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.
by CasualTraveler on February 5, 2006
Jollibee
Branches all over Metro Manila Manila, Philippines