Read the first part of our Jollibee entry here.
I'm lost. Where is Jollibee in Riyadh located?
Jollibee is located in Batha. (You're not a Filipino if you don't know where Batha in Riyadh is.) It is behind City Food Court (where you get your shawarma fix), in front of Skyfreight (where you usually pay your TFC dues), and above the Al-Rajhi Supermarket. It's in the second floor so you have to go up the escalator but because of long lines, customers will be held back on the first floor. The escalator might collapse if people will wait there too.
I can't go to Batha! Because you know, Batha is well... Batha. Will there be other Jollibee branches in Riyadh?
Yes! But you might have to wait a little longer to see them. Three branches are planned to be put up in Riyadh. One will be in Olaya to be put up later this year and one will be in Suleimania, near the Military Hospital to open middle of this year. The latter will have a drive-thru service. (Sundrenched is one luckier lady because she lives near the future branch. Too near, in fact, that she'll be ones taking our orders once it opens! Lol!)
Still, why in Batha?! Why did they not open a branch in the mall, like the Jollibee branch in Al-Khobar located in Al-Rashid Mall?
So you have more time to line up! Lol. Just kidding but partly true. Mall hours are limited so by the time the mall closes, the branch should also close. They opened a stand-alone branch to cater to more customers at a more flexible time. A stand-alone branch can also offer a drive-thru like their plan for the Suleimania branch. And why not in Batha? Almost all Filipinos go to Batha and Jollibee's target market is of course, Filipinos. Other nationalities get curious and enter but you can't expect them to line up for Chickenjoy when they have their own broasted chicken. The Suleimania area in between the Military Hospital and King Fahd Medical Center houses many Filipinos too (there are many Filipino restos there) so what better location right?
I'm not sure if the lining up is worth it. Is the food exactly the same as the ones in Jollibee Philippines? Do they taste the same?
The truth is NO. They're not the same. Truly you can't expect them to import everything right? After all, Saudi Arabia has stricter policies when it comes to food products. Certain ingredients are banned and everything must be Halal. All imported goods should be certified by the government and as of the moment, not all ingredients used in the Philippines are certified for Halal. Not all products found in the Philippine menu is available but most of the basics are. The Chickenjoy though is almost the same. Billy tells us that he likes the Saudi Arabia Chickenjoy more because the chicken is from Saudi Arabia. And you know the Kingdom when it comes to their chicken. The meat is leaner and higher in quality and they make use of the premium parts. They use the same marinade and coating though so it's still good. The burgers and fries are fine. The spaghetti and palabok have a different color and taste though. Maybe it's just for the soft opening so let's see...
*They don't have peach mango pie but they have halo-halo, which you can't find in the Philippine menu.
Surely the prices are more expensive if some of the ingredients are imported. Are the meals worth gold?
Not exactly. They're more or less the same as the Philippines. A 2-pc Chicken Joy Meal is SR12. This is priced at P131.00 in the Philippines. The Spaghetti Meal is SR8 (P75.00 in the Philippines). The prices are affordable.
Wait, you haven't brought up the most important thing of all: Is there gravy? IS THERE GRAVY?!?!
Okay, hold your breath. There is gravy for the Chickenjoy. There is! Promise! We are so used to the garlic sauce used for the broasted chicken here so the gravy is such a welcome change. The first time we tried the gravy (we were given Chickenjoy by R's husband two days before we visited the branch), it was runny. Like water colored brown but it still tasted like the gravy we were used to... medyo malabnaw pero pwede na. When we had Chickenjoy on our store visit, the gravy is now more consistent with the one we have in the Philippines. Do you have to pay for extra gravy? That we don't know because when we asked nicely, they gave us extra little tubs for free. :)
How long will we be lining up?
Okay, that depends on the days or time you're going. The last time E's mother lined up, it took her 1 1/2 hours. The last time S' brothers went to Jollibee, their experience was: "they came, they saw, they left asap!" The last time S' father lined up, that was the last time he'll probably ever line up for Jollibee. He only lasted 15 minutes in his line. Lol. (What's with men and lining up? Walang EQ. Hindi makapag-antay! Hahaha!) But don't be discouraged! The number of visitors might lessen as the months go by but surely, there will always be lines. And knowing us Filipinos, we cannot not have a taste of Jollibee! Maybe our of sheer curiosity or maybe through your children's pleading, Surely, you will give in to your kids right?
Speaking of the kiddos, is there a Kiddie Land for the kids? What about Kiddie Meals?
You might have seen the signage for a Kiddie Land but they still haven't put it up. It will be installed in the family section on mid-March. Yes, they have kiddie meals with toys that came from the Philippines. What about other merchandise like a Jollibee stuff toy? Well, let's just say it's not easy passing through KSA's custom inspection. That needs a lot more permits and requirements to be met.
I want to dine in. Do they have enough tables and chairs?
