Filipino street food lovers who are really into their food know that some of the best food can be found on the streets, not in fancy restaurants. In the case of Filipino food, street food has become a big part of its category. 

It’s easy, cheap, and a great way to learn about the culture of another country. There are many different kinds of street food tours in the Philippines.  

What is Filipino street food? 

Filipino street food comes from hard times, like much of its other food. Because it was a colonised country, expensive, high-quality meat was hard to get. Therefore, the animal’s cheaper and less interesting parts were used instead. 

These parts have been turned into some of the tastiest and least expensive bites of food. This shows how flexible and creative the Filipino people are. 

In the Philippines’ big cities, street food can still be found on almost every corner. Lately, night markets open until 2 AM, making it even easier to get your hands on it. 

Remember that you can’t discuss Filipino street food in just one article. Pancit (noodles) and kakanin (rice cakes) are also types of street food, but the foods on this list are only small and not very filling.  

There are two main types of these small snacks: “prito or pinirito,” which means fried, and “inihaw or sugba,” which means grilled. 

Filipinos love to grill, and there isn’t much they don’t like to cook over charcoal. Meat is usually put on skewers, grilled over charcoal, and basted with barbecue sauce. It is then served with seasoned vinegar. 

Small charcoal grills are on every other street corner in every big city in the Philippines. This is not an exaggeration. 

Fried street food is also very popular. Savoury fried foods are usually served with a spicy, sweet dipping sauce or seasoned vinegar.  

Frying is not traditionally done in Filipino cooking, but it has become one of the country’s favourite ways to cook, especially for street food. 

Street food in the Philippines you have to try

For your first time in the Philippines, here are some of the country’s favourite street foods that you have to try:  

Barbecue 

If you’re from the Philippines, barbecue means skewered meats like pork, chicken, or sometimes even beef marinated, grilled, and basted with barbecue sauce or the marinade the meat has been in. 

The marinade often uses lemon-lime soda, garlic, calamansi (a local citrus fruit), soy sauce, banana catsup, and vinegar. Even though they are tasty, most people would enjoy a barbecue with vinegar spiced with pepper, chilies, ginger, and garlic. 

It’s easy to see why barbecue is the most common street food: the sweet and sour marinade, the spicy vinegar, and the smoky flavour from the charcoal all work together to make a delicious mix of flavours.  

Isaw  

Isaw, made from pork or chicken intestines, is a clear winner and should be discussed separately. It tastes like barbecue because of the smoke from the charcoal, and when it’s grilled just right, it gets crunchy. 

Offal (Laman Loob) 

Besides isaw, other parts like offal (also called laman loob or internal organs) are also grilled. People also like to eat chicken gizzard, liver, heart, pig’s ears, butt, and even heads. On top of that, they are all grilled and basted with the same barbecue sauce or marinade. They are served with spiced vinegar. 

Filipinos got creative not only with their food but also with the names they gave to it. People in this area call grilled chicken feet “Adidas” because the three-stripe shoe brand looks like a three-toed chicken foot. 

Adidas 

Although the feet don’t contain much meat, the skin is rich and fatty, and the flavour is even better when grilled.  

Betamax/DVD 

Betamax, or DVD, is a dish of coagulated blood cakes grilled over a fire. It has an interesting name. The cakes used to be square, which is where the name “Betamax” came from. Betamax video cassettes are no longer made. 

After that, the cakes were changed into round pucks and given the name DVD or VCD to refer to the video discs. No matter their shape, these cakes taste great in more than just soup. Grilling them gives them a unique texture that other barbecue meats don’t have.  

Kwek Kwek/Tokneneng  

Either name refers to eggs that have been hard-boiled and then fried in batter, like tempura. Tokneneng (chicken or duck eggs) and Kwek Kwek (quail eggs) are both tasty, rich, and crunchy.  

Usually, they come with either a sweet soy sauce or a spicy vinegar sauce to dip them in. Annatto seeds are usually used to turn the batter orange, but it doesn’t change the taste.  

Fish and Squid Balls 

Fish and squid balls are popular in the Philippines, as they are in most of Asia. People are welcome to gather by the wok, use a skewer, and pick up as many or as few balls as they want. These are deep-fried in oil. 

