Jollibee Philippines | Food at Jollibee in the Philippines - Part 1: Traditional American Food

Getting Started 

The food at Jollibee is definitely an interesting combination of both American and Filipino food fused together for a unique experience for your taste buds. Walking in to Jollibee as an American, everything seems normal as far as fast food chains go. Everything you see, smell and hear seems like the ordinary American fast food experience, as if you’re in a McDonalds, Wendy’s or Jack in the Box. Well, I suppose all the Tagalog you hear around you probably reminds you that you’re still in the Philippines. But in reality, there’s much more than meets the eye - or taste buds. In this first part of a three part series, we’ll explore the American side of the menu.

Burgers

The classic fast food item in America is the hamburger. At McDonalds, we know them simply as “hamburgers” and “cheeseburgers.” At Jollibee, they brand them uniquely as “Yumburgers,” and come in your typical varieties: basic (meat only with special sauce), with cheese, and with cheese, lettuce and tomato. They also come in a larger version, known as the “Champ” which consists of a 1/3 pound beef patty. Other varations on the traditional beef burger is the Crispy Chicken Burger and Spicy Crispy Chicken Burger - reminiscent of the Jack in the Box’s Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich (now known as Jack’s Spicy Chicken).

Chicken

Probably the best known chicken franchise in America is KFC. No, it no longer can stand for Kentucky Fried Chicken (is it because what they serve is no longer qualified as ‘chicken’?), but still only as KFC. Fried chicken is staple of Jollibee in the Philippines as well. Using their typical clever branding, Jollibee has created “ChickenJoy.” It comes in two flavors: original and spicy, and can be served with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Additionally, you can order buckets of ChickenJoy for the whole family. Never has so much nutrition been available in a bucket.

Other Food

As far as other traditional American fast food, Jollibee offers the best meal one can get at a summer baseball game: the hot dog. It’s pretty basic but in addition to the typical ketchup, it includes a “cheese-based topping” and grated cheese. And to go with all this food, the sides available at Jollibee include classic French Fries (chili and cheese fries are also an option) and Nachos. Basically, it’s starting to feel like a hybrid of McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Arby’s and Taco Bell - some of my favorite U.S. based fast food restaurants.

Is that all?

Oh no, we’re only getting started with the basics of Jollibee food. There’s a whole new realm of food experience that we’ll explore in the next part: Food at Jollibee in the Philippines - Part 2: Traditional Filipino Food. 

After that, we’ll move on to Food at Jollibee in the Philippines - Part 3: Breakfast and Desserts. 

Learn more about Jollibee Philippines.