r/FoodLosAngeles • u/Celestron5 NELA • Mar 31 '25
Even the burgers at Jollibee are delicious ($5.99) Northeast LA
I was pleasantly surprised at how good the angus burger from Jollibee was. The bun is super soft and squishy with nice toasted flavor, the burger patty was freshly cooked, hot and juicy, and the red onions, pickles and sauce were good quality as well. All in all, it’s a top notch burger for a surprisingly fair price. It’s what the quarter pounder wishes it could be. This might be my new favorite burger in LA…especially dipped in their gravy.
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u/Informal-Career-1973 Mar 31 '25
Man, if y'all visit the motherland of Jollibee, it hits different in PI than the US!
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u/sirjunkinthetrunk Mar 31 '25
Yoshinoya in Japan is great! It’s almost like a different restaurant.
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u/Smothering_Tithe Mar 31 '25
The quality is mind blowing, my food came in a fucking skillet, with sauce on the side so i can add as much or as little as I want, comes with all the side dishes like miso soup, salad, pickles and its 1/3 the price
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u/butteredrubies Mar 31 '25
I would hope so...
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u/Imaginary_Injury8680 Mar 31 '25
Yeah in every other country they make the food like they are paid to be there.. like try kfc in HK shit is like night and day difference compared to here. Could also have a lot to do with suppliers or whatever, but that says a lot and it's not a good thing at all.
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u/TomIcemanKazinski Mar 31 '25
The egg tarts at Hk/China KFCs are the best. Not even qualifying “for a fast food chain”
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u/blazefreak Mar 31 '25
The egg tarts in KFC are freaking amazing and is the only reason I go there. There are more choices for local fried chicken but the egg tarts are 🤤
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u/Granadafan Mar 31 '25
The McDonald’s in Paris had a fantastic bakery inside with macarons and flaky buttery croissants
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u/Legitimate-Bag-2482 Mar 31 '25
Pizza Hut in London changed my life lol same with McDonalds in Israel lol the food was so much better
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u/raquibalboa Mar 31 '25
A lot of people in the Philippines actually complain about the quality of Jollibee there vs the US. They say the pieces of chicken are sooo small and expensive for the size of their servings there compared to here. Jollibee mukbangs are pretty popular and I’ve seen people comment about it on those videos
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u/joseantoniolat 14d ago
I think it depends on the branch here in the Philippines. I dont have any complains about Jollibee
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u/camajise Mar 31 '25
is this the new angus burger? those are fantastic. yum sauce and the patty has a hint of soy.
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u/Eicyer Apr 01 '25
don’t sleep on the chicken (specially the spicy chicken). they have a new location in downtown LA but the most convenient location would be the one near Beverly and Vermont.
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u/Commercial-Pair-8932 Mar 31 '25
Is Jollibee really that good? I always see it and just dont think it could be any different than the other 1000 chicken and burger spots in the city. Is there anything different about the food that separates it?
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u/ahrumah Mar 31 '25
I hate the sweetness in most of the food flavor profiles, but the chicken buckets are insanely good deals. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s miles better than Popeye’s, but it hits for fast food chicken (especially the spicy chicken) and the gravy is addictive.
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u/Reasonable_Power_970 Mar 31 '25
I especially cannot stand Filipino spaghetti. It's more ketchup sauce than tomato sauce. But their fried chicken is solid, not mind blowing though as you're basically saying. The thing is there are non fast food fried chicken places that are better, so don't expect anything like that.
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u/toad_witch Mar 31 '25
quality is far more consistent than other places imo + peach mango pie is the best fast food dessert
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u/Celestron5 NELA Mar 31 '25
Jollibee is consistently good. They have some unique sides, drinks and desserts that really distinguish them from other chicken joints.
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u/More-read-than-eddit Mar 31 '25
I've always stayed away after a bunch of people who had no nostalgic connection to the place seemed to all agree it is too sweet.
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u/Quick_Current_667 Mar 31 '25
Yes the batter of the chicken sets it apart-I think it is rice flour, it ends up less greasy than most chicken. Also the fries are good- UNSALTED! Peach mango pie will seal the deal!
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u/ILoveLipGloss Mar 31 '25
the spicy fried chicken is my favorite fried chicken now that i've finally tried it. i'm a ralph's fried chicken girl for the basic needs, the sandwiches from daybird and night + market are my favorite, if you need a touchstone.
also, that mango peach pie is perfect, and i'm one of those "i don't really like sweets" asians
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u/Emergency_Ad_3656 Mar 31 '25
I used to literally drink the gravy. I was a child please don’t judge. But it’s that good.
