The Top 10 Best Pork Siomai in Manila, Ranked

(SPOT.ph) While the sought-after xiao long bao and hakaw often find themselves in the spotlight, it would be wrong not to give credit to their humble cousin: pork siomai. After all, whether you’re a young Fil-Chi being fed tiam sim (that’s Fu Kien for merienda) at home or you’re a college student on a budget trying to grab a quick, cheap meal, siomai has always been there for you. Unassuming, convenient, and so satisfying when it fulfills that very particular MSG-flavored craving.

As a 'practicing' Filipino-Chinese for thirty-something years and a professional in the food industry for the last ten of those, I must admit that when I accepted this quest to find the best pork siomai in Metro Manila, I found myself thinking, "I don't think I've ever thought this much about siomai." It’s so ubiquitous that it’s easy to take for granted; it’s available in almost any Chinese restaurant, which can be found in every other major area in the metro—not to mention the many, many food stalls selling steamed dim sum in transportation hubs and malls, ready to quell many a commuter’s hunger or simply satisfy a craving.

I’ll tell you now: tasting and trying to rank almost 30 different pork siomai is not for the faint of heart. First of all, there’s just so much variety; everyone has their own unique way of making it. Secondly, it’s really also just hard to walk into a Chinese restaurant and only order siomai and not anything else because you don’t want to be too full for the next stop, because what do you mean I shouldn’t order nood—I digress.

When it came down to brass tacks and actually creating our criteria for judging pork siomai, we looked at five elements: overall taste, with a particular attention to that umami that fills your mouth as you chew; the texture of both the filling and the wrapper—mouthfeel was king here when it came to the filling, and it was important that the wrapper wasn’t dry or soggy; structural integrity, which meant we should be able to pick up the siomai without it falling apart; the sauce, because of course this affects your experience and should only add to it rather than steal the show; and lastly, value for money, which really just answers the question of whether we felt the taste justified the price. That last element is the Chinese in me reminding myself, and by extension all of you, that money doesn’t grow on trees and you should only spend it on really good dim sum.

And boy do we have a list of good dim sum for you.

We narrowed it down to local Chinese restaurants, with our shortlist consisting of OG spots and newer joints recommended to us by the Spot team and our friends, both Filipino and Chinese but all self-confessed lovers of dim sum. We wanted this list to consist of places you can reliably go and have a sit-down meal in, which is why you won’t find your favorite stall-style franchise here. There won't be foreign franchises either; we stuck to homegrown restaurants. And when it came to “what counts as pork siomai,” we kept it simple: so long as it was labeled “siomai” on the menu and it had pork, regardless of whether it was mixed with other proteins, we went and tried them.

All SPOT.ph Top 10 lists are researched, paid for, tested, and selected by the writers and editors. No prior notice is made to the establishments or their owners.

Were we expecting Gloria Maris’ Shark’s Fin Siomai (Php 269 for 4 pieces) to be higher up on this list? Sure. However, as it settled into this spot, I thought: if you’ve got a top 10 list with Gloria Maris bringing up the rear, you know you’re already starting from the best. There’s a reason why Gloria Maris has evolved into one of the premiere Chinese restaurants in the Metro, and it’s evident in their siomai. The bite is soft but firm and chewy in all the right ways. The filling all but bursts with flavor—first with the pork and shrimp, but you also get that irresistible umami from the mushroom. Their soy sauce isn’t too salty and doesn’t overwhelm; in fact, when combined with a bit of calamansi and their classic garlic chili, it makes you crave that much more for the next one. It’s just siomai done impeccably well, and it sets a high standard for what great siomai should be.

See a list of Gloria Maris branches here.

Binondo Boys is part of our 50 Great Restaurants of 2025 and was our Under-the-Radar awardee. And I’d argue that, with their Chinese fusion noodle dishes at the forefront of their menu, the Pork and Shrimp Siomai (Php 169 for 3 pieces) is the true under-the-radar star of the show. Don’t let its plain Jane appearance fool you: it manages to be both pork- and shrimp-forward, and the filling has a well-rounded flavor that just hits the spot. Even at only three pieces an order, it’s a solid option as a snack but it also works as an appetizer or side dish to any of Binondo Boys’ creative entrees.

Binondo Boys is at 37 Sct. Torillo St. Diliman, QC. As of this writing, they also just opened a new branch at Congressional Town Center. They're open 24/7. Follow them on Instagram.

