Binondo Food Crawl (2025 edition) - best eats in Chinatown!
In preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year, I am sharing with you my ultimate list of favorites in Binondo. These restaurants that I’ll be talking about in this article are personal favorites, and has passed the test of time. I have first blogged about these back in 2012-2014, but up to now, they remain as my go-to restaurants whenever I visit Chinatown.
Food crawl tips and preparations
- Binondo Church as the starting point - Before we begin, let me first share with you some tips for the food crawl. When meeting up with your friends, especially if most of you will be coming from different locations, it’s best to do it in Binondo Church. Now, hear me out. I have two major reasons for this. First, the church is a heritage site, and hence it’s worth visiting. Also, if you happen to arrive before anyone else, at least you can burn time by appreciating the architecture. Second, the restaurants listed here are a few walks away from the church, making it an ideal starting point.
- Bring your own bottle/flask of water - Next, it’s best to bring your own water with you. Restaurants around Binondo normally provide service water, but often uses the tap. Hence, for sensitive ones, it’s best to have your own. Plus, since you’ll be walking around potentially under the heat of the sun, it’s always great to stay hydrated.
- Carry just a light bag or pouch - Thirdly, don’t have anything too heavy with you. You will be walking around Binondo, so it’s best to not have anything with you except the essentials such as water bottle, fan, umbrella and a reasonable amount of money. Beware of course of pick pocketers. You may also want to bring an extra shirt, so that you can change after the food crawl.
Binondo Food Crawl Restaurants (by order of suggested sequence)
Towards the end of this article, there's a summary of all these restaurants in an interactive map.
1. Dong Bei - for the steamed kutchay dumplings and xiao long bao
Dong Bei's Kutchay Dumplings
While I’d say that Dong Bei feels to be slightly losing touch (in terms of quality and appeal), this stall remains to be an iconic element of Binondo food crawl. More than half a decade ago, you could still dine inside and sit along with the ates who are preparing the dumplings beside you. It was such a lovely experience. However, today you can only order take outs. The silver lining in this is that you’ll be eating the dumplings and/or xiao long bao the old-fashioned way — along the streets.
2. Tasty Dumplings - for the soya milk, fried dumplings and porkchop
My favorite trio in Tasty Dumplings: soy milk, fried dumplings, pork chop
I said this before, and my stand remains the same. Tasty Dumplings is better than Dong Bei, at least when it comes to taste. I always order their Soy Milk because it’s very refreshing, along with fried dumplings and the ever-tasty porkchop!
3. Sincerity - for the fried chicken, oyster cake, fresh lumpia
Sincerity's Oyster Cake and Fried Chicken are traditional delicacies!
Sincerity was once in an obscured inner street of Binondo, but now it has moved to a more visible location along the busy street of Quintin Paredes. What’s fascinating is that they are able to retain the interior and the vibe. It was as if they moved the entire thing there. For the dishes, I highly suggest that you try their fried chicken, oyster cake and fresh lumpia! I'll spare you the details, but friends who I brought here for these dishes all had fun reaction. Some find the taste odd, nonetheless unique!
Sincerity's iconic interior
4. Polland - for the refreshingly tasty fresh lumpia, optional
Polland's fresh lumpia has everything I love from taste to texture. One of the best!
I personally prefer the fresh lumpia of Polland (perhaps of one the best I’ve tried). However, adding another stop just for this may be too tiring, especially that the nearest branch is in Benavidez Street. However, if you don’t mind adding a few walks, you can skip ordering fresh lumpia in Sincerity, and order it here in Polland instead.
5. Fried Shanghai Siopao - for the delectable juicy bola-bola inside the siopao
Fried Shanghai Siopao is just unbeatably good -- juicy and bursting with flavors!
I just visited this stall in 2024, and the queue is unbelievable. They have grown even more famous over the years, and you may need to line up for about 15 to 25 minutes just to grab a delectable bun. The hype is justified given that this is the only food they sell in here. It's practically a specialty!
6. Eng Bee Tin - for pasalubong and other desserts, optional
Eng Bee Tin is not hard to miss as you will see crowd piling up in the entrance
If you don’t want to go home empty-handed after the food crawl, you may want to drop by the Eng Bee Tin store to grab some treats especially the famous collection of their hopia. Otherwise, feel free to skip this part, unless you also want to queue up in trying the Tiktok-famous fried xiao long bao offered in the small stall just before the entrance.
7/8. Lord Stow’s or Grand Cafe 1919 (choose any, or go for both) - for desserts, Grand Cafe for coffee and to cool/wind down
To cap the crawl, we will need to satisfy the sweet tooth. My personal go-to is the egg tarts of Lord Stow’s. The puffy delicate crust of the tart along with the creaminess of the egg custard just makes each bite a delightful experience.
Now if you happen to have some budget (and energy) to spare, you can visit 1919 Grand Cafe for coffee.
Coffee in 1919 Grand Cafe of Binondo, Manila
They also have a wonderful interior that preserves the cultural vibe of Binondo. It will feel as if you traveled back in time sipping a cup of coffee.
Part of 1919 Grand Cafe's cozy interior
How much will you be spending?
If you’d be following the listed restaurants above along with the suggested orders. You’d be spending a total of ₱2,000 for the group. In order to keep it within a reasonable budget, I suggest you tag along your barkada so you’d end up 4-5 in the group. With this, you can keep the per head expense between ₱400 to ₱500.
While you are it, enjoy the streets of Binondo along with its cultural beauty. Take it slow, and make sure to embrace each moment. Most of all, have fun in your food crawl. Happy Chinese New Year!
By the way, you may check out the map below which allow you to visualize the distances of each restaurant mentioned in this article.
