ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE | Julie’s Halo-Halo at Dipolog City

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Julie's Halo-Halo at Dipolog City

I’m always on the lookout for the best place to eat out in when in a new city. Luckily, our host, Thirdy of SevenOneHundred led us to the go-to place when one’s looking for a quick snack in Dipolog City, Julie’s Halo-Halo.

Julie's Halo-Halo's Yellow and Orange FacadeStarted in 1956, the eatery has been serving the delectable Filipino refreshment to the people of Dipolog for more than fifty years now. It is located near the Zamboanga del Norte Capitol and can easily get your attention with its huge sign above its striking yellow and orange walls.

Inside Julie's Halo-HaloThe place is a simple hole-in-the-wall affair; the exterior walls and window panes are made of painted wood planks and the floors are of waxed concrete typical of building traditions of bygone years. Julie’s furnishing is a different matter though, the tables are still the same ones that served people from the 1950’s. Beyond its Formica surface, one can see the intricate wooden carvings off its sides and legs, something you’d rarely see nowadays except perhaps on your grandma’s home.

Julie's Serves Other Dishes Besides Halo-Halo TooAlthough they also serve arroz caldo and other classic local snacks, Julie’s specialty, as indicated by its name, is Halo-Halo. Every Filipino of course knows what a Halo-Halo is, but for the sake of those who have no idea what it is, let’s do a Halo-Halo 101.

Halo-Halo Topped with Leche FlanA Halo-Halo is a traditional Filipino refreshment that consists of various sweetened fruits and ingredients; bananas, brown mongo, langka, beans, garbansos, nata de cocos, marble tapiocas, jell-o’s, to name a few. All these are scooped by the spoonful and chucked at the bottom of a tall glass. The whole thing is then piled with huge servings of crushed ice which is then heavily poured with milk. The concoction is topped with either leche flan, halaya, or ice cream; in some cases all of them. But it doesn’t end there, the name Halo-Halo, literally translated in English is Mix-Mix. So as the name suggest, one should mix everything up using a spoon. The trick here is how to do so without the ice spilling over your glass.

My personal bar for the refreshment was never the same after tasting Casa Rap’s Halo-Halo in Batangas, but I was willing to give Julie’s Halo-Halo a fighting chance. So we each ordered a serving of the famous refreshement which cost us Php50.00 per glass.

Huge Servings of Halo-Halo at Julie'sAt first glance, it looks like any other Halo-Halo I’ve seen; served on a classic high glass with all the aforementioned ingredients and finished with leche flan toppings. I started mixing. I don’t like this part though, since I always spill ice over the glass, good thing the glasses are placed on saucers.

The part I like best is when everything’s all mixed and ready for the taking. I spooned mouthfuls and was rewarded with a very sweet cold fruity explosion of flavors. I slowed down and tried to savor the individual taste; I can definitely find the lanka, the corn, and most surprisingly, the milk. The milk is somehow different from all the Halo-Halo’s I’ve tried. I’m guessing they use powdered milk for this one, which actually compliments it better than evaporated milk.
Julie's Halo Halo MenuI also like how their Halo-Halo’s sweetness doesn’t seem to be artificial. Most I’ve tried uses sugar for sweeteners, but Julie’s sweetness seems to originate from the fruits mixed within the refreshment itself.

While eating, I was debating with myself if Julie’s Halo-Halo has finally upped the ante again for my personal best Halo-Halo. It is as good as Casa Rap’s although in a different way, this is a more punch-in-the-gut Halo-Halo version with its ultra-sweet milky flavor. It’s hard to put a decision since they are both so good, so I’ll chicken out and leave it all up to you. Next time you find yourself in Dipolog City, check out Julie’s Halo-Halo, drop me a line and tell me what you think.


Dipolog Location Map[3]Julie's Halo-Halo and Refreshments
Address: 680 Herrera Street, Brgy. Central, Dipolog City
Menu: Click Here

GPS Coordinates: 8.586058,123.344525
View Location on Google Maps: Click Here

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33 comments

  1. parang ang charap charap ng halo halo sa pictures. wala ba dong chowking?

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  2. merong chowking pero julies halo halo is an institution na sa dipolog. di nagbago ang lasa since from the start. mas masarap pa kesa chowking.

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  3. so this is at par with Casa Rap's HH? wow this must be somethin else! :9

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  4. hay..miss eating halo halo..esp yung may malaking ice cream

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  5. i love julies halo halo, walang katulad... i always eat there when i go home to dipolog....

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  6. halo halo and kutsinta at julies halo halo THE BEST!!!!!!!!

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  7. I MISS KUTSINTA AND HALO HALO (JULIES/LENNIES HALO HALO)...
    Watch out when i go home..:)

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  8. Kutsinta, torta, HALO-HALO was my ever favorite since 1997 now I'm turning 18, the flavors are still the same :)

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  9. Phioxee
    I cannot recall seeing a Chow King pero no need for it naman, walang sinabi yung Halo Halo nila sa Julie's :)

    Anonymous
    I agree, no match yung sa Chow King :)

    Anny
    It is sweeter but it is quite good :)

    Juneosidabenitez
    If Dipolog is too far, try Batangas' Casa Rap :)

    Janna, Sweetmadz, Gary76, Chari
    Agree agree, too bad di ko na try yung kutsinta :)

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  10. lennies / julies kutsinta and halo halo very good combination....
    hmmmmmmmm nakakagutom.

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  11. hi sir christian

    thanks for sharing to the netizens my favorite halo halo ng julies,
    i always tell my friends here sa manila that julies halo halo is really
    masarap. too bad i cannot bring it dito. nakaka miss ang picture, huhuhuhu

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    Replies
    1. No problem Danika, Julie's Halo Halo is really really good eh :)

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  12. Kutsinta and Halo Halo ng Julies/lennies nakaka-MISS.

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  13. Halo halo and kutsinta and torta waaaaaaa....
    My all time favorite

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    Replies
    1. They have torta too? What is it like? Wala kami nakitang ganun dun nung pumunta kami :(

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  14. guys don't miss to drop by at julies / lennies halo halo when you're in Dipolog City.

    wag palampasin ang HALO-HALO!!!!!
    and the KUTSINTA.

    super yummy.

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  15. grabe naman since 1956 pa? ang tagal na ng store na yan.
    masarap ba talaga halo halo nila?

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    Replies
    1. Christian | Lakad PilipinasFebruary 12, 2013 at 10:55 PM

      One of the best Mikay :)

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  16. i've been all around the globe but i always love Julies Halo.

    champion!!!

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  17. what's with their kutsinta?? bakit maraming nag comment about it??

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    Replies
    1. Oo nga Charlottelee, sayang wala silang kutsinta when we went there

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  18. kutsinta nila, hindi like the common na made of flour, its really
    glutinous rice, kaya masarap talaga.

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  19. Julies Halo halo is really masarap. All time favorite talaga.

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  20. kutsinta and halo halo. sarappppppp

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  21. YES, ITS REALLY TRUE MASARAP ANG KUTSINTA.

    SIKAT YAN KUTSINTA NILA PAIRED WITH HALO HALO

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  22. SUMMER IS FAST APPROACHING.................

    TIME FOR JULIE'S HALO HALO...

    Every Holy Week I go home to Dipolog and i dont miss visiting
    Julies Halo Halo for the halohalo of course and the kutsinta...:) hmmmmmm

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  23. i visited Julies halo halo yesterday, love the halo halo and kutsinta. omg soo good.

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  24. here at julie's now, halo halo with kutsinta so yummy and also the torta.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so intrigued by that torta! Gusto ko rin matry yan next time :)

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