Looking For New, Exciting, Noche Buena Suggestions? Check Our List!

Time check, it's a few more days before Christmas. Noche Buena is fast-approaching and yet, how many of us have not completely decided what to serve our family?

Typical Filipino holiday spread includes queso-de-bola, hamon, Pinoy spaghetti, fruit salad, menudo, embutido, gulaman, and leche flan. But what if we want to switch things around for the holidays and surprise our families with new, exciting dishes (that we don’t even have to prepare ourselves!)

Making the season magical is time-consuming and let’s admit it, there’s just a lot of things to do. For moms and dads who love to cook, oh, we absolutely adore you! Cooking is a labor of love and we appreciate all the love that you put into making wonderful dishes for the entire family to enjoy.

But for some moms and dads, who are working on holidays, nursing a newborn, consumed by holiday preparations, or recovering from an illness–there’s just no room for added load. Still, like most moms and dads, no matter how challenging the circumstances are, we still prefer to bring some holiday cheer and Christmas magic on the table.

Also Read: Hassle-Free Potluck Suggestions For Your Child’s Christmas Party

To help our busy moms and dads, we’ve rounded up a list for you, from starters to desserts–and these are not your typical holiday selection!

17 Noche Buena suggestions that you can try this year

1. The Salad Co’s Saigon Salad

Add a healthy twist to your holiday handa! Their salad party trays are the perfect starters to your festive feasts—delicious, healthy, and ready to share, good for 4-5 pax. They are also wonderful to pair with your mains. The Saigon Salad consists of shrimp, pomelo, mango, carrots, and alfalfa–mixed with lettuce and croutons in Italian vinaigrette.

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P864/4-5 guests. Message The Salad Co on Instagram to order.

2. Nono’s Oriental Shrimp Salad

If you’re getting bored of the usual greens in caesar or thousand island dressing, then a medley of Asian flavors might be just the right one for you. Imagine: crunchy shrimps on a bed of julienned red and green cabbage, romaine lettuce, and crispy noodles, all tossed in honey lemon dressing–a yummy starter for the entire family.

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P1690/tray Click here to order.

3. M Catering and Fine Foods' Coconut Shrimp and Fish with Cucumber Salsa and Mango Mayo

White shrimps and fish fillet in coconut breading. It is served with appetizing and refreshing cucumber, mint, and cilantro salsa together with pureed mango-mayo sauce.

P1870 for 10 pax. Click here to order.

4. Grazely’s Cheese Lover’s Platter

This luxuriously curated grazing platter including 3 classic cheeses, 3 premium cheeses, fresh fruits, accoutrements, condiments, and garnishes that is good for 4-6 persons.

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P4,275 per grazing box. (shipping not included) Click here to order.

Also Read: Christmas Gift Ideas For Moms That Don’t Revolve Around Parenting

5. Grazing Box Manila's 12 Cheese of Christmas

Forget queso de bola, invite your small family in an intimate Christmas salu-salo and ultimate cheese experience with Grazing Box Manila's 12 Cheese of Christmas. This charcuterie box-cum-advent calendar comes with 12 kinds of premium cheeses, namely the Red Pesto Cheese, Gruyere, Manchego, Gouda w/ Lavender, Appenzeller, Colby Jack, Truffle Noir, Brie, Spanish Cheese Iberico, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, and Gouda Hot Pepper, plus a bottle of wine (that's for moms and dads, though!).

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 P4,799/up to 4. Message them on Instagram. 

6. Mama Lou’s Lucio’s Truffle pasta

Now we can stop worrying about reheating the spaghetti on New Year's Eve because we aren't having any! Indulge in creamy truffle sauce, brown button mushrooms and parmesan cheese with this delighfully yummy pasta.

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P1245/tray. Click here to order/pre-order.

7. Mama Lou’s Ravioli Spinachi 

Think of handmade fresh ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and served with blue cheese, too. 

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P1250/tray. Click here to order/pre-order.

