METRO MANILA | The Best Siopao In The City
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Soft, slightly sweet buns contrasting with an umami-filled meat filling—be it saucy pork asado or juicy bola-bola, siopao is one of the Philippines’ most delightful comfort foods. It was introduced by Chinese immigrants during the Spanish period and it has since become a staple, not only in Binondo—Manila’s Chinatown—but in every Chinese restaurants in the country as well.
But have you tasted the best siopao in Metro Manila? Here’s a list of the best and unique ones I’ve actually tried. I’m sure that there’s more out there, so drop a comment if you have a siopao recommendation. I’ll update this best siopao list from time to time.
| BEST SIOPAO IN METRO MANILA TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? ► UPDATED 2024 |
LE CHING TEA HOUSE
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| LE CHING TEA HOUSE’S TAI PAO |
One of the OG restaurants in Greenhills’ Shoppesville Shopping Center, Le Ching Tea House stands proud with their enormous bola-bola siopao. Their tai po is so enormous—about six to seven inches in diameter—that I was unable to finish it. It’s definitely good enough for two people, especially if you have mami on the sides.
Their bread is soft, though a bit dry and crumbly. The bola-bola filling was also ginormous, I can see bits of carrots, chorizo, salted egg, and small shrimps. They have one of the best bun to filling ratio at around 20 to 80.
It is curious to note that Le Ching Tea House does not serve their tai po siopao with the usual siopao sauce, rather with hot sauce and chili garlic. To be fair, it does work, but I think it would fare better with a traditional one.
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MASUKI
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| MASUKI’S SPECIAL SIOPAO |
Masuki has one of the best asado siopaos that you would ever taste in your life. Their special siopao measures at around five to six inches in diameter, it is huge. Its bread is soft and delicious, but its chunky filling is even more flavorful. Filled with hefty amount of dark brown shredded pork asado flakes, what seems to be cubed pork asado, and salted egg, it goes really well with Masuki’s siopao sauce—which has a very star anise flavor to it. Their bun to filling ratio is at around 30 to 70.
It is said that Masuki is also owned by the same clan that operates Ma Mon Luk. No wonder they share the same siopao goodness—though, Masuki has a stronger flavor than those at Ma Mon Luk.
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LING NAM
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| LING NAM’S TAI PAO |
The original Ling Nam has been serving Chinese food since 1950. It originated in Binondo and has since put up branches in Banawe, Sta. Cruz, and other parts of the metro. They serve five kinds of siopao—asado, bola-bola, lotus pao, mongo pao, and tai pao. The largest of these, and I guess their special, is their tai pao.
At 5.5 inches, it is huge. It has a light and very soft bola-bola filling with a unique meatbally ulam taste. Mixed within it are unsalted duck egg, chorizo, and what seems to be bits of chicken. Its bun is soft and pillowy, with a neutral taste. Ling Nam’s sauce is also quite different from the usual siopao sauce, with a clear, light, sweet flavor that almost tastes like the street food manong sauce. Its bun to filling is at about 50/50.
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THE ORIGINAL SHANGHAI FRIED SIOPAO
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| THE ORIGINAL SHANGHAI FRIED SIOPAO IN BINONDO |
Ongpin’s famed Shanghai fried siopao isn’t famous for nothing. It is really good.
The Original Shanghai Fried Siopao’s offering is snack-sized, about four inches in diameter, with a bun to filling ratio of about 30 to 70. The crisply fried bottom and soft upper bun is its selling point, but really, its filling is its winning point. The flavorful and juicy pork asado filling is mixed with a generous dose of chives making for a really refreshing siopao flavor.
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KOWLOON HOUSE
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| KOWLOON HOUSE’S SIOPAO ASADO AND BOLA-BOLA SIOPAO |
Besides the siopaos available in fast-food joints, Kowloon House probably has the most number of siopao shops across Metro Manila.
They serve asado and bola-bola variants in small and large sizes—which is just right for one person. Their siopao asado, which has reddish filling, is just so-so for me, but their large bola-bola siopao is the star of their game. Granted, their bun is really not on my favorite list—it is stuffy and crumbly. Although their patrons might actually like this as it is, as it has always been this way since time immemorial—and they’re still here. But the bola-bola filling more than makes up for the bun—it’s moist, tender, and extremely delicious.
Kowloon House serves their siopaos with traditional siopao sauce and their signature red hot sauce.
MA CHICKEN MAMI HOUSE
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| MA CHICKEN MAMI HOUSE;S ASADO SIOPAO |
Located on an almost hidden corner of Trinoma, Ma Chicken Mami House serves Binondo food in a mall setting. Their asado siopao is on the small side, about four inches in diameter, and also has an average-sized filling—having about 40 to 60 bun to filling ratio.
