Jolli Dada’s Eatery: The Viral Pancit Palabok Spot at Quiapo (Manila)

Thanks to social media, news travels faster. When there’s a good food spot, it can easily go viral nowadays. The only question is: Is it worth the hype? To find out, I’ll be visiting these trending places and share my experiences in a new series—Eats Gone Viral! My first article is about Jolli Dada’s Eatery.

Pancit Palabok is a one of the quintessential Filipino merienda (snack). It’s a rice noodle dish doused with shrimp-infused sauce and served with several toppings such as boiled egg, 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 and Pastora (I hope to review the latter someday).

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 on last year.

I found out about Jolli Dada when I watched Chef JP Anglo’s visit. He said that Dada’s palabok inspired the palabok he offers at his modern Filipino restaurant, Sarsa.

Some of the food vloggers who have visited Jolli Dada’s Eatery

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.

The *pancit palabok* when drenched with the gravy

The palabok pairs well with Puto (rice cake), which is delivered all the way from Batangas. Jolli Dada serves two kinds but aside from its color, I honestly couldn’t tell the difference (maybe my taste buds weren’t working but I assure you it wasn’t COVID-19 LOL). Both are soft and nicely dense. And here’s a pro move: Use the puto to wipe any remaining palabok gravy!

The pancit palabok of Jolli Dada is possibly the best I’ve ever tried. I think it’s worth the queue (if it’s just 20-30 minutes long) and the hype is real. I highly recommend Jolli Dada’s Eatery to you!

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

Address: Lutong Maynila, Quinta Market and Fish Port, C. Palanca St. cor. Quezon Blvd., Quiapo, Manila, Philippines | Operating Hours: TBA | Contact No.: 0916-6973824; 0916-2530418