Metro.Style's Definitive Guide To Filipino Street Food: Grilled, Hot, Cold And Regional
Everything from fishballs and balut, sorbetes and iskrambol, to isaw and inasal
Before food found its way to fancy restaurants, it was out there in the streets, available to thousands of ordinary people on a daily basis, sold as ready to eat or cooked right before you. It’s food borne of hardship, as most vendors did not have sufficient kitchen space at home and those buying did not have the means to cook for themselves or were simply too hungry after a grueling day. Street food is a global phenomenon that answered a basic need for sustenance coupled with convenience and affordability. Even Anthony Bourdain was in love with Filipino street food.
You can imagine the explosion of flavors and variety of ingredients that come to the fore in street food. Dishes that for generations were cooked by mothers and grandmothers while their husbands worked far away, were now being prepared by their children whose source of income was to cook and sell their heirloom recipes. And their children's offsprings now bring with them the familial taste of home when they relocate to another community and start selling.
This passing on of culinary traditions from generation to generation is not lost on UNESCO, which has established a list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, showcasing the sharing of knowledge and skills that shape a country’s culture. In 2020, Singapore’s iconic hawker food centers were added to the list, cementing the importance of street food as the great preserver of culinary traditions. In our own shores, Madrid Fusion Manila helped place our heritage street food in the spotlight.
Street food has come a long way, more so now that it has crossed the great class divide and made a leap to the digital world, with so many sellers now using different social media platforms to bring their food across to a wider market. If you've been craving your favorite street food, we put together a handy guide in the gallery below.
Street Food Guide
Street Food Guide
Lechon baka
Who would have thought that this kind of lechon, extremely expensive because the calf would have to be ordered and grilled whole, would be brought to pedestrian levels and spread like wildfire on social media? Andok’s Litson Manok, the genius behind this masterstroke, has made it possible to bring it down to an affordable cost by grilling it the way they grill their liempo, in portions of 500 grams. For P350, you get perfectly grilled, tender meat, flavored to the core just like their litson manok, with bonus fat quivering in its soft state. And they’re sliced deli-style too, so there are more succulent strips to go around and spread the pleasure. Available in select Andok’s Litson Manok branches. Check out @pusongandoks on Instagram.
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Pork barbecue, lechon manok, liempo
Pork barbecue, lechon manok, liempo– Where there’s smoke billowing in a street corner, there’s definitely barbecue grilling in the area. It’s the ideal place to buy food for dinner on the way home. Or you can order from @heavensbbq, @mangdingspinoy, or @vitosbbq. (Photo: @mangdingspinoy)
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Isaw manok, isaw baboy, tenga, helmet, adidas
Isaw manok, isaw baboy, tenga, helmet, adidas– With the way vendors have expertly marinated and seasoned these peripheral and internal organ delights, they are just as eagerly craved as or even more preferred now than their meaty counterparts. Helmet refers to the hardness of the chicken head with neck attached, parboiled, grilled, and basted with sweet marinade. Isaw refers to the chicken’s small winding intestines, as well as the pig’s small and big intestines, sliced into rounds and grilled to an delicious tenderness. Head on over to the corner of Roces avenue and Scout Tobias where a tiny carinderia grills the most flavorful and tender isaw ng baboy and tenga, pinky swear! Or order from @bulilitkitchen and @lola.ote.restaurant.
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Turon, bananacue, camote cue, carioca
Deep-fried bananas, sweet potato and glutinous balls, all coated sugar that has caramelized in the heat of the oil, these are the merienda fare of your childhood. Order from @bertsturon.ph, or fb.turonfactory. (Photo: @bertsturon.ph)
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Fishballs, squid balls, chicken balls, kikiam
Fishballs, squid balls, chicken balls, kikiam – The poster kid for street food, fishballs are the iconic tusok-tusok favored by colegialas. These balls puff up while being fried and slowly deflate into chewy addiction once dipped in manong’s thick, heavenly brown sauce. When you can’t go out and join manong’s fishball cart, just order @manongsfishballsauce’s yummy brown sauce to go with San Jose fishballs from @tindahannikuys to fry at home. (Photo: @manongsfishballsauce)
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Fried isaw ng manok, isaw ng baboy
Equally wonderful, this is the fried version of the grilled internal delights, chicharon-like and really good, get them from @IsawNiAlingAgnes from Facebook.
