Filipino food fans will get the chance to dine to their heart’s delight this summer as Toronto’s biggest Filipino food festival returns.
It’s been well established that Toronto is having quite the love affair with Filipino cuisine. From droolworthy pop-ups putting unique spins on classic dishes to new restaurants paying homage to the flavours of the Philippines, the city can’t seem to get enough.
If you, like many, are in that same boat, you’re in luck: Taste of Manila, billed in past years as the biggest Filipino street festival outside of the Philippines, is coming back this August for its 11th epic year.
Last year, the festival drew in a record-breaking attendance of over 500,000 people over two days, and this year, they’re setting their sights on hosting the biggest and best iteration of the festival yet.
Naturally, it all starts with the food.
Curated around this year’s theme of “celebrating resiliency and diversity,” the festival is set to feature over 100 vendors, serving up a fittingly diverse selection of Filipino cuisine, from traditional dishes to one-of-a-kind twists on Filipino flavours.
While the entire lineup has yet to be revealed, the confirmed vendors already promise one tasty weekend. Brampton’s Fan ‘D’ Flame Restaurant will be serving up a selection of traditional eats, alongside Mely’s Egg Production with their always tasty itlog na pula: salted preserved eggs dyed a particularly vibrant shade of fuchsia.
For something on the sweeter side, you can head to Claire’s Special Kakanin for a selection of coconut milk and sticky rice-based desserts, Hazel’s Best for a variety of ube-based treats, or taho, a sweet, tofu- and sago-based dish from Mang Rc Taho.
Even though the food is the star of the show at Taste of Manila, there will still be plenty of things to do that don’t involve eating.
Three stages will be set up across the festival grounds, where non-stop live music and dance performances will keep the party going all weekend long.
If you’re one of the many who haven’t been able to get enough Filipino food in your life, this will be the place for you.
Taste of Manila takes place on Saturday, Aug. 16, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue.