While fish and squid (kikiam) made with taro are cooked in the same wok, red hot dogs are also there. People are then asked to choose a sauce to dip their skewers in. 

Usually, you can choose between a simple spicy vinegar dip, a sweet or sweet spicy sauce made with caramelised sugar, garlic, fish stock, or both. Remember that if you dip your skewer twice in the sauce, you might be kicked out of your favourite fishball cart.  

Balut  

There is no Filipino street food list without the famous balut, a boiled fertilised egg embryo eaten right out of its shell. These eggs are kept warm for 14 to 21 days and then boiled and steamed. They are often the subject of eating challenges, especially for people who are not Filipino.  

People in the Metro Manila municipality of Pateros are known for raising ducks and making balut, which is said to be the best in the Philippines.  

Make a small crack or hole in the eggshell and drink the broth to get the most out of the balut. Then, dip the eggshell’s contents in salt or chilli, garlic, and vinegar and eat the whole thing, including the undeveloped chick. 

Banana Cue 

Saban bananas are put on sticks after being deep-fried with margarine and caramelised sugar. While they’re being cooked, the bananas get soft and sweet, and the caramelised sugar forms a thin candy coating around them that gives them a great texture. They taste a bit like banana foster but have a better texture.  

Turon 

Sabado banana slices and ripe jackfruit are wrapped in spring roll sheets and deep-fried until golden brown. Most of them also have caramelised sugar sprinkled on the wrapper. 

The sour and sweet jackfruit complements the soft, sweet bananas, and the thin spring roll wrappers make the whole thing very crisp.  

Fried Offal 

While most Filipinos think grilled isaw is delicious, some would rather have it fried. Deep-frying the intestines gives them a great crunch; most of the iron taste that some people might not like is muted. 

Flaky chicharon or ruffle fat is also great fried. Because they get ruffly when fired, they look a bit like flowers, which is how they got their name “bulaklak.” 

Also popular is fried chicken called “butseron” or “butcheron.” Fried isaw, chicharon bulaklak, and butseron are rich, tasty snacks that taste great when dipped in vinegar. 

Ginanggang 

On the grill, you can cook more than just savoury meats. You can also grill “saba,” which are local caravan bananas, over charcoal. People in the southern islands of the country like this. Some versions grill the bananas, while others add a little margarine and sugar to make them taste better. 

When saba is ripe and grilled just right, it becomes extra soft, sweet, and smoky, which makes it great for eating while walking in the country or on the beach.  

Mais (Corn) 

Another great grill is local white corn, also known as mais. Black charcoal is used to grill the white corn whole on the cob, and margarine is occasionally added. 

Putting corn on a smoky grill brings out its natural sweetness. Adding a final coat of margarine (or sometimes a processed cheese spread) and a sprinkle of rock salt gives the snack a richness that is hard to beat. 

People in the area love it because it tastes good and fills you up, keeping you full until lunch or dinner.  

Ngo Hiong/NgoYong 

In this dish, vegetables and bamboo shoots are mixed with Chinese five-spice powder (ngo hiong), then wrapped in spring roll wrappers and fried in oil. It is mostly found in the Visayas region. The rolls are crunchy and smell great. You can eat or dip them in vinegar or a thick, sweet sauce with five spices.  

Dinamita 

Dinamita, known as dynamite, is a fairly new Filipino street food. It consists of green finger chillies stuffed with processed cheese, rolled up in a spring roll wrapper, and deep-fried. 

They look like dinamita sticks or dynamite when cooked with the stem still on. The creamy, melted cheese balances out the heat of the chillies, and the crunchy wrapper holds them both together.  

Carioca 

Glutinous rice flour and coconut shreds are mixed to make dough. The dough is then rolled into balls and fried in oil. They’re often served on skewers, and the sugar can be left alone or used to make a glaze. Because it’s cheap and filling, they’re a favourite among local workers. 

Explore the Filipino Street Food  

Does there exist a more iconic image of Asian food than a street filled with the smells and smoke of charcoal grills, deep fryers, and cars, with lots of people enjoying cheap, easy, and tasty food? 

Finding something better than that is hard, but you can truly enjoy it in the Philippines. With its catchy names and simple but tasty flavours, Filipino street food is a national treasure. You must try it on a food tour and explore the Best Holiday Destinations in Philippines to start planning your one-of-a-kind trip with us.