Last week, I had the chance to visit Hot Star Large Fried Chicken in Eastwood. Joelle Ami, the Marketing Assistant at Hot Star, invited us back in December to sample more items from their local menu. I’ve only ever tried their chicken fillet, which is my absolute favorite, so this opportunity was something I didn’t want to miss.

UPDATE

As of October 2022, Hot Star has operational branches in the following locations:

  • SM North EDSA
  • SM Megamall
  • SM Fairview
  • Market! Market!
  • Aseana
  • Blue Bay
  • Laperal Recto
  • Cloverleaf
  • Ayala Malls South Park
  • Festival Mall
  • SM Telebastagan
  • SM Sta. Rosa
  • SM Calamba
  • SM Olongapo
  • SM San Jose del Monte
  • SM Dasmariñas

Check GrabFood for delivery options.

I first heard of Hot Star when they opened a branch in Katipunan sometime in 2015 (I think), but I never got around to trying it until I went to Taiwan. I was having a serious case of separation anxiety after I went home from my short vacation, and I was dying to eat something that will remind me of the night markets in Taipei. A day after I got back, I just had to have a bite of their famous large fried chicken so I headed straight to the Katipunan branch right after work haha.

Ambiance

Hot Star’s branch in Eastwood is ideal for a quick lunch break from work, or for meeting friends to chat. It’s also a good spot for hanging out when you need to do work away from the office for a few hours.

Hot Star Eastwood
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan

What We Ate

Hot Star Original Large Chicken with Barbecue Sauce

Hot Star Philippines offers the same awesome 12-inch deep-fried chicken fillet that the Taiwanese love. I like how moist and flavorful it is, with a nice crunch. It’s not as peppery as the one I tried in Taipei, but it’s still satisfyingly good and tasty. It comes in five flavors: salt and pepper, chili pepper, barbecue, sweet and sour, and red hot.

According to Joelle, this is one of their bestsellers. It’s not hard to see how Filipinos would fall for the salty-sweet glaze that Hot Star adds to their signature large fried chicken. You don’t even need gravy for it.

Hot Star Original Large Chicken with Barbecue Sauce
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan

Original Junior Chicken (Salt and Pepper)

This is for those who want to enjoy Hot Star’s signature chicken fillet with rice. It’s basically a smaller serving of their famous deep-fried chicken, and it’s also available in five delicious flavors. This will definitely give you the best bang for your buck.

Original Junior Chicken
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan

Chicken Dumpling

Available in all stores except Fishermall and SM Megamall, this is one of the local additions to the Hot Star menu. Served with stir-fried rice mixed with a specially blended sauce, the chicken dumpling is nothing special, but it’s satisfying enough as a snack on any stressful workday, or if you want a tasty meal when you’re on a tight budget.

Chicken Dumpling
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan

Fries and Chicken Skin with Chili Pepper 

Another local offering added to please the Filipino palate, Hot Star’s chicken skin is a tasty appetizer best paired with a cold beer or ice crush. I’m not a fan of chicken skin, though, and I found it too salty for my taste. What I liked was their fries, which taste better than those served in other fast food outlets.

Chicken Skin with Chili Pepper
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan
Hot Star Fries
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan

Almond-Black Gulaman Combi Ice Crush

Yummy and heavenly, this drink has everything I want in a dessert and more! I’m not kidding. It’s basically a combination of the Almond and Black Gulaman slushie. TRY IT.

Almond-Black Gulaman Combi
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan

About Hot Star Large Fried Chicken

In 1992, Hot Star was born as a small kiosk in the busy Shilin Market in Taipei. Hot Star’s signature fried chicken was a huge hit in Taiwan, selling more than 3000 chicken fillets every day. Since then, Hot Star has expanded to several Asian countries and territories, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

In 2014, Hot Star opened its first fast-food restaurant in Pasay City. At present, there are eight branches in the country: Banawe, Blue Bay, SM Manila, Vista Mall Sta. Rosa, Eastwood, Megamall, Fishermall, and La Peral Recto. Hot Star Large Fried Chicken was brought to the Philippines by the RJV Restaurant Group of Companies.

Hot Star Eastwood
Photo by Lean Mulimbayan

Hours of Operation (Eastwood Branch)

Unit 2-C G/F and Unit 2B-2C Mezzanine Area, Eastwood City Walk 2,
Eastwood City, Brgy. Bagumbayan, Quezon City | Phone: (02) 997-0271

Monday to Sunday: 10:00 AM – 08:00 PM

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