What Pinoy Desserts Do You Order When Eating Out?

A few weeks ago, I ran a poll asking readers for the Top 5 dishes that they ordered when eating at Filipino restaurants. That post garnered a lot of attention, a lot of replies were posted, and I compiled a summary of the results, here. They differed a bit from a poll I ran a couple of years ago about your favorite Filipino dishes overall, and I think it is safe to conclude that the differences were due to what dishes were more easily made at home and thus not ordered at restaurants as often. Of course, the natural follow-up question has to be “What are the five Filipino desserts you are most likely to order when eating at a Filipino restaurant?” I suspect the results will likewise differ slightly from the Top 10 Filipino desserts poll done a couple of years ago, since folks like to make some of these at home rather than order them when eating out… So please leave a comment with your Top 5 desserts ordered at a restaurant if you happen to have a sweet tooth… :)

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Marketman

Marketman is a well-traveled management consultant who loves buying, cooking and eating good food. Read more »

142 Responses

  1. 1. pandan buko jelly with cream
    2. turron
    3. saging con hielo
    4. guinataan
    5. halo halo

  3. All bola-bola Ginataan
    Fresh Bibingka
    Puto Bumbong
    Hot or cold Taho
    Avocado, Ube, Cheese and Macapuno Ice Cream

  4. I don’t have a sweet tooth but i do enjoy these….

    Cassava Cake (Ten-Four)
    Pichi-Pichi (Arny-Dadings)
    Halo-Halo
    Suman
    Buko Pandan

  5. 1. cassava cake
    2. mais con queso ice cream
    3. leche flan
    4. halo halo
    5. egg pie

  7. Taho – hot or cold
    Sapin Sapin – with the real ube halaya
    Puto Bumbong
    Bico
    Halo Halo
    Plus the orange puto-like snack – Forgive me kababayans, its name escapes my now.

  8. I prefer home made Pinoy desserts but these are what I would usually buy from favorite sellers:)

    Halo-halo
    Saging con yelo
    Halayang ube
    matamis na macapuno/buco
    Any kalamay/kakanin (is it considered dessert?)

  9. flan

    halo halo

    turon

    sans rival

    I can’t remember the name of my favorite- a fried dough ball covered in a brown sticky sweet syrup. Anyone know it?

  13. Halo-Halo
    Turon
    Philippine brand ice cream (i.e.Mango, Ube)

    These are the desserts I order whenever I happen to drop by a Filipino restaurant.

  14. for Rebecca: carioca!

    Our family orders:
    Halo-halo
    Bibingka (it’s dessert for us here!)
    Brazo de Mercedes
    Avocado con hielo
    Suman

  15. KnittyMommy: It’s “cuchinta” :)

    1. Halo-halo
    2. Puto Bumbong
    3. Bibingka
    4. Saging na saba/ Saba con Hielo
    5. Taho

  20. 1. Halo halo
    2. Mango Jubilee
    3. Bibingka
    4. Leche flan
    5. green mango shake

  21. 1. Taho (hot)
    2. Halo-halo
    3. Puto Bumbong
    4. Halayang ube
    5. Bibingka

    Rebecca- it’s called Carioca (or is it Karioka?)

  24. buko pandan
    turon
    sans rival
    canonigo
    mango samurai

    -a lurker who had to comment on a favorite topic

  25. The Knittymommy, it’s cuchinta (or is it kutsinta). For me, it’s buko pandan, mango sago, turon, queso ice cream and saba con hielo

  27. 1. From Razon’s – Halo-halo of course
    2. From Via Mare – Ginomis
    3. Sago & Gulaman drink
    4. Puto maya with mango
    5. Bibingka made with real galapong (may or may not have salted egg slivers)

  28. Desserts that I cannot easily make or if the ingredients are hard to obtain:

    1) Halo-Halo
    2) Sansrival
    3) Puto Bumbong
    4) Bibingka
    5) Suman with fresh mangoes

  29. 1. Turon with ice cream (especially that from Cafe Juanita! ‘D)
    2. Leche flan (but only because it’s the Hubby’s favorite dessert)
    3. Halo-Halo
    4. FIC Pistachio ice cream
    5. COLD ROCK peanut-butter ice cream with cookie dough and fudge brownies

    Do the last two count? Technically, we go there for dessert after we’ve eaten in some other restaurant. =)

  32. 1. Buko Pandan
    2. Leche Flan
    3. Halo-Halo
    4. Ice cream
    5. Fresh fruits in season (Mangoes, Banana, etc.)

