Selecting my 5 favourite anything is hard enough, but when it comes to Street Eats in the Philippines it gets really tough.
For this blog, I am going to concentrate on the best street eats from Manila and beyond, I will do a separate blog on Filipino main dishes, although there might be a bit of a crossover.
Get ready to dive into the Philippines Street Food Scene!
7) Longanisa
Come early evening and you will start to smell the charcoal starts to burn and you will know it is time for Filipino BBQ. A classic part of this is the Filipino sausage known as longanisa, which is also a great part of a Filipino breakfast. Sweeter than what we would have in the west, but still damned good.
6) Pritong Manok
This literally means fried chicken, and where you find street food, you will find Filipino fried chicken. Not exactly the colonel ( see our blog on KFC in China), but the fried chicken is greasy, hearty, and comes with gravy! What more could one want?
5) Buko
Buko is one of the best things about the Philippines and can be purchased almost everywhere for less than a dollar. Coconut milk is used for cooking, when you are sick, or as a mixer for the world’s best rum Tanduay.
4) Sisig
Sisig is not just street food, it is a main dish in the Philippines and can be found in bars, clubs and restaurants alike (I will include in another blog I am sure). Offal from a pig usually cooked on a hot plate and mixed with an egg. Add spice, or Calamansi as you please.
3) Lechon Manok
Now we are talking!!!! And something I live in when I am in the Philippines. Basically open roasted chicken, again always served with sweet gravy, peppers and of course calamansi. A whole cut-up chicken costs less than 5 bucks.
2) Balut
Simply not possible to talk about street food in the Philippines without mentioning this dish. Loved by some, loathed by others, it’s a fertilized duck egg. You crack it open, add vinegar and salt, suck the juice and chomp on the fresh embryo. Kind of a mix between a chicken and an egg, just don’t ask me what came first.
1) Isaw
Isaw reigns supreme when it comes to street dining in Manila and beyond. In fact, you will rarely find a BBQ restaurant in the Philippines that does not serve this. It is pig intestines wrapped around a stick, from where you add salt, vinegar, and any spices you might desire. This is real Filipino Street food!
I’m sure there are a few other Filipino dishes I could have included here, but for the newbie, this list will keep you fed when you visit the Philippines.
For more Ángeles City specific jollies check out this Link