The store has a seating capacity of 215 at the ladies and family section while there are 180 seats at the bachelors.
Hmn, I'm not really keen in lining up. Does Jollibee deliver? Will they offer party services?
Nope, Jollibee does not deliver. As of the moment. They're working on it. As for party services? Yes, they're working on it too. Details will be available soon.
I'm sure the muttawas are crawling the place by now. I'm scared to go. The Jollibee in the '90s closed because of those frequent visits by the muttawas.
Well, the muttawa is a staple in every corner of Saudi Arabia. They are always there and they do visit restaurants in Batha a lot. Sometimes, every night. But you can't be bothered by a muttawa unless you are doing something wrong like maybe not wearing your tarha or being with a guy not related to you. What is so wrong in going and eating at Jollibee? Muttawas entering Jollibee for a check is natural. Seeing muttawas all over a place is not a random phenomena. You should get used to it by now. The family section of Jollibee will have more divided eating slots in the future. Dividers are available if you want to use one. As for the last statement, you can't be too sure that the pressure from muttawas closed the branch in Batha before. We heard that it closed because of some franchise disagreement. So don't be afraid of the muttawa in the place. They'll always be in Saudi Arabia. Orayt?
I'm not from Riyadh nor from Al-Khobar nor from Jeddah... HELP! I want Jollibee!!!
Okay, calm down. As of the moment, there are now 7 Jollibee branches in Saudi Arabia. If you can't visit the 1 store in Riyadh or the 1 store in Al-Khobar or the 3 stores in Jeddah, then you can visit the branch in Yanbu and the branch in Taif. You're not from any of the said places? Hmn, too bad. Maybe you can have a weekend trip to these places? :D
Can we see Jollibee too?
Well, that depends on how nice you are. Lol.
If you have more questions about Jollibee in Saudi Arabia, we might have the answers. We can't put everything in this entry so ask away through the comment box here or in FB and through our Formspring account above. We're supposed to scan and upload the menu brochure here but it went missing. Hmnnn. We'll find it later.
Lumanghap sarap na sa Jollibee!!! It's like tasting the Philippines. Lol. :)
Seriously, visit Jollibee! Proudly Pinoy!
Jollibee is located in Batha. (You're not a Filipino if you don't know where Batha in Riyadh is.) It is behind City Food Court (where you get your shawarma fix), in front of Skyfreight (where you usually pay your TFC dues), and above the Al-Rajhi Supermarket. It's in the second floor so you have to go up the escalator but because of long lines, customers will be held back on the first floor. The escalator might collapse if people will wait there too.
I can't go to Batha! Because you know, Batha is well... Batha. Will there be other Jollibee branches in Riyadh?
Yes! But you might have to wait a little longer to see them. Three branches are planned to be put up in Riyadh. One will be in Olaya to be put up later this year and one will be in Suleimania, near the Military Hospital to open middle of this year. The latter will have a drive-thru service. (Sundrenched is one luckier lady because she lives near the future branch. Too near, in fact, that she'll be ones taking our orders once it opens! Lol!)
Still, why in Batha?! Why did they not open a branch in the mall, like the Jollibee branch in Al-Khobar located in Al-Rashid Mall?
So you have more time to line up! Lol. Just kidding but partly true. Mall hours are limited so by the time the mall closes, the branch should also close. They opened a stand-alone branch to cater to more customers at a more flexible time. A stand-alone branch can also offer a drive-thru like their plan for the Suleimania branch. And why not in Batha? Almost all Filipinos go to Batha and Jollibee's target market is of course, Filipinos. Other nationalities get curious and enter but you can't expect them to line up for Chickenjoy when they have their own broasted chicken. The Suleimania area in between the Military Hospital and King Fahd Medical Center houses many Filipinos too (there are many Filipino restos there) so what better location right?
I'm not sure if the lining up is worth it. Is the food exactly the same as the ones in Jollibee Philippines? Do they taste the same?
The truth is NO. They're not the same. Truly you can't expect them to import everything right? After all, Saudi Arabia has stricter policies when it comes to food products. Certain ingredients are banned and everything must be Halal. All imported goods should be certified by the government and as of the moment, not all ingredients used in the Philippines are certified for Halal. Not all products found in the Philippine menu is available but most of the basics are. The Chickenjoy though is almost the same. Billy tells us that he likes the Saudi Arabia Chickenjoy more because the chicken is from Saudi Arabia. And you know the Kingdom when it comes to their chicken. The meat is leaner and higher in quality and they make use of the premium parts. They use the same marinade and coating though so it's still good. The burgers and fries are fine. The spaghetti and palabok have a different color and taste though. Maybe it's just for the soft opening so let's see...
*They don't have peach mango pie but they have halo-halo, which you can't find in the Philippine menu.
