Where to find the tastiest street food in Manila

Betamax, on Gloria Diaz St., BF Homes, Las Pinas

Begin your street food sweep in the south: Las Pinas.
Where can you get the best grilled coagulated chicken blood? Mom Donna Cablay says you can find it at “Gloria Diaz Street in BF Las Piñas. [This place grills] betamax barbecue the way you want it. And the owner enforces a single-dip policy for the sauces.” Single-dip means once you’ve put it in your mouth, you can’t dip the barbecue back in the jars of sauces again.

Turon and banana cue, on Singalong St., Malate, Manila

Almost every weekday afternoon, when kids start pouring out of St. Scholastica's College, Manila, a table pops out of a residence right across the school and is put on the sidewalk. The table is laden with all sorts of delicacies, but the bestsellers are turon (fried banana wrapped in egg roll wrapper and drizzled with caramelized sugar) and banana cue (fried bananas on barbecue sticks, covered with caramelized sugar). These are so good that if you get there after just 30 minutes, there will be just one or two left.

Tokneneng and kwek-kwek, on Zobel Roxas St., Manila

Locals will point you to a roving cart that sells the best tokneneng and kwek-kwek (deep-fried chicken eggs and quail eggs, respectively, coated in orange-colored flour) in the area. This cart even sells homemade vinegar sauce as a dip. Best to go weekday afternoons.

Balut, Manila Zoo area, Malate, Manila

The balut vendor, Jomel, who sells in this area has a very loud voice. You’d hear him crying out, “Balut!” from two blocks away. So if you’re in the Manila area and in the mood for some pulutan, make your way to the Manila Zoo area and wait for Jomel’s call. Jomel's balut is always warm, regardless of the time of day.

Fishballs, in Malacanang/UP Diliman

Fried balls of fish meat and flour are a very popular afternoon snack. Businesswoman Sophia Joyce Uy says, “Mang Alex's fishballs were my favorite during my high school days. Mang Alex had a cart that was parked near St. Jude. It even made it to CNN's ‘Asia's Best Street Food’ feature.”
Sophia isn’t sure if the famous Mang Alex is still around. If he’s not, get on Quezon Ave. and make your way to the mother lode of Pinoy street food—University of the Philippines, Diliman. This place has three of our favorites on its streets.
Architect and soon-to-be mom Diana Beltran-Tolentino says, “I love the homemade fishballs in that cart between UP DMST (Department of Military Science and Tactics) and UPAA (UP Alumni Association). It's juicy, tasty and made from real fish! It doesn't change from ball to disc when you pierce it with your stick.”

Isaw, outside the International Center, UP Diliman

Who knew that chicken and pork intestines make a fantastic chewy and crunchy snack? College student Gabrielle Yvonne Amper swears by Mang Larry's Isaw. “Sa may harap ng International Center sa UP Diliman. Walang katulad ‘yung sauce na pinapahid sa isaw habang gini-grill siya.” (“It’s across the International Center in UP. Nothing comes close to the sauce that they baste the isaw with while on the grill.”)
Ivy May Asuncion agrees and adds, “Aside from the crunch-and-yum factor, they're affordable and, to my knowledge, get checked and inspected for sanitation and health purposes.”

Squidballs, between the Faculty Center and Palma Hall, UP Diliman

(A bit of trivia: Squidballs are actually made of cuttlefish meat—not squid—and seasoned flour.)
Allan John de Leon says, “I love the squidballs and kikiam kay Mang Max, who was regularly near the walkway between Faculty Centre and Palma Hall. Mang Max could make your balls any way you wanted it: tostado, just right, or medium-rare. The sauces were also the right blend. And while you ate, Mang Max would often tell stories about UP.”
Mang Max has since retired. But his son has taken over the business.

Dirty ice cream, in Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon city

The guys who sell this inappropriately named ice cream are such mainstays in Filipino culture that they’ve earned themselves a generic handle: Mamang sorbetero. The best thing about having a cone of dirty ice cream in the Memorial Circle are the trees all around. You can sit in the shade of one while enjoying your sugar rush.
(Photo from slouchingsomewhere.wordpress.com)

Barbecue, in Countryside Grill, Katipunan

Rockstar wife and pregnant mommy Pinky Jacob-Ileto says she’s been a fan of the barbecue joints in Katipunan for 20 years. “My favorite is Countryside Grill along Katipunan Road, near Kopiroti on the Blue Ridge side. It’s a carinderia that sells street food like isaw manok, isaw baboy, gizzard, pork barbecue, chicken barbecue, tenga, etc. They also have Filipino dishes, but they’re known for their lamang-loob barbecue.”