One of the best ways to appreciate Binondo is to eat your way around its busy streets. Since I know it could get quite a bit overwhelming to decide which ones to try, I will share with you in this blog entry a DIY Food Tour itinerary that will surely change the way you think about Manila Chinatown!
In 2014, we joined the famous The Big Binondo Food Wok with Ivan Mandy. It was really a great experience, a mixture of history and food that left us always wanting to go back to Binondo and binge on Chinese food every now and then. This 3-hour tour though costs around 1300 pesos per head. Kind of expensive, I know. But if you are someone who has extra money to spend and really wants to learn more about the history then I definitely recommend you try this tour. However, for my frugal friends out there who are only after the eating part, this DIY tour is for you! Aside from the delicious food, the best part is that it would only cost you a portion of how much you will spend if you joined the tour group. Best done with 4-5 friends!
The meeting place
A good place to start and end your Binondo food tour is at Binondo Church, or also known as Minor Basilica of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz. You will surely not miss this beautiful and historic church fronting Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz. Just a little bit of history, this church was originally built in 1596 by Dominican priests to serve their Chinese converts t Christianity. However, it was greatly damaged during WWII and a new granite church was built in the same location in 1852.
The first stop in our Binondo food tour is only a couple of minutes away from Binondo church by foot.
The first stop in our Binondo food tour is only a couple of minutes away from Binondo church by foot.
New Po Heng Lumpia House
From Binondo Church in Ongpin street, take left to Quintin Paredes road. This famous lumpia place is located inside a residential building so it's not very easy to spot. If you are walking along Quintin Paredes (right side walk), you will have to look for an entrance, then you will see the lighted sign that says 'New Po Heng Lumpia House'.
Our first meal in our food tour is Lumpia or more commonly known as Fresh Lumpia or Chinese Lumpia (in Binondo this is only called Lumpia..guess why?). This is made up of 90% vegetables, then some pork, tofu, peanuts, and toasted bihon with seaweed). If you are allergic to peanuts or if you're vegetarian, you can also ask them to not include other ingredients on your lumpia.
Since this is just our appetizer, you can ask the lady preparing your lumpia to cut it in half. I know you might want to eat more after your first bite, but trust me, you'll need more room in your tummy for the rest of the food tour! Order a take-out instead.
Lumpia - 50 php per order (if you'll share the other half with a friend then that's only 25php each). For your drinks, they have free, self-service hot tea.
Lumpia - 50 php per order (if you'll share the other half with a friend then that's only 25php each). For your drinks, they have free, self-service hot tea.
Quick Snack
After you munch on that delicious lumpia and gulp that last drop of hot tea, it's now time to move to our next stop - Quick Snack. This hole in the wall is located along the busy alley of Carvajal street. From New Po Heng, just cross the street and enter the alley just beside the building with an ATM machine.
You will find a lot of people selling fruits and other stuff along Carvajal street. Quick Snack is located at the left side of this street. It is kinda easy to miss so make sure to spot their sign.
You will find a lot of people selling fruits and other stuff along Carvajal street. Quick Snack is located at the left side of this street. It is kinda easy to miss so make sure to spot their sign.
This local favorite restaurant known for serving delicious home-cooked meals has been in business for more than 50 years!
What to order? Here are Ivan Mandy's favorites and your must try, too!
Kuchay Ah - 40 php each is sort of like an empanada but contains pork, and many other ingredients. Best eaten with your bare hands (don't forget to sanitize first!).
Beef Mi Guisado with Sate - 155php per serving (good for sharing) has 3 main ingredients: egg noodles, slices of beef, and kangkong. This noodle dish is on the spicy side.
Indonesia Tauhu - 85php per serving (good for sharing) can only be found in this restaurant. Crispy tofu sitting on top of a sweet spicy sauce. This is house specialty and a must try for every foodie!
Their service water is lemon water! It's delicious and refreshing! Perfect for your orders which are a bit on the spicy side.
What to order? Here are Ivan Mandy's favorites and your must try, too!
Kuchay Ah - 40 php each is sort of like an empanada but contains pork, and many other ingredients. Best eaten with your bare hands (don't forget to sanitize first!).
Beef Mi Guisado with Sate - 155php per serving (good for sharing) has 3 main ingredients: egg noodles, slices of beef, and kangkong. This noodle dish is on the spicy side.
Indonesia Tauhu - 85php per serving (good for sharing) can only be found in this restaurant. Crispy tofu sitting on top of a sweet spicy sauce. This is house specialty and a must try for every foodie!
Their service water is lemon water! It's delicious and refreshing! Perfect for your orders which are a bit on the spicy side.
Wai Ying Fastfood
By this time, I'm sure you'll now be feeling a little bit full. I can't blame you - that kuchay ah is surprisingly heavy on the tummy despite it's size. So let's burn some calories by walking to our next food stop - Wai Ying, which is around 5-7 minutes walk.
From Quick Snack, head out of Carvajal street going to Yuchengco street. Then walk to Ongpin street and head right. You will pass by the Manila Chinatown arch. Snap some photos if you're feeling touristy! Once you reach the President Grand Palace Restaurant, head left to Salazar street. Walk thru the street line dup with chines stores and then turn to the first street to the right where you will see a restaurant with roasted ducks hanging.
