Dreaming about visiting the Philippines sometime soon?
Here’s a list of 30 popular Filipino street foods you can enjoy when traveling in the Philippines!
1. Lechon Manok
Lechon Manok, aka, Pinoy Roast Chicken
Lechon Manok is the street version of roasted chicken. You can find places selling chicken almost everywhere, and they usually open in the evening. It’s best for dinner or pulutan (Filipino term for food when drinking).
Price: $3 (150 pesos)
2. Puto Bumbong
Filipino sticky rice, known as Puto Bumbong
Puto Bumbong is one of the traditional Christmas foods in the Philippines. It’s sticky rice with a purple color. It’s served with butter or margarine and you can add coconut grains on top, mixed with sugar.
Price: $0.5 (25 pesos)
3. Bibingka
Bibingka – Filipino coconut cake
Bibingka (pictured on the right) is another popular Filipino street food eaten during Christmas. This egg based dessert is eaten alongside Puto Bumbong (pictured left). These foods are usually served on a banana leaf.
Price: $1 (40 pesos)
4. Sisig
Sisig, Filipino Sizzling Pork
Pork Sisig is made with chopped pig’s face and ears, with chicken liver. It’s usually seasoned with chili red peppers and calamansi (golden lime).
Price: $1 (50 pesos)
5. Halo-Halo
Traditional Filipino dessert Halo-Halo
Halo-halo is the most popular summer dessert in the Philippines. It consists of shaved ice and evaporated milk, with a mix of sweet fruits and other sweet ingredients such as corn, coconut, sweet beans and more.
Price: $1-2 (30-70 pesos)
6. Palabok
Filipino rice noodle dish Palabok
Palabok a noodle dish with cooked shrimps and shrimp sauce, pork, crushed chicharon, tofu and fried garlic. It’s served anytime of the day, from breakfast to dinner.
Price: $1-2 (30-70 pesos)
7. Pancit
Pancit served alongside Lumpia. Photo by Tim (bit.ly/1ZYsuZ2)
Pancit is a Filipino noodle dish mixed with pork, chicken and vegetables. It’s served for breakfast and merienda (afternoon snack).
Price: $0.5 (25 pesos)
7. Adobo
Adobo: one of the most beloved dishes in the Philippines
Adobo consists of chicken or pork marinated with vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. It’s one of the most famous dishes in the Philippines.
Price: $1-2 (40-60 pesos)
8. Puto
Puto: Filipino steamed rice cake
Puto is the Filipino name for a steamed rice cake. Top it up with butter, coconut or cheese.
Price: $0.10 (5-10 pesos)
9. Ice Cream Sandwich
Filipino ice-cream sandwich
Ice cream inside bread. For me, this is one of the weirdest foods in the Philippines!
Price: $0.25 (20 pesos)
10. Lechon
Lechon in the Philippines
Lechon is a pork dish. The whole pig is roasted over charcoal. In the Philippines this dish is commonly served during big family celebrations or special occasions. Filipinos eat the meat with their hands.
Price: $1-10 (50-1000 pesos)
11. Lumpiang Shanghai
Spring rolls in the Philippines are known as Lumpiang Shanghai
Lumpiang is the Filipino name for fried spring rolls.
Price: $0.10 (5-10 pesos)
12. Smoothies
Fruit smoothies are a common street snack in the Philippines
There are plenty of tasty fruit Smoothies in the Philippines. Mango, strawberry, papaya… choose your favorite!
Price: $1.5 (60-80 pesos)
13. Bangus
Bangus: Philippines grilled milkfish
Bangus is the Filipino name for milkfish, which is usually fried and served with soya or vinegar and garlic.
Price: $2 (60-80 pesos)
14. Tilapia
Grilled Tilapia in the Philippines. Photo by Niko (bit.ly/1PpoZU3)
Tilapia is a fish normally stuffed and cooked with tomatoes and other vegetables.
Price: $2 (60-80 pesos)
15. Mami
A plate of Mami in the Philippines
Mami is a soup with noodles, chicken, beef, pork, wonton dumplings, intestines and boiled egg.
Price: $1 (30-40 pesos)
16. Arroz Caldo
Filipino Arroz Caldo. Photo by flippinyank (bit.ly/1Kb77ut)
Arroz Caldo is a Filipino soup with rice, to be eaten hot.
