It's "the wackiest, jolliest place on earth," according to the late Anthony Bourdain, and now it's coming to Manhattan. Jollibee, which the NY Times called “the McDonald’s of the Philippines," will now expand with a storefront near Port Authority, sandwiched between an Arby's and Chipotle on 8th Avenue. Their Queens location opened in 2009; this will be their second NYC location (in fact, the 2nd in all of NY state).
Jollibee is a massive chain, and beloved by Filipinos and Filipino-Americans, and because of that you can expect lines before the location even opens. Their PR team told us this week that when a Jollibee opened in Toronto earlier this year, "fans lined up outside the store as early as 2 p.m. of the previous day, and the store served an unprecedented 7,000 customers on opening day." Will folks be camping out on 8th Avenue ahead of the opening? You can bet on it—aside from the general hype, they will be giving away "exclusive Jollibee Funko Pop! figures and other Jollibee collectibles," and the first 40 customers will get free Chickenjoy for a year!
Chickenjoy is probably their most celebrated offering; last year, Constantine Spyrou placed it 3rd in Foodbeast's Best Fast Food Fried Chicken list, writing: "What makes it stand out beyond the rest, however, is a gravy packed with flavors of onion and celery that is absolutely ethereal. You almost want a whole bucket of the gravy just to dip into the chicken, it's that good. The unique savory notes of that gravy compliment fried chicken in a way that no other fast food chain on this list can replicate, and it's why Jollibee deserves such a high spot on this list."
They also have their Jolly Spaghetti, served with their "signature sweet-style sauce loaded with chunky slices of savory ham, and hotdog. It's Bourdain approved:
Jollibee opens this Saturday, October 27th, at 8 a.m. (Breakfast Chickenjoy comes with an egg!). You'll find it at 609 Eighth Avenue (between West 39th and West 40th Streets). Check out their menu here.