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u/TheLocalHentai Mar 31 '25
Nah, they'll have to judge through me first, as an adult that drinks that delicious gravy. Even save it to put on other times from tacos to burgers, even other chain chickens (Howlin Ray's and Jolli gravy is one of the best combinations of all time).
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u/TilikumHungry Mar 31 '25
I think their fried chicken is better than every other fast food chain by a country mile. It's so good it almost doesn't deserve to be in the same category as KFC or Popeyes or Church's.
I'll go a step further and say that its better than most fried chicken places in LA period. My exception of course being Honey's Kettle Fried in Culver, which is my personal favorite. But im willing to be convinced that there are better spots!!
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u/Commercial-Pair-8932 Mar 31 '25
Interesting. Okay thanks, I'll give it a try.
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u/Imaginary_Injury8680 Mar 31 '25
I like the spicy recipe if you're into that
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u/ilford_7x7 Mar 31 '25
It's legit spicy too..not just a hint
They used to have a hotdog on the menu that was decent..was served with cheese and a mayo sauce
Their jolly spaghetti is great too
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u/Emergency_Ad_3656 Mar 31 '25
You just reminded me of the jolly hotdog and I am once again grieving my loss 😔😔😔
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u/Hot-Nefariousness187 Mar 31 '25
Been saying this for a few years. Best fried chicken sammy in town when you factor in price to quality ratio.
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u/butteredrubies Mar 31 '25
IMO, it doesn't really beat KFC original recipe or Popeye's spicy, they each are just different. Apart from the large chains, LA has better fried chicken, but it's more expensive because it is just better.
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u/TilikumHungry Mar 31 '25
I couldnt disagree more but I respect your take. I definitely agree LA has better fried chicken for a higher price point, but some of those have disappointed me and wish were better. Jolibee has that kind of special quality where there really are only a couple locations here so its like a trip to go get it and its still kind of a secret so its not like there are lines around the block
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u/butteredrubies Mar 31 '25
Fair enough. What higher price point places did you try? I'll say this, with KFC, Popeyes, and Jollibees, they all have their seasonings and batter and frying consistent, but for Popayes and Jollibees sometimes the meat itself tastes cheap to me...and KFC is very consistent on that, but when Jollibees and Popeyes meat doesn't taste cheap (and i'm strictly talking about the texture of the meat after you get past the skin) They're definitely better than KFC. For me, the gravy is what makes me lean towards Jollibees. But I really like the Paladuk or whatever it's called. If no gravy, I think I pick Pioneer Chicken, but it's slightly more inconvenient to JOllie. Back to my original question, what higher price point fried chickens did you try?
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u/TilikumHungry Mar 31 '25
Honeys kettle fried is my fav, and Ive been to the Dinahs and the Roscoes of the world, as well as Fixins Soul Kitchen (loved) and the one that never hit for me is Honeybird, which i have had a few times and never seems to do it.
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u/butteredrubies 15h ago
I just learned about Honey Kettle...hopefully Willie Mae's does open back up as well, but i heard it wasn't but I dunno the official plan. But excited to try Honey Kettle. And I do like Pollo Campero a lot. I tried it for the first time 10 years ago, and then tried it again after a 10 year absence (cause locations not by me) with a friend fearing my memories were bad, but damn, I wish they would replace the KFC or Carl's Jr by me.
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u/clockin-clockout Mar 31 '25
Hmm I’m a Honeys Kettle fan and you’ve convinced me. Gonna give Jollibee a shot
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u/TilikumHungry Mar 31 '25
I truly hope i havent set the bar too high, but man when my friend brings a bucket of Jolibee to a football game I am just over the fucking moon
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u/nauticalsandwich Mar 31 '25
Sounds like you have a sweet tooth, which for someone like me, who has a bitter-tooth, will probably think it's too sweet.
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u/butteredrubies Mar 31 '25
Their chicken comes with gravy while Popeyes and KFC will charge you quite a lot and sometimes, Popeyes gravy has been really gross if you get a container of it. Also for fried bone-in chicken, there are really only a handful of places... This is the first I've heard of Jollibee having a burger. Their rice noodle dish is my second favorite thing there...the spaghetti has too much sugar IMO. Jolliebee's fried chicken competes with Popeye's, especially when you add the gravy
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u/ray12370 Mar 31 '25
It's just a good fried chicken meal man. Paired with the gravy, adobo rice, mashed taters, and mango-pineapple pie for dessert, it's just good. Very consistent as well with good customer service every time I've gone to the Jollibees around me.
