09.26.26
This was me & Hubs' 1st time EVER having Jollibee and we were anxiously awaiting for it to open like many locals. Hubs wanted to see how it compares to one of his favorite Hawaiian/Maui spots, Zippy's, and I just wanted to see what the hype was, as I've long heard great things. Of course we didn't want to go right away when we knew crowds would be re-donk, so tonight we figured it was finally our time to check it out.
We arrived about 6:30p and the line was at the door being held open by those waiting to get in to order. It gave us time to peruse the menu while standing there. So many options, but I knew I'd be going with chicken & spaghetti. But Hubs wasn't sure which way he'd go--he's normally a tendies guy but saw the spicy chicken sando and went with that. But apparently they also got burgers, and I saw some other sides like adobo rice that I know I'll be back for. Then we also saw Ube pie and I knew that would be ordered tonight too.
Once we finally got past the threshold of the entrance door, we saw 2 kiosks to the right to place orders. This I think helped with the speediness of the line continuing to move, as our wait wasn't long at all. We ended up ordering at the counter since that opened up first once we were at the front of the line. And honestly, I'm glad we did because, I just like great friendly service, which is definitely what we received. We let the cashier know we were Jollibee newbies and so, he made sure to ask all the right questions when placing our order. Like, telling me I could have regular and/or spicy chicken for my 2pc combo--um, spicy please! Then I saw a special drinks menu display and said I'd go for a lychee iced tea with my meal. When it came to Hubs sando order, our cashier asked if Hubs wanted the deluxe or not, but Hubs doesn't like all that extra produce. He went with fries for his side and their Coconut Dream Freeze to drink. When I threw in the Ube pie, he also recommended the peach mango pie, but we simultaneously said that would be for next time. Lol. He took Hubs' name and said they'd call us when it's ready.
While waiting for our order, I noticed the soda fountain has Pepsi, which we love. I also liked they had a monitor showing names of whose orders were ready and whose were being prepped-Nice! They seemed to be running like a well oiled machine and it didn't take long for us to hear our name. We grabbed our food and drinks, then headed to the dining area.
There were several tables, both small and large and I think some counter seats too. Walking towards the back, there were a couple of booth-type tables and also a cute little cozy 2person corner seating. But because it was a nice night an ample outdoor tables, we opted for that.
Food was overall great! Hot. Fresh. Chicken moist and juicy. Fries were the weakest link, surprisingly followed by the spaghetti. My spaghetti had very little hot dog pieces, but the sauce was just too sweet for my liking. Next time I'm going with adobo rice. We dipped the fries in the gravy and WHOA! That gravy instantly became the star of the show--SOOO good!! Hubs liked his spicy sando, as did I. The spicy mayo was great, chicken tasty & moist, and the bun--brioche?--perfectly soft. My chicken was really good: skin was crunchy and crispy in the best way possible, with super moist meat. While there was a slight kick cuz I got spicy, it wasn't enough--mama likes her hot sauce when eating fried chicken. So I asked them if they had any. I was handed several packets of Tabasco. I gave it a whirl but sadly, I'm just not a Tabasco fan. So I need to remember to bring my own if eating there. Our drinks were also great--so much flavor!! Then the biscuits. While a good size, they were slightly dry for me and so I had to ask for butter and/or honey, to which I got both--nice. Unfortunately, the butter wasn't very soft since kept in the fridge, so it was a little difficult getting on the biscuits without it crumbling some. But it was still good. Hubby ate his plain and was ok with it. We finished eating our meal (I left 1/2 of my spaghetti side behind) and went for the fried Ube pie. It was delicious and reminded us of McD's old fried apple pies. We'll definitely be back to try the peach mango next time!
Lastly, service was excellent. Not only from behind the counter, but Renzo was constantly coming in & out, making sure the restaurant stayed clean and was never seen without a smile. All these people truly looked and acted as if they were enjoying their jobs serving this community--something that seems hard to come by these days.
Overall experience: Solid 4.5 stars. With the fries & spaghetti sauce being the weakest links and only reason for the small downgrade. And that's just personal preference and does NOT speak to the preparation of the food itself. So, thanks Jollibee for making our 1st experience positive and if I haven't said it enough already, we WILL be back! read more