Kain Manila's 12 Must-try Binondo Restos

A vibrant history. Lots and lots traffic. Narrow streets. Lack of parking spaces. Vendors selling knickknacks. Old churches and temples.  Fruits sold on the street. 168. Hopia. And awesome food adventures. Welcome to Binondo!

If you're here for foodie finds you've come to the right place. Binondo's historic appeal have charmed young and old.   The oldest Chinese restaurants are still housed here but new ones have also sprouted. People still flock to old favorites like Salido (formerly Lido), Savory, ToHo.  Every restaurant here boasts of a colorful history. We have prepared a list some of the 12 tried and tested establishments. But not the geriatric ones. Hope you enjoy these places like we did.

         1. Wai Ying Fast Food

Found in two locations: One near the World News office in Benavides Street and another near Metropolitan  Hospital, Wai Ying serves the most affordable, but also the most satisfying dimsum and teahouse specialties.  I always come back for  their Roast Duck noodles, Siomai, Hakaw, Curry Siomai. Their congee is also tasty and flavorful. Wai Ying has spawned a new branch near DLSU in Taft but the original place in Benavides Street still tops my list.

Spend about: 120 to 150+ per head
Ambiance: A bit cramped but "puwede na" and air-conditioned too.
Getting there: Turn left when you reach Ongpin Street after President, turn right at Benavides,
this is near CD-R King and a stall that sells fried siopao.

The view from the 2nd floor

Hakao

Shrimp Cheung Fan or Rice Roll

Pork with Century Egg congee

beef mami

Fried raddish cake

Roast Duck Noodles

2

Curry Beef Siomai - Fried dumpling in curry sauce, yummy

        2. Ilang-ilang Restaurant

Located in Ilang-ilang Street near Jaboneros Street, you might get lost finding this place because the street going here is very small.  Known more as a catering place, you might find their restaurant often times empty. Don’t miss the beef rice, it's stir-fried beef slices and chicharo topped on rice. Very delicious when hot, and good to share. Their butter chicken is out-of-this-world delicious, too. I always remember my parents ordering their stuffed chicken for “alay” during Chinese New Year. Stuffed Chicken is baked chicken with sticky rice and lotus nuts inside. Not a lot of restaurants can do this, so please order one day in advance.

Spend about: P 110 to 130++ per head
Ambiance: Mostly empty tables and chairs and old, a lot of waitresses waiting outside (most probably a catering job) To enjoy the food, I suggest takeaway like I always do.

Getting there: Turn right after San Fernando bridge, Then turn left at Jaboneros and take the small street called Ilang-ilang. 

ilang ilang street

Sorry but my mom already got some chicken before i took the shot

Really tasty butter chicken

Sweet and sour pork

      3. Hou Kui Restaurant (formely Fukui)

This little hole-in-the-wall deserves a try especially when you see some of the stuff from their menu. Their Oyster Cake is fried and balled per piece. Pair that with Champagne Spareribs and the Hou Kui Special Fried Rice and you’re in for a superb meal. Did I happen to mention that Fu Kui Fried Rice is rice with an egg soufflé on top? You might also want to try the specials not on the menu like the Grilled Pork Cheeks. Tender, juicy, and delicious morsels you won’t think came from the cheeks. Fu Kui is located at San Fernando Street a few steps from the bridge.

Spend about: P120++ per head and more if you’re ordering the Pork Cheeks

Getting there: Take San Fernando Street, after the bridge, it's a small resto to your left. Landmark is Citibank Savings Binondo. There's a Lanzhou La Mien across.

  4. Kim Hiong Food Garden

Nothing, absolutely nothing gives me shivers like Kim Hiong. A trip here is like an adventure for brave souls. Old and ghastly, and there's a lot of people boozing at night. The cuisine is Chiu Chow. The chairs are monobloc. The chili sauce looks like its been there since the first People Power and the smell wafting inside is weird. But wait till the food comes out.  Famous for their steamed wanton, and tossed beef noodles, you’ll be in for a surprise. The beef  is tender and very tasty and the Hongkong egg noodles are a bit thinner and delicious. 

