The hype is real, and definitely a great news for mango float lovers in Cebu!

You no longer need to drool over trying to look for something to fulfill your cravings. Originated in Davao and made waves when it expanded to Metro Manila last year, the famous Mango Float in a cup has finally landed here in the Queen City of the South.

Have you tried this dessert? You’ve probably seen this served in a Filipino party or chilled in your own refrigerator right after your mom made one for the holidays. And yes, up until now, what we also know is that this graham dessert topped with mangoes is called “Mango Float.” This is a famous Filipino dessert that is insanely delicious! If you have sweet ripe mangoes, all purpose cream, condensed milk and graham crackers, then you’re good to go.

This dessert is very famous in the Philippines as we have an abundance of sweet mangoes during summer. I personally think that Cebu mangoes are simply among the best I’ve tasted. Unlike the other mangoes that I’ve tried, Cebu mangoes are not fibrous. They are really sweet and has that melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Summer is the best time to be in Cebu (to hit the white sand beaches) and taste the mangoes. You can find it anywhere from the local grocery stores to the streets of Cebu City. The sweetest and cheaper find is at the wet markets. They sell them from P60-80 a kilo. That’s about $1.90. Mango Float, as the name suggests, is layer upon layer of sweet mangoes in heavenly goodness. This dessert finds its way in every table of Filipino households during family get togethers, Christmas and other holidays. If the mangoes aren’t in season, I substitute it with other tropical fruits. Peaches works well too. When I was in the US, I had been wanting to make this dessert but just couldn’t find the perfect mangoes. I was also too busy with work, I could hardly find the time to do it. Now that I’m back in Cebu and its this time of the year when mangoes are at its sweetest, I just had to make one. I was excited to make this because it was my daughter’s first time to do it. She’s just three years old. Well, she has been helping me out with almost everything. I had been away for about a year or so, now that I’m back (oh how she’d grown so fast! sob..sob..), I make it a point that we do a lot of things together. It’s priceless.

This Filipino icebox cake dessert made with layers of ladyfingers (broas) or graham crackers, whipped cream, condensed milk, and ripe carabao mangoes. It is chilled for a few hours before serving, though it can also be frozen to give it an ice cream-like consistency. It is a modern variant of the traditional Filipino crema de fruta cake. It is also known by various other names like mango refrigerator cake, mango graham float, mango royale, and mango icebox cake, among others. For some twist, mango float can also be made with various other fruits like strawberries, pineapple, bananas, and cherries, among others. Combinations of different fruits result in a version closer to the original crema de fruta.

At present, Cebu is now enamored with the idea of having mango floats in a cup. Businesses are picking up, and locals are gladly eating up. Some of these recipes vary in one way or another but are more or less mango float-inspired concoctions. Here are some of the places in Cebu where you can score on some of these sweet hits. Maxi Mango, SM Seaside City Cebu Considered by many as the brand that started it all, Maxi Mango just recently set up shop in Cebu. The brand was born in Davao but saw mainstream success in Metro Manila. The stall at SM Seaside serves not only the mango floats in a cup but mango shakes and juices as well. The brand is the brainchild of former “Pinoy Big Brother” season one housemate Miki Arceo-Velasquez.

Maxi Mango is a spin on the Filipino classic Mango Float made with the mangoiest soft served ice cream topped with the sweetest fresh mangoes! It’s actually called “mango float in a cup.” Maxi mango which contains mango ice cream + mango bits and the mango float which contains mango ice cream, mango bits, crushed graham crackers, and sweet ice cream. Sounds simple right? Miki shares that the longest time a person waited in line to get a taste of these creamy desserts is a total of hours and 30 minutes, this seems shockingly unbelievable to people who have never tasted it but one spoonful of it will instantly change your mind.

Their best-selling Maxi Mango Float Ice Cream, with an affordable price of ₱65 to ₱99, features their signature mango soft-serve topped with a thick layer of crushed graham, mango chunks and syrup . Open from 10AM to 8PM daily,

With numerous branches around Metro Cebu, this is the easiest way to get your mango fix. A trusted brand with over years of experience, expect consistency and mastery with every cup made with the sweetest mangoes in the country.

Maxi Mango‘s new Cebu branch is located at the Lower Ground Floor, Mountain wing.