Lots of great chinese pasalubongs.. They are all very…read morehelpful. There are different varieties of candied dried fruits.

I think specialty delis/food stores have their own unique charm and Bee Tin in Bindondo is no…read moreexception. Located at the heart of Binondo on Ongpin Street, Bee Tin has not changed much over the years, making it a must-see stop in Chinatown. The Chinese deli/food mart has everything you need from preserves, imported food, Chinese candies and sweets, cured/smoked meats, dehydrated produce, frozen goods and more. I really like going here because there's so much to see and buy that's not usually in your local grocery. I think I picked up the habit of learning how to appreciate delis such as Bee Tin thanks to my grandma who'd always bring me whenever she needs to replenish her supply of preserves. Speaking of preserves, you really have to taste Bee Tin's selection because there's a lot of them! They are neatly stored in bins and you can buy them according to weight. My favorites are the plums - they are pretty large and the mix of sweet and sour has a nice effect on the palette. Another thing I'm crazy about is Bee Tin's beef jerky. While they also have the packaged kind of beef jerkey (I'm looking at you Cow Label), their own mix of the large and leathery strips of beef is a class of its own. You can also purchase these according to weight, and we tend to buy a lot of it. (Might as well make the drive worth it right?) The taste of the beef jerky plays between sweet and salty and the meat itself isn't too hard to chew on. Before I go to the check out counter, I also make a beeline to the chocolates and candies section. Sometimes they stock these really weird but good gummy candies from China (I once bought P5 packets of peach and cola flavored candies - these were really good!), and they also have imported Japanese chocolate snacks like Pocky. Other stuff you can see at Bee Tin are the packaged noodle soups, dry seaweed, Chinese candies and chocolates, haw flakes and lots more other stuff. Another plus for Bee Tin is that their prices are a lot cheaper than in regular groceries.

very delicious ham , you can't forget about it panalo sa…read moresarap , hindi ka magsisisi at uulit ulitin nyo ang pagtangkilik sa mga produkto ng EXCELENTE.

Finally off my bucket list of to visit and buy. Known for a Chinese style ham, it is one of the…read morehardest products to find and get. It's only sold in his one store since the beginning of time. The ham is famous for its a sweet outside sugar crust and tender dry in the inside with a slight, not over bearing saltiness. It's different from western style hams in its dryness that doesn't take away from the taste. The ham come with the topping or without. It's usually eaten in special occasions or holidays. The location sells other pork products but it's best is the ham. It is an old foodie destination in the middle of the most dense and somewhat dangerous neighborhood.

Legendary for their expensive, but high-quality Tikoy, Ho-Land in Binondo offers food common and…read morewell known to the Filipino-Chinese community at good prices. Aside from being fully stocked with high quality hopia and tikoy and Chinese sauces, they also sell various international products; Danish bisquits, for example, are also on stock for the consumers to look at and perhaps buy. They also sell various small sweets such as lollipops and candies and occasional souvenir iterms such as keychains in the shape of Chinese Zodiac animals, including the pig, the monkey, and the snake. Their air-conditioned store in Binondo Chinatown ensures quality and freshness of their wares and items, and a very comfortable shopping experience away from the hot streets of Manila, even if for just a moment. Indeed, Ho-Land, despite having this small shop, is still true to its name in terms of reliable quality and favorable prices as well; if you intend to celebrate the Chinese new year in the country here (because yes, the Philippines does celebrate it as one of our national holidays) they might appreciate your savvy taste if you pick the classic Ho-Land tikoy for wishing them prosperity.

This was suggested by one of the YouTuber that I follow. This place is small but they carry a lot…read moreof different products. You can find the Hopia section on the right side when entering the store. This place can get crowded on the weekend but the check out process is smooth. The Hopia price is around Php68. It comes with a lot of flavors including the classic Monggo, Baboy and Ube. I tried the Ube-Jackfruit Hopia and it tasted good. The filling is not overly sweet and the jackfruit flavor is subtle. The pastry is soft and flaky. For Vegetarians: The Hopias in shiny wrapper are cooked using corn oil and the rest are cooked using pork oil. I got the tip from one of the staff.

My husband's favorite! Love their pineapple hopia. The best! We always buy here whenever we visit…read morePhilippines.

Super fresh meats, fish and seafood and chicken. Also vegetables are very fresh with a great…read moreselection. Prices are fair and competitive. A fairly clean wet market. Cooked foods and desserts are very good to great.

One of the cleanest markets that I've been to that is situated in metro manila specifically in…read moreQuezon City. I love how they cater to different needs of the buyers. But I love their food stalls the one facing Dapitan Arcade. This is where I buy big bilaos of California maki at a very affordable price. Their small bilao will cost P200-300 good for family size and the biggest bilao ranges from P750-800 only and can feed almost 25 people. There are also some stalls selling Filipino dishes and kakanin good for to go. The only that's hassle is here is when during peak hours it is hard to find parking because of traffic and a portion of the lot is allotted to shuttle services. The best time to come in is 10AM after all the hustle and bustle are done and all the food stores are open.

