Ying Ying Tea House: One of the Popular Tea Houses in Manila Chinatown (Binondo, Manila)

If I want to do a food trip without going out of town, a reliable destination is Binondo (Manila), the home of the world’s oldest Chinatown. While I have written a couple of articles about my Binondo food crawls, I haven’t done an extensive and intensive food guide. So I thought of starting a new long-term series on Binondo food spots, starting with Ying Ying Tea House.

Ying Ying Tea House is one of the popular and considered one of the best tea houses in Binondo, serving Cantonese classics such as dim sum and roast meats. Although it’s already an institution in Binondo, Ying Ying has recently been experiencing a resurgence thanks to food vloggers and social media.

Before I talk about the food, let me just say this: Ying Ying isn’t the cleanest place you’ll eat at. So if you’re particular with hygiene and cleanliness, then this place may not be for you. But if you can get pass that, then you’re in for a treat.

Now, let’s talk about the food. Since Ying Ying is a tea house, we got dim sum. We first tried their Xiao Long Bao (XLB). It’s disappointing, because the wrapper is thick and the soup is lacking.

Left to Right: *Xiao Long Bao* (PHP120) and *Kuchay Dumplings* (PHP115)

Next we tried is the Kuchay Dumpling, which is plump and meat. That makes up for the deflated XLBs.

We’re supposed to get Chicken Feet and Spareribs because they’re my favorite. But when I found that there’s a rice “topping” (it’s really on a plate than on top of rice), we got that instead. The chicken feet has a soft skin and is slightly sweet, while the spareribs, albeit lacking in flavor, is one of the most tender ones that I have ever tried.

Of course, we also tried their roast meats (they call it “Cold Cuts”). We got the assorted one, which comes in three sizes. Since we’re just two, we got the Small for P280. And look at the portioning:

Cold Cuts (Small: PHP280; Medium: PHP420; Large: PHP840)

So how did we find it? The Asado (Char Siu or barbecued meat) is not too sweet and has a smoky aftertaste. The Lechon Kawali (crispy pork belly) is crunchy. And the White Chicken is on the plain side but its partner, the ginger-scallion sauce, provides the flavor and saltiness. The only downside is that the meats are on the dry side. But the taste is there.

To offset all the meat, we got Chopsuey (stir-fried vegetables) Rice, which is surprisingly delicious. Its veggies are crisp, the fish fillet is generous, and the squid is rightly cooked. I must say that this is my favorite in Ying Ying, and it’s one of the best Chopsuey I have ever eaten!

Finally, we got the Cold Milk Tea and the 4 Season Shake for drinks, and both are refreshing. I like that the 4 Season is really made with real fruits. For its price and size, their drinks are value for money!

Left to Right: Cold Milk Tea (PHP75) and 4 Season Shake (PHP95)

Honestly, I had better dim sum and roast meats elsewhere. But I don’t think there’s a teahouse that can match the portions and prices of Ying Ying. So if you want to eat a lot without breaking the bank and/or are doing a Binondo food crawl, then I recommened Ying Ying to you.

What items above have you tried or would like to try? Comment below!

Address: 233-235 Dasmariñas St. cor. Yuchengco St., Binondo, Manila, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 7AM-10PM | Contact Nos.: (02) 5310-9031 | Facebook