Every time I visit the Laguna area, I’ve always wondered which buko pie is the best among the San Pablo-based Collette’s and El Mare vs. the Los Banos-based The Original Buko Pie and Lety’s Buko Pie. All of these four brands are raved about by people and each one has its story to tell. Once and for all, I will settle the question for myself on “What is the Best Buko Pie in the Philippines?” (Laguna has the best buko pie in the Philippines). One of the best way to answer the question is to do a relative taste test at the same time. So my friend Lui and I decided to buy all the best buko pie in their main branch in San Pablo and in Los Banos, and decide for ourselves based on four criteria:
Buko Taste — 4pts
Yumminess — 2pts
Delicious Crust — 2pts
Overall Presentation — 2pts
Total: 10 pts scale.
The verdict: It depends on your preference really and if you are looking for that juicy buko taste in your buko pie then The Original Buko Pie is the best. Objectively, I think Lety’s Buko pie has the best balance in Buko Taste, Yumminess, Delicious Crust and Overall Presentation. I would buy Lety’s for pasalubong anytime. Although, worth mentioning is El Mare who topped our blind taste test with friends who have a sweet tooth — indeed this is the people’s choice 🙂 Well, as for Colette’s, I should say it is well distributed 🙂 So which one is the best for you?
Colette’s Buko Pie (P110) in their Main Branch in San Pablo Laguna. Colette’s is widely distributed and the most famous in the Laguna area because you can almost see it in every corner when you are in Laguna.
El Mare Buko Pie (P110). This is a direct competitor of Collette’s and they set up shop directly in front of Colette’s Main Branch. People in Laguna raved aboved this as a very good alternative if not better than Colette’s. We gave El Mare the benefit of the doubt and decided to include it in our taste test.
Lety’s Buko Pie (P120) in Los Banos Laguna. Most of my blog readers raved about this buko pie which is directly beside The Original Buko Pie in Los Banos. I was excited to taste this because a lot of people are really raving about this including my friend Luisa.
The Original Buko Pie (P120) in Los Banos Laguna. There is always a long line in The Original Buko Pie which almost always creates traffic because people are double parking along the national highway.
People line up just for the taste of The Original Buko Pie in Los Banos, Laguna.
Buko Taste – 2pts. The buko is just OK.
Yumminess – 1pt. Too sweet!! Taste like Yema.
Delicious Crust -2pts. The crust is OK.
Overall Presentation – 1pt. The branding and photo in the box is worth 1 pt.
Over-all: 6pts. Originally I thought Colette’s is the best buko pie since it is widely distributed. But I’m glad that we did this relative taste test that my mind was enlightened 🙂
Buko Taste – 1pt. There is no buko taste. It’s like the buko is marinated so that the filing is absorbed into the buko.
Yumminess – 1pt. Too sweet!! But some people prefer it that way.
Delicious Crust – 1pt. Lousy texture and never crunchy.
Overall Presentation – 1pt. I’ll give a one-point for the lucky red color.
Over-all: 4pts 🙁 Although, we did a blind taste test with some friends and people who have a sweet tooth prefer it that among the four.
Buko Taste – 4pts! The Buko was soft and juicy. They took the time to select the right Buko and able to capture its juice inside the pie.
Yumminess – 1pt. It is not too sweet and one could argue that the filling taste does not blend very well with the buko.
Delicious Crust – 1 pt. Forgettable OK taste.
Overall Presentation – 2pts. The crust looks crunchy and you’ll get excited with the sight of the buko pie. One could argue that its box needs improvement to have a bigger branding and better color. I should say that its minimalist approach to the box design gives a unique equity to it as being the “original” buko pie.
Over-all: 8pts! If you like your buko pie that taste like juicy buko then this is for you 🙂
Buko Taste – 2pts! The Buko was a mix of soft and hard buko and you can feel the difference with the original buko pie.
Yumminess – 2pts! This has the perfect taste for me since I don’t prefer buko with a sweet taste — just about right.
Delicious Crust – 2 pts! The crust has a unique salty taste with it that blends well with the filing and the buko. This is very unique to Lety’s and I would recommend this.