  39. 1. Ube Halaya
    2. Leche Flan
    3. Minatamis na Saging na may langka
    4. Buko Pandan
    5. Macapuno

    *I prefer these items homemade, but if in a particular restuarant these items are their specialty, I will definitely give it a try. Although for buko pandan, I highly recommend Max’s version w/the vanila ice cream on top:) yumyum!!!

  40. 1. leche flan
    2. Halo-halo
    3. bibingka/puto bumbong especially during the holidays

  41. I am a simple person with simple delight on desserts…

    1. chocnut
    2. chocnut
    3. chocnut
    4. chocnut
    5. chocnut

    from 137 MH Del Pilar Malabon Metro Manila… and that’s 100% local! :)

    Chherriiooo!

  42. 1- Buko Pandan
    2- Halo-Halo w/ ube-macapuno ice cream (a must!)
    3- Minatamis na white bean
    4- Minatamis na langka with nata de coco
    5- Buko Salad (with lots of buko and kaong!)

  44. For Ms. Rebecca: I think what your describing is the snack called “karyoka” or “carrioca” (I’ve seen countless variations of its spelling :P).

    In my hometown we refer to it as “buchi-buchi” and sometimes it has a red mung bean paste in the center similar to the Chinese version. The difference lies in the bamboo skewers.

  45. halo-halo
    haleyang ube
    leche flan
    cassava cake
    minatamis na kamote or saging con hielo

  46. @rebecca: yes, i think that’s carioca. yum. i’ve only bought that from street vendors, though, not from restaurants. :)

    1. leche flan
    2. halo-halo
    3. buko pandan

  48. halo halo with leche flan and ube
    puto bumbong
    turron Manila (with langka slices)
    mango crepes
    any carabao milk ice cream

  49. My first time to post here…
    My top 5 would be:

    1. mais con yelo
    2. leche flan
    3. sago’t gulaman
    4. egg pie
    5. puto pulo or puto calasiao

    but of course, I also have to include kutsinta, pichi-pichi with cheese from Amber, sapin-sapin, and ripe mangoes!

  50. 1. Brazo de Mercedes
    2. Cookie Monster (good ol’ chocolate cake)
    3. Bibingka
    4. Buko Pandan or Mango Float
    5. Halo Halo

  52. these are my fave:

    1. halo-halo (with sorbetes)
    2. leche flan (made with duck’s eggs)
    3. buko pandan salad
    4. bananas cooked in dark sugar syrup
    5. sorbetes (with biscocho roll and pinipig)
    6. iced tapioca with fruits and cream
    7. “bandi” – nuts in hard caramelized sugar
    8. tsokolate (with pinipig)
    9. ube or macapuno balls
    10.”pinasugbo” (banana slices in hard sugar)

  53. Mine would be:
    1. Leche Flan
    2. Buko Pandan
    3. Ice Cream
    4. Chocolate Cake
    5. Halo Halo

  56. 1. halo halo with ube ice cream
    2. leche flan
    3. jack fruit sans rival (at M Cafe)
    4. banana crepes
    5. chocnut

  58. bibingka (Via Mare), sweet banana or saba con hielo (Mann Hann), halo-halo (Razon’s),leche flan, halayang ube

  60. halo-halo
    puto bumbong from Via Mare
    suman with mango
    banana-langka turon with vanilla ice cream

  62. 1. saba con hielo or Razon’s halo halo( the real halo halo is too confusing for me)
    2. ube halaya
    3. bibingka galapong
    4. leche flan (I check first to see if it has too many holes, if yes, then I pass)
    5. buko pandan

    Hey MM, I remembered you this weekend when I spied some malagkit pirurutong (purple rice) in Pioneer Center.