When I was younger, there's a horrific feeling when my dad would take me here to eat. To remove my uneasiness, he would sometimes request for some items off the menu like the seafood hotpot and fried rice just to assure me everything's good. Seafood, mussels, beef tenderloin, everything’s good just don’t mind the icky ambiance and the fact that you’re sharing the tables with a lot of people. So I suggest going here early or during lunchtime.

Spend about P 140 ++ per head

Getting there: Take Ongpin straight up before you reach Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz. This is near Lido de Paris Hotel and a row of jewelry stores. There’s also a fire station across.

Get ready for a food adventure at this charming but ghastly place

          5. Ongbin Golden Dimsum (formerly Suzhou Dimsum)

The name has changed at Suzhou but the menu remains the same. It's here where they perfected the Xiao Long Pao and the Hot and Sour Soup.  Special Mention is their onion and scallion pancakes. Like Kim Hiong, a lot of drinkers at night so you’re a bit queasy I suggest you visit their Malate or Greenhills branch, where it’s more... "sober".

Spend about:  P 140++ per head

Getting there: When you're in Ongpin, turn right to Gandara Street, where there are rows of small restaurants Landmark: Royal Garden

Xiaolong pao

Hot and Sour Soup

           6. Sincerity Restaurant

I have heard of rumors that Sincerity’s chicken recipe is so tightly-guarded that only the owner  knows the “timpla” or the recipe mix and wakes up in the wee hours of the morning just to marinate the chicken. Sincerity since has spawned La Lotte in Paco and one more in Banawe and Lucky Chinatown mall , which shares their menu. This is the best place to savor Amoy cooking in my opinion, where its homey, the food is good and affordable, and the place looks very clean and pleasant. The restaurant has undergone improvements, and being featured in shows like KrisTV has added to its reputation for being the "it" place in Chinatown. Chicken, chicken and chicken is the must order here, it’s fried in small pieces with a very light breading. They have good chami (fried noodles) here but my memories of their Duck Misua still lingers like a never-ending dream. Its simply comfort food you’d like to come home to when you’re in Ongpin.

 

crunchy outside and juicy inside, this is a small order P140

Their Cha Bihon/ Bihon Guisado is very tasty Php 90

Must-order: Oyster Cake  P140

Saba Con Hielo P 49

Spend about P 160+ per head
Getting there: They’re located in Yuchengco (formerly Nueva Street). Make a right after Chuan Kee and walk straight, they're in the middle of school and office supply shops.

7     7. Tasty Dumplings

Who hasn’t heard of Tasty in Chinatown? Tasty has a distinctive Taiwanese menu and are  famous for their Pork Chop noodles. It’s a no frills noodles with a bit of kiamchay (veggies in brine)  

And paired with a deep-fried pork chop that will make Porky Pig cry. Other must-tries are the dumplings, which come with a steamed of fried option.  And Silverbread, it's crunchy, oily fried bread that you dip in condensed milk. Weird but a delicious combination.

Spend about P140 + per head
Getting there: They are now located at the street at the left side of Binondo Church, I think its called Lorenzo Ruiz.

 

Wall with photos of celebrity diners who ate there. There's Susan Roces at the top/center

The Steamed Dumplings have a subdued flavor

A large porkchop as big as the plate is paired with plain noodles

Beef Noodles

          8. Uno Seafood Wharf Palace Restaurant

       Can you believe that this place is more famous for their chicken pie than its Chinese menu? Look around and check the tables on a Sunday, and there are casseroles of Chicken Pie. This dish reminds me of the Chicken Pastel, not a small piece of pie but a casserole with pie crust on top. The place is packed during weekends. And like Golden Fortune, they have a promo for their yamcha (tea time) items like (noodles, congee and dimsum closing time)

       Ambiance: Also a bit cramped but better seating than other Chinatown restaurants because compared to others

       Getting there: Escolta Street near Tropical Hut

Uno's Special "Chicken Pie"

      Read my review on Uno here http://kainmanila.blogspot.com/2014/06/uno-seafood-wharf-palace-excellent.html


      9. Ling Nam Noodle House

Besides Masuki, this is probably one the oldest noodle houses in Ongpin. Full during mornings, the congees are sold out before 10 am. 10 onwards its noodle time, I can’t believe they still follow the same recipe, year after year, and the menu still haven’t changed a bit. And they’ve been around for more than 40 years. It’s just noodles siopao, siomai and congee. That’s it.

