Eating Edmonton: Jollibee

I admit this review is pretty late (2 months to be exact). But hey, don’t blame me. Everytime I drive by and see the white tent filled with people waiting for hours just to get a taste of Jollibee’s chicken, I don’t feel hungry anymore. Who knew Edmonton loved Jollibee that much!

For those who aren’t aware of all the hype surrounding Jollibee, let me explain. Jollibee is a beloved Filipino fast food chain that mostly centres around fried chicken along with other food items such as burgers, spaghetti, and palabok.  According to everyone in the world, they don’t just make fried chicken; they make good fried chicken. Edmonton’s Jollibee has been receiving a lot of positive feedback since they opened in August, so I knew I had to give them a try. 

After braving the lines myself, I ordered their 3 piece Original Jolly Crispy Chicken combo with Mashed Potatoes and French Fries plus a Pineapple Quencher and Peach Mango Pie. My total came to $15.73, which is not bad at all. Fifteen dollars at Jollibee can get you a lot of food.

The moment I took a bite of their fried chicken, I knew Jollibee was something different. The chicken was tender, juicy, and fresh. It was marinated down to the bone and it definitely passed the crisp test. As a bonus, their portions were pretty large. I ordered the original crispy chicken but they also offer a spicy option which is equally as good.

Jolibees is probably one of the few fast food joints that offers steamed rice as a side. Since I eat rice regularly, I opted for mashed potatoes and french fries. The mashed potatoes were buttery, but nothing special. It came with a pool of gravy, which made it somewhat better. The only downside is that the gravy was slightly salty. This isn’t a huge problem but remember to go easy on the gravy! For my second side, I ordered their french fries. They look really similar to McDonald’s french fries, but tasted very different.  

Jollibee offers their specialty Pineapple Quencher. It’s what you expect it to be: watered down pineapple juice with sugar. No surprises there. 

The Peach Mango Pie is a whole different story though. Imagine McDonald’s apple pies, but replace the filling with a peach and mango flavour and, now, deep fry it. Yeah. It’s that good. Jollibee perfected the pastry to filling ratio. Always remember to order yourself a peach mango pie when you visit Jollibees! You’ll thank me later.

Jollibee helps diversify Edmonton’s food scene and that’s really nice. Is it worth the wait? If you ask me, I’d say no. I would still go back though. I’m just waiting for the lines to die down. Despite how delicious the Peach Mango Pies are, it’s hard to justify a 30+ minute wait for fast food. Jollibee is definitely worth trying, but this all depends on whether you can handle the line ups.

Tip: Currently each customer is limited to ordering 60 dollars worth of food. So if you’re ordering for the fam and need a huge quantity, make sure to bring a friend or two.