
Step 4: look like you’re about to cry
Is step 3 not working? Then you may have to resort to the girls’ secret weapon: crying.
I really really wanted scallops. I knew it was 200 pesos for 20 pieces as that’s what I had previously paid. But a week later, the price had mysteriously doubled and nobody was willing to come down.
“We were here last week, and we paid 200 pesos for 20.”
“No no, that’s too cheap. We never sell for that cheap. 300 pesos”
“But I know they’re only 200 pesos!”
Later, D told me I looked like I was about to cry, which wouldn’t surprise me as I was seriously frustrated (yes, I realize I was stressing out over the equivalent of $2). I can’t really attribute the final outcome to this, but they did come down on the price, just saying. Finally, we agreed to 250 pesos for half a kilo, which is a little over 20 pieces.
garlic butter scallops
Step 5: make them jealous
One last resort, if you really cannot come to an agreement, just walk away. Even better, make a show of going to a competitor’s stall, which will probably be just right next door. As soon as you turn your back, they’ll call after you, “hey hey hey, come back! What’s your price?”
Now, you’ve got the power. Go back and make your offer.
alive medium lapu-lapu (not so pretty, but it was good): 450 pesos, down from 800 after we walked away
Step 6: get your food cooked!
So you’ve got your seafood! What do you now? After all, you’re on vacation and you’re not about to cook it yourself.
This is the fun part! Just walk a few steps over to one of the many cooking services on the perimeter of the market and have your seafood prepared however you want, whether it be grilled, steamed, garlic buttered, stir fried, or made into soup. Here is a list of all possible preparation methods and cost (usually it costs between US$3-4 per dish).
Our favorite cooking service is Plato D’Boracay (not that we went to any other ones for comparison). We chose it based on the fact that it’s always crowded, which is a good sign.
mmmmm… GET IN MY BELLY!
We always just eat our seafood by itself, but you can make a whole meal out of it. D’Talipapa also has a produce section and you can buy some vegetables to have them cook it up too. Round out the meal with rice and fresh mango for dessert.
Practical Information:
- Location: at Station 2, down a small alleyway next to Victory Diver’s Resort (very close to the McDonald’s stand)
- Getting there: either walk along the beachfront, or you can take a tricycle from the main road
- Besides the seafood market, this market also sells produce and souvenir goods. But no international grocery store. You’ll have to go to D’Mall for that.
- Last tip: make sure you ask to see what you’re buying. I heard that sometimes, the vendor switches out alive for dead when you’re not looking.
Now you know what to expect from a trip to D’Talipapa! It is certainly not the cheapest, but I think it’s one of the most unique dining experiences on Boracay, and so is definitely worth a visit. Now, go put your bargaining skills to the test! Good luck!
P.S. For a complete guide to Boracay’s 15 budget restaurants, check out Boracay Compass’s very helpful guide (D’Talipapa is listed as one of them!). Find everything ranging from budget local eats to pastries to international!
Are you a fan of seafood? How do you feel about bargaining? Have you been to a market like this?
This post is linked up with Sunday Traveler with Pack Me To and others!
Cool! Look at those colorful fishies!! To be honest, I’ve not had a lot of experience with bargaining, so this was super interesting to read. We did go to the Addiction Aquatic Development at Taipei where we bought REALLY fresh fish (you should go!!), but it definitely was not a bargaining kind of place. And thank goodness, because bargaining makes me so nervous! Also love that you had it cooked for you!
Ooh D just read your comment and got excited for the aquatic development place you mentioned (he’s the fish lover)! We’re actually leaving Taipei today (sitting in the airport now!) but we will DEFINITELY be back soon! So we’ll find it next time. No bargaining = a lot less stress to me!
Oh man I’m so sorry I forgot to tell you about it before you guys emailed! It’s pretty cool… and I hope you enjoyed Taiwan, I can’t wait to read your posts about it! I just wrote a guest post for Route Bliss about Taiwan, it’ll go live next week but I’m excited to see your photos!
Share your guest post once it goes live!! Can’t wait to see it! I’m gonna share why I loved Taipei next!
O to the M to the G, those prawns are HUGE. (I feel like there’s a “That’s what she said.” joke in there somewhere…) I’m a huge seafood fan so this post is awesome. I haven’t been to a market similar to this, but even reading about the bargaining made me sweat a little. I’m awful at it. Your tips are a really good starting point for me! Thank you, thank you.
Those are literally the biggest prawns I’ve seen in my entire life!! We got 2 of those HUGE ones for the novelty, but 8 of the slightly smaller ones have a lot more meat, for about the same price! I’m sooo bad at bargaining too. It terrifies me, which is why D said I looked like I was about to cry!
