Tender, barely candy buns contrasting with an umami-filled meat filling—be it saucy pork asado or juicy bola-bola, siopao is without doubt one of the Philippines’ most pleasant consolation meals. It was launched by Chinese language immigrants through the Spanish interval and it has since turn into a staple, not solely in Binondo—Manila’s Chinatown—however in each Chinese language eating places within the nation as properly.
However have you ever tasted the perfect siopao in Metro Manila? Right here’s an inventory of the perfect and distinctive ones I’ve really tried. I’m positive that there’s extra on the market, so drop a remark when you have a siopao advice. I’ll replace this greatest siopao listing every so often.
LE CHING TEA HOUSE
PRICE: ₱199.00 • BRANCHES: GREENHILLS 11AM – 8PM / BANAWE 10AM – 8:45PM / SCOUT TOBIAS 10AM – 9PM
One of many OG eating places in Greenhills’ Shoppesville Procuring Heart, Le Ching Tea Home stands proud with their monumental bola-bola siopao. Their tai po is so monumental—about six to seven inches in diameter—that I used to be unable to complete it. It’s undoubtedly adequate for 2 folks, particularly when you have mami on the edges.
Their bread is smooth, although a bit dry and crumbly. The bola-bola filling was additionally ginormous, I can see bits of carrots, chorizo, salted egg, and small shrimps. They’ve among the finest bun to filling ratio at round 20 to 80.
It’s curious to notice that Le Ching Tea Home doesn’t serve their tai po siopao with the standard siopao sauce, relatively with scorching sauce and chili garlic. To be honest, it does work, however I feel it might fare higher with a conventional one.
MASUKI
PRICE: ₱95.00 • BRANCHES & OPENING HOURS: MEGAMALL 9AM – 8PM / GREENHILLS 9AM – 8PM / LUCKY CHINATOWN MALL 10AM – 9PM / BINONDO 7AM – 10PM
Masuki has among the finest asado siopaos that you’d ever style in your life. Their particular siopao measures at round 5 to 6 inches in diameter, it’s enormous. Its bread is smooth and scrumptious, however its chunky filling is much more flavorful. Full of hefty quantity of darkish brown shredded pork asado flakes, what appears to be slices of pork asado, and salted egg, it goes rather well with Masuki’s siopao sauce. Their bun to filling ratio is at round 30 to 70.
It’s stated that Masuki can also be owned by the identical clan that operates Ma Mon Luk. No surprise they share the identical siopao goodness—although, Masuki has a stronger taste than these at Ma Mon Luk.
LING NAM
PRICE: ₱149.00 • BRANCHES & OPENING HOURS: STA CRUZ 6AM – 11PM / BANAWE 24 HOURS / SAN JUAN 7AM – 11PM
The unique Ling Nam has been serving Chinese language meals since 1950. It originated in Binondo and has since put up branches in Banawe, Sta. Cruz, and different components of the metro. They serve 5 sorts of siopao—asado, bola-bola, lotus pao, mongo pao, and tai pao. The most important of those, and I suppose their particular, is their tai pao.
At 5.5 inches, it’s enormous. It has a lightweight and really smooth bola-bola filling with a singular meatbally ulam style. Blended inside it are unsalted duck egg, chorizo, and what appears to be bits of rooster. Its bun is smooth and pillowy, with a impartial style. Ling Nam’s sauce can also be fairly totally different from the standard siopao sauce, with a transparent, gentle, candy taste that just about tastes like the road meals manong sauce. Its bun to filling is at about 50/50.
THE ORIGINAL SHANGHAI FRIED SIOPAO
PRICE: ₱35.00 • ADDRESS: ONGPIN ST., BINONDO, MANILA • OPENING HOURS: 7AM – 6PM • CONTACT NO: (02) 8734-0886
Ongpin’s famed Shanghai fried siopao isn’t well-known for nothing. It’s actually good.
The Authentic Shanghai Fried Siopao’s providing is snack-sized, about 4 inches in diameter, with a bun to filling ratio of about 30 to 60. The crisply fried backside and smooth higher bun is its promoting level, however actually, its filling is its profitable level. The flavorful and juicy pork asado filling is combined with a beneficiant dose of chives making for a very refreshing siopao taste.
KOWLOON HOUSE
PRICE: ₱65.00 • BRANCHES: EVERYWHERE IN METRO MANILA • OPENING HOURS: VARIES, SOME ARE 24 HOURS
Apart from the siopaos accessible in fast-food joints, Kowloon Home most likely has probably the most variety of siopao retailers throughout Metro Manila.
They serve asado and bola-bola variants in small and huge sizes—which is good for one individual. Their siopao asado, which has reddish filling, is simply so-so for me, however their giant bola-bola siopao is the star of their recreation. Granted, their bun is de facto not on my favourite listing—it’s stuffy and crumbly. Though their patrons would possibly really like this as it’s, because it has all the time been this manner since time immemorial, they usually’re nonetheless right here. However the bola-bola filling greater than makes up for the bun—it’s moist, tender, and intensely scrumptious.
Kowloon Home serves their siopaos with conventional siopao sauce and their signature purple scorching sauce.
MA CHICKEN MAMI HOUSE
PRICE: ₱98.00 • BRANCH & OPENING HOURS: TRINOMA, QC 9AM – 10PM / STA LUCIA MALL, MARIKINA 10AM – 6PM • CONTACT NO.: (02) 8994-6142
Positioned on an nearly hidden nook of Trinoma, Ma Rooster Mami Home serves Binondo meals in a mall setting. Their asado siopao is on the small aspect, about 4 inches in diameter, and likewise has an average-sized filling—having about 40 to 60 bun to filling ratio.
