{"id":2842,"date":"2025-01-21T15:22:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T07:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/?p=2842"},"modified":"2025-01-24T09:20:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T01:20:36","slug":"travelers-guide-binondo-the-oldest-chinatown-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/binondo","title":{"rendered":"TRAVELER’S GUIDE: Binondo, the Oldest Chinatown in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kung Hei Fat Choi<\/em>! As we usher in the Year of the Wood Snake<\/strong>, join Philippine Primer in exploring Binondo<\/strong>, the oldest Chinatown in the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Arch of Goodwill \/ IMAGE from Philippine Primer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Founded in 1594 by the Spaniards as a settlement near Intramuros for migrant Catholic Chinese, Binondo has been and still is a thriving hub of Chinese commerce, history, culture, and, of course, food. It is a place where centuries of Chinese influence have shaped the community–a must-stop destination for anyone interested to know more about Manila\u2019s colorful past.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>IMAGE from Anson Yu<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

For foodies out there, begin your Binondo food walk at King Chef Seafood Restaurant<\/strong> for their well-loved Dimsum and Cantonese delicacies. Make sure to try their hakaw<\/em> (shrimp dumplings) and pansit canton guisado<\/em> (stir-fried noodles), perfect starters for the feast to come.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nHakaw \/ IMAGE from King Chef Seafood Restaurant<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Next, drop byat Lai Lai Seafood, <\/strong>a celebrated seafood restaurant located in Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel known for its seafood dishes such as crab rice, steamed lapu-lapu (grouper), and shrimp with egg fit for an emperor.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Lai Lai Seafood’s Crab Rice \/ IMAGE from Philippine Primer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Named after a life-sized Budai (Matreiya Buddha) found inside the place, The Great Buddha Cafe<\/strong> serves authentic Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine, perfect for lunch or afternoon snacks. They have claypot rice dishes, noodles, dim sum, stir-fries, and many more.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nThe Great Buddha Cafe’s Chicken and Mushroom Claypot Rice \/ IMAGE from Philippine Primer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

For those in search of a more casual spot, To Ho Panciteria Antigua<\/strong> is known for its traditional pancit<\/em>, which is often served during festive occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and fiestas<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>To Ho Panciteria Antigua’s Pancit \/ IMAGE from Philippine Primer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, no visit to Binondo is complete without exploring the markets and cultural landmarks. Bee Tin Grocery<\/strong> houses a wide variety of ingredients and specialty products, from Chinese teas and herbs to sauces and spices, perfect for those looking to buy souvenirs for their loved ones.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Bee Tin Grocery \/ IMAGE from Philippine Primer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

For the more culturally inclined, a stop at the historial Binondo Church <\/strong>is a must. This church was founded by\u00a0Dominican priests in 1596 to serve their Chinese converts. A large statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz–the first Filipino Saint–stands in front of the church.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Binondo Church \/ IMAGE from Philippine Primer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As you walk through the busy streets of Binondo this Chinese New Year, celebrate the auspicious season with a mix of food, culture, and tradition. From the handmade dim sum at Dong Bei Dumplings<\/strong> to the auspicious trinkets at New Victory Trading<\/strong>, Binondo is the best place to\u00a0experience the best of Filipino-Chinese culture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dong Bei’s Handmade Dumplings \/ IMAGE from Dong Bei Dumplings<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>New Victory Trading \/ IMAGE from Philippine Primer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we usher in the Year of the Wood Snake, join Philippine Primer in exploring Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2848,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,127],"tags":[198,201,199,200,156,173],"class_list":["post-2842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chinatown","category-metro-manila","tag-binondo","tag-chinatown","tag-chinese-food","tag-chinese-restaurants","tag-guide","tag-manila"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2842"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2866,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2842\/revisions\/2866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/feature\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}