Overall Presentation – 2pts! It looks good as its taste. I love the yellow color of the box which stands out and the overall branding.
Over-all: 8pts! If you like your buko pie that taste perfect with a combination of right buko, perfect filing, and delicious crust then this is for you 🙂 The box is great as pasalubong to love ones. This is the best kept secret in Los Banos and only people in the know really appreciates Lety’s. I hope it stays that way so that we don’t experience a long queue in their store.
The Original Buko Pie Store with its long queue.
Los Banos’ Best Kept Secret Buko Pie 🙂
So which one is the best for you?
I go for the “Original Buko Pie” in Los Baños Laguna. Of course I didn’t conducted such a study…
By reading your entry I realize I need to try the others too!
Good morning po,may outlet po ba kayo manila area mag order po ako 15box padala ko sa biyahero punta dito sa korea
Yung iba meron yung iba wala 🙁
What a great idea to taste and rate all those buko pies once and for all! I had long assumed that Colette’s was the “best” one as well due its wide distribution network.
lety’s wins for best packaging design though! 🙂
@Sidney — you should try Lety’s, and see the difference and both are good!
@Wysgal — I had this question a long time in my head and can’t find any article on this.
@cs — yeah I agree Lety’s wins for best packaging!
I never liked the taste of Collete’s especially with the grated cheese on top and too sweet for me. But if it is the only one available on the tabletop, I eat it. I prefer the original buko pie.
My officemate who lives in Calamba will testify that the Original Buko Pie is the best. They have a high standard in providing the best picked coconuts for their Buko Pie. They won’t sell their Buko Pie if what they harvested is not the right Coconut (probably age, ripeness, etc) for their Pie.
Collete’s probably masks the taste of the buko with their sweet filling. If you want real buko in your buko pie, it has to be the Original.
siyempre may bias ang officemate mo. kapit bahay lang nila yung may ari.
taga-elbi people like me prefer Lety’s buko pie — and most actually attest na nauna pa to than the “Original” buko pie. Lety’s really is BETTER.
non-elbi people seem to go for the latter one though… confused by the name? hehehe
i’m from elbi din. yup yup we always give out letys to our relatives everytime we visit them. actually the owners of lety’s and original used to be business partners, is what i hear 🙂
Wow ang sarap naman! Whenever soembody mentions Laguna, only two things i have in mind.. buko pie and hotspring resorts!
I prefer Lety’s buko pie!
What’s UP, Los Baños?
http://whatsuplb.blogspot.com
LETY’s! It beats the Original anytime. They also have the best espasol!
Let me share some Los Banos buko pie trivia… Way back when (1980’s) it was a competition between the Original and Mitz’ Buko pie (is there still Mitz now? I’m not sure) the latter’s store was right across where the Original was. Mitz was quite popular back then. Lety’s buko pie was just starting out and has a small stall near Umali Subdivision. I remember waiting by that stall for the freshly baked buko pies straight from Ms. Leticia Belarmino’s house. Obviously now Lety’s has gotten more commercial and has expanded its business. I think the quality of their products suffered a bit as the result. Nonetheless, it’s still the best buko pie for me!
I would like to try Lety’s Buko Pie. Is there a place in Manila where I could buy it or should I travel all the way to Los Banos for it? I’ll be visiting Manila in December for the holidays. Please let me kow how to drive to Los Banos if it’s the only place to buy the Buko Pie. Thanks.
i’m from LB…i go for LETTY’s buko pie = ). the locals love it! only the “dayos” buy ORIGINAL buko pie, but if you’re really from los baños – LETTY’s the BEST! = )
Hello Anton!
I enjoyed reading this blog. It brought back good memories of my childhood!
I’m “tubong Los Banos”! (But I’m now based in Quezon City). Some buko pie trivia….
When I was a kid, the best buko pie was The Original Buko Pie. However, the original owner migrated to the USA in the 70’s. After that, my parents decided to buy the buko pies from Letty’s Buko Pie because it was really good vs the Original Buko Pie baked by the new owner. The taste of the Original Buko Pie changed when the original owner left for the USA. From that time on, it has been Letty’s all the way for the family.