Their bun is soft and delicious, while their filling is also good—juicy and saucy asado portions mixed with a bit of fat. It certainly won’t win any awards, but it’s one of those good siopao fixes for people craving for Binondo food without traversing the traffic all the way to Manila.
The label on the paper underside of their siopao indicates it came from North Park, which turns out to be their sister company. They, however, clarified that North Park does not sell their siopao, as it can only be bought at Ma Chicken Mami House.
CASA DAZA
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| CASA DAZA’S PORK ASADO SIOPAO AND BOLA-BOLA SIOPAO |
I was curious how Chef Sandy Daza does his siopao, and it turns out—pretty good. He sells three kinds—pork asado, chicken asado, and bola bola.
Casa Daza’s pork asado siopao has a very fine flaky texture sans any visible fat. It is, however, too fine for my taste, as it somehow loses the chunkiness I’m looking for with my siopao. Still, it is delicious, in a restrained and subtle Ma Mon Luk kinda way. Their bola-bola siopao was also good—a balanced flavor of chunky meat with salted egg. Their chicken siopao, however, isn’t for me. I found it to be a tad too dry, though it’s a good option for those who want their siopao but doesn’t eat pork.
Strangely, their sauce doesn’t taste like your usual siopao sauce—it’s salty without even a hint of sweetness. It actually goes well with their bola-bola, but it doesn’t seem to complement their asado siopaos—which, in my opinion, would be even better with a regular siopao sauce.
Casa Daza’s siopaos are at about five inches in diameter with a bun to filling ratio of about 50/50. With a very affordable price point, it makes for one of the best value for money siopaos in Metro Manila.
WAN KEE BAKERY
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| WAN KEE BAKERY’S BOLA-BOLA GIANT SIOPAO |
Have you seen a siopao that’s bigger than your face? Wan Kee Bakery has two of such, an asado and bola-bola giant siopao. Located in Binondo, this bakeshop sells frozen siopaos along with other pastries. They don’t have ready to eat ones, you’d have to bring it home and steam it yourself.
Upon recommendation, we only tried their bola-bola giant siopao. It measures a whopping seven inches in diameter and is very heavy. It’s bun to filling ratio at about 65 to 35, which is quite good considering how huge the siopao is.
Their bun is surprisingly not sweet and even has hints of saltiness. Which, I guess, is why their siopao sauce is purely sweet and has no umami and salty flavor. Its bola-bola is hefty and has that juicy meatbally ulam taste similar to Ling Nam’s. I can see bits of carrots, chives, fat bits, chorizo slices, and unsalted duck egg.
It’s definitely not the best bola-bola siopao I’ve tasted, but it is a good siopao with a come-on of being the largest one you’ll probably ever get to try. We actually tried adding a bit of kecap manis on their siopao sauce to give it a bit more umami and saltiness, and it indeed improve Wan Kee Bakery’s jumbo siopao’s taste.
WAI YING
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| WAI YING’S TAI PAO BOLA-BOLA |
Wai Ying made its name on the Binondo food scene with their dumplings. Their siopao isn’t really that famous but their special tai pao bola-bola packs a punch. Measuring at five to six inches in diameter, its bun is soft and delicious, coating a juicy pork filling mixed with shrimp, chorizo bits, unsalted duck egg, and mushrooms—exuding a smoky aroma and flavor.
It has a bun to filling ratio of about 50/50, with the filling unevenly positioned. Wai Ying’s siopao sauce is one of the best I’ve tasted, although some find it a bit too salty.
MA MON LUK
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| MA MON LUK’S SPECIAL SIOPAO ASADO |
One of the best siopaos in Metro Manila is Ma Mon Luk’s special siopao asado. At around 4.5 to 5 inches in diameter, it is big and can be shared, but I’m definitely not sharing mine.
Its bun is soft but still has some mass, making it chewy. But, really, its filling is where it shines. Their siopao is filled with strandy and tender pork asado with slices of red salted egg. It’s as simple as that but its taste—sweet, salty, full of flavor, but with a subtlety that makes it really, really good. Their siopao sauce is quite ordinary, but it complements Ma Mon Luk’s siopao quite well. Their bun to filling ratio is at about 50 to 50.
As of this writing their Quezon Avenue branch in Quezon City is the lone branch that is open. The original Ma Mon Luk Quiapo is under renovation and has a sign that says it will reopen on 2022. Unfortunately, it’s still closed up to this date.