Their bun is smooth and scrumptious, whereas their filling can also be good—juicy and saucy asado parts combined with a little bit of fats. It actually gained’t win any awards, but it surely’s a kind of good siopao fixes for folks longing for Binondo meals with out traversing the visitors all the best way to Manila.
The label on the paper underside of their siopao signifies it got here from North Park, which seems to be their sister firm. They, nonetheless, clarified that North Park doesn’t promote their siopao, as it will probably solely be purchased at Ma Rooster Mami Home.
CASA DAZA
PRICE: ₱68.00 • ADDRESS: AROUND METRO MANILA • OPENING HOURS: VARIES, TAKE OUT ONLY
I used to be curious how Chef Sandy Daza does his siopao, and it seems—fairly good. He sells three sorts—pork asado, rooster asado, and bola bola.
Casa Daza’s pork asado siopao has a really high-quality flaky texture sans any seen fats. It’s, nonetheless, too high-quality for my style, because it by some means loses the chunkiness I’m on the lookout for with my siopao. Nonetheless, it’s scrumptious, in a restrained and refined Ma Mon Luk, kinda method. Their bola-bola siopao was additionally good—a balanced taste of chunky meat with salted egg. Their rooster siopao, nonetheless, isn’t for me. I discovered it to be a tad too dry, although it’s a very good choice for individuals who need their siopao however doesn’t eat pork.
Unusually, their sauce doesn’t style like your ordinary siopao sauce—it’s salty with out even a touch of sweetness. It really goes properly with their bola-bola, but it surely doesn’t appear to enrich their asado siopaos—which, in my view, can be even higher with a daily siopao sauce.
Casa Daza’s siopaos are at about 5 inches in diameter with a bun to filling ratio of about 50/50. With a really reasonably priced worth level, it makes for among the finest worth for cash siopaos in Metro Manila.
WAN KEE BAKERY
PRICE: ₱215.00 • ADDRESS: BENAVIDEZ ST., BINONDO, MANILA • OPENING HOURS: 6AM -6PM • CONTACT NO.: (02) 8244-8338
Have you ever seen a siopao that’s greater than your face? Wan Kee Bakery has two of such, an asado and bola-bola large siopao. Positioned in Binondo, this bakeshop sells frozen siopaos together with different pastries. They don’t have able to eat ones, you’d need to carry it dwelling and steam it your self.
Upon advice, we solely tried their bola-bola large siopao. It measures a whopping seven inches in diameter and may be very heavy. It’s bun to filling ratio at about 65 to 35, which is kind of good contemplating how enormous the siopao is.
Their bun is surprisingly not candy and even has hints of saltiness. Which, I suppose, is why their siopao sauce is solely candy and has no umami and salty taste. Its bola-bola is hefty and has that juicy meatbally ulam style just like Ling Nam’s. I can see bits of carrots, chives, fats bits, chorizo slices, and unsalted duck egg.
It’s undoubtedly not the perfect bola-bola siopao I’ve tasted, however it’s a good siopao with a come-on of being the biggest one you’ll most likely ever get to attempt. We really tried including a little bit of kecap manis on their siopao sauce to provide it a bit extra umami and saltiness, and it certainly enhance Wan Kee Bakery’s jumbo siopao’s style.
WAI YING
PRICE: ₱110.00 • BRANCHES: BINONDO 7AM – 10PM / 168 MALL DIVISORIA 10AM – 6PM / DIVISORIA MALL 10AM – 6PM / LUCKY CHINATOWN MALL 10AM – 8PM • CONTACT NO.: +63 (917) 188-1658
Wai Ying made its identify on the Binondo meals scene with their dumplings. Their siopao isn’t actually that well-known however their particular tai pao bola-bola packs a punch. Measuring at 5 to 6 inches in diameter, its bun is smooth and scrumptious, coating a juicy pork filling combined with shrimp, chorizo bits, unsalted duck egg, and mushrooms—exuding a smoky aroma and taste.
It has a bun to filling ratio of about 50/50, with the filling inconsistently positioned. Wai Ying’s siopao sauce is without doubt one of the greatest I’ve tasted, though some discover it a bit too salty.
MA MON LUK
PRICE: ₱110.00 • ADDRESS: BANAWE, QUEZON AVE • OPENING HOURS: 9AM – 9PM • CONTACT NO: (02) 8712-3560
Among the best siopaos in Metro Manila is Ma Mon Luk’s particular siopao asado. At round 4.5 to five inches in diameter, it’s huge and will be shared, however I’m undoubtedly not sharing mine.
Its bun is smooth however nonetheless has some mass, making it chewy. However, actually, its filling is the place it shines. Their siopao is stuffed with strandy and tender pork asado with slices of purple salted egg. It’s so simple as that however its style—candy, salty, filled with taste, however with a subtlety that makes it actually, actually good. Their siopao sauce is kind of abnormal, but it surely enhances Ma Mon Luk’s siopao fairly properly. Their bun to filling ratio is at about 50 to 50.
As of this writing their Quezon Avenue department in Quezon Metropolis is the lone department that’s open. The unique Ma Mon Luk Quiapo is underneath renovation and has an indication that claims it’ll reopen on 2022. Sadly, it’s nonetheless closed as much as this date.
