Manado food is a haven for food lovers, - if you like hot, spicy food, that is. Favourite places to eat are along the Piere Tendean Boulevard, or  at Tino’or  where dishes are served at a long table, - not unlike the way Padang food is served, -  and you pay only for what you pick to eat. Some dishes, once chosen, must be paid for the whole plate, though.    
One thing you can be sure of is that all food  comes fresh from the sea or from the mountains.  Barbequed fish with all kinds of sauces  are a perennial favourite.  The watercress or kangkung is fresh and crunchy and these come in long stalks from the river banks.
A  favourite dish is : Bubur Manado, or Tinu’tuan.  This is healthy food, a must try in the morning. The base is rice porridge, mixed with fresh kangkung or spinach and maize. Eaten with salted fish and hot, Manado-style tomato sauce, it is delicious and will provide energy for the whole day.
Many Manado  dishes are cooked in bamboo tubes, whether meat or rice. Try the nasi jaha, which is sticky rice in coconut sauce, then cooked in bamboo tubes over an open fire. Do take just a small portion, since the rice will weigh heavy on the stomach.  Others, similarly cooked are beef , chicken and pork dishes. But be careful, most Manado dishes are chilli hot and spicy.  
 Manado’s favourite desert is the : Klappertaart, or  the coconut cake, a heritage from the Dutch.  This is a soft, creamy sweet cake, filled with large slices of freshly cut coconut meat. Yummy.   
For detailed information on Manado and North Sulawesi, contact the North Sulawesi Tourist Organization at P.O. Box 1253, Manado, Tel. 620431-857637, or click www.north-sulawesi.com