The Jolli Dada’s Eatery: The Pancit Palabok

Since im here in Manila to visit my relatives, there is a chance to visit one of the historical place in Manila. One of them is the Basilica of Black Nazareth which is many devotees specially the catholic believe in the miracle of black nazareno. After taking the church there is a street food that really visit by the people and this is the famous pansit palabok of Aling Jolli and here it goes to shared with you guys the history of it and to know more.

Pancit Palabok is one of the quintessential Filipino merienda (snacks). It’s a rice noodle dish doused with shrimp-infused sauce and served with several toppings such as boiled eggs, crushed chicharon (deep-fried pork rinds), and squid, among many others. While this classic snack is available nationwide, some of the best ones can be found in Quiapo, a historic district in the city of Manila.

Just beside Quinta Market and Fish Port, a historic site in Quiapo, is Lutong Maynila (literally “Manila cooking”). It’s a food court where there is an interesting concentration of good palabok vendors. It’s also home to two legendary palabok makers: Jolli Dada’s Eatery

The Jolli Dada’s Eatery was started in 1940 by Aling (a term of endearment) Dada’s great grandmother (it wasn’t called Jolli Dada back then). It was handed down through the generations until it reached Aling Dada. Today, it’s being run by her relatives since she passed away last year.

I went on a Thursday morning and queued at around 10:30AM. I believe they have a queueing system. But on the day of my visit, I just lined up until it’s my turn, which took around 20 minutes. That’s not too bad!

Their pancit palabok is loaded with toppings. It has boiled egg, chicharon bits, a huge piece of chicharong bulaklak (deep-fried pig mesentery), fried garlic bits, spring onion, adobong (braised) squid, tinapa (smoked fish) flakes, and fried tofu.

The noodles are chewy, the gravy is rightly thick and goopy, and the toppings add flavors and textures. But the game changer for me is the chicharong bulaklak, which bursts with fat.

Have you been to Jolli Dada’s Eatery? How is their pancit palabok? What other pancit palabok spots are worth visiting?