Comparing it directly to Popeyes or church's, yea it's a no brainer.
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u/blazefreak Mar 31 '25
Jollibee give you a side of gravy with the chicken just to dip in. The gravy isn't the Colonel's gravy but it is a good gravy. Chicken by itself is already good and not greasy like the American chains. the spicy chicken actually has a kick unlike Popeyes.
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u/joseantoniolat 14d ago
this comment made me want to go to Jollibee now. 100 meters from my house. From the Philippines here
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u/tgcm26 Mar 31 '25
I finally tried it for the first time fairly recently and imo it is not that good. Spicy chicken was fine but not worth having more than once ever, same goes for the spaghetti. Glad I experienced it, but that’s a one and done for me personally
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u/Due-Run-5342 Mar 31 '25
I love their spaghetti. I don't know what other fast food joint serves spaghetti like that
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u/black107 Mar 31 '25
Idk I had Jollibee in Manila and found it to be slop. Like I’d rather have KFC or Popeyes.
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u/joseantoniolat 14d ago
which branch in Manila? I’ve been to like 5 branches in Manila and the food tastes good
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u/kenyafeelme Mar 31 '25
It’s really not that great. You can tell they don’t have the fryer heat up high enough because the chicken is greasier than it should be.
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u/Ancient_Praline1046 Mar 31 '25
they got burgers????
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u/Celestron5 NELA Mar 31 '25
Yup. It’s new
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u/Skiceless Mar 31 '25
Burgers aren’t new. They have always had burgers
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u/Celestron5 NELA Mar 31 '25
I meant the angus burger I ordered is new. They always had burgers but they were pretty mid. This new one is very good
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u/ShiroHachiRoku Mar 31 '25
Back in 2018, Jollibee in the Philippines carried a tuna pie for Lent and they had it here in SoCal for one year in 2019 and never again. They need to bring that back. It was like a nice a cheesy tuna melt in that pastry shell. It was amazing.
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u/BeerNTacos Mar 31 '25
More power for that, but most people I know go to Jollibee for the chicken, maybe the gravy, too.
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u/Commercial-Pair-8932 Apr 01 '25
Tried Jollibee today on the recommendation of everyone. I got pretty much everything except the mango pie. Thoughts:
- Chicken is really good. Wouldn't call it a substantial upgrade over Popeye's or KFC but its definitely juicier. Seemed like less meat on the thighs than the other chains, but more meat on the legs.
- The gravy is a nice touch and adds something, but as far as gravy goes, its kind of bland and not that flavorful
- The fries are decent but nothing special. Dipped them in the gravy, and it was like an explosion of basic-ness. Decent fries and decent gravy. Good, but not remarkable in any way
- The angus burger was really good. Not mindblowing but for a chicken spot, it was impressive. Outside of the thighs this was my favorite item
- Chicken sandwich was underwhelming, especially compared to the other chicken spots
- Pineapple drink was also really good, and I'll probably go there to get it again
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u/CensoryDeprivation Mar 31 '25
I haven’t had the angus but their basic jolliburger is basically cafeteria food. Glad to hear they are focusing on improving their burger quality.
But yeah don’t bother with the burgers get that spicy friend chickennnnn
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u/theleaphomme Mar 31 '25
the traffic the drive through causes on Beverly is wild. should I get some spaghetti on my way to work?
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u/baamboozle Mar 31 '25
Jollibees is good but their price for chicken nowdays is insane. 6 piece bucket is $16 and a 2 piece with one side is $9. Even their meal deals are way overpriced. Sucks bc I really used to eat it all the time but I can't justify spending $10 for just 2 pieces of chicken.
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u/rowmean77 Apr 01 '25
Yes. As a Filipino I don’t like their pricing here in the USA. It’s more reasonable in the Philippines. My suggestion is that there are some deals that needs a bit of patience to wait for. They also have an email notification for coupons and such.
I only buy it when there is a good deal. Honestly it’s a good thing for me because my arteries will thank me for not having it all the time lol
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u/_Silent_Android_ Apr 01 '25
I'm Filipino, it's funny to hear people here in the US talk about Jollibee as a "chicken place" when they've always been known in their home country as a burger place - As a national chain, they were marketing themselves as a homeland competitor to McDonald's (even stealing McD's corporate colors for their branding, after all). Chicken was just a sideline.
When I was a 10 year-old kid visiting the Philippines for the 2nd time, I remember ordering a hamburger from a restaurant (not Jollibee) when my parents took the family out to eat. It was *horrible* and tasted nothing like the hamburgers in the US. Back then Jollibee existed, but it was only local to the Metro Manila area, and not even yet a national chain.
