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.

It's a local supermarket one level above a mini Mart. It has the basic items you may need but…read morenothing extravagant since in Chinatown I was expecting more Asian specialities than they stocked. I found the prices ok and the staff friendly. It's good to know if in area again or to save luggage space I can find the basic items I may need.

The only supermarket in Binondo. Find evrything you need here. They now sell a lot of important…read moregoods as well including chinese food and korean ice creams. Being the only supermarket, price is okay. Hard to find ingredients can usually be found here.

Attitude staff sa branch ng domingo santiago sampaloc manila branch yung girl n slim na naka…read moreeyeglass. Poor service!

I love 24 hour joints. You never know when you'll find yourself in a situation that you need to buy…read moresomething in the wee hours of the morning so it's imperative to know the location of these stores. One such store is Mightee Mart in Retiro. I like going to places like these because they have a better inventory as compared to big chains like 711 and Mini Stop while being a bit cheaper. It holds a special place in my heart. I was once stranded there for more than five hours in the middle of night because each other direction was flooded. They didn't shoo me away and just let me be. I of course bought a couple of items to justify my stay there. I guess this is a tip as well. If Araneta and Retiro is slowly getting flooded, go to Mightee Mart because they're a bit elevated.

7-Eleven is one of the most famous convenience stores here in Manila, and it's because it really is…read moreconvenient! They have snacks, rice meals, ice cream, sandwiches (with many hotdog flavors, but Bacon Cheese and Chicken are definitely my faves!), soda drinks in large cups, and of course, Slurpees!