City of Manila Travel Forum

Inspired by a similar post, I'm planning a return trip to the Philippines and I am rather interested in the local cuisine that they eat here. Can anyone recommend any good local food, and where I might get to eat them?

Filipino cuisine is as good as the best and since you're going to the source, you got it made. They're everywhere in Manila. Best to eat in reputable places as opposed to sidewalk vendors or makeshift stalls. There's a whole array of selection but my all time favorites are:

- Fresh lumpia (egg roll with fresh ingredients)
- Kare-kare (oxtail stew with peanut butter sauce)
- Pancit Canton (egg noodles with veggies and meat and/or seafood)
- Tinulang Manok (Chicken with vegetables in tamarind soup base)
- Siopao (steamed bun with meat and/or vegetables)

Enjoy the country and happy trails.

In addition to the above, you may also try the following:

sisig (sauteed chopped pig's ears seasoned with soy sauce, hot chili and lemon)
dinuguan (sliced pig's intestines cooked in brown soup/pig's blood) usually eaten with "puto" or white rice cake
grilled squid, fish or porkchop
lechon de leche (roasted suckling pig)
halo-halo (shaved ice mixed with nuts, preserved fruits, purple yam & caramel custard with milk)

I suggest you go to Kamayan. They offer these dishes (including the above) for a reasonably priced buffet lunch or dinner.

yeah another foodie hehe..
some more filipino dishes [my favorites!]:
sinigang na hipon [shrimp sour soup]
sinigang na baboy [pork sour soup]
sinigang na isdang tanigue sa miso [tanigue fish in miso sour soup]
relyenong bangus [deep-fried milkfish stuffed with ground pork]
adobong baboy/ manok [marinated pork/ chicken; best with white rice] -- the national dish?
adobong pusit [marinated squid]
chopsuey [sauted mixed vegetables]
escabecheng lapu-lapu [deep-fried grouper in sweet and sour sauce]
and a lot more....!

where to try them?
Barrio Fiesta
Kamayan
Max's
and at various dampa-style eateries [try those at Macapagal Boulevard, near Mall of Asia]..
Happy munching! =)

Do not miss Buddy's Pancit Lucban.

http://guides.clickthecity.com/restaurants/Buddys

There are many good Filipino restaurants. If ever you get to go to the Power Plant Mall in Makati, or Shangri-la Plaza in Pasig, try C2 Classic Cuisine. It's a restaurant that serves classic Filipino dishes but is innovative in its presentation. The desserts are unique, modern renditions of classic favorites. Check out www.clickthecity.com for a guide to restaurants and shopping malls. (A lot of good restaurants are in the malls - Shangri-la, Power Plant and the Ayala Malls.)

Here in the Visayas and Mindanao region, kinilao is quite popular. Diced raw fish meat marinated with vinegar or coconut vinegar. It is then mixed with lemon, herbs and other spices. If you are in my city, try RM or Remember Me. It is a soup with cow's testicles and everything in between.... Philippines is known for balut or an undeveloped duck egg. It was popularized in Fear Factor. You might find it disgusting but in the Cordillera region, dog meat is their delicacy. It is banned by Philippine law but the region has a long love affair with dog meat.

Some foreigners does not have the stomach for street or local food. So be careful what you eat especially street vendor food with their not so sanitary condiments. If possible get Hepatitis vaccination.

You can try our street food.

Many of the food now being serve in the local 5 star hotels used to be street food.

You can sample such as

Grilled Pork Blood
Braised Chicken Head
Half Incubated Fowl Egg

you could jot down the food everyone recommends and visit the ff restos:

if you prefer restaurant buffet style- go to kamayan restaurant (one in edsa, makati and sm malls)
if you prefer restaurant a la carte ( for snacks or merienda)- via mare is your choice (in greenhills or makati)
if you like grilled filipino food - dencio's or gerry's grill(mother ignacia, libis or eastwood)
if you'd like to experience filipino "turo-turo" that's when you point to a partcular dish you like and have it sent to you: go to tiendesitas (in pasig)

I recommend Tiendesitas because all of the suggestions by other VT'ers (VT ites?) are found there.

If you're ready for a cholesterol plunge, i suggest you try BULALO soup. You can find the best ones at tagaytay but if you don't have the time, try RJ's bulalohan. :) Also, don't miss out JT's Manukan for their CHICKEN INASAL, definitely not your ordinary grilled chicken. :) yum!~* There are many food chains that offer chicken inasal but they don't taste the same. This one seems to have the authentic Bacolod flavor.

The best filipino food I've had is when I come to the Philippines and make Mexican food and all the filippos lined up at the door for tacos, tears in their eyes,because they never had anything so good.Only kidding.The very best filippo food I've had is at someone house home made 2nd would be a small familly owned place there all over and very cheap. A empanada in Vigan is worth the 8 hour bus ride.Street food is good you can see what you get. Try a red hot dog,where does a red hot dog come from ,nasty.Fish balls are great 5 pecos. Thank God theres every American food chain in Manila when I just can't take any more filipino food.One thing never ask what your eating its just better if you eat it and don't know what it is til your done.

A couple of restaurants you may want to check out:

Abe at The Fort offers great regional Filipino dish.
Sentro at Greenbelt 3 in Makati

By Kenstan: One thing never ask what your eating its just better if you eat it and don't know what it is til your done.

Probably the best advise when dealing with Filipino foods!