Cebu is a haven for cheap food trip. You can check the other Cebu Food posts review on this blog and know that I am telling the truth. Good food is cheap in Cebu. Sure there are many specialty restaurants with offerings that are out of reach for the average earning Pinoy, but there are more places where your one hundred pesos can satisfy not only your hunger but have enough spare to treat a friend. Yey to friendships and free meals! 
True blooded Cebuanos would be familiar with Larsian, Matias Barbeque, Ngohiongan, Bakasi-han, Pungko-Pungko and Siomai sa Tisa. These are popular street foods and places where you can have good and great tasting food at very affordable prices in Cebu. I’ve written some posts on the other food choices; however this is my first time to share about the original siomai sa Tisa.
Siomai sa Tisa with Puso With Chili Oil
For those unfamiliar with Cebu geography, Tisa is a barangay in Labangon, Cebu City. A portion of the street of this barangay, the road almost perpendicular to V. Rama Avenue transforms every night from being a busy road to a street food haven. Hungry residents, students, workers coming home from work or like us who were hungry after hours and hours of talking and sharing whathaveyous can rely that this street in Tisa will be very alive with their special offerings, the famous “The Original” siomai sa Tisa.
What’s funny though is that almost anywhere in Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City there are siomaiyan claiming to serve only “the original siomai sa Tisa” heheh. It’s like the word “original siomai sa Tisa” has become a brand in itself, like say “Colgate” for toothpaste.
Siomai Steamers Half Empty: One of the many for the night
The best place to taste the original is of course where this Chinese dimsum took on a local feel and became accessible and affordable to the masses, where else but in Tisa in Labangon.
I mentioned ‘cheap’ right? Yep, you can have a fulfilling and delicious meal for P50 only, drink already included. How so? Well one piece of the siomai will only set you back by P6 while the puso, that famous hanging rice of Cebu, only costs P3 per piece, get an 8 ounce softdrink at P10 and ask for lots of chili oil. Perfect combo I tell you!
5 siomai + 3 puso + softdrink + umaapaw na free chili oil = S.O.L.V.E.D. !!!
The siomaiyan sa Tisa starts at dusk around 5pm or so and last until early morning, we were there past 12 midnight already yet the street was very alive. What’s even amazing is that not only the ‘regular’ people frequent this place but also cono kids and professionals so expect that from time to time, cars pull up on the street, park by the side and hungry people emerge to try the famous offering of this barangay in Cebu City.
Late Night in Cebu – Lively Street Scene
By the way please don’t ask for spoon and fork, you will not be offered one. You will instead be given a plastic bag that you can wrap around your hand to keep your hand clean. That’s the street way of eating in Cebu.
If you are curious what stores I recommend in Tisa? That would be my favorite siomaiyan which are the stalls called “Siomaiyan sa Tisa” and “Way Tugpahay”.
“Way Tugpahay” means “No Rest” or “Non Stop”, like a worker who works and works or the gimikero who parties until dawn.
Recommended Siomaiyan Stores in Tisa
So how’s the taste? Love it!
Handy tip: Get a good spoonful of their special hot chili oil and spread it on your siomai or puso or both however you like it. Just be careful, know that the chili oil is really hot and spicy but the awesome thing is its free, you can have as much as you can take heheh.
That Hot and Spicy Chili Oil
Siomai sa Tisa = Yum! Ahhh I’m getting hungry writing this post. Lol.
Make a trip to Tisa and taste one of the original siomai from this place, its local affordable dimsum at its unassuming best!
Hungry Netizen, Satisfied Customers
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hello do you know where, whom an how can we franchise siomai sa tisa?