I agree with the posts of people from Los Banos (LB). If you’re tubong Los Banos, it’s Letty’s Buko Pie talaga!
By the way, I grew up in Umali Subdivision, the same place where Letty’s Buko Pies are baked (that ‘s the house of Mrs. Letty Belarmino, the owner). I just remembered, their house got burned (in the late 80’s to early 90’s , I think) — and I was so sad (I really saw the house burned! Sunog talaga! ). Good thing, they were able to build the house fast…. and they were baking the famous buko pies again!
Letty’s Buko Pie gives me good memories of my childhood in Los Banos! I always buy Letty’s Buko Pie as pasalubong for friends here in Metro Manila.
Thank you Anton for this Buko Pie review!
Lety’s has my vote! Colette’s is too commercialized. Btw, Lety’s is available in Manila: they have a kiosk at the foodcourt of SM Megamall and SM North EDSA.
I have made a similar test with buko pies available from Laguna. I used to frequent the place every weekend, I even tested the not so familiar brands and I also attest to Lety’s buko pie. And since I no longer frequently go down south for short business trips, I am thankful that there a Lety’s booth in Megamall, just walk away from the office. Hay, sarap non!
I’m from LB as well and I enjoy Lety’s better than Original Buko Pie though my wife loves Original Buko Pie better than Lety’s. We only buy from these two stores 🙂
Studied in elbi also. Lety’s for me (particularly the stall near Umali Subd.), which I used to bring home occasionally for pasalubong.
The pineapple-buko variant is also ok.
pls post the ingridients of the letty’s buko pie because baguio is too far from Los Banos to buy the pie.
Thanks
we made a research about buko pie and its industry. We found out that the best buko pie in Laguna is The Orient the original buko pie by Mrs. Pahud that people fall in line just to purchase their buko pie. Regardles of the absence of advertising which other buko pie producers have, The Orient still manages to obtain their customer loyalty. The key? WORD OF MOUTH and a DISTINCT TASTE that The Orient have among the buko producers along Los Banos.
have you ever tried the BUKO PIE SUPREME of COLETTES?
the best ang colletes buko pie !!! dito ko marikina pero kahit malayo,bsta may pupunta sa laguna kailanagan may pasalubong sila sa akin
i love collete’s i’m craving nga for it right now
Did this road taste test for the best buko pie soon after I moved to Sta. Rosa, Laguna and started travelling all-over Laguna marketing our school. Lety’s is the buko pie for me, second is the Original Buko Pie.
Colette’s really well-known because their stalls are everywhere makulit si Colette’s kaya mapapabili ka talaga! ;P
i like THE ORIGINAL BUKO PIE 🙂 i don’t like collette’s that much. but for me, the best yung Rowena’s buko tarts.. may crumbly topping pa. Must-try din their ube tarts! 🙂
My husband & I find Collette’s Buko pie very sweet. I wont dare give my diabetic parents have half a bite. We like The Original better, not so sweet & filled wt very juicy soft buko, but I hate their long queues under the heat of the sun. We’ve been wondering why they don’t open other outlets like Collette’s – super dami naman. My husband teased me that the owner of The Original is either contented wt one store or may pagkasadista sa clients. Thanks so much for doing this review. We haven’t tried Lety’s and we’ll surely try it when we have the chance.
I buy a different brand of buko pie (Lucky Treasures or Maya yata) only because I’m not able to go all the way to where Lety’s or the Original Buko pie is.. and the brand I buy is tasty enough for the family. I never liked the buco pie of Colette’s.
good day.
why don’t you pay a visit the buko pie store along visayas ave., quezon city ??? I think you’ll regret why its only now that you’ve known the place when you’ve tasted their pies…
I’ve been their regular customer and I’ve been sending it to my friends in the U.S.
Why not give it a try ????
Please email me the complete address & contact number of the Best four buko pie supplier in Laguna.
