12 Best Soups in the Philippines - TasteAtlas
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What to eat in the Philippines? Top 12 Filipino Soups

Last update: Mon Apr 15 2024
Top 12 Filipino Soups
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01

Soup

PHILIPPINES
4.5
Sinigang
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Sinigang is a sour Filipino soup consisting of sampalok (fruits of the tamarind tree), water spinach, hot peppers, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, diced tomatoes, sliced onions, ginger, garlic, green beans, fish sauce, and salt. The basic broth usually consists of rice washing, with the addition of a souring agent.


Ingredients such as pork, fish, milkfish, shrimp, chicken, or beef may also be added to the soup. Sinigang is traditionally served piping hot as a main dish, with rice as its accompaniment. It's an often seen dish at special occasions such as birthdays or weddings, and over time, as the dish became more popular, there were new variations that used guava or raw mango instead of sampalok, and each region developed their own version of the popular soup. 

MOST ICONIC Sinigang

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1
Locavore
2
Romulo Cafe
3
Sentro 1771
4
Abe Serendra
5
The Aristocrat
02

Meat Soup

CALABARZON, Philippines
4.4
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Bulalô is a traditional Filipino soup that is prepared by cooking beef shanks and marrow bones until the fat and collagen dissolve into the broth, resulting in a robust flavor of the dish. The soup is a specialty of the Luzon region, where it is traditionally consumed during cold weather, when it is usually served for dinner.


Most versions of the soup include vegetables such as cabbage, string beans, onions, and corn. It can be found in most upscale restaurants in the Philippines, due to the fact that beef shank and bone marrow are not among the cheapest cuts of meat in the country. 

MOST ICONIC Bulalô

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1
Leslie's
2
Balay Dako
3
Mahogany Market
4
Bulalo Point
5
Pamana Restaurant
03
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This variety of sinigang - Filipino savory and sour soup - consists of various pork cuts that are simmered along tamarind fruit. Tomatoes, onions, garlic, okra, white radish, water spinach and green long peppers are also commonly used for this soup.


There is also a similar dish in Malaysian cuisine called siniggang. A version of the pork sinigang is sinigang na miso, which uses the Japanese seasoning made from fermented rice and barley or soybeans. Nowadays, sinigang mix is available in supermarkets, but enjoying the dish made from scratch represents the full experience.

MOST ICONIC Sinigang na baboy

1
Max's Restaurant
04
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Tinolang manok or chicken tinola is a nourishing Filipino chicken soup. It can consist of various chicken cuts and internal organs cooked in a flavorful broth alongside green papaya and chili pepper or malunggay leaves. The broth is usually generously seasoned with ginger, garlic, and fish sauce, and the soup is often served over plain white rice.


Chicken tinola is a staple in every Filipino household and can be enjoyed as a starter or a hearty main course.

MOST ICONIC Tinolang manok

1
Mesa Filipino Moderne
2
Roberta Seafood Cantina
3
St. Nicholas Restaurant
05

Offal Soup

ILOILO CITY, Philippines
4.2
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The hearty batchoy is a popular Filipino soup consisting of pork offal, chicken or beef stock, and fresh round egg noodles. Generously seasoned with shrimp paste and (occasionally) soy sauce, the soup is usually topped with pork cracklings, fried garlic, and a raw egg.


Although there are numerous stories about the origin of the dish, there is no doubt that it was created in Iloilo, more specifically in the district of La Paz, from where it spread to other parts of the country to become one of the most famous Filipino soup dishes.

MOST ICONIC Batchoy

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2
Ted's Oldtimer Lapaz Batchoy
3
21 Restaurant
4
Deco's
5
Sarsa Kitchen + Bar
06

Soup

PHILIPPINES
4.0
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The term tinola refers to a vast group of hearty Filipino soups prepared with a flavorful broth infused with garlic, ginger, and fish sauce. Most commonly, the soups are made with chicken, but pork and seafood varieties are also popular.


Tinola soups can incorporate various cuts of meat and seafood ingredients which are usually cooked alongside green papaya or chayote, and chili pepper or malunggay leaves. Not much is known about the history and origin of tinola, but nowadays, they represent an irreplaceable part of traditional Filipino cuisine.

VARIATIONS OF Tinola

MOST ICONIC Tinola

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1
Mesa Filipino Moderne
2
Roberta Seafood Cantina
3
Parr't Ebelle
4
St. Nicholas Restaurant
5
Luz Kinilaw Place
07
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Sinigang na hipon is a Filipino shrimp soup characterized by its sour and strongly savory flavor. In addition to shrimp, this dish contains a great variety of vegetables, including onions, tomatoes, string beans, banana peppers, water spinach, taro, radishes, and ladies’ fingers, with ginger and fish sauce being added for extra flavor.


Sinigang’s signature sour flavor comes from tamarind, but other natural souring agents, such as green mango, guava, santol, calamansi, bilimbi, or pineapple can also be used. Sinigang na hipon is very popular in the Philippines, where it is considered a homemade specialty. 

MOST ICONIC Sinigang na hipon

1
The Aristocrat
08

Noodle Dish

PHILIPPINES
3.8
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Pancit lomi is a hearty Filipino soup consisting of fresh egg noodles served in a rich, flavorful broth. Many regional varieties are thickened with flour or eggs and incorporate pork or chicken, sliced pork liver, and a variety of vegetables. The most famous version of pancit lomi originates from Batangas and often employs sliced kikiam, ham, or meatballs.


This Chinese-influenced dish is always served hot and it is usually sold by numerous street vendors throughout the Philippines.

MOST ICONIC Pancit lomi

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1
Liam's Lomi House
2
Lomi King
3
Classic Savory
4
Benoks Lomi Haus & Fast Food
5
LBN Lomi House
09

Soup

PHILIPPINES
3.6
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Nilagang baka is a traditional soup originating from the Philippines. Although there are many variations, it's usually prepared with a combination of onions, beef broth, cubed beef, baby bok choy, cabbage, plantains, potatoes, celery, star anise, salt, and pepper.


The soup is simmered until the beef becomes tender and the vegetables are fully cooked. Nilagang baka is especially popular on cold or rainy days, and it's always served hot. Traditionally, it's accompanied by steamed rice and fish sauce (patis). Sometimes, an extra helping of the broth is served in a separate bowl on the side.

10

Offal Soup

ILOCOS, Philippines
3.4
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The rich and flavorful papaitan is a popular Filipino soup which consists of goat or cow innards such as heart, tripe, or liver, simmered alongside garlic, onions, and various spices. The most important addition to the dish is bile - a bitter liquid extracted from animal livers, giving the soup its distinctive sour flavor and a light yellow color.


This popular Ilocano dish is always served hot and is usually garnished with sliced green onions and chili peppers.

MOST ICONIC Papaitan

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1
Aysee
2
Mahogany Market
3
Gerry Shan's Place
4
Halo Halo de Iloko
11
Chicken Soup
CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, Philippines
3.2
12
Noodle Dish
BICOL, Philippines
2.8

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 12 Filipino Soups” list until April 15, 2024, 1,049 ratings were recorded, of which 360 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Filipino Soups