  63. Bibingka and Banana Langka Turon from Serye Cafe Filipino
    Buko Pandan Salad
    Leche Flan
    Halayang Ube
    Philippine Mangoes

  66. halo-halo, suman/mangga, puto bumbong (via mare), guinatan (in Tagalog; “sampelut” in kapampangan); banana turon, guinomis (altho beverage yata yon and not dessert, di ba?)

  67. Durian Ice Cream
    Fruit Platter (mangoes, pakwan, lanzones, melon, papaya, rambutan)
    Leche Flan
    Halo-Halo
    Brazo de Mercedes

  68. 1. Halo-halo – too laborous to make at home…
    2. Leche Flan
    3. Guinataang halo-halo – or we call it “paralusdus” in nueva ecija, but its hard to find a restaurant serving it here in manila… Any one knows???
    4. Suman with manga
    5. Brazo de Mercedes

  69. 1. Leche flan
    2. Bibingka (Via Mare)
    3. Halayang Ube
    4. Fruit platter
    5. Halo-halo

  71. When in a Filipino Restaurant, I order any of the following: But when depressed, I order EVERYTHING for an instant dessert buffet fix:

    Leche Flan
    Halo-Halo with Ube Ice Cream
    Turon ala Mode
    Ube Halaya and Macapuno
    Kakanin Platter (pichi-pichi, biko, sapin-sapin, maja blanca etc)

  73. mais con yelo
    halo halo
    matamis na saging na saba
    lakatan,pinya,pakwan, manga
    ice cream

  75. Diba the one with filling (mung bean or ube) is buchi and that one is covered in sesame seeds while carioca has no filling? Enlightenment please? Hehe…

    My top 5 are:

    1. Halo-halo = my favorite is from the 5-Ladies carinderia at the basement of Divisoria mall, right beside the dried fish stall. Harharhar…

    2. Pichi-pichi = Arnie and Dadeng’s (along South Super Highway before Cash and Carry)

    3. Kalamay = fave is from Manang Udeng, a very old lady from whom I have bought my kalamay since I was a child. She’s still around. :)

    4. Palitaw sa Latik = my favorite is Uyab’s Mom’s version

    5. Carioca/Karyoka = favorite is from Manang who sells them in the afternoon at the UP-CHK gym

    I’d still order them from restos though. I would also say leche flan but I’d rather make that myself. ;)

  77. fruit plater – ripe mango,pineapple,melon,grapes,apples;
    sorbetes – manga, keso, tsokolate
    saba con hielo;
    mais con hielo;
    buko pandan;

  82. sans rival
    silvania
    haleyang ubi with macapuno
    brazo de mercedes
    maja blanca made with carabao’s milk and laden with lots of latik
    cassava cake
    leche flan
    pastillas
    pampango fruit salad
    ube ice cream
    assorted fruits like ripe mangoes, atis, guyabano, chico
    and young coconut juice

  83. 1. Buko Pandan
    2. Leche Flan
    3. Halo halo – Razon’s!
    4. Bibingka
    5. Brazo de Mercedes

  84. Finally, you’re talking something dear to me next to my wonderful husband and children! Unfortunately, there is no decent Pinoy restaurant where I live. I have to travel 30 minutes to get to one and by then my craving for something sweet is long gone. So….our house has become sort of the dessert hole in our neighbourhood…I have my children’s school friends come by first, now it’s the neighbourhood kids and their moms!!! They come over for:

    1. mango pudding napped with cream or evaporated milk
    2. hot soy pudding or TAHO (which I buy by the buckets in Chinatown) with almond or ginger syrup
    3. homemade apple pie with caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream and a chunk of cheddar cheese
    4. my very own moist fudgy cgocolate cake with raspberry coulis
    5. Cashew-Langka Sans Rival (which I make and kept frozen)
    6. mine and my Pinay friends’ favorite..TIBOC TIBOC!!!