1)COLLETTE’S
2)lA mare’s
3) THE ORIGINAL BUKO PIE & BAKESHOP
4) LEYTE BUKO PIE
Thanks.
I was told there’s already a Colette’s branch here in Manila, can anyone confirm if this is true?
i studied at LB too and a buco pie enthusiast
i say Lety’s as far more yummy than The originals altho The Original’s pie has this “full-pie” effect meaning puno sya talaga ng fillings hindi katulad ng Collete’s na ampaw ang buco nya and madaming flour
must try din ang Lety’s Cassava Cake
naalala ko sa food expo sa WTC tanghali pa lang first day ng World Food Fair sold -out agad ang Lety’s Buco pie at Cassava Cake buti na lang meron natirang for dispaly sa exhibit nila on another booth
pinilit ko ung nagbabantay na ibenta na lang sa akin kesa i-taste test nila since meron naman silang expected delivery sa hapon ^_^
Another Lety’s fan here!
I’m also from Los Banos and have tried different brands, and although I’m not sure if the same holds true for their branches outside LB, I can really vouch for the quality and especially the taste of Lety’s buko pie bought straight from their shops in LB.
As for the ‘Original’, I only buy from them if the pies will be taken abroad (as pasalubong) since they tend to keep longer then those from Lety’s.
But for our own immediate personal consumption 🙂 we always go for the best – soft, not too sweet and fresh buko pie from Lety’s!!!
hi anton, and awesome-readers,
i miss elbi! T_T i used to buy both. i wait in line for abt an hour siguro just to buy 1 to 2 boxes of original buko pie, pasalubong sa bahay. pero pag nasa elbi lang ako at nag-crave bigla sa buko pie, tinatamad ako pumunta sa anos. closest to buko pie heaven is letys @ lopez ave Ü when i graduated and went to work, nakakita ako ng branch sa may barasoain st. in makati. pero last year, they closed. huhuhu. sa megamall din, wala na yung kiosk nila. waaaah! does anybody know if their kiosk in SM North-EDSA is still there? thanks.
guys,meron na ba branch ang colettes dito sa manila?nag-lilihi kasi ako eh!many thanks!
For me Lety’s is the best! I like how the crust complements (and doesn’t overpower) the filing. Sweetness is also just right. I grew up/studied in LB and we almost always have Lety’s buko/pineapple pie in our refrigerator. Good thing Lety’s came up with vacuum-packed frozen pies. Now I’m able to have a taste of home even if I’m overseas. I’m currently in the US and before I left, I made sure to buy a frozen pie to bring with me. The next time I go back home, I’ll make sure to buy a dozen pies for my supply!
Hi there.. I am from Jakarta and used to stay in Los Banos like 17 years ago.. I will be travelling again to Philippines for business trip end of this month and really appreciate if any one of you could give me information on where to buy Lety’s Buko Pie in Manila. Our family loves this pie and we really missed it.. Thanks a lot.
My kid’s class went for a field trip to LB today and 3 of them took home boxes of Colette’s buko pie – all of them spoiled! They were given to them in hot boxes, suspect that they have just been re-heated.Anyway, just spoke with the San Pablo branch (the no indicated in the box), and they were nice enough to investigate with their LB branch. Be careful when you buy, check first if ok!
no wonder my former housemate who hails from and studied in UPLB brings Lety’s instead of the Original whenever I ask him to buy a box for me… Among the four, I have never seen much less tried the El Mare pie. I could live with either of the LB-based ones though. I haven’t had one for some time now so I couldnt recall which between the two LB pies had the more tender coconut.
i am from san pablo, laguna.
orient buko pie—the popular choice..i’ve tasted it..it’s good…
lety’s buko pie—i haven’t tasted it.
colettes buko pie—i’ve tasted it but for me its just ok. too comercialized too…you can see their stores evrywhere…
el mare buko pie—the best among the four for me…i like their buko pie…!!!
hi!
can i have the exact address/ contact details of all the buko pie suppliers. im doing a reasearch about the origins of buko pie. thank you!ü
Hehe. I like Collete’s enough. Interested to try Lety’s. The Original was too natural for me. Hehe.
huy san nakakabili ng mga buko pie nayan dito sa manila!!!!! cravings galore!!!!!
what is it with too commercialized?? meaning it’s not tasty anymore, what if jolibee isnt commercialized? arent their food any better?
may branch nba ang colette’s dito manila? kakainiz kung wala.sana meron lau kc sa laguna need to travel p always
there is another buko pie that is delicious but not popular.. it is called Elvie’s. Its also available along the national road in Los Banos. Try it.
san ung branch ng collete’s sa manila?tnx
The best buko pie is in NUeva vizcaya. and it really tastes good..