My favorite? Beef (brisket) and Asado (Chasyu) noodles with wanton and a lot of their hot sauce

Spend about: P 150 – 170 per bowl of noodles 
Getting there: Alonzo Street before you reach Arranque Market

Siomai is 35 a piece

        10. Chuan Kee

When I was younger I always avoided eating at Chuan Kee because they’ve been around for so long and they haven’t entertained the idea of putting up air-conditioning. But they serve great and cheap comfort food, the ma-ki and the kiam-pong. Now the place have been a landmark of sorts, ventilation has been improved (still no aircon but a lot of fans), with the familiar colors of the famous Eng Bee Tin prominent in their store. (They have the same owner) Chuan Kee has been upgraded and food still tastes consistent all these years. Standards here are Amoy favorites: Kiampong (Chinese paella), Ma Ki (pork soup), cha mi (stir-fried noodles). Their lechon kawali is also a house favorite.

Pork Ma-ki Soup P 100 per bowl

 

Getting there: Chuan Kee is located across Binondo Church, actually there’s a café on the second floor but it doesn’t capture the ambiance of Chuan Kee.

Spend about : About P100+ per head, Kiampong is only 40 pesos per order

           11. Ying Ying Tea House

I heard that the owners of President opened this when President restaurant closed down. President has re-opened and I'm glad Ying Ying is here to stay. It has a menu close to resembling… (guess what) Wai Ying but more items has been added. But of course, Wai Ying may not look nice but it still has the best dimsum, Ying Ying chose to concentrate on other items like offering more rice toppings and other entrees. Price points are almost the same but Ying Ying is also a good option.

Ambiance: Nothing fancy but its three floors of dining
Getting there: Dasmarinas Street where the old Lyric Studios are, landmarks are Union Bank and Cu- unjieng Building

           12. Golden Fortune

Name it and they have it. Dimsum? Check! Cantonese specialties? Check? Shabu-shabu? Check!

Golden Fortune has managed to carve out its niche by offering a variety of choices serving up dish upon dish from morning til night. Check out their promo, where all dimsum varieties go for up to 40% off from 9 pm onwards and 2 pm to 5 pm. Hotpot is also at a discount. I love their corn siomai and fried Thai prawn puffs.  Ambiance is nice as well, don’t forget to order the Pipa Tofu which is my favorite dish here, its homemade tofu made a bit “eggy” but their baked pork asado is to die-for.  Yes, even better than Salido's.

shabu-shabu

Taro siomai

And here's our runner-up list:
Cosmos at the corner of Alonzo and Arranque Streets, where they sell pork asado and white chicken.
Toho Panciteria, probably the oldest restaurant in town, still serves classic lechon, tenga (pork ears and asado as well. Their lumpiang shanghai is good, too. They also have a branch in BF, Paranaque. The resto is very, very old, but there is an air-conditioned dining area at the second floor
President Restuarant, probably the oldest and decent fine-dining places in Ongpin.
President's Dimsum - for their pineapple asado pie, siomai and chicken feet. 
Masuki Noodles House - this used to be known as Ma Kong Mami, a food writer from Inquirer recently called the place being "unhygienic" for its "kulob" smell but its just the scent of their soup stock that has been boiling for hours. This place is clean and serves very good noodles made more special by putting in the special sauce. Masuki has sprouted in a lot of SM Malls. Awi's Cafe also has a mix of Filipino, Chinese and American dishes to try. And they have cuapao, too.

Chinatown as viewed from Lucky Chinatown

There’s still a lot of places to discover in Binondo and with Lucky Chinatown opening, dining choices has increased like Tao Yuan and Kingchef. So give your taste buds an unforgettable journey, drop by Binondo, where good old comfort food finds a home.