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Jollibee

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marseilles
marseilles
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4 out of 5
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Don't Bother with McDonald's

  • September 16, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by jmgo from Jersey City, New Jersey
Don't Bother with McDonald's

If you're new to the Philippines, don't bother heading to the local McDonald's. Do what the locals do: most Filipinos are heading to Jollibee - with a multitude of locations, you seriously can't miss it. Its mascot, a bee donning a chef's hat and a red jacket, usually stands near the entrance of the restaurant.

My first introduction to Jollibee was when I was eight. I was awestruck that a fast food place served fried chicken with rice (aka Chickenjoy)! I only ate that at home (in the US). Their fried chicken is quite unlike American fried chicken. The skin is lightly battered and crispy but it has a more peppery zest. Chickenjoy is always served with some gravy. The gravy tastes quite like standard fast food gravy. I think dark meat is only served.

Jollibee offers other dishes: hamburgers, spaghetti, palabok, etc..but each time I go to Jollibee, I only go for the Chickenjoy.

From journal Eating around in Manila

Editor Pick

Jollibee

  • February 5, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by CasualTraveler from Copenhagen, Denmark
Jollibee

Jollibee is Filipino fast food at its finest. By that I mean that it’s fast food that will please most Filipinos menu-wise, taste-wise, price-wise, and location-wise. So don’t expect to automatically be endeared to this bustling, buzzing establishment--Jollibee was not developed to cater to everyone’s taste, much less the Westerners. But it is the ultimate Filipino fast-food experience.

There are not many countries that can claim that McDonald’s isn’t number one. But the Philippines can. For years (I think for already about 2 decades?), Jollibee has held the top slot. If you look around Manila, it may be a bit hard to believe as foreign brands are almost always deemed to be better by anyone. But I guess McDonald’s just hasn’t quite captured the Filipino taste.

The menu consists of the usual fast-food mix: burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, pasta, and ice-cream desserts, plus some local meals and concoctions. All foreign dishes are given a local twist. It's important for Westerners to note that the Filipino cuisine doesn’t mind the fat, but it does mind blandness, and dishes are usually either salty or sweet. And although I’m the first to admit that I absolutely love the longganisa meal (a local sausage meal developed by McDonald’s), I’m a Jollibee enthusiast. My usual order would be palabok (vermicelli noodles with a tangy sauce), a Jolly hot dog, and peach-mango pie, or sometimes Chicken Joy and spaghetti (this is sweet spaghetti, mind you).

Furnishings are made up of vivid orange-and-white stools and tables. You may find these fixtures a bit small and arranged a bit too closely together so that things tend to get a bit tight during rush hours. But the food is great, the crew is helpful and cheery, and a full meal costs $2 to $3--now that’s hard to beat!

Jollibee--it's a foreign concept that’s undeniably Filipino.

From journal Memories of Manila

Jollibee

  • February 2, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by writeonthespot from Bacolod, Philippines
Jollibee

Jollibee is the number-one fast-food place on this side of the globe, beating world-leader McDonald's. They serve burgers, spaghetti, fries, and other Filipino food fare.

This is the favorite place of children, especially with its approachable and friendly mascot, Jollibee, which is a large, smiling bee. Most kids love to spend their birthdays in Jollibee.

Jollibee's owner started an ice-cream parlor, which he transformed to a burger joint. It became an instant hit. Today, colorful Jollibee stores are found in every major city or town throughout the country. Because of its success, the owner was named "World Entrepreneur of the Year" by Ernst & Young.

From journal Manila, Maynila, Manille

Jollibee

  • January 22, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Seaotter71 from Monterey, California
Jollibee

So you are in need of a cheap and fast meal but cannot bring yourself to say you flew all the way to Manila and wound up at a MacDonald's? Then head on over to Jollibee.

Jollibee is the undisputed king of fast food in the Philippines, but by all means avoid the burgers. They had that "mystery meat under a heat lamp" taste that just won't leave your mouth.

The breakfast, on the other hand, can't be beat. For about US$1.65/person, we ate some seriously yummy garlic fried rice (I loved it so much, I am still trying to perfect my version of it), a fried egg, and longaniza (a slightly sweet sausage).

The fried chicken is good, as, I am told, was the spaghetti.

From journal Christmas Stopover in Manila

Jollibee

  • November 20, 2005
  • Rated 3 of 5 by marseilles from Metro Manila, Philippines
The Philippines may be one of the few countries left in the world where the number one hamburger chain is NOT McDonald's. McDonald's in the Philippines is a far second to the popular local chain Jollibee, where fast-food standards are spiced up to suit the Filipino palette. The hamburger patties are made with egg and thus aren't as dry as some of their Western counterparts. The fast-food chain serves two of every Filipino child's favorite meals: "Filipino spaghetti" (spaghetti bolognaise where the tomato sauce has been sweetened with sugar) and breaded fried chicken.

Other Jollibee favorites include palabok (a Filipino noodle dish) and peach mango pie (instead of apple pie).

If you like eating fast food, try Jollibee for a distinctly Filipino fast-food experience.

From journal Manila, Gastronomical Wonderland

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