Address and phone: 62-29 Roosevelt Ave, Woodside, Queens (718-426-4445)
Website: jollibee.com
Good for: Simple, honest Filipino fast-food
I didn’t grow up with McDonald’s. I grew up with Jollibee. I was born in the Philippines and had the illest birthday there, and to this day the restaurant holds a special place in my heart. But memory can be deceiving, so when I first moved to New York a few years ago, it was nostalgia that convinced me to take a solo hike to Woodside and see if the fast-food joint was as good as I remembered. If there’s one thing I miss, it’s Filipino spaghetti, which is made with a much sweeter sauce than its American and Italian counterparts. It’s also known for containing hot dogs and sometimes a cheese topping.
Jollibee gets it right, adding a hint of
Jufran banana ketchup for even more sugary zing. The N2 plate offers it with a chicken drumstick, with awesome crunch and a great salty flavor. Even though the G.O.A.T. of Filipino chicken joints is Max’s, this Jollibee combo wins because it provides that salty-sweet balance, one of the trademarks of Filipino cuisine. Seriously, Filipinos are some of the only people who would butter the crap out of a roll, sprinkle sugar on the top, and then melt cheese on top of that (it’s called
ensaymada,
look it up). Dessert-wise, Jollibee traces its roots as a Magnolia Ice Cream Parlor—which is known for offering flavors like sweet purple
ube and the “don’t knock it ’til you try it”
mais queso (corn kernels and cheese bits). That’s why it gets the tried-and-true classic halo-halo right too. There are more artisan options these days, but there’s something about the simplicity of the Jollibee version that makes it so appealing.
—Jian DeLeon
Order this: Filipino spaghetti, N2 plate, Halo Halo,
ube ice cream,
mais queso ice cream