I like hopia. Correction: I love hopia, especially hopiang monggo. But I absolutely will not eat…read morehopiang baboy or kundol. That being said, I have asked my friends who also love this Chinese delicacy what they believe the best hopia is. I get the usual answers of like Holland or Polland. But those in the know will almost always say that there's a place in Palanca Street connecting Sta Cruz to Quiapo that has the best hopia in the planet, if not the universe. That place is Kim Chong Tin Hopia Factory. Decades ago, when i went to the Quiapo and Sta Cruz area fairly regularly, I remember going to Palanca Street to get my hopia fix. There were several stores competing back then, but now it is this one that has survived. I'm sure that this was one of the bakeries where I went to. In a recent visit to Quiapo, I bought a pack and am happy to report that the taste hasn't changed, It's still as delicious as ever. This factory also has other products, but I didn't care to try any of them. A pack of seven pieces goes for P37, so that's a little over P5 per piece. Not a bad price considering the size. There's another place I buy hopia more frequently because its easily accessible, and their hopia goes for P8 per piece of similar size. So considering its price advantage, I will agree that Kim Chong Tin's hopia continues to set the standard by which all other hopias are measured. The place doesn't look like much, but it still gets five stars from me.

Empanada is one of those things I often find myself trying when I see a new food stall or when its…read moreon the menu. I've had these since I was a kid. What I realized is that you can rarely go wrong with trying these little things. It's like a pie only wrapped on itself. To be blunt, it's kinda hard to ruin empanada without being deliberate. Empanada by Mana is reasonably priced for the size. It's just big enough for a snack. It won't leave you dissapointed because you know it'll be enough to keep your stomach from growling with complaints. My only gripe with Empanada by Mana is that it's not stuffed. I mean the stuffing itself is decent. It has taste, as compared to the worst that I've tasted, which in reality has none. When I take a bite out of an empanada, I expect the bite to have more filling than crust, and that for me is the issue. Overall though, it's decent, not bad, but not good either.

I was able to eat this when i was young and whenever my mom comes home from after her friday mass…read more I love the taste. Crispy outside. Soft and not so sweet inside. For awhile i have forgotten about it. Went to highschool. Went to college. Work. Have family. Children and Grandchildren. Now, at 65 yo, I recently received a gift from my sister in-law a box filled with hopia. It looks nice. It looks tasty. I got one from the box and after 1 bite I started to think the taste was kinda familiar. After several bites I just remember my younger days.... the delicious taste was still there. The appearance .... Thank you Master Hopia for maintaining the quality of your product

This little store that calls itself a factory may have an identity crisis, but it still makes the…read morebest hopia in the land. The registered name is supposedly Master Hopia Factory. The handmade sign says its Master's hopia, while the product itself is sold as Master hopia. Whatever its name is, I still say it's the best hopia anywhere. It beats the branded ones by a mile. There's only one store in nearby Palanca street that competes with Master hopia in terms of taste, but since this store is just in front of the Quiapo church, it is far more accessible. At P8 per piece, one hopia at Master or Master's is still a good price, up from the P7 from last year. I can sing praises to this hopia all day and all night, but suffice it to say that I can never, never pass by Quiapo without buying a pack of this hopia. From the flaky crust to the smooth pasty filling, this delicacy is never too sweet, which is perfect for a diabetic like me. A P40 pack of five is perfect for watching movies. This and a juice or iced tea drink is bliss for moi. The store is pretty nondescript, but easy to find because its in the same building as Mercury Drug and just in front of the entrance to the underpass. I am hoping and praying that someday, when this place has determined what its name really is, it can open branches all over Metro Manila. Or at least in Paranaque, where I live. I promise to be their number one client.

One of my best discoveries at the Legazpi Sunday Market two years ago was Aeta Organics. They have…read morea range of really good spicy vegetarian organic products that were created by the our very own Aeta community here in Luzon. What caught my attention was their packaging as well. I got the Aeta Hotsauce Nature On Fire for (P295). I also got a vegetarian burger from them made out of chick peas! It was sooooo good you wouldn't even think that the patty was made out of chick peas and other vegetables. What's really remarkable about Aeta Organics is how it came into fruition. It was really admirable how they wanted to provide a livelihood for the First Nation tribes in the Philippines. They were grown by the Aetas organically in the tradition of their ancestors! You guys have to support this, too! They want to promote healthy eating and at the same time put some pride back into our brothers and sisters!

After taking a long walk at nearby 168 Mall, my Malaysian friends and I decided to just rest and…read morerelax before heading home. The shear thought of something cold was a good idea as it slowly wiped our sweat away. We checked out Zomato and we're in luck when we saw Hobing. I haven't tried it here but a shaved ice dessert sounded pretty good. To be honest, we had a hard time looking for this place because it is not located in the original Lucky Chinatown Mall, but near a passageway to its Annex Building. The place was "cool" and had a cafe-like interiors. Chairs are comfortable and if you needed someone to hug and sit beside with, there are giant fluffy teddy bears that you can transfer beside you. The shop does not only sell hobing (shaved ice), but also some toasts and coffee. We asked for their best-seller, and tried it. It was Mango Banana Hobing. We loved how fine the shaved ice were, as if we were eating snow. The fruits are naturally sweet and the graham powder added an interesting texture and flavor to the dessert. Water is free and self-service. The strange thing about this place is that it has a toilet, but only for women.

Newly opened here at lucky Chinatown mall, we waited for 30-40 minutes last night as their ice…read moremachine broke down, lots of customers waiting, it was worth the wait , the choco cookie bingsu- finely shaved ice dessert with chocolate oreo and fudge was flavorful, the ice shavings were brown and not the usual ice shaving And not too sweet .We also had the milk red bean ibingsu - not bad, the mango cheese bingsu is also good, get the regular size as serving is quite big and good to share for two , we tried the garlic cheese toast - Monroe bread with cheese - yummy. My wife tried the food item - tteokbokki Spicy pechay , real spicy hot.