Surely the prices are more expensive if some of the ingredients are imported. Are the meals worth gold?
Not exactly. They're more or less the same as the Philippines. A 2-pc Chicken Joy Meal is SR12. This is priced at P131.00 in the Philippines. The Spaghetti Meal is SR8 (P75.00 in the Philippines). The prices are affordable.
Wait, you haven't brought up the most important thing of all: Is there gravy? IS THERE GRAVY?!?!
Okay, hold your breath. There is gravy for the Chickenjoy. There is! Promise! We are so used to the garlic sauce used for the broasted chicken here so the gravy is such a welcome change. The first time we tried the gravy (we were given Chickenjoy by R's husband two days before we visited the branch), it was runny. Like water colored brown but it still tasted like the gravy we were used to... medyo malabnaw pero pwede na. When we had Chickenjoy on our store visit, the gravy is now more consistent with the one we have in the Philippines. Do you have to pay for extra gravy? That we don't know because when we asked nicely, they gave us extra little tubs for free. :)
How long will we be lining up?
Okay, that depends on the days or time you're going. The last time E's mother lined up, it took her 1 1/2 hours. The last time S' brothers went to Jollibee, their experience was: "they came, they saw, they left asap!" The last time S' father lined up, that was the last time he'll probably ever line up for Jollibee. He only lasted 15 minutes in his line. Lol. (What's with men and lining up? Walang EQ. Hindi makapag-antay! Hahaha!) But don't be discouraged! The number of visitors might lessen as the months go by but surely, there will always be lines. And knowing us Filipinos, we cannot not have a taste of Jollibee! Maybe our of sheer curiosity or maybe through your children's pleading, Surely, you will give in to your kids right?
Speaking of the kiddos, is there a Kiddie Land for the kids? What about Kiddie Meals?
You might have seen the signage for a Kiddie Land but they still haven't put it up. It will be installed in the family section on mid-March. Yes, they have kiddie meals with toys that came from the Philippines. What about other merchandise like a Jollibee stuff toy? Well, let's just say it's not easy passing through KSA's custom inspection. That needs a lot more permits and requirements to be met.
I want to dine in. Do they have enough tables and chairs?
The store has a seating capacity of 215 at the ladies and family section while there are 180 seats at the bachelors.
Hmn, I'm not really keen in lining up. Does Jollibee deliver? Will they offer party services?
Nope, Jollibee does not deliver. As of the moment. They're working on it. As for party services? Yes, they're working on it too. Details will be available soon.
I'm sure the muttawas are crawling the place by now. I'm scared to go. The Jollibee in the '90s closed because of those frequent visits by the muttawas.
Well, the muttawa is a staple in every corner of Saudi Arabia. They are always there and they do visit restaurants in Batha a lot. Sometimes, every night. But you can't be bothered by a muttawa unless you are doing something wrong like maybe not wearing your tarha or being with a guy not related to you. What is so wrong in going and eating at Jollibee? Muttawas entering Jollibee for a check is natural. Seeing muttawas all over a place is not a random phenomena. You should get used to it by now. The family section of Jollibee will have more divided eating slots in the future. Dividers are available if you want to use one. As for the last statement, you can't be too sure that the pressure from muttawas closed the branch in Batha before. We heard that it closed because of some franchise disagreement. So don't be afraid of the muttawa in the place. They'll always be in Saudi Arabia. Orayt?
I'm not from Riyadh nor from Al-Khobar nor from Jeddah... HELP! I want Jollibee!!!
Okay, calm down. As of the moment, there are now 7 Jollibee branches in Saudi Arabia. If you can't visit the 1 store in Riyadh or the 1 store in Al-Khobar or the 3 stores in Jeddah, then you can visit the branch in Yanbu and the branch in Taif. You're not from any of the said places? Hmn, too bad. Maybe you can have a weekend trip to these places? :D
Can we see Jollibee too?
Well, that depends on how nice you are. Lol.
If you have more questions about Jollibee in Saudi Arabia, we might have the answers. We can't put everything in this entry so ask away through the comment box here or in FB and through our Formspring account above. We're supposed to scan and upload the menu brochure here but it went missing. Hmnnn. We'll find it later.
Lumanghap sarap na sa Jollibee!!! It's like tasting the Philippines. Lol. :)
Seriously, visit Jollibee! Proudly Pinoy!
3 had something to say:
Nice to know the gravy is thicker now because it was quite runny when we went there the first time. And yes, you have to pay an additional SR1.00 for every additional small tub of gravy. :)
I do hope they'll deliver soon!
can you answer my question please..
if the foods are serving in jollibee are halal
iclusive in phillippines in all outlets natiowide..please answer it
Hi Jerlyz, are you asking if ingredients used in Jollibee in the Philippines are halal? We do not know. What we're sure of is all ingredients used in Jollibee branches in Saudi Arabia are halal since it's a must here.
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