Summer for Filipinos equals beach, trips, festivals, fashion and of course, food. And when we talk about summer food, it’s definitely halo-halo (literally, mix-mix) that comes to our mind first. Yes, it’s that mixture of caramelized fruits, purple yam (ube), caramel custard (leche flan), milk, shaved ice, etc., commonly seen sold along the streets in the Philippines inviting every passer-by to beat the summer heat.

And if you actually think all halo-halo servings taste the same since they more or less have the same ingredients, you better get off your seat and start going around the metro to hunt for the best ones in town. You might want to be guided by the following list:

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Razon’s of Guagua
Location: Click here to see branches
Price: Php 73
Carrying the banner of Guagua, Pampanga, the restaurant prides itself on its famous halo-halo that is regarded as a must-try for people on the look for traditional dessert. However, with only three main ingredients --- macapuno, caramel custard and caramelized banana --- one may wonder why Razon’s halo-halo deserves to be in this list. Actually, the secret is on the ice very finely crushed to capture the perfect texture for the mixture. The simplicity yet heavenly taste of Razon’s halo-halo continues to be the secret for its popularity.

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Ice Blinker Halo-Halo and Fastfood
Location: Tabaco City, Albay, SM Cubao, Naga City and Murphy, Quezon City
Price: Php 70
The secret to this pride of Bicol’s halo-halo also lies on the ice that according to regular customers is shaved just right. They let the sweet ingredients float on the caramel syrup at the bottom of the glass. On top of the ice is this halo-halo’s claim-to-fame, a portion of cheese side by side with caramel custard, purple yam and ice cream. Ice Blinker’s halo-halo is also known as the cheesy halo-halo.

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Icebergs
Location: Click here to see branches
Price: Php 94
Icebergs’ Super Halo-Halo also distances itself from other regular halo-halo servings through its ice bits that easily melt and mix with purple yam and caramel custard on top. A fraction of corn, peaches and corn flakes also makes a difference from the conventional mixture of sweetened fruits, beans and crunches.

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Little Quiapo
Location: Click here to see branches
Price: starts at Php 90
The most famous variant of halo-halo in Little Quiapo is Fiesta Halo-Halo. At the bottom of the glass are the usual ingredients then topped by an ice ball permeated with chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup and of course, evaporated milk. On top of the piece are a small serving of caramel custard and a scoop of purple-yam flavored ice cream with some sticks of chocolate wafer to spoil one’s sweet tooth.

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Digman Halo-Halo and Home-Made Siopao
Location: H. Rubio St. Bacoor, Cavite
Price: Php 50
Not so far south of Metro Manila is a community that claims to be the halo-halo capital of the country. In Digman, Bacoor, Cavite, one will surely find it difficult to decide which halo-halo store to enter. Every restaurant claims to offer the original flavor of Digman’s halo-halo. However, there is this one found along H. Rubio St. that has a banner noticeable for the display of patent. Yes, this restaurant offers the original one. Although it contains traditional and conventional ingredients, the quantities are quite overwhelming. Many customers especially mentioned this halo-halo’s purple yam as extraordinary.

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Aling Consuelo’s Halo-Halo
Location: Ugbo St., Tondo, Manila
The talk of the town especially during summer, Aling Consuelo’s special halo-halo has established its reputation as the best tasting one in Manila since the 1970s. Those who especially love purple yam, caramel custard and macapuno on their halo-halo will might prefer that of Aling Consuelo’s as the quantities of the said ingredients here are bigger compared with the others’.

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Milky Way
Location: Click here to see branches
Price: Php 99
This halo-halo is served in such a way that a customer will feel the balance among the ingredients: caramelized fruits, tapioca, crunches, ice, milk, etc. The purple yam flavored ice cream invitingly sitting on top of the halo-halo is also what makes people come back for more of this sweet treat.

Restaurant/Food Stand Name: Aling Consuelo’s Halo-Halo
Location: Gen. Luna St. Brgy. Maulawin, Pagsanjan, Laguna
With its trademark seven-ingredient halo-halo, this place is worth the few hours of drive from the metro. The mixture of caramel custard, purple yam, mongo beans, macapuno, sugar palm, and the two ingredients that can probably found only in Aling Taleng’s halo-halo, winter melon and sugarcane bits, has established this restaurant as a forerunner in halo-halo business since 1933.

Photo Credits:

Frontpage Image: http://www.foodbuzz.com/photos/ph/philippines/616232-the-halo-halo-queen-of-philippine-desserts-
Razon's: http://herestolife.wordpress.com/2007/03/19/razons-halo-halo/
Ice Blinker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/digiputz/5085054232/
Icebergs:http://www.rochellesychua.com/2010/09/icebergs-2.html
Little Quiapo: http://serialtripper.com/2011/01/little-quiapo-soda-fountain-and-restaurant-paranaque-city/
Digman: http://honeys-haven.blogspot.com/2011/03/digman-original-halo-halo-for-dessert.html
Aling Consuelo's: screenshot from GMA's Hanep Buhay
Milky Way: http://heart-2-heart-online.com/2010/01/18/milky-way-halo-halo/
Aling Taleng's: http://pinoybyahero.blogspot.com/2010/09/aling-talengs-halo-halo-pagsanjan.html