CHOWKING
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| CHOWKING CHUNKY ASADO SIOPAO |
When you say Chinese food, most people immediately think of Chowking. It is, indeed, the most famous Chinese fast-food joint in the Philippines. Be that as it may, most would argue that its flavors leave one a bit wanting—well, it is fast-food. I recently tried their siopaos during a bus stop-over and was pleasantly surprised at how good their Chowking Chunky Asado Siopao is.
It has a very soft and most bun with only a hint of sweetness. The filling is very saucy—not too sweet with a savory flavor—with cubed tender asado meat mixed with a bit of fat. It’s so saucy, its oozes out of the bun when bitten. I do, however, find it to be tiny wee bit expensive for its 3 to 3.5 inches size with a 60 to 40 bun-to-filling ratio. Nevertheless, it’s best quality—besides its excellent flavor—is it is readily available all over the Philippines.
I also tried Chowking’s Bola-Bola Siopao Supreme which I thought would be better since it is their premium siopao, but was unsatisfied with its flavor. Their Chunky Asado easily trumps it.
EMERALD RESTAURANT
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| EMERALD’S JUMBO SIOPAO |
When it comes to siopao in Manila, Emerald Restaurant in Malate is legendary. It is located near Binondo, but not near enough to be accessible to Binondo food trippers—the reason that it’s only now that I was able to include it on this best siopao list.
Their claim to siopao fame is their Emerald Jumbo Siopao. It has a diameter of about 4.5 to 5 inches and is about 3 inches high with a bun to filling ratio of 30 to 70. Its bun is soft, though a bit dry. Inside, it’s a heady mix of massive meatball with salted duck egg, chorizo slices, fat, chives, and shredded chicken meat. They serve it with a traditional siopao sauce which has a subtle flavor, which I guess, works since a siopao bite already feels like a fiesta in the mouth with a strong chives flavor.
Not a few people declare this as the best siopao in Manila, still, there are some who find it to be too much—with its flavor being all over the place. I’m somewhere in the middle.
TAN NOH CANTEEN
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| TAN NOH CANTEEN'S FRIED SIOPAO |
One of the best bang-for-the-buck siopaos we tried was from Tan Noh Canteen in South Caloocan, near the Baliwag Transit bus station. At P35.00, their bola-bola fried siopao—no other flavors, as their sign says—measures at around four inches and has a bun to filling ratio of 70/30.
Their bun is bouncy and chewy, or makunat, and it isn’t a bad thing—it’s actually the first time I’ve tried such kind of bun on a siopao, and it is quite good. The bottom, like any fried siopao, is fried on a griddle with a conical cover before being served; or in Tan Noh’s case, before being put in a small single-use plastic bag and sold. However, we found the frying part seemed unnecessary since it doesn’t seem to add any value to the flavor—although, we could definitely be wrong and it might be the reason for their unique bun texture.
The bola-bola meat is firm, juicy, and has a slightly sweet flavor. One of their staff told us that the sauce is already mixed within, and is also the reason why they don’t serve any sauce with their siopao. We do, however, think that it would benefit from having a separate siopao sauce, like what we did for the take-aways we brought home. I can also feel a bit of crunch, which we suspect are bits of turnip—very refreshing, indeed. We can also see some greens within the meat, which are probably scallions.
Tan Noh Canteen has a deliciously superb siopao, and even their other dishes can rival those in Binondo—they’ve been in business since 1967—if only their staff can be a bit more welcoming.
LOLA NENA'S
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| LOLA NENA’S TOASTED SIOPAO OR SIOPAO TOSTADO |
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| LOLA NENA’S SIOPAO TOSTADO ARE ALSO SOLD IN BOX OF 12 |
One of the most unique siopaos I’ve tried, Lola Nena’s does not offer traditional siopaos, instead, what they serve are toasted siopaos similar to those found in Bicol.
Their Siopao Tostado, as they dub it, has buns that looks almost monay-like after being toasted—definitely no fluffy white bread here. Inside, it’s a mix of sliced hard-boiled egg and savory pork meat with a texture similar to sisig. With its price—the cheapest on this list—it isn’t really surprising to find that the bun to filling ratio is only about 90 to 10, but don’t let that discourage you. It is really, really good, especially when hot off the pan. Still, a bit more meat definitely wouldn’t hurt.
The bun is soft, almost like a freshly baked pandesal, and the filling is deliciously rich. The egg balances the flavor and also gives texture to each bite. On an interview, I read that their siopao has a slight spiciness to it, however, I can’t seem to detect any hint of such from their siopao at all—good news for those who don’t like spicy food, a let down for spicy food fans.
If you’re going to order this as a take-out, be sure to heat it on an oven—a pan on low heat without oil also works well—before consuming.
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