I like my seafood dead, cooked and on a plate! I only go to the market when it’s a weekday and quiet. I get to nervous and can’t focus! I even got so dizzy I thought I would pass out one time!
We’re hoping to check out some markets in Rome! We do need to cook to keep the costs down. I hope they’re not too scary. ;)
I usually prefer my meat served on a plate too, but that way, you’d be paying like 3x the price!
This sounds like a really great market, in terms of the food. But I totally know what you mean about bargaining! When I first arrived in India, I had no idea how to bargain. I did then get into the swing of things but still found it uncomfortable sometimes.
I know! Bargaining makes me so nervous! I only feel better about it because I *know* they’re expecting you to bargain. It’s weird but I’m always afraid I’m cheating them out of a profit… but in reality, I’m sure we’re still overpaying no matter what!
Bargaining scares me. It really does. So does people yelling at me to look at their stuff, come in their shop and what not. I get really under pressure and freak out – usually running off hungry or frustrated because I wanted to genuinely look. I just like looking, I never want to buy, especially with souvenirs and the likes.
You and D are definitely having a conversation / mild disagreement that Kris and I would have! We’re both pretty rubbish at that kind of thing. I would definitely do research though, that’s my way of getting around things, but you tend not to learn that until after the initial (many) freak outs haha.
I’m with D – why can’t they just be honest, why do we have to bargain?!
Still great tips!
Haha because if they can get one sucker to pay the sticker price, then they made it out good! But for the rest of us, we have to go through this stressful procedure! The people yelling at you thing is really intimidating. But when we said that we’re not hungry and are just looking, then it was a lot more pleasant. Sometimes, I just want to look too! I hardly ever browse any souvenir stalls because I’m afraid that the vendors will latch onto me if I show interest!
Omg, I would’ve died when I was those big shrimps too. I’m a big sea food fan, love this post! I’m also a fan of getting seafood fresh from the fisherman, it’s always the best kind. Such a cool experience!
You will love this place then! D wanted to come here like everyday! Those prawns were seriously the biggest I’ve seen in my whole life!!
If it’s alive, then that is a guarantee that you are getting fresh seafood. If it’s dead, it might be dead for 2 hours or 2 days, the latter would mean you are getting not-fresh seafood. When it comes to seafood, the level of freshness is a BIG deal, that’s why the price difference is BIG too!
Unfortunately, we’re cheap so we didn’t want to pay the alive prices. And it makes me cringe to think of the animals being cooked alive!! But sometimes we got the “barely alive” stuff and I tried not to think about that!
Ahh this looks fantastic! I love seafood and I think you got a great deal on scallops (considering how expensive they are to buy fresh in North Carolina). Also, the caption “D’s ‘can I eat now?’ face” made me laugh out loud. What a great picture! Also, your iPhone photos are still pretty fab. I must go to this place.
I was so excited about the scallops!! Scallops are the only shellfish I really love but it is so expensive in the States. You’ll love this place if you love seafood! It did surprise me that the lobsters are really not that much cheaper than lobster in the States. But the lobsters there are the cool green kind! And yep, I see that face a lot, lol!
I hate seafood, but that looks pretty interesting! It’s neat that you can buy it and then have it cooked. Markets with live critters kind of freak me out though!
I’m used to seeing live seafood because Asian grocery stores in the States will have a section too. This is a completely different experience, however! The market also just have normal meats too (chicken, pork, beef), and we bought some pork belly to have them cook it up all crispy once too!
OMG those giant prawns look amazing! I also have a soft spot for them, as well as scallops, scampi and lobster mmmmm
I know! Aren’t they the biggest prawns you’ve ever seen?! I do like lobster too but we didn’t get any as they are expensive and I’m pretty sure that giant prawn has just as much meat as a small lobster, lol!
I am absolutely the worst haggler in the world. My husband always brings up the haggling skit from Monty Python’s Life of Brian to tease me about how reluctant I am. I like seafood, so this place looks so plentiful and fresh. I like your description of “barely alive.” Those prawns are HUGE! It’s great that there’s a place that can cook everything, and going to a crowded place is always a good method.
I would think you had some great seafood while living in Malaysia! Were there giant prawns there too? Now, when I see prawns at other markets, they all look so puny, hehe. The cooking services were really cool! I don’t think I would have bought any seafood if I had to cook them myself!
This is great and something my partner and I really need. We both suck at haggling! We bought some “barely alive” shrimp in Split Croatia last week and they were delicious…but we paid full price :(
Is haggling part of the culture in Croatia? If not, then maybe the vendors are just honest enough to tell you the real price! I really sucked at haggling too (it makes me so nervous), but you HAVE to here because otherwise you’d get completely ripped off. And it’s all part of the game here!
