Filipino food: what to try and how to order

The shape of Filipino food

Filipino food is savoury, sour and salty, built around rice, pork, chicken, fish and vinegar. It shares influences from Malay, Spanish, Chinese and American cooking, but the flavour profile is its own — heavy on garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and calamansi.

The classics to try

• Adobo — the national dish: meat braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and bay leaves.
• Lechon — whole roasted pig, the centrepiece of celebrations; Cebu's version is famous.
• Sinigang — sour soup (tamarind base) with pork, shrimp or fish and vegetables.
• Sisig — chopped pork face and liver, served sizzling; a Pulutan (drinking snack) staple.
• Kare-kare — oxtail and vegetables in a peanut sauce, eaten with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste).
• Pancit — stir-fried noodles served at every celebration; pancit canton and bihon are the common versions.
• Chicken inasal — grilled chicken from Bacolod, marinated and basted with annatto oil.
• Bangus — milkfish, often stuffed and fried; the national fish.

Soups and everyday meals

• Nilaga and bulalo — clear beef or pork soups with vegetables and marrow.
• Tinola — chicken and green papaya soup with ginger.
• Arroz caldo — chicken rice porridge, perfect on rainy days.
• Tapsilog and other 'silog' plates — cured beef, garlic rice and fried egg, the breakfast standard.

Snacks and sweets

• Leche flan, halo-halo (shaved ice with toppings), turon (banana rolls), bibingka and puto (rice cakes).
• Street snacks: kwek-kwek (fried quail eggs), isaw (grilled chicken intestines) and fish balls — cheap, popular, but choose vendors carefully for hygiene.
• Jollibee — the beloved local fast-food chain; its spaghetti and chickenjoy are cultural icons.

How meals work

• Rice is the base of almost every meal — expect it with everything.
• Carinderias are small eateries serving pre-cooked dishes by the scoop; the cheapest way to eat local.
• Family-style eating (kamayan, eating with hands on banana leaves) happens at parties and some restaurants.
• Spice level is mild compared to Thai food — 'maanghang' means spicy; ask if you want heat.
• Balut (developing duck embryo) is the famous dare dish — it is genuinely popular, not just a tourist joke.

Food safety notes

Tap water is not safe to drink; ice in reputable restaurants is factory-made and fine. Street food is part of the experience but choose busy stalls with high turnover. See the grocery guide for allergies and dietary restrictions.

¿Algo incorrecto o desactualizado? Reporta un error · Revisado por última vez: 11 agosto 2026. ¿Algo incorrecto o desactualizado? Report an error · Last reviewed: 11 August 2026.