Daraga eats like the rest of Bicol: hot, coconut-heavy, and proud of it. The regional specialities are laing (taro leaves slow-cooked in coconut milk and shrimp paste), Bicol express (pork in coconut milk with masses of chillies), and pinangat (small fish or pork parcels wrapped in taro leaves). All three depend on coconut cream and the small fiery local chilli, the siling labuyo.
Daraga's restaurants cluster along the highway leading into town. Most visitors eat in nearby Legazpi where the choice is wider — Small Talk Cafe and 1st Colonial Grill on the Embarcadero waterfront are reliable. For the cheapest, freshest Bicolano cooking, try the carinderias around the public market.