Foonglan Garden Teahouse used to be called Lam Tin Teahouse, which used to be called Han Pao Teahouse. I know this because, in my aforementioned three decades of being a 'practicing' Filipino-Chinese, I have practically grown up in this restaurant. While I must confess my go-to dim sum orders are their hakaw and taro puff, Foonglan Garden’s Pork Siomai (Php 165 for 4 pieces) is enough to get any first-time eater here hooked. It’s got just the right amount of bite—firm but not tough—and a juicy filling that’s unmistakably pork, but with a clean, well-balanced flavor. Foonglan Garden’s more garlicky chili sauce pairs well with its stronger-flavored soy sauce, and a little dip goes a long way to rounding out this already delicious pork siomai.

Foonglan Garden Teahouse is at 30-U Banawe corner, Senator Mariano, J Sen. Mariano J. Cuenco, Quezon City. They're open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Shrimp Siomai (Php 160 for 4 pieces) from David’s Tea House does also contain pork, and you’ll know it at first bite. There’s just a harmony to the pork and the shrimp that just makes the whole thing work. The filling is on the chunkier side of the spectrum, but that’s a good thing: there’s variety to the texture as you chew and the wrapper has just enough spring to it that adds to the experience. These shrimp siomai are hefty, too, and in this economy, it’s got no business bearing that price tag while still tasting like it should cost more. But maybe that’s why David’s Tea House has done so well as a business. And we don’t know why you might—we won’t judge—but you could go without the soy sauce and the calamansi and the chili and still have a good time munching on these dim sum. I know. I tried.

See a list of David's Tea House branches here.

The first thing that hits you when you bite into Luk Yuen’s Pork Siomai (Php 205 for 4 pieces) is how damn juicy it is. And yet, for all the flavor that’s bursting in your mouth, you still get bits of mushroom and nice chunks of pork. What boggles the mind is how the wrapper stays firm, considering just how succulent the filling is; it is a bit sticky, but in a good way. It’s hard to ask more of a siomai, but dip it in your mix of soy sauce, calamansi, and chili, and it’ll deliver just a bit more… and you’re going to end up eating more than quite a bit.

See a list of Luk Yuen branches here.

By the time I got to try Causeway Seafood Restaurant's Siomai (Php 158 for 4 pieces), I was almost at the end of my quest to find the greatest siomai in Metro Manila. And even then, I knew it was going to end up somewhere here, in the middle of the list. The springy wrapper gives way to a moist (sorry), flavorful bite; there aren’t any notable chunks or pieces, but the mouthfeel was just right. It was smooth but not mushy, firm but not tough. Here, taste, texture, structural integrity, and sauce all lived in harmony, and the Fire Nation did not attack. It didn’t have to; it was happy enough with Causeway's siomai, thank you, the end. 

See a list of Causeway Seafood Restaurant branches here. You can also follow them on Facebook.

You would think that as the steamer cover is removed from Summer Palace’s Steamed Pork Siomai with Shrimps (Php 420 for 4 pieces), and the soft billow of steam evaporates to reveal that each siomai is topped with a succulent shrimp, that that glistening pink thing would be the highlight. You’d be right, but you’d also be surprised to find that there’s more shrimp inside, and it’s just as sweet and succulent as its… friend that made it on top. But that’s not all. They’re enveloped by pork that manages to taste rich and light at the same time, and wrapped in a delicate skin that’s just a bit sticky in the right way. The only thing we docked them points for is the price—because you could do more with less; the top three are proof of that—but suffice it to say that these pretty, shrimp-topped siomai are truly worth being served at a restaurant named after an imperial Chinese garden.

Summer Palace is at Level 2, Tower Wing, 1 Garden Way, Ortigas Centre, Mandaluyong City. They're open daily, but their dimsum menu is only available during lunch hours, which are from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. You can still order the Steamed Pork Siomai with Shrimps during their dinner hours, which are from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily.

My very Chinese grandmother who also happens to be a very good cook loves King Chef. I need you to understand the weight of this sentence, because what it means is that there are very few Chinese restaurants that that woman won’t complain about, and King Chef is one of them. In fact, the only time she complained about King Chef was when we brought her so often she asked us to stop, because we had, at this point, tried everything on the menu and my dear Gwama needed a break. So when King Chef’s Pork & Shrimp Siomai (Php 165 for 4 pieces) landed at this spot, it wasn’t a surprise. Not only has King Chef slowly but surely established itself as a go-to Chinese restaurant in the last decade or so; it also even has dedicated Dimsum Kitchens, which (surprise!) specialize in serving their dim sum menu. 

