On Sept. 29, 2025, at Mezzo Hotel, some members of Cebu’s food community gathered for what felt like a reunion — a warm, merry celebration of something that has fed not just stomachs but also dreams of young entrepreneurs. Sugbo Mercado, Cebu’s beloved weekend food market, marked its 10th anniversary with a gala aptly themed “A Decade of Flavors.”
The event was a chance for its founders, tenants and longtime patrons to look back on what has become a defining chapter in Cebu’s food scene. They recalled the early days — the small stalls, the cautious optimism and that electric thrill of selling out on a Saturday night. They also talked about the storms, literal and figurative: the pandemic shutdowns, the blow of Typhoon Odette, and the countless small resets needed to keep the concept alive.
And yet, through all of it, Sugbo Mercado endured.
When it first opened in 2015 at Cebu IT Park, Sugbo Mercado gave young entrepreneurs a place to test ideas that might otherwise never have left a home kitchen. It became an incubator for food concepts, a safe space for experimentation and entrepreneurship wrapped in the comforting aroma of grilled meats and deep-fried discovery. From the start, it captured what Cebuanos have always had in abundance — ingenuity and appetite.
Of course, it helped that Sugbo Mercado found a solid partner in Ayala. Its prime location and strong partnership with Ayala’s development arm provided not just visibility but the stability necessary for the market to grow roots. What began as a pop-up weekend fair in a parking lot became a fixture in Cebu’s lifestyle landscape, eventually expanding to other spots across the metropolis.
Over the years, Sugbo Mercado has nurtured countless brands that would later earn SunStar’s Best of Cebu recognition. For many local brands, Sugbo Mercado was the first stage, the first “yes,” the first time someone said, “You should open your own branch.”
The food market’s success lies not only in the number of stalls it has hosted but in how it built a community. Each night there, you’ll find students, young professionals, families and tourists mingling at shared tables, discovering something new together. Sugbo Mercado gave Cebu a space to gather, eat and celebrate food in its most democratic form — accessible, diverse and local. Sugbo Mercado stands as proof that good ideas can grow when given the right mix of creativity, courage and community support.
Congratulations, Sugbo Mercado! Here’s to the next 10 years of stories, of flavors yet to be discovered and of Cebuanos still daring to try something new.