Great guide Anna! I’m terrible at bargaining. I just want to be told a price and not get ripped off. I need to figure out if the new guy in my life is any good at this cause I just have no backbone in this area. I feel the same way about seafood – waaaaay too much work for too little reward. But those giant prawns sure look yummy!
Oooh new guy? :) :) I’m so excited to hear about this new development!
Yeah crab is just way too much work, but the giant prawns are good because it’s easier to peel off the shell and there’s a LOT of meat on those things!
Wow! This looks amazing and is really getting me excited about visiting Boracay. Great post. Heard about you from Caroline Made This.
Thanks so much for stopping by Kiki! I’m excited to check out your blog as well! If you have plans to visit Boracay, I would say this place is a must-go for seafood lovers! It’s just such a unique experience… way more fun than just ordering at a restaurant, in my opinion!
Would you still recommend the island after you had that break in? Just wondering about the safety of things!
-Kiki
So sorry about the late reply, Kiki! I think in general, the island is safe. We stayed in an airbnb that doesn’t have a gate in front of the property. And I guess it was our fault that we didn’t think to check that all windows are locked (we didn’t even think about it!). I think as long as you’re really careful about stuff like that, you’ll be completely fine.
However, I’m still trying to think if I’d recommend the island in general. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it’d be, even though we did have a good time there. I have a post in the works about it! I know a lot of people have really good things to say about other less developed islands in the Philippines, like Palawan. I think it all depends on what you like! If you want to go somewhere really developed with a lot of amenities, restaurants, and night life, then Boracay is a good choice.
I love seafood! As for the bargaining, I leave that to my husband – that his job. Thanks for joining us for SundayTraveler
I usually leave bargaining to D too because I hate doing it, but he wasn’t doing a good job with it, haha!
I am a terrible bargainer since it stresses me a lot, I’m always scared of offending the vendor and/ or paying too much. So I usually end up paying too much. I think I was in a similar (but much much smaller) market like this one in Kep, Cambodia, where you could buy fresh fish and seafood and pay someone to cook it, or buy it directly cooked. I loved the shrimps there!
Thanks for the tips!
Me too!! I’m scared of offending the vendor too. I want them to still be able to make a profit, but at the same time, I don’t want to get ripped off. It’s hard to know where that balance is! Sometimes they act all pissed off if you name a price too low and then I get all embarrassed. That market in Kep sounds awesome too! I loved that you can get it cooked.
My husband is the better bargainer! For sure! I would starve on my own! LoL…Or go broke! I love scallops!!
I felt okay bargaining at the seafood market because I knew it was expected. But now, I’m back to being the worst bargainer ever and overpaying for everything!
Thank you for the tips, we are traveling next month and your forum really help me, I will inform my husband about it and he is actually the better bargainer than I am.
Hi Myra! I’m so sorry for the late reply. Best of luck with bargaining at D’Talipapa, and happy eating!! I hope you enjoy Boracay! :)
Hi Anna, nice guide, I like the tip where you’re about to cry, I have to try that hehe. I love D’Talipapa because of the seafood and because of the vibrancy of the place. It’s so alive with so many colors. And lots of delicious fruits to buy also, which I’m a big fan off.
Plato is excellent I agree. For a more quiet place that’s still excellent also try Blue Jade Cafe. That’s my favorite resto in D’Talipapa.
Cheers
Hi Paul! Thanks for taking the time to comment :). I really liked eating at D’Talipapa too, though the bargaining part… not so much! But it’s such a unique experience. And thanks for the excellent suggestion! :D
Anna. I respectfully (strongly) disagree with you here. The locals (MIDDLE CLASS) make $100,000 pesos a year. You do the math- that’s $2,000 USD/Euro a year!!!! You’re bargaining for what? To save 50 cents, maybe $2? It’s not even worth the stress and headache and the perception you’re giving to the locals of wherever you come from. Tricycle ride costs 10 pesos for the locals, for us tourists it’s 150 pesos. That’s roughly $3. THREE Dollars/Euro!!!!! It’s not like they’re charging $20 more! And those extra $1-2 can feed their whole family. These families likely on average have 3-5 children. Tourists you’re literally stealing food from their children’s mouth. I read this article for pure curiosity sake as it came up on google when I was researching where to eat in the market. I’m happy to pay a few dollars more. We enjoy our luxuries – we should disperse our wealth to those less fortunate. This is what tourism is.
