Most of the time, Ian and I celebrate our monthsaries somewhere we don’t usually go. That’s why we decided to have a little food crawl with the world’s oldest Chinatown – Binondo.
Manila’s Chinatown is known not only for Chinese cuisine but also landmarks and ancient practices. As you enter Binondo, the first things you’ll see are the jewelry shops and lucky charms stores and stalls.
We first visited Binondo Church (also known as the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of St. Lorenzo Ruiz) before heading to our food tour.
If you have a lot of time, you can also visit the temples inside the place but we have just decided not to since our target is to make our tummies full.
Here’s the list of the restaurants and cafes we have tried (you might get hungry while reading this).
1. Wai Ying Restaurant
Well of course, we don’t want to miss the famous Wai Ying Restaurant. Originally, we planned to eat here last Chinese New Year but the time we reached the store, there was already a long line of customers waiting to get in that is why we decided to eat on another restaurant instead. And now, on our monthsary celebration, Wai Ying is definitely on our list.
Even on a regular day, a lot of people eat here but fortunately, they managed to accommodate us this time. We ordered Roast Duck and Soy Chicken Rice (P210) and Curry Beef Brisket Rice (P150). We think that the prices of food were just right for their servings were in big portions. The Curry Beef was a little creamy and not the usual curry with a strong spice mix powder. The Roast Duck and Soy Chicken Rice were both tender and good. We also tried their HK Milk Tea and we are going to give two thumbs up for it.
WAI YING RESTAURANT
Address: 810 Benavidez Street, Binondo, Manila| Contact No.: (02) 242 0310
2. Chuan Kee Chinese Fast Food
Another restaurant also serves a lot of authentic Chinese dishes – Chuan Kee, home of the best kiampong (sticky rice cooked with varieties of ingredients). Their food were affordable and great. We tried their Pork Asado (P110), Kikiam (P78), and Kiam Pong (P50). All were so tasty and the sauce made them more flavorful (I can still remember the taste while typing this, haha!)
CHUAN KEE CHINESE FAST FOOD
Address: 650 Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila| Contact No.: (02) 288 8888
3. Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant
Another famous restaurant in Binondo is the Sincerity Cafe and Restaurant. As we enter the place, we already smelt their best selling food- Sincerity Fried Chicken (Sounds ordinary? You better try it first). They offer a lot of good dishes and because it is hard to decide, we agreed to try their bento to be able to taste varieties of food. I have ordered ‘Bento 2’ (which includes Sincerity Fried Chicken, Loba or Sweet and Sour Pork, Cha Canton and Fried Rice) for only P100 and Ian chose the ‘Executive Bento’ (which includes Sincerity Fried Chicken, Crab Omelet, BBQ Spareribs, Special Pancit Canton and Fried Rice) for P160. But for Executive Bento, the crab omelet would not be available unless you order a minimum of 3 of the said meal since they cook the crab omelet by set and not individually. They asked Ian to just replace the omelet and choose between lumpiang shanghai or sweet and sour pork.
Their serving time was a little bit long because they will just cook the food right after you place your orders to secure the quality of the dish. We can say that their fried chicken was really great. It may not look special but the taste was really amazing.
SINCERITY CAFE AND RESTAURANT
Address: 497 E. T. Yuchengco Street, Binondo, Manila| Contact No.: (02) 241 9991
4. Lord Stow’s Bakery
For every after meal, there is always a room for dessert (especially for me with sweet tooth). And because of that, we have stopped at Lord Stow’s Bakery to buy their special egg tart which costs P42 each. 
We highly recommend this since it is the best egg tart we’ve tasted so far here in the country. It is creamy and not too sweet. Aside from egg tarts, they also sell varieties of dessert pastries, soup, salad, sandwiches and pastas.
LORD STOW’S BAKERY
Address: 707 Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila | Contact No.: (02) 247 3305
5. Cafe Mezzanine
Located just above Chuan Kee Fastfood, you’ll reach Cafe Mezzanine. We’ve had our dessert here and ordered Banana Split (P180) and Black Forest Iced Coffee (P140). They also serve some Chinese dishes, but we haven’t tried it since our tummies were still full. Others may find their food quite expensive than other restaurants and we think it’s ok since all of their revenue is donated to Binondo Paco Fire Search and Rescue Brigade.
CAFE MEZZANINE
Address: Second Floor, 650 Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila
6. Cafe Aquatica
While strolling around the area, we have noticed this uncommon cafe which has an aquatic theme. It is located just beside Binondo Church. If you have a heart for fish and good food, we recommend that you visit Cafe Aquatica since it is a fish store and a restaurant cafe all in one (A nice concept huh!). 
The place has a cozy ambiance due to the lightings, big aquariums and soothing music. We haven’t ordered for their meals but grabbed a nice drink instead. We have tried their Iced Peppermint Mocha (P160) and Iced Chocolate (P135) which were both good. We will definitely come back to try their meals.
CAFE AQUATICA
Address: 619 Norberto Ty Street, Binondo, Manila
Along Yuchengco Street, we have passed by a store that looks like a mini grocery. It offers different goods and also snacks like pickled fruits, nuts, peas and dried seeds. 
I bought my favorite sunflower seeds for only P65 (1/4kg). The price is really cheaper compared to malls and other retailers.
And to aid digestion and burn some calories from what we have eaten, we took a little walk to Lucky Chinatown Mall.
Even if it is a shopping center, you can still see that the place has still a touch of history and tradition.
We truly enjoyed our little food crawl at Binondo. We suggest that you also do a visit here. You can use this blog as a guide, but there’s a lot of restaurants to try. Explore!
-The Street Rangers
The Street Rangers 