  85. 1. Bibingkang galapong
    2. Puto bumbong
    3. Halo-halo
    4. Buko pandan
    5. Brazo de mercedes

  86. Kasseopia: in our hometown the karyoka has some mungbean paste at the center and is called “butsi-butsi” same also if there is no paste at the center. It is not rolled in sesame seeds but instead cooked like karyoka and presented in bamboo skewers. I dont know if there’s a different name for it in other places but I find it similar in style.:)

  87. halo-halo
    guinataan
    turon/ banana-cue with ice cream
    buko pandan
    pichi-pichi

  90. Leche flan, that’s it.

    If the Filipino restaurant doesn’t have it, we have dessert someplace else.

  93. my top ten would be
    1. bandi mani
    2. fruit salad with plenty of buko and kaong
    3. sans rival
    4. halo halo
    5. minatamis na saging na saba with yelo
    6. brazo de mercedez
    7. buko pandan
    8. mango float
    9. ice cream
    10. gulaman at sago

  94. betty q

    can you share your recipe of cashew/langka sans rival?

    maramming salamat!

  95. If I still lived in the Philippines I would weigh a hundred pounds more because of all of the above. Even a two week visit with Marketman is at least 10 extra lbs. of fat by the time I leave Manila.

  96. 1. buko pandan
    2. pichi pichi
    3. saba con yelo
    4. braso de mercedes
    5. SANS RIVAl (but is this local?)

  97. ms. betty q,
    Can you share also your recipe of fudgy chocolate cake with raspberry coulis.

  101. my favorite desserts are:
    1. leche flan
    2. sweet ripe mangoes
    3. halo-halo
    4. dolor’s sapin-sapin
    5. buko lychee (either salad or sherbet)

  103. Halo halo, Turon, Bibingka and Puto Bungbong (especially from Via Mare), Sapin sapin :)

  104. 1. Halo-Halo
    2. guinomis
    3. Sans rival
    4. Buko sherbet,buko pandan or a very appealing(and tasty)buko salad as long as there’s no cheese mixed into it ,which i find very strange to my taste buds.
    5. Well made bibingka with itlog na pula or puto bungbong washed down with mild cammomile tea or freshly made ginger tea.

  105. 1. Sweetened Macapuno
    2. Ube Haleya
    3. Puto Bumbong
    4. Buco Sherbet or Halo Halo (only from Razon’s)
    5. Sapin Sapin

  107. For a self-avowed dessert junkie, you’d be shocked about the fact that I can’t complete 5 Pinoy desserts I order when at a restaurant. I actually don’t like that many Filipino sweet foods as dessert — they’re more like snacks/merienda. And the ones I do, aren’t usually available in restaurants (like, I’ve only seen carioca on the street). Anyway, I do love these:

    1. Via Mare’s puto bumbong with panutsa and quezo de bola
    2. Via Mare’s bibingka with quezo de bola
    3. leche flan — but ONLY if it looks good; I’m picky with leche flan
    4. Butchi — I wasn’t going to include this, since for me it’s Chinese and not Filipino, but given how many mentioned it here, I guess it’s been assimilated already.

  109. 1. halo-halo
    2. haleyang ube but I haven’t found a good one in restaurants
    3. leche flan

    I’m confused. I thought bibingka, puto bumbong, sapin-sapin are merienda fares and not desserts? They are sweet though but heavy! :-)

  110. – Leche flan
    – Mais con hielo with Quezo ice cream
    – Turon ala mode/Banana-Q
    – Puto bumbong with lots of margarine and grated cheese!
    – Maja blanca

  111. 1. my own version of fruit salad

    2. saging na saba with sago & evap milk

    3. mais con hielo

    4. banana turon

    5. banana cue

    6. bibingka

    7. sapin sapin

    8. bibingkang kanin

    9. leche flan

  113. i understand you tricia. ako din e. in fact i got so carried away na dapat pala desserts to order in a restaurant, instead of desserts na gusto natin kainin!

