Information about Roberto's

Roberto's

Photo by CTPH Tours

Fall deeply in love with Iloilo City and go beyond its famed Spanish-colonial churches, ancestral houses, and unspoiled countryside. For your next trip to the City of Love, discover Iloilo’s gastronomic history with the famous Roberto’s Siopao that locals and tourists came to love. 

Situated in the historic street of Calle Real, also known as J.M. Basa Street, Roberto’s has been associated with the Filipino-Chinese snack siopao because of its tastiest and heavy delicious filling tucked in a firm steamed buns. Since 1978, Roberto’s has been dubbed as the oldest, most famous, largest, and best tasting siopao in Iloilo. Decades passed but the popularity and the quality of their siopao still remains the same. Their humble Chinese restaurant still attracts locals and tourists to the city of Iloilo. 

If you aren’t familiar with Siopao, it’s a traditional Chinese snack that is popularized all over the Philippines. Siopao literally means hot buns in Chinese. This hot steamed buns are filled with meat such as pork, chicken, and adobo. And the best one is considered to be found at Roberto’s.

With a size bigger than a clenched fist and a full blast of flavors, Roberto’s legendary Queen Siopao is a reigning royalty with bursting flavors filled with bacon, Chinese sausage, chicken-pork adobo, and eggs. Because of its popularity, it is best advised to visit their store early to avoid long lines and before they run out of Queen Siopao. 

They also have three other varieties: the King Siopao is a bit smaller than their Queen Siopao and stuffed with ham, Chinese Sausage, chicken-pork adobo, and egg. For a lighter version, try their Jumbo Siopao filled with Chinese sausage, and pork adobo, and egg, and Regular Siopao with pork adobo and egg. 

Roberto’s siopao are all flavorful that you don’t need any more sauce in order to enjoy its taste making it a more convenient gastronomical experience. Other must haves are their bihon, sotanghon, canton, meatballs, camaron relleno, morcon, and lumpiang shanghai.

How to get there

Ride a jeepney going to Iloilo Freedom Grandstand. Once there, you will see Roberto's, which is found directly across the grandstand.

Best time to visit

If you plan on dining in, it's best to visit before 12 NN or 6 PM to avoid the lunch and dinner rush. The restaurant is open from 8 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Saturday.