Hahaha!
may franchizing ba ang Original, letty’s and el mare?
i’m bias. i used to date the owner of The Original way back in my LB years and never had to line up… usually gets boxes from the very caring Mrs Pahud-Castilla. Of course, the Original will be my choice although it’s been years since I’ve tasted one. Only if they could send it to Canada…:)!
can someone post pictures of that buko pies that u guys talking about because i believe in the saying that “what looks good taste good”=) thanks po…
can someone post pictures of that buko pies that u guys talking about because i believe in the saying that “what looks good taste good”=) thanks po…
can someone post pictures of that buko pies that u guys talking about because i believe in the saying that “what looks good taste good”=) thanks po…
i’m from san pablo, laguna. i’ve tasted all four buko pies. for me, the best ang original at ang lety’s. ok lang ang el mare, i don’t like colette’s. kahit na malapit ang colette’s samin, we would still go to los banos to buy lety’s or original buko pie.
i prefer ‘the original buko pie’.. it tastes way better.
when I go to philippines last time, I only try the original buko pie.. and serriously, thats the best food i ever had. we bough 4 box, and we’re like 12 people, and we were fighting for it. haha.
now im planning to go back to philippines to buy buko pie. my my.. such an expensive bukopie. but yeah. nyum nyum.. oh yah, the cassava cake also taste soooo good.. the seller is not from the store, beside just an old man carrying a basket infront of the original store
Kami ay bumili ng collettes buko pie at nagbayad ng P130.00 each noong umaga ng March 26, 2010. Dalawa ang binili namin sa colletes outlet sa Tagaytay sa may hi way bago kumaliwa sa papuntang Sta Rosa. Ng kami ay makarating sa bahay sa Munoz, Nueva Ecija, binuksan namin ang boxes at nagitla kami na sunog ang pie crust at tuyo ang loob ng pie parehong pie ay sunog. Ang boxes ay nakatali ng pick up namin at di na binuksan dahil tiwala kami na matapat ang collettes store. Sa aking palagay kami ay naloko dahil sa di pagtatatpat ng tindera.
Mrs. Calimlim
Nadaan kami sa El Mare pauwing Bicol. Sina Sir in-ignore lang talaga si Colette’s. We bought everything from El Mare. Nag-uwi ako ng Almond Buko Pie (P200) and I really loved it. The crust of their empanadas are also very good. Adik kasi ako sa crust at almonds kaya yan ang di ko malimutan hehe.. May Almond Buko Pies din po ba ang Colette’s, Lety’s, at The Originals?
Nasa #. 8 Visayas avenue, Vasra, Quezon city tel 9208441 and 9947904 opens monday to saturday 8 am to 7 pm and 8 am to 4 pm on Sunday
Nakabili kami ng -COLLETTE
buko pie sa baranch nyo sa los banos. Pagdating sa bhay, i was so frustrated kasi pag kagat ko MATIGAS UNG BUKO AND WALANG LASA!!!! Really so fristrating!!!!!! Ung kasama namin from Ilocos bumili ng anim na box. Isipin mo bibitbitin nya un tapos pagdating bka hindi kainin, at magakno un……..
the price was P240.00..per box……
Sna nman dahil pasalubong yan …dapat ung produkto nyo hindi nakakahiyang ipasalubong!
Try to Taste Buko Pie of Castañeda Nueva Viscaya by Bundok Bakery😊🤗
I want to buy this, but I’m here in Manila. How can I buy it? Can you give me the contact information?