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Balut at penoy
One of the classic street food mainstays, the balut is as Pinoy as It gets, boiled duck embryo that strikes awe, if not fear, in tourists asked to try it. But to the savvy, it is divine snack especially when sprinkled with a little coarse salt and a splash of spicy vinegar, with the yolk and the embryp providing soft, creamy texture. All this after you slurp the broth, that is. And if embryo is not your thing, the Penoy’s all-yolk contents is your best bet. (Photo: @nikkiscuriousappetite).
Kwek-kwek and tokneneng
If you want your kids to eat more boiled eggs, batter and deep-fry them, then watch them fly straight to their mouths. Tokneneng are made with chicken eggs, while kwek-kwek are made with quail eggs. Both are so addicting in their bright orange coating, and best dipped in sweet-spicy vinegar and brown sauce, just like fishballs. Order from @airballs320.
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Taho
Soft-set soy curds with arnibal (caramelized sugar syrup) and tiny sago (tapioca pearls), this used to be the morning counterpart of the nocturnal balut, but both have become all-day treats now. And if you’ve ever secretly desired scooping from manong’s barrel of taho, you can do so by ordering from @gianttaho or @tahomanila. (Photo: @gianttaho).
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Ginataang bilo-bilo
Great merienda fare, this is a steaming bowl of sweetened coconut milk thickened by simmering a good amount of bilo-bilo or glutinous rice balls, and a generous fill of saba, camote or gabi, and langka slices. And since this is naturally vegan, you can order a hefty serving from @thesexychef.
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Sorbetes
Sorbetes – Parents called it dirty ice cream to dissuade their children from throwing a tantrum just to get one, but street peddled sorbetes has survived the bad rap and is now an icon aspired to and copied by ice cream companies and artisans alike. Their classic flavors of keso, ube, tsokolate, and local fruit flavors like mangga, avocado and atis continue to reign as Pinoy favorites. Order yours from @kalyesorbetes for a quick cold fix.
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Iskrambol
Iskrambol – A delightful icy treat made from shaved ice that is whipped to a fluffy cloud together with milk powder and flavoring, then topped with marshmallows, chocolate syrup, more milk powder and other whimsical ingredients that put a big smile on a kid’s face. Credit the vendors who peddle this cold treat in the heat without using any electrical gadget. Get your childhood treat from @pinoyklasikiskrambol.
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Samalamig gulaman
Sweet caramelized sugar syrup diluted in water and flavored with banana essence for that unique flavor, you see them in the streets, in plastic barrels filled with blocks of ice, coldly perspiring, and when stirred by manong’s long-stemmed ladle, creates a swirling tornado as chunks of gulaman spin around with the ladle. It’s the perfect drink while eating fishballs in the street. You can enjoy it at home when you order from @jessies_gulaman
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Halo-halo
A happy mix of Pinoy ingredients like sweetened saba, camote, red beans, kaong, nata de coco, macapuno, langka, topped with shaved ice, a thick slab of leche flan, a spoonful of ube haleya, a scoop of ube ice cream, and a final dousing of rich evaporated milk. Whew. Now that’s a rich merienda. Or you can go minimalist and simply use two or three ingredients at most. Get yours at the comfort of your home from @ben_halohalo, @teresitasph. (Photo: @ben_halohalo).
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Cold Taho
The emergence of the taho’s chilled version has amped up its cult-like popularity and spawned various flavors like matcha, strawberry and mango. Even the tiny sago has been replaced by some vendors with tapioca pearls and other sinkers you usually find in milk tea. Now you can get them on the go when you order from @mamangtaho and @soyandbeanph. (Photo: @mamangtaho).
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Satti
A Tausug breakfast specialty similar to Indonesia’s satay barbecue, these are chunks of chicken or beef that are skewered, grilled, and served over rice and that special sweet, spicy red sauce that hints of curry, turmeric, lemongrass, and garlic. Get your authentic experience from @ZamboangaClassicSatti on Facebook.
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Sisig
Pampanga’s pride and lip-smacking culinary gift to the world, sisig never fails to please. It is hearty pulutan for a drinking session and an all-around meal that is traditionally made from a mix of pig cheeks, ears, and belly, with some liver, boiled, grilled, and chopped into small pieces, to be mixed with onion, calamansi and chilies with or without mayo then dumped in a hot plate to sizzle. Fresh egg usually tops the sisig while it’s hot, and crushed chicharon. Order your sisig pleasure from @manamph or @ayseesisigmandaluyong. (Photo:@ayseesisigmandaluyong).
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Inasal
Inasal – A favorite Bacolod original, inasal is grilled chicken that is unique in that it is marinated not in soy sauce but in a tart mix of sinamak or coconut vinegar, calamansi, garlic, ginger, and annatto for that distinct orange-yellow color when grilled. The soy sauce comes in as its dipping sauce often mixed with vinegar, calamansi and red chilies. Get your inasal fix from @sarsakitchen, @LedorsChixInasal, @ManangColasa. (Photo: @LedorsChixInasal).