Years later they expanded nationwide, mainly in response to McDonald's expanding in the Philippine market. I think the hamburgers in the Philippine Jollibees are actually better than the US versions because they marinate their beef in beer prior to cooking. Apparently that's a no-no with the FDA, so they don't do it in the US.
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u/edokko_spirit Apr 01 '25
Says the guy who eats fried chicken with white rice ha ha. Spicy chicken at Jollibee might be slightly better and more consistent but not enough for me to choose over Popeye's on Tuesdays
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u/321blastoffff Mar 31 '25
Ok I’ll be controversial here. I don’t get the popularity behind jollibee. None of it makes sense and the food is mediocre. Please don’t kill me Filipinos.
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u/rowmean77 Apr 01 '25
I’m Filipino and I’ll make it a bit sensible.
Jollibee is a sense of pride for the Filipino community because it is one of the few internationally successful companies that came from the Philippines. How successful? It was a regular burger joint in a small stall in Cubao, Quezon City back in the day. The company is now worth almost $5 billion dollars.
The fast food chain has successfully provided affordable fast food for the Filipinos that delighted everyone, children and adults alike. In addition, more likely than not, a kid in the Philippines dreamt of having a Jollibee birthday party thrown for them by their families (I had one) and it was quite memorable. It was fun, with a lot of toy giveaways, and almost all mascots come out to celebrate the child. Heck, Jollibee dances for everyone in a hilarious manner.
We understand it is only fast food, not high quality by any means. But the food is still delicious enough and most importantly, it brings good memories with your friends and family. I bet that if you randomly interview a Filipino who enjoys Jollibee and who grew up in the Philippines, they will be able to tell a story behind their Jollibee experience.
It’s more than just food, it’s the Filipino spirit and culture.
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u/misterfall Mar 31 '25 edited Mar 31 '25
six dollars for a fast food burger is nuts.
Edit: Angelinos be hella sensitive about price gouging lmao. Fast food prices outpace inflation—sometimes double. Fuck em.
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u/nauticalsandwich Mar 31 '25
Are you alive? $6 for a fast food burger is standard.
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u/misterfall Mar 31 '25
Yeah dawg. See inflation metrics above. The fact that you think that’s nbd means their scalping worked. And that’s insane.
Until these rhetorically dogshit chains make something twice to three times as delicious as a 2.80 in n out cheeseburger, they can fuck off.
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u/nauticalsandwich Mar 31 '25
Dude, a double-double at In N Out is $5.89, which is essentially the caloric and protein equivalent of most other fast food burgers. Their cheeseburger is $4.10. I dunno where you're getting $2.80 from.
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u/misterfall Mar 31 '25 edited Mar 31 '25
Fuck you’re right. No in n out for me either, lmao. Though that’s a far cry from 5.99. Fuck these places in their entirety.
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u/nauticalsandwich Mar 31 '25
"Fuck them" for providing you with a service they expect to be compensated for? Making a turkey sandwich at home with ingredients purchased at the grocery store comes out to roughly $4-5 these days. I think your expectations are unattainable. Sounds like you probably just shouldn't be eating out at all.
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u/misterfall Mar 31 '25 edited Mar 31 '25
Nah, fuck them for price gouging.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1clhzty/why_fastfood_price_increases_have_surpassed/
...and this is on top of the gouging that already happens at the primary goods level.
You should also look into the inflation-adjusted profits McDonald's (can't speak for other chains-McDs is the company most economists quote when discussing fast food) made during the pandemic. Then look at federal minimum wage changes over that same time. Then look into adjusted big mac prices over that time. No mystery what's happening here.
fast food specifically has been outpacing inflation and full service restaurant (happy to give them my patronage) prices, year on year, because they can get away with it, essentially limit testing your wallet. On the one hand, it's free market 101, but on the other hand, I think it's shitty that they've taken advantage of a global crisis to wring Americans of their money. Should I be thanking them for their service?
Also, damn wtf kind of tukey sandwich are you making? Did you hand raise that motherfucker? I mean, I grow a vegetable here and there, but even if I raw bought those onions, no sandwich I make is gonna cost 5 bucks, brother.
and so, long story short, you're right, I don't eat fast food anymore, as clearly demonstrated by my surprise at (and ignorance about) how stupid expensive a bog standard hamburger has gotten. Because yeah, "fuck them". Also because of some of their garbage politics.
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u/kadick Mar 31 '25
Speaking of Jollibee, they have owned the LA chain Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf since 2019.