Most restaurants and food places in Binondo offer affordable meals and dim sum. Why not celebrate Chinese New Year with homecooked Chinese cuisine? Binondo is the oldest Chinatown in the world. Hence, it’s way of cooking and taste is almost similar to Mainland China.

Here’s a rundown of restaurants in Binondo and what you can try out from their menu. Surely, they’re far from the taste of the restaurants in malls like Glorietta.

Cafe Mezzanine

If you enjoy soup and noodles, the Kamto Soup and Seafood Lomi are dishes you must try when in the area. Cafe Mezzanine also has Soup No. 5, a famous Kagay-anon street delicacy. It also has Beef Wanton and Fried Tofu. The Lava Bun, which can be a snack or dessert, has salted egg custard that overflows once you take a bite of the bread.

Dong Bei Dumplings

Close to authentic dim sum, Dong Bei Dumplings sells twelve pieces for only P120. Highly-recommended ones are the pork dumplings, kuchay dumplings, and fried pancakes. Better take them out as the place cannot accommodate a lot of customers.

New Po Heng House

Almost everyone goes to this eatery to get a taste of the spring rolls and misua guisado. The fresh lumpia is highly-affordable as it costs P50. The lumpia comes with finely chopped vegetables, peanuts, shrimp, and pork. The different flavors in the mix – salty, spicy and sweet – brings a different lumpia adventure.

New Toho Food Center

The restaurant is from 1888 and serves some of the favorite dishes of Chinese. Upon getting there, you must order the Seafood Pancit, Toho Beef, Cold Cuts and Asado. Their version of pancit is different from the usual as it comes with a thick sauce. The toho beef is based on the sweet and sour dish with slices of beef, sauteed onions, and sauce. Meanwhile, the cold cuts are pork innards similar to the Filipino street food isaw.

Lan Zhou La Mien

You can find some hand-pulled noodles for P120 in this hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Different kinds of noodles are available in Lan Zhou La Mien. Beef with wonton and Knife Mien or noodles with shrimp along with refillable broth transform an afternoon merienda to a feast. Their egg fried rice is also a hit with the visitors of the restaurant.

Shin Ton Yon

This is the place to be if you want several kilos of barbequed pork tenderloin or “asado.” They also have Chinese sausage. It is a versatile ingredient in various dishes. Both orders are perfect with fried rice or congee.

Ying Ying Teahouse

The teahouse serves fried or steamed dumplings. If you want some dim sum, the Pork and Shrimp Siomai, Hakaw, Sharksfin Dumplings, Beancurd Roll and Chicken Feet cost less than a hundred pesos per order. There’s also Lo Mai Kai and Taro Puff which costs P70. If you want a hearty meal, a bowl of Congee or a Porkchop Noodle is enough to fill your tummy.

Country Chicken

Fried chicken is a Chinese cuisine staple. Though it’s easy to cook, the secret is in the preparation and ingredients. Country Chicken makes juicy and tender chicken meat. It comes with homemade sauce with Chinese herbs and spices. You may request the staff to chop the chicken to your liking.

Sincerity Cafe is a well-known restaurant in Binondo for its fried chicken. A plate of crunchy Chinese-style chicken is P160.

If you are looking for sticky snacks like tikoy or machang as well as hopia, visit Po Chuan Tin Bakery and Ho-land Hopia and Bakery. Po Chuan adheres to the traditional way of making hopia. On the other hand, Ho-land has assortments of desserts and delicacies from China.

You will find more restaurants as you explore the arteries of Chinatown. Make reservations if you have to or get take outs as most places are full once the celebration is in full swing.

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