But let’s talk about the Pork & Shrimp Siomai. The wrapper? I like to call it al dente—it’s still springy, not sticky, and doesn’t disintegrate even as you peel the siomai off the liner. The filling? Overall soft, but with small chunks of pork, bits of shrimp, and small bites of mushroom. Even without the light premium soy sauce, calamansi, and chili garlic that they use at King Chef restaurants, the siomai is full-flavored, umami-rich, and delicately balanced. That smile that our cover model Ansis Sy is wearing? Real, even after (at the point the cover photo was taken) he’d eaten at least two whole orders by himself. It’s almost criminal how the siomai will only cost Php 110 between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. during King Chef’s Dimsum Happy Hours, but we’re not complaining because that just means we get to eat so much more for about 30% less.

See a list of King Chef branches here.

Teakha is the only restaurant on this list with two entries, and let me tell you why they deserve it. You could go for the classic Pork and Shrimp Siomai (Php 194 for 4 pieces), or if you’re seafood-averse, the Pork Siomai (Php 173 for 4 pieces), and you won’t go wrong either way. For the price tag, the four pieces you’ll get are quite hefty, and for the heft, you’ll find that the bite is tender, juicy, and chunky in all the right ways. Think of the cleanest, most invigorating pork broth you’ve ever sipped and imagine that turned into pork mince: that’s the pork siomai. And we do mean mince, because while there aren’t whole bits that stand out as you chew, the magic the Teakha folks do with the filling makes it so that it’s somehow smooth and uniformly chunky at the same time; the mouthfeel, for siomai, is just excellent. 

Now take the pork siomai, somehow add more umami that you could only get from seafood and finish it off with shrimp, and you get the pork and shrimp siomai. It’s already topped with a succulent piece of shrimp, but you’ll find more pieces expertly blended into the filling. They’re unmistakable as there’s still a bit of crunch to the bite—the kind you get when you’re eating fresh shrimp—and it just adds a little burst of that delicate, shrimpy sweetness. It creates the perfect contrast with the light premium soy sauce, calamansi, and chili garlic, which actually has bits of crunchy garlic in it. 

Teakha is at 147 Pasig Blvd., One Infinite Lifestyle Center, Pasig. They are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. You can follow them on Instagram.

Before you tell me it’s unfair to include such a premium dish to this list, let me be the first to say: I thought so, too. After all, China Blue’s Steamed Scallop and Shrimp Pork Dumpling Siew Mai (Php 390 for 4 pieces) does come with a special little scallop and is topped with fish roe, but believe you me: though it's a nice addition, the siew mai is still the best we’ve had even without it. And yes—just like the size they come in, the price tag is also on the heftier side, but China Blue’s exquisite, scallop-topped siew mai are well worth it. 

Let’s start from the top. I’ve found that you’re hard-pressed to appreciate fish roe when it’s used as a topping on steamed dim sum, but it makes enough of a difference as it’s a dollop and not the unremarkable sprinkling you usually get; there’s a burst of that unique flavor that reminds you of the sea, and then it gives way to the soft, plump scallop. It’s delicate and has a sweetness to it, and it adds a nice texture to the pork and shrimp filling. I couldn’t get it all in one ladylike bite, so I did get to see a cross section of the inside and what a treat that was: glistening, blush pink chunks of shrimp so succulent and fresh there’s still kind of a crunch to it, little bits of mushroom that balance the seafood flavor with its own earthy umami, and somewhere in all of that the pork mince that binds it all together, like your most agreeable uncle who just gets along with everyone. You know the one.

In lieu of the standard garlic chili oil we’ve come to expect from Chinese restaurants, China Blue has X.O. sauce, and this pairs well with their light, premium soy sauce to elevate the already impeccably delicious siew mai. It’s a knockout match, and you can bet it’s got my Gwama’s seal of approval—which might even be more valuable than yours truly’s in some circles, but hey: making it to the top of a steamy, MSG-filled Spot Top 10 list is nothing to sniff at, either.

China Blue is at Conrad Manila. They're open daily, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and from 6 to 10 p.m.

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