Binondo’s EATinerary: Get in touch with culture through food

You are bound to have a great food crawl experience and be in touch with Chinese culture through food. Prepare your tastebuds, stomach, and footwear to wander. The charming and busy roads and the corners of seemingly untouched-by-time food restaurants await to be discovered. Established in 1594, Binondo is the oldest Chinatown in the world and a melting pot of cultures. It is also home to a wide array of restaurants and merchandise flocked by locals and tourists on holidays. So, start preparing to immerse yourself and feel delighted in its rich culture and history through its most authentic dishes.

Binondo’s EATinerary: Get in touch with culture through food

Ongpin Street

1. Shanghai Fried Siopao– The holy grail fried siopao; a perfect starter.
2. Chuan Kee– A classic Chinese turo-turo. They offer a vast menu like lechon kawali, patatim, xiao long bao, hakaw, and lava paos. 
3. Cafe Mezzanine– Just above Chuan Kee, this cafe offers the tastiest kikiam among others. Their xiao long bao remains meticulously folded and bursting with flavors, as well as their flavorful Soup No. 5. 
4. The Great Buddha– This restaurant on the second floor of Eng Bee Tin has a luxurious ambiance. With their beef tendon, clay pot rice, and authentic milk tea, you will surely get what you paid for. 
5. Eng Bee Tin– This Chinese deli shop is famous for its hopia, tikoy, mooncake, and other frozen products. These are also perfect pasalubong for loved ones. 
6. Salazar Bakery– Their bread and pastries are soft and fluffy, not too sweet, and always fresh, which assures you of its quality. 

Yuchengco Street

1. Dong Bei Dumplings – They offer a variety of dumplings, from pork, kuchay, cabbage, and shrimp. These will definitely leave a flavorful and impeccable taste on your tongue.
2. Ho-Land Hopia Bakery – Their iconic hopia and high-quality tikoy are luxurious and original in taste. This has also become a place where you can buy them at reasonable prices. 

Norberto Street

1. Tasty Dumplings – The restaurant has become well-known for its huge servings of pork chop rice, leg rice, dumplings, and delicate buns of tsay mah pao. Their beef noodles complement their secret sauce which is very comforting. This, of course, comes similar to the ones that would make you feel better when you are sick.

Benavidez Street

1. Wai Ying Fast Food – Their intricate and perfectly steamed dim sum is budget-friendly. However, their curry beef siomai and siopao asado are top-tier.

Reina Regente Street

1. Lord Stow’s – Their famous Macau egg tarts balanced both sweetness and creaminess which is to die for.

Quintin Paredes Road

1. Sincerity Cafe – It is well known for its chicken rice and a wide variety of chicken flavors like curry and honey perfect for chicken lovers.

The majority of the restaurants in Binondo are open all year round. Most of the food establishments are close to each other with catchy and charming signages. No need to join expensive day tours or food crawls, it is more worth it to plan a do-it-yourself tour.

For a better experience, it is better to commute when visiting, as parking and traffic are a big hassle. You can get there via LRT Line 1 Carriedo Station and start walking towards Ongpin St.