8. Conti’s Roast Beef in Mushroom Sauce

If you are craving some homey meal, indulge in tender beef slices drenched in hearty mushroom sauce. 

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Family size costs P1645/10 persons. Click here to order.

9. King Chef's Boneless Patatim with 9 pieces Mantao

We can switch from typical Crispy Pata handa to tender, melt-in-your-mouth, mouthwatering braised pork leg, paired with 9pcs steamed Mantao bread.

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P1,180. Click here to order.

10. Baked Salmon - Food Trays Manila

Deliciously baked salmon smothered in white sauce with buttered veggies on the side.

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P2500. Message them on Facebook or Instagram to order.

11. Muesa Vestra’s Paella

Renowned chef Sandy Daza reviews Mesa Vuestra’s paella in an article by saying, “The paella was authentic, with the mild aroma of saffron and rich seafood broth. It had shrimps, chorizo, clams, tomatoes, olives and was topped with French beans. Also delicious! With a squeeze of lemon, it became even better. It was a very well done home-cooked authentic Spanish meal. Outstanding.”

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Price starts at P1,200 for a small tray. Message them on Instagram.

12. Illo’s Paella Negra

A Paella negra is typically composed of rice, squid or prawns, and lots of squid or cuttlefish ink. 

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Illo’s half tray costs P1,400 and full tray costs P2,900. Click here to order.

Also Read: 11 Joyful Family Staycation Options To Celebrate The Holidays

13. Bizu’s Croquembouche Tower

This 6-inch tower made with 40 pcs. of chocolate glazed cream puffs are lavishly filled with sumptuous vanilla pastry cream.

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P 1,999/10 persons. Click here to order.

14. Bizu’s Meringue Tower

This elegant Meringue Macaron Tower is a dazzling arrangement of delicate meringues and vibrant macarons in holiday hues.

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P1350/6 inches. Click here to order.

15. The Sugar Free Bakery’s Dubai Knafeh Chocolate Cake

Experience the irresistible delight, inspired by the viral Dubai’s Knafeh Chocolate—an 8-inch cake masterpiece perfect for 10 servings. This indulgent dessert combines crispy, golden kataifi pastry with the decadent richness of chocolate, creating a symphony of flavors in every bite. The nutty pistachio crunch, sweet kataifi filling, and smooth chocolate blend transport you straight to the heart of Dubai. Savor the authentic taste of this Middle Eastern treat, exclusively crafted by The Sugar-Free Bakery.

The best part? Also available in a sugar-free variant!

P2,100 (on sale - shipping fee not included). Click here to order.

16. Heavenly Desserts by Chef Jeng’s Christmas Gingerbread House Cake

Below are delicious, tempting flavors to choose from to pair with Gingerbread house:

• Heavenly Moist Chocolate Cake
• Carrot Pecan Cake
• Basque Burnt Cheesecake
• Mango Mousse Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Matcha Cake

Each cake is crafted to give you rich, melt-in-your-mouth flavor in every bite. 

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P2,990. Click here to pre-order. Available only for pick up or self-arranged delivery.

17. Heavenly Desserts by Chef Jeng’s Heaven in a box

These are 6 mini cakes with the following flavors: Strawberry Shortcake, Triple Chocolate Mousse, Ube Macapuno, Red Velvet, Matcha, and Blueberry Cheesecake.

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P950/box of 6. Click here to pre-order. Available only for pick up or self-arranged delivery.

Also Read: Add This White Christmas Village To Your Family’s Holiday Itinerary

Fresh twist on your holiday tradition

Elevate your celebrations with a feast that's anything but ordinary. This holiday season, you can experiment and put a fresh twist against traditional Noche Buena favorites and make every bite unforgettable. Here's to creating memories, sharing laughter, and enjoying a spread that's as unique as your celebration. Cheers to a 'holiday handa' like no other! 

Thinking of buying cakes for holiday get-togethers? Find your cake of choice here!