Kong Kee Restaurant is one of the few old Chinese restaurants in Iloilo City that is still operational at the present. Our parents and grandparents can agree that even way before all this modernization, Kong Kee has already taken Iloilo’s heart that remains through generations.
The history of Iloilo and Chinese cuisine is deep. The culture, tradition, and flavor are evident not just in the mere presence of Chinese people downtown but also enveloped in the way of life of the Ilonggos. As Iloilo progresses, it has become multicultural in the last decades.
Kong Kee here is an “OG” (original) dining spot in Iloilo’s Chinatown. Their classic store along J.M. Basa is still open to serve all of us their best-seller siopao, meatballs, and toasted bihon. Kong Kee is also bold to go with the flow of the modern world. It has branched out to several districts of Iloilo, opened kiosks in the malls, and soon – will open its own space in bigger malls.
Kong Kee Restaurant Menu
Aside from their best-selling siopao, I can highly vouch for their toasted bihon and our recent discovery – their chiasoo.
Here are the photos of their menu for reference:
What We Had
We had their siopao and their chicken-pork siopao, these are the staples. We also tried their meatballs, yang chow rice, chiasoo, and lumpia.
How to Get There
As mentioned, their main branch is located along J.M. Basa Street. Here are the most convenient rides as our options:
ROUTE 1 BO. OBRERO – ILOILO CITY PROPER LOOP*
ROUTE 3 UNGKA – ILOILO CITY PROPER VIA CPU
ROUTE 11 LA PAZ – ILOILO CITY PROPER VIA ISATU
ROUTE 15 MOLO – ILOILO CITY PROPER VIA BALUARTE LOOP**
*You can drop by corner Iznart-Aldeguer Street
**Baluarte Derecho
Read also: The Ultimate Guide to Iloilo City Jeepney Routes
Chinese food seems to be “regular” in the Ilonggo culture. They are always understated and not loud. You can rarely see them in your feeds as they don’t wrestle for social media goals, but once a craving hits hard, we still find our way back to Royal Street and start to crawl inside the wok-fried flavor of history.