  115. Hi Leticia:…Hey, I’ll gladly share my Cashew-Langka sans rival recipe with you!!! I need to know if you have made sans rival before…just so I know whether to send you a DETAILED recipe including fool-proof tips or the short cut version.

    MM, I clicked on the previous poll you did 2 years ago? and back tracked on your maja blanca post…HOLY!!! my jaw dropped upon reading one of the comments. Though I am not Kapampangan, their TIBOC TIBOC version of maja blanca WINS HANDS DOWN by a MILE!!! I learned to do this when I was 12 years old from an old lady friend I called Mrs. A. I don’t know if she is still around…Do give it a try. I shall e-mail it to you and I think you will change your mind about MAJA BLANCA…don’t have access to carabao’s milk here so I use ORGANIC MILK with full cream floating on top of the milk (comes in a glass bottle). Interested?

  116. betty q, i LOVE tiboc tiboc (or is it tibok?). I used to love maja blanca but after tasting tiboc tiboc, i never looked for maja blanca again. Is it hard to do?

  117. It is not only us Filipinos who blur the distinction between dessert and snacks. Most sweet dishes served as dessert actually fall under “entre mets,” between meals, in traditional French cuisine and a martinet of a French teacher pointedly corrected me once that dessert is fruits and cheese.

    1. Mango, ube or red-beans ice-cream
    2. Sapin-sapin if made like tibok-tibok
    3. Pandan jelly and buko salad
    4. Avocado frappé
    5. Macapuno cobbler

  118. 1. guinataan
    2. suman with sweet ripe mangoes or Aling Paring’s suman latik
    3. saba con hielo
    4. anything with ube halaya macapuno or buko
    5. bibinga and puto bumbong

  119. 1. suman with ripe mango
    2. banana-langka turon ala mode
    3. leche flan
    4. ube-macapuno cake
    5. buko-pandan

  120. I’d say:
    1. Leche flan
    2. Halo-Halo
    3. Bibingka
    4. Turon
    5. Ice cream-mango or ube

  122. 1. Halo-halo
    2. Leche flan
    3. Saba con hielo
    4. Brazo de Mercedes
    5. Buko pandan

    :-D @ Lee’s comment. Almost fell off my chair at that one.

  123. Apicio said: It is not only us Filipinos who blur the distinction between dessert and snacks.

    — This reminds me of an entry in one of Nigella Lawson’s cookbooks, where she makes a note about a particular cake being more for tea time than dessert, since it’s quite heavy. I thought, “Wait till you eat bibingka for dessert!” ;-) I do agree with those who say that puto bumbong, bibingka, guinataan, puto, cuchinta, palitaw, etc. are merienda fare. I actually only order puto bumbong and bibingka for dessert because I *have to* have dessert, and there aren’t many other choices I like available in Pinoy restos. Which is why when my family eats at a Filipino restaurant, we either try to choose one that serves Western desserts, or we move somewhere else after.

    For Filipino desserts done in a Western style, I recommend C2 in Rockwell. Bibingka Souffle (weird at first, but a revelation!), Chocnut Tiramisu, and a good version of turon. Also, M Cafe has Cashew Langka SansRival, Pandan SansRival, Calamansi Pie, and Pastillas Cheesecake, among others.

  125. I second on the bibingka souflfe.. quite good!

    1. bibingka malagkit/biko ( has to have a nice rich creamy topping-like the la tasca bibingka)
    2. cassava bibingka
    3. mango torte
    4. fruit salad
    5. buko pandan

  126. 1. leche flan
    2. fresh fruits in season: mango, pineapple, watermelon,papaya
    3. buko salad/ pandan
    4. turon (w/ a twist)
    5. minatamis na saging or kamote

  127. KATRINA and ALICIA:….Annie Guerrero’s Bibingka souffle recipe is in her cookbook COOKING WITH COCONUT. For those not adept at cooking souffles, I would highly recommend that you do not overbeat the meringue. Add a touch of cream of tartar as a stabilizer. Also instead of adding the base to the meringue as stated in her recipe, I WOULD ADD A PORTION OF THE MERINGUE AND FOLD IT into the base. Initially it would seem a bit liquidy. BUT ladies, PATIENCE is a virtue!!! Add another portion and fold it in. Add the rest and fold it in again. Eventually, you will be rewarded with a smooth and fluffy mixture…not heavy at all! You can also put a foil collar around the ramekins…buttered and also coated lightly with sugar. Her recipe calls for 3 c eggwhites. Unlessyou have a 12 qt. MIXER AT HOME, I would just make ONE-THIRD of her recipe!!!

