I went on a guided walk around Manila's Chinatown, apparently the oldest one in the world, and we…read moreended with lunch at President Grand Palace Restaurant. This was my first time in Manila, but the restaurant felt familiar, with a classic universal Chinatown vibe. A spacious dining room with huge tables and a worn-in banquet hall vibe. Lazy susans, dragons and red lanterns, laminated menus a thousand items long. Service was fast and polite, and we were in and out in about an hour. Our guide took care of the ordering, curating a nice spread from that giant menu, which had whole half-page sections for shark's fin and pigeon and frog. We didn't get any of those, but we did have some bird's nest soup, which I think was a first for me. It was interesting, if not especially delicious, kind of a goopier version of an egg drop soup. I didn't bother looking up the dish until now, and have just learned that I ate soup made with hardened bird saliva. Yum. Everything else was less exotic, and it was all pretty tasty, if not especially memorable. I liked the salt and pepper fried squid and the sautéed scallops with broccoli. There was a pot of breaded fish and tofu in a nice, soupy, flavorful sauce. The sweet and sour pork with pineapple appealed to my American Chinese-loving palate, as did the shrimp and pork fried rice. We didn't have dessert, but many of us did indulge in some cold sweet beverages, great for a hot Manila day. I liked both the calamansi juice and the green mango shake, a pleasantly sour, frosty drink made with unripe mango. I wouldn't go out of my way for this restaurant, but it's a solid spot for an indulgent Chinese meal if you're visiting Manila's Chinatown. I had a good time at President Grand Palace, and do not regret the bird saliva soup.

Philippine Vacay 03-2025…read more Got a history lesson from Manila. This is the very first Chinatown in the world which was established in the Philippines in the 1800s! We wanted Chinese food so we went to the heartland of Manila's Chinatown. We got dropped off on the Grab App in a basic Chinatown location. Upon being dropped off, we stumbled on this Chinese restaurant. We got in and the restaurant was cool and clean. We were greeted nicely and was seated to our table. Ordered crabs, shrimp, fried rice, lobster entree, Birds nest soup, and broccoli beef. Everything was superb. No complaints. The ambiance of this place reminded me of a bruce lee movie I watched not to long ago. This was a safe heaven for being comfortable away from the heat. I would definitely come back again. The food was well worth it. Delicious! Pricing was cheap for all entrees except the lobster entree. They got me on that one. I did not understand the cost at the time of order. For a party of 10, the final bill was very cheap, minus the lobster which was almost $100 us dollars. Smh Place is a Gem in Chinatown.

This restaurant deserves more than a five star! The food were all gastronomically delish you would…read morewant to order more! We started with the dimsums while waiting for our orders and it did not disappoint. We ordered spinach soup, fried calamari, fried oyster, yang chow fried rice, buttered chicken and chicken pie. All were delish! The service is the best! Errol is amazing! He went above and beyond, making sure we have every thing we need before we even ask. The ambience is also cool! All the staff are great! Will definitely come back to this place and recommend it to my friends!

They have excellent quality food! The dimsum are served steaming hot and taste great with no…read morefrills. I can't choose between the Hakaw and Steamed Pork Siomai so I'll just have them both together regularly. Of all the dishes I've tried here so far, none need further improvement. Baked Uno Seafood Chicken Pie is something to look for and miss after awhile. Even when eaten at room temperature as a leftover, it still tastes really good! A special dish with chicken, taro, spinach, and oyster sauce is pretty delicious as well. It's off the menu but it's so good that it should be listed.

Thanks to 2 of my fellow food crawlers for their birthday treat! We had so much food, but here are…read morethose that stood out for me: Seafood Misua Guisado - their version of pancit, which was really tasty and had a nice mix of different textures, including the crunch of peanuts! Steamed Fish Fillet with Garlic - when they say garlic, they really mean it as this came with a separate container of minced garlic, which I generously added to my fish! Abalone Fried Rice in Stone Pot - this could be eaten on its own! It's like seafood paella, but doesn't have a fishy taste or smell. Fried Chicken Steak in Teriyaki Sauce - if you've been following my reviews, you already know that I am not a huge fan of teriyaki, but I'll gladly make this an exception! Actually, I didn't notice the teriyaki sauce as the chicken itself was already quite good! Golden Egg Pao - if saltiness and sweetness were to marry, then this egg pao is their union! Can be both a snack and dessert! What I didn't like: Fried radish cake - never liked this, never will! Radish is meant for savory food, not as a sweet dish. Spare ribs - basically, boiled only, so meh. What could be improved: Seafood Pumpkin Soup - lacks salt and pepper, but quite chunky! Australian Lamb Chops in Black Pepper Sauce - more pepper, less sugar, please! Honey-glazed Eel - the candy sprinkles were unnecessary Would I go back here? Maybe, but not on my own or any time soon.

