Just when you think you couldn't fit another restaurant into Kapitolyo, they open up an entire…read morefoodpark. Insane. Having said that, Gastro Park Kapitolyo is a fantastic addition to the Kapitolyo food scene, if only for the fact that it was able to cram so many restaurants in one space. It also established 1st Street as Kapitolyo's second food street, sharing it with Kanto, Nori, and Ser Chef, among others. The layout of the food park was kept simple and straight to the point, and I appreciate the fact that it actually has a roof. As with most food parks, the outlets are good and decent although no outlet really stands out. I do appreciate the price point of the outlets though, as most of them have plenty of options below P150. That's a major selling point in my book.

A fun place to eat and go on a food trip with friends!…read more This Gastro Park has quite a variety of cuisines available. They have Filipino, Japanese, Singaporean, Thai, and Italian, just to name a few of them. I like that they also thought of how warm it can get. They provided ceiling fans in the middle seating area. The outer areas don't have fans but at the least the fans they have help keep the air circulating.

What it has going for it is its brand and name recognition. Mang Larry's has been an institution at…read moreUP for quite a while now. The order placement system is also very organized. The food order is properly itemized and priced in the printed order slip. It gets full very quickly nearing meal times. We had to wait a short while after placing our order at around 5:45 PM. Students, office workers, and tourists are the present diners when we ate there. What I did not like was the setting and service. It did come a long way now that it has a dedicated seating area and a covered roof compared to yesteryears when it was only a stand-up kiosk. It would have been nice if they went all the way and cemented the flooring and have chosen more presentable table and chairs. Durint the time we were present dining, we also overheard another customer having their order wrong. He ordered something around 20 sticks, but what came in the take-out bag was only around 16 sticks. It was a few sticks short. Lastly, do not expect to get good value when eating here. The small portions of food on the sticks are a little pricey and can add up quicky with just a few sticks ordered.

There is a reason why Mang Larry's is one of the most famous stalls in the UP Diliman Campus. It is…read morea small and humble cart near the Internatonal Center and the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, yet it manages to drawn in hordes and hordes of students and faculty. It serves a variety of innards and offal, which I think shows the ingenuity and the resourcefulness of our street food eating habits -nothing goes to waste. On the menu are different kinds of isaw or pig and chicken intestines, and other adventurous stuff such as pig ears, tripe, gizzards and liver. People would actually line up and end up smelling like the smoke from the outdoor grill, which goes to show how good the isaw is. I personally don't like isaw very much, and I have already shifted to my veg diet when I came to UP, but my friends swear by the quality of the isaw sold by Mang Larry's. A friend remarked that he wouldn't even touch any other isaw, unless he is sure that utter care was taken by the vendor in cleaning the innards. They say that the stuff sold by Mang Larry's taste fresh and clean, and free from that undesirable taste of chicken poop that any amateur isaw vendor wouldn't think of cleaning out thoroughly. Anyway, I heard Mang Larry was able to send his kids to college because of his trade, to which I say, well done! Excellent job, hardworking and charismatic Mang Larry!

If you're Pinoy, you'll understand that when you have a family or company party/get together, you…read moremust bring food that will satisfy and feed everyone...on a budget! Apart from the essential noodles (spaghetti or pancit) and meat dish (fried chicken or pork barbecue), a "kakanin" or rice cake dessert is also something to complete the festivities. For kakanin in a hurry, this is a good place to drop by. They have cassava cake, pichi pichi, and even leche flan. The prices are very affordable and they offer small or big serving sizes. I actually like their pichi pichi with cheese. They are bigger than the usual ones you get from other restaurants and cheaper too! :)

Street food heaven! There was plenty of food and drink selection. Lots of seating area. I settled…read morefor calamari and fresh coconut water as it was a little late for me. Service was quick but I'd assume they get really busy on weekends.

This is street food central! I had fun,I was full and my belly was happy…read more Live music and band? For free? Wow,right? Cheap but great choices of all types of street food and other elements added. Highly recommended for tambayan!

This was the part of Tiendesitas that I was most excited about. Sadly, it didn't live up to my…read moreexpectations. It's just that my idea of a food village was a thriving market place with stalls overflowing with native delicacies. The place was not busy when we got there. Some crews were setting up for a concert. But even with that kind of free event, the place just wasn't buzzing, and that was a Friday. Maybe it has something to do with the time we went there (pre-dinner) and that some of the stalls were closed. The stalls that were open were pretty impressive. Most of them sold locally grown products and native delicacies that you wouldn't see in supermarkets. I liked the store that sold durian ice cream and organic fruit juices. I wanted to try the restaurants there, but we just ate before going to Tiendesitas, so we bought some Pinoy snacks instead (cornick, banana chips, chicharon, etc.). I wasn't really satisfied with my trip here. But that only means one thing: I should go back and stay longer next time. I hope there will be more stores and people then.

I've only recently been to Tiendesitas and it's just because we picked up my brother from NAIA late…read moreat night. We were looking for a place to grab dinner and he was seriously craving Filipino food after a month in Singapore eating chicken rice. PROS: We find the interiors really cute with all those colorful paper lanterns and vintas on the ceiling; The place is a wide open space with a lot of seats and industrial fans and mist machines. So it's not much of a big deal that there's no air conditioning. Or maybe it's because we went there during night time and it's less hot; The food establishments are a monolith of Pinoy food and grilled choices to accompany your beer; There was a band playing that night, and they would let the audiences volunteer if they want to perform. CONS: I know it's the Pinoy trademark that we offer good customer service, but don't you just hate it when vendors and staff get all over your face to hawk and peddle their restaurant to you? It just makes it all the more confusing and irritating for us to choose a place to eat. Like, excuse me, stop pressing your menu on my face. TL;DR: Tiendesitas Food Village is an over-all fun place with so many choices for food and drinks, plus live entertainment.