    Same procedure of FOLDING A PORTION OF THE MERINGUE INTO THE BATTER applies to making chiffon cakes. You will find in most cookbooks saying to pour the batter into the meringue and fold. At 12 years old, this is what I did and had the most horrific traumatic experience of having the bottom of my first cake turn into SHOE LEATHER!!! So my guardian angel NADINE told me to do it the other way…fold part of the meringue into my cake batter, folding it and adding more meringue, etc. IT WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF HAIR PULLING and FRUSTRATIONS!!!!

  130. 1. leche flan…. the best way to round off meaty dishes
    2. sans rival … ends your meal with a sugar high
    3. brazo de mercedes … sweet and comforting…
    4. biko w/ latik on top … love the sweet smoky redolence of sugar after a meal
    5. buko lychee ice cream… takes the umay away

  131. 1. Halo-halo
    2. Buko pie from Laguna
    3. Fresh buko juice w/buko
    4. Mango (fresh)
    5. pichi pichi (cassava)

    MM, I’m quite new here, why do the comments disappear as I scroll down? I have to move back up sometimes to read all the comments. Just wondering.

  132. 1. Leche Flan
    2. Halo-halo (especially Razon’s)
    3. Turon ala mode
    4. Cassava cake
    5. Buko salad

  133. Susan, the problem you experiencing is probably linked to the version of browser (most likely explorer) that you are using. I had some issues but on newer browsers it doesn’t seem to happen, firefox seems fine and so with Safari on the MAC…

  137. 1. buchi
    2. fresh fruits (ripe mango, chico, watermelon, melon, pineapple)
    3. ube halaya (from imus cavite,made from real ube; no artificial flavoring/coloring; most requested pasalubong by relatives abroad)
    4. minatamis na kaong / nata de coco / macapuno
    5. turon w/ langka

  138. Greetings From California!

    My Top 5 Mouth Watering Desserts To Order:

    1) Buko Pie (From L.B. Laguna of course)
    2) Halo Halo Special (with Leche Flan or Ube toppings)
    3) Palitaw (with lots of sesame seeds & freshly grated coconuts)
    4) Buko Salad (with lots of fresh fruits)
    5) Ginataang Bilo-bilo (with Tapioca Pearl)

  139. thanks in advance bettyq!

    yup, i used to make it about 8years ago, in manila. i followed the recipe in nora yap daza’s book galing galing pinoy.

    here in milan,italy, im doing a lot of desserts that are particularly of the northern italy and obviously of german influence.

    i would be glad to be doing sans rival once more although i am now slowing down on sugar, because my last sugar count was 120. but who cares!

  140. Hi Leticia: It’s good to know where you are …that way, I am positive that you will have access to flavour compounds that I use. Besides Cashew-Langka, I am going to send you the recipe of another flavour that I have developed which has gotten a looot of compliments and recipe requests and am positive that no one else has it YET!!! This flavour will be well received in Italy!!!! Now, here’s my problem, I have been getting a looooot of spam mail lately so ….if you don’t mind MM, can I send you another e-mail address to be forwarded to Leticia and MrsKookie (for the Tibok Tibok recipe…I haven’t forgotten you MrsKookie!) ? Again, I thank you in advance as well for your understanding and consideration…

  141. thank you betty q!
    you are so nice.
    i’ll be looking forward to that recipe!
    thank you MM, for your site…it is giving me another chance to a wonderful life! Sincerely, when before i used to be lonely, now i am so inspired having the company of all those friends, (if i may call all of them) through your site. they are all amusing and so heartwarming!

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