PHILIPPINES

Binondo Food Wok

What are you craving for? Explore the culinary delights in Manila’s Binondo Chinatown on foot.

Binondo is primarily populated by ethnic Chinese living in the Philippines. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world outside mainland China and is listed as one of the top National Geographic’s food journeys of a lifetime.

As a first stop we recommend Café Mezzanine, also known as the Volunteer Fireman’s Coffee Shop, as parts of the income are donated to the volunteer fire fighters of Binondo. Here you will have a chance to taste all-time Chinese favourites like machang and kiampong – a salted fried rice mixed with pieces of pork, chicken, dried shrimps and mushroom, served in a small bowl topped with peanuts. 

Afterwards head to Dong Bei Dumplings, a small restaurant located in Yuchengco Street where the best fresh dumplings in all of Binondo are served!

Next stop is a small stall selling fried siopao or hot bun, a popular snack that is sually consumed on the go. They come in many different varieties depending on the stuffing. Along the way you will pass different local food stores, Chinese pharmacies and fruit stalls.

Still hungry? The walking tour ends at the New Po Heng Lumpia House where they serve fresh Chinese lumpia, a mixture of carrots, cabbage, tofu, shrimp and ground pork, topped with crushed peanuts, garlic, seaweed and hot sauce – everything rolled in leaves of lettuce and wrapped in paper-thin rice crepes.