While Mang Larry's is the more popular isaw stand, the one that's usually two stands away is what I…read moreprefer. Their isaw is orange, which is prettier to look at (heheh), and they don't overcook the isaw like Mang Larry's often does. My street food of choice is isaw manok, and I haven't found another isawan that serves anything as good as what they have here. The stall directly next to it sells fishballs and kwek-kwek, so hanging out on that lawn with a mere fifty pesos will get you very far. Pair your street food with some refreshing buko juice, and you'll understand why this is a UP student's standard meal. It's not just cheap; it's actually really good! The stalls moved from the empty lot right across Law to the one next to it. The old location is now a parking lot, and while the new one allows several cars to park as well, the ground is much more uneven and rocky. Girls, leave your heels at home!

Hindi ko alam kung bakit si Mang Larry yung sikat na isawan sa UP, dahil yung katabi niyang isaw na…read moreorange naman ang masarap. Medyo mapakla at lasang abo kasi yung kay Mang Larry kaya hindi ko tipo, itong isaw na orange sa tabi niya mas may lasa, siguro dahil may marinade na ketchup at suka kaya naging orange. Pero hindi ko alam, palagay ko lang naman yun. Mas masarap bumili sa isawan na to dahil bukod sa mas masarap ay mas kaunti ang pila, hindi ka masyadong maghihintay ng matagal para makuha ang order mo. Maliliit lang serving sa stick ng isaw nila kaga damihan mo na rin ang orderdahil kapag nabitin ka, hassle nang maghintay uli. Isaw baboy at manok ang lagi kong binibili dito tapos ay isasawsaw sa maanghang na suka. Mmm! Ang sarap nito iulam sa kanin! Minsan ginagawa ko talaga yun, nagbabaon ako ng kanin tapos bumibili ako ng isaw dito pang hapunan.

There are different versions of empanada here in the Philippines; several types are available in…read morethe Metro and in each region have their own preferred fillings and toppings, but the best one I've tried so far is located in the Province of Ilocos. Ilocos empanada has several ingredients such as green papaya, mung beans, whole egg, a piece of their famous garlicky Ilocos longanissa and enveloped in a crispy shell case made of mixed flour and crushed annato seeds to add crunch to this delectable empanada. The good thing is you don't have to travel twelve hours from the city to have a taste of Ilocos famous empanada since Victoria's Empanada de Iloko brought it here in Manila. Sample this dish while it's hot and crispy and although Victoria's version is more peppery that the ones in Ilocos, just add Sukang Iloko and that would balance the taste and get that authentic Ilocos empanada taste.

You won't have to travel all the way to Ilocos if you're craving for some Ilocos Empanada…read more Victoria's Emapanada de Iloko sells Ilocos Empanada that is close to the real thing. You may choose from a variety of the empanadas based on your liking. If you want it with the complete ingredients, they have the Special Empanada. If you want one or two of the ingredients taken out like the egg or longganisa, they also have options for you. All their empanadas are made to order so you're sure that it's freshly cooked. For just Php 50, you already have an Ilocos Empanada to satisfy your craving. Service is pretty fast as well so you won't have to wait that long.

Jolly-Jeeps are these food stands that are made of the same kind of steel or metal that would…read moreremind me of a jeep. Heck, maybe that's where they got their name from. Anyway, this project is an initiative of the local government in promotion of employee benefits. To keep it simple, Jolly-Jeeps are basically karenderia stands made out of the stainless jeepney steel that I was talking about. I like it cause it's an extremely cheap alternative to what you'll typically see around Makati. In fact, I'm glad these things exist because I'm no longer restricted to eating at fast food restaurants considering my limited budget. Most Jolly-Jeeps have similar menus. I've only ever tasted the ones I found along Rada Street so I can't say if there's a massive difference between the Jolly-Jeeps there and those in other places. Anyway, most of the things you'll see in these things are typically Pinoy, Longganisa, sisig, bananacue, kamotecue, and so much more.

One icon immediately sets the twin villages of Makati apart from any other district in the country,…read moreand, who knows maybe even the world--the so-called "jolly jeep." These almost space-age looking capsules of convenience line the major avenues of villages Salcedo and Legazpi, with outlets in select streets in and around Makati CBD. They may look uniform, but don't let the Demolition Man grey monotone fool you: these are individual merchants with their own strengths and surprises in store. Most jolly jeeps offer the standards: pancit, lugaw, a couple of ulams with rice, and the omnipresent pinoy spaghetti. Where each jolly jeep differs is in flavor. If you're a fan of banana cue or turon, in particular, there is a wide range in quality and price (and these aren't always directly proportional) so experiment until you find the flavors you like. If you're in the mood for sisig, head on over to the jolly jeep fronting the 711 on Rada--but make sure to get there before the lunch time crush.

Very affordable and the food is amazing. Within the food court in the mall so there's a lot of…read moreother food spots to compliment the experience you have here. The wait time is quick and the service was efficient. Definitely one of my favorite places.

It's pretty cheap and good for what you get. I absolutely love the chili tubes they provide for…read moreextra spiciness. I wish the rice would be a little more toasted as the stone didn't stay as hot as I'd like. The meat was also kind of bland compared to what I'm used to.