The restaurant's name is Wai Ying Fastfood, but it's not really your typical fast food like Jollibee or McDonalds - so don't expect to find a fancy looking restaurant. It is again one of those plain looking restaurants that locals mostly enjoy.
From Quick Snack, head out of Carvajal street going to Yuchengco street. Then walk to Ongpin street and head right. You will pass by the Manila Chinatown arch. Snap some photos if you're feeling touristy! Once you reach the President Grand Palace Restaurant, head left to Salazar street. Walk thru the street line dup with chines stores and then turn to the first street to the right where you will see a restaurant with roasted ducks hanging.
The restaurant's name is Wai Ying Fastfood, but it's not really your typical fast food like Jollibee or McDonalds - so don't expect to find a fancy looking restaurant. It is again one of those plain looking restaurants that locals mostly enjoy.
What not to miss in this food stop is their Hakaw!!! This is one of the best places in Binondo to get your fix of dumplings.
For your food trip, here's what we recommend to order:
Hakaw - 80 php (4 pcs per serving)
Japanese Siomai - 80 php (3 pcs per serving)
Radish Cake - 70 php (3 pcs, good for sharing)
There were 6 of us in the group and we ordered 3 orders of Hakaw, 1 order of radish cake, and 1 order of Japanese siomai. Trust me, you will need more space in the tummy so please stop yourself from ordering some more. But the hakaw is so delicious that we ended up ordering take outs!
For your food trip, here's what we recommend to order:
Hakaw - 80 php (4 pcs per serving)
Japanese Siomai - 80 php (3 pcs per serving)
Radish Cake - 70 php (3 pcs, good for sharing)
There were 6 of us in the group and we ordered 3 orders of Hakaw, 1 order of radish cake, and 1 order of Japanese siomai. Trust me, you will need more space in the tummy so please stop yourself from ordering some more. But the hakaw is so delicious that we ended up ordering take outs!
Dong Bei Dumplings
The next stop is another dumplings place! Dong Bei Dumplings is located in Nueva Street, around 5 minutes walk from Wai Ying. You can just follow your way back to Ongpin street then turn right to Nueva street. This restaurant is located towards the end of the alley and has a very small space. I think it only has 4-6 tables so expect that the place will always be full. The restaurant is very basic looking - really nothing fancy. But what we are here for is their best-selling Kuchay Dumpling.
Another distinguishing feature of this restaurant is that you can watch the ladies making the dumplings from scratch.
!For this food stop, we only ordered 2 things:
Kuchay dumpling - 120 php (14pcs per serving)
Fried sugar pancake - 120 php (8 pcs per serving)
Their Kuchay dumpling is best paired with their signature sauce, while the fried sugar pancake packs a sesame surprise in every bite!
Kuchay dumpling - 120 php (14pcs per serving)
Fried sugar pancake - 120 php (8 pcs per serving)
Their Kuchay dumpling is best paired with their signature sauce, while the fried sugar pancake packs a sesame surprise in every bite!
Cafe Mezzanine
Those kuchay dumplings are heavinly, I know. But we are not yet done with the food tour! Do you have any room left? The next stop is famous not just with the locals, but also with tourists and celebrities. Located along Ongpin street, Cafe Mezzanine is frequented because of another dumpling favorite - Xiao Long Bao.
Here are the things to try for your food tour:
Xiao Long Bao - 180 php (10 pcs per serving)
Kiampong - 60 php per serving
Hot Green Tea - 90 php per serving (1 pot for sharing)
Chicken Asado with Adobo Egg - 130 php per serving (for sharing)
Here are the things to try for your food tour:
Xiao Long Bao - 180 php (10 pcs per serving)
Kiampong - 60 php per serving
Hot Green Tea - 90 php per serving (1 pot for sharing)
Chicken Asado with Adobo Egg - 130 php per serving (for sharing)
We ordered hot green tea to help neutralize our taste buds after feasting on so many food. Also, it s a great way to ease your already full tummy. Xiao Long Bao is considered as a soup dumpling, which is why this should not be eaten with your chopsticks. We learned from the servers that the right way of eating xiao long bao is using the Chinese soup spoon. You put the dumpling in the spoon, then you add the sauce. This is because the dumpling contains soup inside.
Another must-try in Cafe Mezzanine is their Kiampong. This is a flavorful rice, which is already a meal on its own topped with peanuts. Seems like a weird combination? Not at all! Surprisingly, the peanuts blend well with the rice, and gives the dish some crunch, too. I liked pairing it up with the Chicken Asado.
For dessert, you can help yourself to some halo-halo, mais con yelo, or in our case, Peach Melba. This is an ice cream dessert topped with slices of peaches and cherry.
Eng Bee Tin
Of course, how can you leave Chinatown without bringing home some hopia? This Chinese favorite is made from flour and shortening crust and filled with sweet mung bean or mongo bean paste. Nowadays, various flavors are also available such as Ube, Custard and a lot more. From Cafe Mezzanine, Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli is just down stairs and is one of the most famous stores selling hopia in Binondo.
So there you go! Your very own food tour around Binondo that is easy on the pocket. I hope this is helpful. My friends and I spent less than 400 pesos each (except drinks) for our DIY Binondo food tour.
If you want to burn all those calories, head to the walled city of Intramuros and explore the Fort Santiago and other interesting spots inside the wall.
If you want to burn all those calories, head to the walled city of Intramuros and explore the Fort Santiago and other interesting spots inside the wall.
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