I agree with 1- know the prices. But one of your tips (step 4) is to cry?????????? Are you serious???.. Cry????!! Cry because you can’t $1-3 off your giant prawns or lobster?? Or should you cry when you can’t feed your children, when you live in a shack, have no access to clean water, and can’t afford an education for your children? That is the one part in this article that makes me so angry. That’s so immature, heartless, and really quite disgusting. Okay so they give you the prawns for a few dollars less. And then go back to their home that’s a shack and the kids wake up 5 am to clean toilets. How does that make you feel?
And step 5, “make them jealous by going to a competitors market?” Disgusting. You realize you’re creating tension amongst the locals. So you walk away happy eating your lobster- but this is their life. They have to wake up at the crack of dawn until midnight and be neighbors while doing it. Enjoy your lobster buddy.
This is why I travel. To appreciate where I come from. Middle class earns $2,000 a year! Middle class. This is why I travel- to get educated, to be humbled, with how he other parts of the world lives.
If I were you, I’d remove this terrible article that exploits the locals. Or at least add on top the average income the locals earn for salary as a prelude. I’m sure the fishermen earn even less.
And I’d like to end on this note- I’m in my late twenties. I don’t come from money, nor do I have a lot of it. I work hard for my salary, that’s average for my age. Feel free to look at my Facebook. And on that note, I never comment on articles. This may be my first one. Im sitting in Boracay now, and this just really struck a passionate cord within me.
Simply bargaining to save $1-2 dollars is not even worth my headache. I’m happy to know that their family can eat and save towards their children’s education.
Thank you.
First of all, I’m terribly sorry that this comment slipped through the cracks and I didn’t respond sooner.
Please realize that I wrote this as a tongue-in-cheek guide, based on my experiences, for my regular readers who look forward to reading about my latest food adventures. I never expected it to gain any kind of traction. I agree that I am extremely fortunate to have the privilege to travel. Fortunate, but not lucky, because I have worked for everything I earned. Like you, I do not come from money and I have worked very hard for my money & savings, before I quit my job to travel. I do my best to support the small local businesses everywhere I go, and yes, normally I do not haggle when the price is reasonable and I can afford it.
But at markets such as this, bargaining is part of the game. The prices are purposefully quoted high so you both reach a happy point. And it’s also the principle of the thing. When something is quoted to me at one price a certain day (which I accepted without any haggling), and then a few days later, it’s all of a sudden 50% higher, then it becomes a principle issue. No one like being taken advantage of, just because we’re tourists and look like we can afford more. There used to be a price list posted at the market, so I imagine that there was less of a need to bargain; but now that there is no more price list, we need to have an idea of the reasonable prices and hence, the bargaining to achieve that.
The crying thing – that’s completely tongue-in-cheek. I hate bargaining and find it extremely stressful (which I mentioned), and my boyfriend at the time told me later it looked like I was about to cry. Relax, it’s not meant to be taken seriously. :) I also see absolutely nothing wrong with going to a competitor’s stall…. because after all, whoever you give your business too means that the others loose out.
Lastly, thank you for the constructive criticism on my character. I will reflect upon what you said and improve as I see fit. It is a new year, after all!
@ Sandy Mei, I am glad to read how rich you are and how you can afford to buy anything you want without bargaining. I can bet any money, all locals think you are stupid… Bargaining is part of the business and initial price is always high to see what they can “milk” and any time rich people like yourself buy without bargaining, they laugh at you. I bet any money on it!!
It seems you haven’t traveled much though as you would know Sandy, that some people aren’t rich…nor stupid and they can’t pay full overpriced tourist prices nor can they afford it. A lot of people travel on tight budgets for months at a time and some from poor countries as well with salaries of $300-500/month. It takes for some people months/years to get enough money for the trip. So…kindly forgive some of them who don’t want to give locals, who as you said earn $2000/month more than they should.
So, Sandy, try to travel more so you can get out of your bubble and understand that people are not just middle class… At this point your rant sounded like you are just a young brat with no sense of humor who thinks too high of herself. Shame on you!
@ Anna, great article. Enjoyed all the tips and pricing information to keep in mind. We will be there for 2 weeks soon and this was a good help and actually helped my wife to decide to come here, after looking at some of the images you posted!!
Hi Demi, I’m so glad you found it helpful and have decided to check it out! I hope you guys have a wonderful and yummy time there (and success bargaining)!
And thank you for the defense! I really appreciate that (and sadly, looks to be so true). But yes, it is true that so many of us travel on a tight budget and cannot afford to stay in luxury resorts. And that we save hard to be able to travel and don’t want to get taken advantage of. And besides, bargaining is just a totally normal part of the culture here at this market. I think the best solution is to agree to a price that both parties are happy with.
I really hope you guys have a GREAT time on Boracay!
After agreeing to a price, you are happy and the seller was also happy. No, the seller was very, very happy and you have been a fool, a happy fool though.