We are heading to the Philippines soon and wanted to do a little Filipino food pregame before the trip. The Arizona Dumpling Fest and Filipino Festival in Peoria was the perfect excuse. Free entry, tons of vendors, and a lineup of Filipino street food we had never tried before.
This is a double header festival: the Filipino Festival runs alongside the Arizona Dumpling Fest, which is the original themed Asian food festival in the Valley. We focused entirely on the Filipino side.
About the Festival
The Arizona Dumpling Fest and Filipino Festival is a free, annual event held at Centennial Plaza Park in Peoria, right behind Peoria City Hall. It celebrates Filipino food culture through local small business vendors, live performances, and anime and retail booths. Most vendors accept both cash and card but they recommend bringing cash.
Pro tip: go early. We arrived in the morning when it was quiet and easy to walk around. By 12:30 PM it was packed.
There were food vendors, retail booths, merchandise stalls, and a live performance stage with Filipino cultural dancing throughout the day.
Thai Iced Coffee β $7
Before diving into the Filipino food, we grabbed an iced coffee from a Thai food stall to start the morning.
It tasted very different from Vietnamese coffee and American coffee. Smooth with its own distinct character. Good call on a warm Arizona morning.
Momshie's Kitchen: Kikiam and Siomai
We started at Momshie's Kitchen, a Phoenix-based Filipino catering vendor. Everything on their menu was $5, which is incredible value for a festival.
Kikiam β $5
I had never tried kikiam before and honestly had no idea what it was when I ordered it. It is a popular Filipino street food made from a fish and pork mixture, fried into a chewy oblong shape. The texture is like fish cake but bouncier and more substantial. I dipped it in the spicy chili garlic sauce and it was really good. If you see kikiam at a Filipino festival, get it. Do not hesitate.
Siomai β $5
Momshie's also had their own version of siomai, which is Filipino-style steamed dumplings. This one is made with chicken instead of the pork and shrimp version I am used to. The taste is very clean, not oily or greasy at all. It is good but I personally prefer a pork and shrimp siomai. Vincent agreed. That said, if you like a lighter, cleaner dumpling, this one is worth ordering.
Perley Express: BBQ Skewers, Beehoon, and Lumpia
Perley Express was one of the busiest stalls at the festival. The line was long and kept growing throughout the morning. Worth every minute of the wait.
We ordered a plate that came with pork BBQ skewers, beehoon (pancit bihon), and pork lumpia for $16.
Pork BBQ Skewers
The vendor said the skewers are the most popular item and I can see why. Soft, not dry at all, and packed with flavor. Filipino BBQ skewers are a little sweet and very well marinated. Completely different from anything I have tried before and Vincent loved them.
Filipino Beehoon (Pancit Bihon)
As a Malaysian, Vincent grew up eating beehoon so this was a fun comparison. The Filipino version is more wet with bouncier noodles. He liked it and said it tastes very different from Malaysian beehoon but in a good way. I loved it too. The flavor is subtle and satisfying. A great base to the plate.
Pork Lumpia
This was my first time trying pork lumpia and it completely surprised me. I assumed it would be similar to a Chinese egg roll but it is very different. The skin is incredibly crunchy and the filling is lighter. The vendor gave us options: sweet sauce, spicy sauce, and vinegar. The vinegar was the right call. It is refreshing and cuts through the richness of the pork perfectly. Vincent found the vinegar too strong but loved the lumpia itself. We both want to try lumpia again in the Philippines.
PHX Lechon Roasters: Not Today
I was really excited to try lechon for the first time. PHX Lechon Roasters was at the festival with three whole pigs roasting on spits and it smelled incredible. When we got there it was not ready yet: it would be available at 3 PM and we could not wait that long.
So the lechon will have to wait for the Philippines. I have heard it is often a celebration dish served at parties, so ordering it casually is not always easy. Either way, PHX Lechon Roasters is worth following if you are in the Phoenix area and want to try proper coal-roasted Cebuano-style lechon at a future event.
Scooptopia: Halo Halo β $8
We ended with Halo Halo from Scooptopia, and it was the perfect way to finish the afternoon.
Halo halo means "mix mix" in Tagalog. It is a tall layered dessert with shaved ice, sweet beans, jellies, jackfruit, leche flan, ube ice cream, and evaporated milk. You mix everything together and eat it with a long spoon. Sweet, cold, and refreshing on a warm Arizona day. Vincent's first reaction was "wow, the best." We are already excited to try the fresh version in the Philippines.
Scooptopia also has a brick and mortar shop on Central Avenue in Phoenix if you want to try their full menu outside of festival season.
Final Thoughts
This was exactly the Filipino food pregame we needed before our first Philippines trip. We went from knowing almost nothing about Filipino street food to having a solid list of dishes we want to find again in Boracay.
My number one was the pork lumpia from Perley Express. I genuinely did not expect to love it that much. The kikiam from Momshie's Kitchen was a close second, mostly because it was completely new to me. The BBQ skewers, beehoon, and halo halo were all solid. And the lechon is on my list for the Philippines.
The Arizona Dumpling Fest and Filipino Festival is free, the food is good, and the community energy is great. If you are in the Phoenix area and want to try Filipino food from local small businesses, keep an eye on future event dates.