Price: $0.5 (20 pesos)
17. Empanadas
Empanadas in the Philippines. Photo by Kirk K (bit.ly/22Xt6Ao)
Empanadas are the most popular street eat in Ilocos, Northern Philippines.
Prices: $0.5-1 (20-40 pesos)
18. Tocino
Tocino dish in the Philippines. Photo by Arnold Gatilao (bit.ly/1ZYoQ16)
Tocino is pork meat from the belly. It’s very popular in the Philippines.
Price: $1-2 (40-70 pesos)
19. Longanisa
Longanisa: Filipino sweet sausage
Longanisas are sausages with spices, usually preserved with garlic. They taste very sweet.
Price: $1-2 (40-70 pesos)
20. Balut
Balut: fertilized duck eggs
Balut is a developing duck embryo. It’s eaten after boiled.
Price: $0.20 (10 pesos)
21. Tapsilog
Traditional Filipino dish Tapsilog. Photo by Rocor (bit.ly/1N4YjGo)
Tapsilong is a Filipino a meal consisting of beef, garlic fried rice and fried egg. The beef is also called Tapa.
Price: $1 (40-50 pesos)
22. Ube
Filipino Ube dessert. Photo by Stephen Kennedy (bit.ly/1JHQ2gO)
Ube is a dessert made from boiled and mashed purple yam. It’s really sweet and tasty.
Price: $0.5-1 (30-50 pesos)
23. Turon
Filipino Turon. Photo by Gino Cartesiano (bit.ly/1UM4nsW)
Turon is a sweet banana spring roll. The banana is rolled on an eggroll wrapper and fried crispy with glazed sugar.
Price: $0.20 (10-20 pesos)
24. Pan de Sal
Pan de Sal, the staple bread in the Philippines
Pan the Sal is the main bread in the Philippines. It’s almost like a main commodity in every household. It’s a bread roll made of flour, eggs, yeast, sugar and salt. Commonly eaten with butter too.
Price: $0.05 (2 pesos)
25. Taho
Filipino Taho
Taho is a snack food made from fresh soft tofu and sago pearl. It’s very sweet.
Price: $0.10 (10 pesos)
26. Leche Flan
Traditional Filipino dessert Leche Flan
Leche Flan is a typical Filipino dessert made of eggs and milk, with soft caramel on the top.
Price: $1 (40 pesos)
27. Sugar apple
Custard apples
It’s the fruit of Annona squamosa.
Price: $1/kilo (40 pesos kilo)
28. Okoy
Okoy, Filipino shrimp fritters
Okoy or Ukoy is the Philippines’ version of shrimp fritters. Okoy is cooked by mixing very small shrimps (with the heads and shells still on) with flour, cornstarch, egg batter and deep fried until it forms the usual Okoy shape (see the image above). It can be paired with rice and any dish, and tastes really good with vinegar and chili dip.
Price: $0.25 (10 pesos)
29. Kilawin
Spicy and sour Pork Kilawin
Kilawin is one of the tastiest dishes I have tried in small canteens (carinderias) in the Philippines. It is grilled pork belly soaked in vinegar. This is great to eat with rice (like almost all the dishes in the country), or as a snack when drinking beer.
Price: $1 (40 pesos)
30. Champorado
Champorado: typical Filipino breakfast of sweet chocolate rice
Champorado is one of the most common breakfast foods in the Philippines. It is rice cooked with cocoa powder, with the option of adding milk and sugar for serving (which almost everyone does!) This truly matches the Filipino culture of eating rice with most of their dishes. It’s also a favorite to eat during rainy days. Champorado is usually homemade, but some street stores sell it too.
Price: $0.25 (20-30 pesos)
A lot of these Filipino street foods fall under my really cheap but delicious food radar!
Eating cheaply while traveling around the Philippines is actually very easy. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with Sisig (number 4) and Palabok (number 6). I love paring those foods with rice and beer.
Regarding Balut, I have only tried it once to taste it. It’s a challenge, because not all foreigners can actually eat it!
How about you?
What street foods would you like to try in the Philippines?
Hit us with your thoughts in the comments.
Buen viaje amigos!
Ruben from Gamin Traveler
Ruben Arribas is a Spanish traveler who has been to 70+ countries around the world. If you value real cheap travel guides and offbeat destinations, he is your go-to guy. Read his tips and stories in Gamin Traveler and join the community on Facebook and Twitter.
Article’s featured photo by Ian Sane