If you’ve heard anything about Filipino food, chances are you’ve heard of adobo. And don’t get me wrong—adobo deserves the hype. It’s tangy, garlicky, savory comfort in a pot.

But Filipino cuisine is so much more than adobo.

It’s funky, rich, layered, sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, always surprising. And once you scratch the surface, you’ll find dishes that make you go: wait—why isn’t everyone talking about this?

Here are 10 Filipino dishes that aren’t on every tourist’s radar… but absolutely should be on your plate.

Sour **Sinigang Soup with rice of course**

🍲 1. Sinigang

A tamarind-based sour soup that hits you with flavor in the best way. Usually made with pork, shrimp, or fish, plus long beans, tomatoes, eggplant, and leafy greens. It’s brothy, tangy, and warm—like a citrusy hug from your Lola.

2. Laing

This one is a sleeper hit. Made with dried taro leaves simmered in coconut milk, chilies, and shrimp paste, laing is rich, spicy, and earthy. It’s proof that vegetables can absolutely steal the show.

🔥 3. Inasal

Hailing from Bacolod, inasal is a type of grilled chicken marinated in vinegar, calamansi, garlic, and annatto oil. It’s smoky, tangy, and often served with garlic rice and chicken oil (yes, chicken oil). Order this once, and plain grilled chicken will never be enough again.

🥜 4. Kare-Kare

A thick peanut stew that’s traditionally made with oxtail, but you’ll also find versions with beef, vegetables, or seafood. It’s rich, nutty, and served with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) on the side, which you have to mix in for the full flavor explosion.

🍜 5. Pancit Palabok

This isn’t your typical stir-fried noodle dish. Palabok uses thin rice noodles topped with a bright orange garlic-shrimp sauce, hard-boiled eggs, crushed chicharrón, green onions, and sometimes smoked fish. It’s bold, briny, and a total flavor bomb.

6. Isaw

Okay, this one’s not for everyone—but it’s beloved for a reason. Isaw is grilled chicken or pork intestines, cleaned thoroughly (yes, thoroughly), marinated, skewered, and grilled over charcoal. Crunchy, chewy, smoky—Filipino street food at its finest.

**Ginataang Langka coconut milk stew with jackfruit**

7. Ginataang Langka

Unripe jackfruit stewed in coconut milk with garlic, onions, and chili. It’s creamy, savory, and has this pull-apart texture that almost mimics shredded meat. A total hidden gem in the world of plant-based comfort food.

**Suman rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves**

🍚 8. Suman

This sticky rice cake is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed—usually served with sugar or coconut jam. It’s chewy, subtly sweet, and often eaten for breakfast or merienda (snack time). There are dozens of regional variations, and they’re all worth trying.

🐟 9. Paksiw na Isda

A vinegar-based fish stew that’s sour, salty, and deeply comforting. Usually made with bangus (milkfish) or galunggong, simmered with ginger, garlic, eggplant, and bitter melon. If you love Filipino-style sour dishes, paksiw is the real deal.

🌶️ 10. Bicol Express

This spicy, coconutty pork stew is named after a train, but the flavor hits more like a bullet. Made with pork, shrimp paste, chilies, and coconut milk, it’s creamy, fiery, and seriously addicting. Not for the spice-averse—but totally worth the sweat.

💬 Final Thoughts

Filipino food isn’t always flashy. It doesn’t rely on towering plating or fancy garnishes. It’s humble, bold, soulful food made to share—and it has stories in every bite.

So the next time someone says “Filipino food? Oh yeah, adobo and lumpia!”
You’ll know there’s a whole world waiting beyond that.

Beyond Adobo: 10 Filipino Dishes You’ve Probably Never Heard Of (But Should Try)