🎉 Party Food Planner
How much food do you need? Enter your guest count, pick an event type, and get a complete shopping list with quantities and estimated costs in pesos.
🎯 Plan Your Event
Add extra to account for big eaters, late arrivals, and leftover take-home packs. 15% is standard for most events.
Includes 15% buffer (cooking for ~29 servings)
📋 Food Shopping List
🍚 Rice & Carbs
🥩 Meat & Protein
🥗 Side Dishes
🍮 Desserts
🥤 Drinks
🇵🇭 Filipino Party Planning Tips
- 🍚Rice rule: Budget 1 cup (200g) uncooked rice per adult. Kids eat about half.
- 🐷Lechon math: A 20kg lechon feeds about 80-100 guests. Order based on your headcount.
- 🍜Pancit = long life: Always include pancit at birthday celebrations — it symbolizes long life in Filipino culture.
- 📦Prepare loot bags: Extra food? Pack take-home containers (balot) — it's expected and appreciated.
- 💰Save money: Buy rice, drinks, and non-perishables at wholesale (Landers, S&R, Puregold) 2-3 days before.
How to Plan Food for a Filipino Party
Planning a handaan, birthday party, or company event? The hardest part isn't the cooking — it's figuring out how much food to prepare. Too little and you run out before the last table eats. Too much and you're eating leftovers for a week. This calculator takes the guesswork out by giving you per-person quantities based on typical Filipino serving sizes.
Filipino Serving Size Guide
| Food Type | Per Adult | Per Child (~half) |
|---|---|---|
| Rice (uncooked) | 1 cup / 200g | ½ cup / 100g |
| Meat (chicken/pork) | 150–200g | 80–100g |
| Noodles (pancit) | 120–150g | 60–80g |
| Drinks | 300–500mL | 200–250mL |
| Dessert | 80–120g | 50–60g |
Common Filipino Party Menus by Event Type
Birthday Party: Filipino-style spaghetti, fried chicken, lumpiang shanghai, hotdog on stick, buko pandan, softdrinks — the classic “birthday combo” that every Juan grew up with.
Fiesta / Handaan: The big spread — lechon as centerpiece, chicken adobo, pancit canton, dinuguan, leche flan, and kakanin. Expect guests to fill plates twice.
Office / Team Lunch: Practical and balanced — menudo, fish, vegetables (pinakbet or chopsuey), fruit salad, iced tea. Easy to serve buffet-style.
Pulutan / Inuman: Finger foods and grilled items — sisig, chicharon bulaklak, grilled liempo, tokwa't baboy, peanuts. Budget more for beer/drinks than food.
Wedding Reception: More formal with premium dishes — roast chicken, beef caldereta, lumpiang shanghai, pancit, mixed veggies, leche flan, and the wedding cake.
Money-Saving Tips for Filipino Events
- Buy wholesale: Get rice, cooking oil, drinks, and canned goods from Puregold, S&R, or Landers at least 3 days before the event.
- Cook in batches: Adobo, menudo, and spaghetti sauce taste better when made the day before. Less stress on event day.
- Ask for help: In Filipino culture, potluck-style (“tig-isa”) is acceptable. Assign dishes to family or friends.
- Skip catering for small events: Under 30 guests? Home-cooked is almost always cheaper and tastes better.
- Compare with catering packages: For 50+ guests, compare your total cost here with catering rates. Sometimes it's cheaper to order from a caterer.
Related Tools
- Bill Splitter — Splitting the bill after the party? Calculate who pays what with service charge and VAT.
- Food Cost Calculator — Selling food at your event? Calculate ingredient costs and set the right price.
- Meal Budget Finder — Prefer eating out? Find restaurant meals within your per-person budget.