Jollibee, a Filipino fried chicken fast-food spot, has over 1,500 locations worldwide.
Nick Reynolds
A spaghetti with an unapologetic, pronounced sweetened sauce topped with … wait for it … hot dog slices. They also toss some ham and ground meat into the mix; what kind of meat exactly is left to your imagination as it isn’t clarified on the website. Just the idea of sweet spaghetti with hot dogs sounds like something a college frat boy concocted after a weekend bender that would make Hunter S. Thompson proud.
This stuff clearly has deceased pasta purists rolling in their graves. Let’s face it, if you’re in the mood for genuine Italian spaghetti, you damn sure aren’t thinking of Jollibee.
When you open a takeout box of Jollibee spaghetti, you’d be forgiven if your first thought is: "hard pass." As the pics on this post prove, you won't rush out after work to hit up Jollibee’s drive-thru based on looks alone.
But you know what? It's not bad. In fact, dare we say, it's pretty damn tasty. Perhaps remove any preconceived ideas about what this should taste like and just let it happen.
The noodles are firm and not mushy despite swimming in sauce, and the bites of hot dog, also a bit sweet, work in sync with the tomato sauce and provide a hearty, substantial texture.
The cheese atop was sparse. Next time we may ask for extra cheese to add a gooey element to this already wild-ass but oddly good dish.
Jollibee is a Filipino spot, and this is a Filipino take on spaghetti, which is popular in that part of the world where a sweeter sauce is typically preferred to go along with their protein add-ons. It’s going to be an acquired taste for some. A taste many will never acquire, for that matter. We're not ashamed to say, however, there may be a return trip in the near future.
Jollibee, 4703 Greenville Ave. Daily, 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
