Where to Get the Best Bibingka and Puto Bumbong in Metro Manila If there are two foods always associated with Filipino Christmas, they’re bibingka and puto bumbong. Bibingka (rice cake) and puto bumbong (steamed glutinous rice) are classic Filipino kakanin (native delicacies) that are favorite snacks of Filipinos after attending simbang gabi or misa de gallo (rooster’s mass). In fact, bibingka and puto bumbong vendors abound outside Catholic churches every December to fill the tummy of hungry church-goers. But if you are craving for these delicacies now, you don’t have to wait until December! We’ve gathered restaurants in Manila that serve the best versions of these two kakanin so you can have your fill anytime.
Café Via Mare
Pair Café Via Mare’s bibingka and puto bumbong with their hot chocolate for a cold afternoon. (Images: Via Mare’s Facebook Page) If there’s one restaurant synonymous to bibingka, it would be Café Via Mare. Since 1975, Café Via Mare has been serving Filipino dishes and has become a favorite by both locals and foreigners. Despite its wide array of savory viands, it’s always the restaurant’s bibingka that draws the crowd. Café Via Mare’s fluffy bibingka (PhP130/PhP160) served with salted egg, Laguna cheese (kesong put or native white cheese) or queso de bola, and melted butter has become a menu staple. The puto bumbong (PhP80) is also not to be missed. Served piping hot with a side of muscovado (a type of unrefined sugar) sugar and shredded coconuts, it goes well with Spanish hot chocolate(PhP80).
Café Astoria
1/F Astoria Plaza, 15 J. Escriva Dr., Ortgas Business District, Pasig City
Experience three kinds of bibingka and freshly made puto bumbong at Café Astoria. (Images: L, jo_dmark; R, Lani Roncesvalles) Another emerging favorite is the bibingka and puto bumbong of Café Astoria at Astoria Plaza. Don’t worry, you don’t need to check in at the hotel to taste the café’s bibingka and puto bumbong, and you don’t have to wait until December either. Café Astoria offers three types of bibingka: traditional, ube, and bibingka de leche priced at PhP165 each. Its cake-like bibingka is topped with butter, generous heaps of cheese, shredded coconuts, and brown sugar while its bibingka de leche has extra caramel on top. The puto bumbong (PhP125) is freshly made when you order and is served with shredded coconut and brown sugar. Read: Seven Hotel Cafés in Quezon City to Try on Your Next Staycation
Pamana
Pamana uses a handed-down recipe for its bibingka and puto bumbong. (Image: @kryssem) Another Filipino restaurant that will satiate your craving for bibingka and puto bumbong is Pamana. The place is owned by chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu. As its name suggests, Pamana is a restaurant with a menu consisting of recipes passed down from generation to generation of the owner’s family. Among these treasured recipes is Pampanga’s Bibingka and Puto Bumbong (PhP175). Pamana’s version of bibingka is topped with quesong put (white cheese) and melted salted duck egg, so you’re sure to taste the flavor in every bite. Its puto bumbong, on the other hand, is served with cheddar cheese, queso de bola, and heated coco jam.
A Taste of L.A.
171 Alejandro Roces Avenue, Quezon City
A Taste of LA will make bibingka and puto bumbong romantc. (Images: L, Salve V. Asis; R, Delta Star Grio Daquigan)
Bibingka and puto bumbong are not only served in Filipino restaurants; you can also find them in international-themed restaurants such as A Taste of L.A.. Although A Taste of L.A.’s menu consists of international dishes, with its thin-crust pizzas as its bestseller, it also has its own version of bibingka and puto bumbong. The Old-Fashioned Bibingka (PhP220) is served with shredded coconut, and the bibingka itself is filled with chunks of salted duck egg and topped with quesong put. The Old-Fashioned Puto Bumbong (PhP180) is also served with shredded coconut, sugar, and topped with butter.
Felymar Special Bibingka
1830 Rizal Avenue Sta Cruz, Manila
Felymar’s bibingka and puto bumbong can be enjoyed any tme of the day. (Images: L, Joshua Rey Yap Mack; R, Quey Dionisio)
If you’re having late-night bibingka and puto bumbong cravings, Felymar Special Bibingka will be able to help you. Located near LRT-Tayuman Station, this simple eatery is visited even late at night by various customers for its famous offerings. Its bibingka (starts at PhP45) is filled with slices of cheese and of salted egg, but what gives this rice cake a different spin is the freshly cracked egg at the center of bibingka while it’s being cooked. The puto bumbong (PhP20) is served with shredded coconuts, margarine, and muscovado sugar and is still cooked traditionally. Read: Locals' Favorite Dining District in Old Manila
Ferino’s Bibingka
From huge sizes to cute ones, Ferino’s bibingka has it. (Images: Ferino’s Bibingka Facebook Page)
If you’re looking for another convenient way of satisfying your bibingka and puto bumbong craving, drop by any Ferino’s Bibingkabranch. Once a small stall in Tondo, Manila that started in 1938, this brand is now a go-to kiosk with multiple branches in the country. It became famous for its Extra Super Bibingka (PhP125), in which two fresh eggs are mixed with the bibingka and then topped with salted egg and quesong put. Aside from the huge bibingka, Ferino’s also offers smaller versions, such as the bibingcute (PhP27). It also offers puto bumbong at PhP65.
C2 Classic Cuisine
C2’s Bibingka Souffle paired with crème anglaise. (Image: C2 Classic Cuisine’s Facebook Page) If you consider yourself an adventurous foodie, you might be excited with C2 Classic Cuisine’s version of bibingka. C2 prides itself in reinventing classic Filipino favorites, so it’s no surprise that it transformed the humble bibingka and gave it a French twist.
The Bibingka Soufflé (PhP175) uses the coconut as the base for the custard, and it is mixed with chunks of salted egg and queso de bola. Break the fluffy topping and pour the crème anglaise in the middle to fully enjoy the dessert. Although they don’t have puto bumbong, the bibingka soufflé is enough to stand on its own. Click the name links for branch details Craving for more sweets? Check out our list of dessert restaurants in Metro Manila or browse the Dining & Leisure category of the ShoppersGuide Directory. Whenever you’re itching to have bibingka and puto bumbong, there are plenty of restaurants you can visit. Let us know in the comments secton which restaurant’s version of these Pinoy goodies you loved!