Royal Sharksfin and Seafood Restaurant has the same owner as Golden Fortune Seafood Restaurant,…read moreknown for their seafood, dimsum, and Chinese cuisine. It is not a restaurant where you can see easily along Quintin Paredes because it is located on the second floor, but once you find this, it is a real gem. Royal has a more fine-dining feel. Although it also offers the same dimsum and Chinese staples, the food is more presentable. They also offers uncommon dishes like Abalone Fried Rice, Real Sharksfin Soup, Lamb and Leeks, among others. They try to innovate and create new dishes weekly, so there is something to look forward to to each visit. It also has a large dining area and multiple function rooms that is great for events. Their lauriat-style meals are also good and inexpensive. Staffs and even the managers are very hospitable and friendly. I love the abalone rice, siomai, raddish cake, prawn sotanghon, and hot prawn salad the best. But each visit, there might have a surprise for their new dish. A definite must-try for all Chinese food lovers.

King Chef is my go-to when wanting dim sum, especially during Happy Hours when the prices are…read morecheaper. I'm Chinese and approve King Chef.

The food was great and the staff was friendly! I was craving xiao long bao and their dumpling hit…read morethe spot. :)

At first sight, President Tea House was quite intimidating. They were not even part of Cheap…read moreBinondo Food Trip articles that can be found on the internet - - but I assure you that the price and serving ratio was all worth it. We had 2 servings of fresh shrimp hakaw and scallop dumplings, asado siopao, stir-fried beef hofan and steamed fish with garlic which we were all able to finish in no time. The dimsum were at it's finest -- comapring to the other dimsum shops we've tried. Hofan was something that we ordered just because it looks appetizing on the next table (haha!), but it never disappointed us. The beef toppings were huge and generous. The fish dish was their bestseller under Seafood category, in which we ought to try. It was delish but looks oily. Nevertheless, perfect as well. We were billed around 1100php for 4, which is not so bad. The servers were friendly and consistently serving us with a smile. Plus points for having wifi access! Time and date of visit: 2 Sept 2017, 12:30pm

I know that President Tea House is popular, but I have no plans of going back there. Not after an…read moreawful experience I and my friends had last year. We had agreed to meet at President, which I had heard of but never actually gone to. One of the guys said they had really good dimsum. So fine, we agreed to meet there for lunch. We came in sep'fore a waiter came to take our orders. He seemed surly but we were all peeved, and made our feelings known. After he took our orders, we thought our ordeal would be over. It wasn't. I swear it took close to an hour for our meals to get to our table. I don't know if it was our collective bad mood, but the food didn't taste all that good to any of us. As far as I know, none of us have ever gone back to President Tea House. What for? There are so many great restaurants in Chinatown, so why bother giving this a second chance?

For our family, celebrations mean only one thing: SEAFOOD, and LOTS OF IT! Our feasts, whether at…read morehome or in restos, always consists of crabs, shrimps, squid, shellfish, and fish. Mind you, all of us siblings are allergic to seafood, but that's not enough to stop us from digging in anyway. No wonder our medicine cabinet at home is always stocked with antihistamine tablets. When my birthday rolled around last year, we headed to Blackbeard's Seafood Island for our regular fill. The resto offers boodle packages with various combinations of rice, grilled seafood, vegetable soup, and local salad (with mangoes, eggplants, salted egg, and bagoong). These are served on huge wooden platters laden with banana leaves. Guests can then dig in with their hands. Plates and utensils are optional. Aside from their food, also worth tasting are their different drinks, most notably the fruit shakes. There were watermelon, buko, and mango (green and ripe), just to name a few. They offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to wash down the guilt of overeating, which you are guaranteed to do here.

Ube bola bola and asado siopao!? First time trying them and man oh man! It works! Between the two…read morethough, bola bola was the clear winner. It did not need the sauce that came with it but a little hot sauce made it taste even better. The asado on the other hand was too sweet for my taste. Oh, and let's not forget their hopias. They're still as good as when I was in college ages ago. Can't wait to try my all time favorite dice mongo hopia. Service was really good too. I'm happy as a clam.

A must see spot in Chinatown. You really see how influential Chinese culture is in the Philippines…read more Hopia seems to be inspired by moon cakes. That same thin, flakey outer layer surrounding a rich, sweet interior. You can buy both hopia and moon cakes here. Even sugar free options! We loved the ube, pandan, and mongo. Love it here! Can't wait to come back!

Just had the most comforting lunch at Ongpin Mañosa and it instantly took me back to my childhood…read moreweekends in Binondo. The maki mi came piping hot with those tender pork strips swimming in thick, savory gravy--perfectly balanced, not too salty, just deeply satisfying. Paired it with their chunky homemade kikiam and a bowl of miki bihon loaded with fresh fish balls that actually taste like real fish, not the processed kind. The place is still the same old-school, no-frills spot upstairs with the AC blasting, tables squeezed together, and that familiar hum of families chatting over bowls. Nothing fancy, but everything hits exactly right. Been coming here since I was a kid and it's still one of the few places that never disappoints. Absolute gem for real, no-nonsense Chinese Pinoy food. 5 stars all the way.

super dirty place not recommended unless you want to be sick. Food also not good compared to…read morebefore.