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Ngohiong
Ngohiong – Cebu’s version of lumpiang Shanghai, ngohiong is a quick and convenient take-along snack of ground pork mixed with shrimp, chopped singkamas, ubod, onions, pepper, and five-spice powder for their distinct flavor, then wrapped in rice paper or lumpia wrapper, dipped in thin batter and deep-fried to get that crisp exterior. Excellent with a spicy sweet and sour dipping sauce. Order from @ngohiong_bai or @ngohiong_decebu. (Photo: @ngohiong_bai).
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
Sutukil
Another Cebuano seafood gustatory delight, sutukil combines three ways of cooking seafood. It is an abbreviation for sugba (grill), tuwa (cooked in liquid or stew) and kilaw (raw fish soaked in vinegar). Imagine choosing the freshest catch and having it cooked one way or all three ways. Order home from @islasugbuseafoodcity. (Photo: @cookingwith_clas)
Photo Credit: ORDER HERE
If you're wondering at my deep interest in street food, it's like this. I grew up in a conservative family where my childhood adventures were limited to controlled environments and sanitized eating areas. But little did my parents know, they introduced me to the world of street food the moment they enrolled me in an all-girls Catholic school. As a scrawny six-year old prep student, I used to spend all of my one peso baon buying ten little cones of Manong’s sorbetes. At ten centavos each, I gobbled all in quick succession. It was always a tiny scoop of cheese-studded queso ice cream sitting atop a crunchy wafer cone. And it was never dirty, as far as I and my grubby hands could tell.
In elementary school, I also moved on to another authorized vendor inside my school’s old open-air gymnasium where students loitered during recess and dismissal. Manang sat imposingly on her stool behind her kariton as she expertly peeled Indian mangoes and santol with deft hands and a sharp knife. She was the queen of her turf as she ordered her young son to manage the crowd of sweaty girls vying for her attention, arms stretched out, hands clutching twenty-five centavo coins, all wanting to be the first to pay for sticks of banana cue and carioca thickly coated in hardened caramelized sugar, wedges of singkamas and balls of santol sprinkled with coarse salt, and green mangoes with a generous dollop of bagoong. I practically lived for recess and dismissal.
My late father, a kind and very prim Pangasinense who was known to insist on using utensils over an Ilocano feast of crabs, shrimp, and grilled fish while his family happily used their hands to eat, could never understand my fascination and craving for street food. Despite his warnings about acquiring foodborne illnesses, I would sneakily flag down a passing fishball cart in front of our house and ask that he hurry and fill up my bowl with newly fried fish balls, and two smaller bowls with his dipping sauces. One with his vinegar that was tinted pink from the copious amount of minced red onions, and the other, of course, was his sweet-spicy brown sauce that was the lifeblood of his fishballs. My father would eventually catch me in the act of almost drinking the bowl of sauce dry and he would grimace and shake his head, then launch into his dangers of street food spiel. I would just smile at him dreamily, feeling immense satiety and satisfaction after having my fill of this simple merienda.
Despite my father’s protestations, I continued to be hooked on street food. Name it, I’ve probably eaten it. With gusto. Pork Isaw? Divine. Kwek-kwek? Tokneneng? Give me more, please. Helmet? Creamy. But it wasn’t until a few years ago while covering the World Street Food Congress that was held for the first time in Manila in 2016, that I realized how big of an impact street food has on a country’s culinary history and culture.
My father would have approved the leap to technological savviness by vendors as it meant a greater consciousness for clean street food. And I would have loved to tell him of my discovery that my stubbornness to eat street food was not in vain, after all. I know now that my early foray in school was in itself a microcosm, a reflection of the world outside that lived on street food.
My Manong sorbetero was his generation's lifeline of preserving the art of sorbetes-making and Manang with her food-laden kariton was teaching his son how to be wise and make use of all that can be peeled, cooked, and eaten to earn a decent living.
How exhilarating to know that even a kid as young as six years old can be a vital cog that helps the wheel of street food life to roll, evolve, and remain to be a constant source of convenient, ready-to-eat food, accessible to anyone, wherever hunger strikes.
Check out my list of some of our bustling local street food in the gallery above. I've included where to order them so you can satisfy your cravings. I may or may not have eaten them all in my lifetime.
Lead photo: @bulilitkitchen, @manongsfishballsauce, @kalyesorbetes
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