11 Incredible Eats You Must Experience in Metro Manila

Beware! This blog post contains images that may induce hunger, unanticipated cravings, drooling, or immense longing for something not within your vicinity. It’s an extension of my previous post, Everything I Did on My Weekend in Manila: Nightlife Edition.

Whether you’re in the mood for traditional Filipino dishes, international restaurants, or trendy fusion cuisine, the Philippine capital has something to satisfy every craving. When visiting the Manila, the incredible local food is one of the best parts of the experience. I highly recommend staying at Red Planet Makati Avenue near the airports and the heart of Metro Manila’s nightlife and culinary haven.

In my humble opinion, the restaurants I feature here are some of the best I have ever been to (I promise!). They may not suit your taste, but you can try them. Some restaurants are already familiar and popular with Manileños, but this post is intended for people not living in the Metro.

[Note: This article was first published in August 2024 but will be updated several times as I find more great places to dine in Metro Manila.]

So, without further ado, here are the best restaurants in Manila (I also included each restaurant’s menu as a budget guide):

Filling Station Bar and Cafe

Situated within the heart of Burgos St. in Poblacion, Makati, popularly known as the red light district of Metro Manila, is a beaming two-floor building that’s very distinctive despite conforming with the lively street’s neon lights.

Entering Filling Station Bar and Cafe feels like you’re being transported to the 50s because, yes, it mimics a 50s diner, with several pop culture trinkets everywhere, movie murals around the walls, real vintage cars parked inside with a few ones transformed into tables where customers can enjoy their meals, retro art gas stations and phone booths, and sculptures of popular movie characters and famous people.

Indeed, the Filling Station Bar and Cafe almost never falls short of a museum. But apart from its Instagrammable interiors, its food offerings are top-notch.

I have always passed by Filling Station Bar and Cafe for the longest time, but I thought that it might really be just a decorative place and that it was its only charm. However, I was proven wrong when I finally visited it in late October last year—just in time for Halloween.

Halloween was an extra special time for Filling Station Bar and Cafe. People dressed up as different pop culture characters, such as Chucky and the apes from 2000 Space Odyssey. An Elvis Presley impersonator even performed live around the restaurant with backup dancers.

That night, my sister and I ordered their signature fries, sizzling bulalo, laing with lechon kawali, and fried ice cream (which we didn’t expect was good for 3-4 people). Everything was so good, especially the Filipino dishes I mentioned. On my second visit, I ordered Sinatra’s Chicken Pesto pasta, which was also awesome; the chicken on top was grilled and well-seasoned. My friend’s order was the Chicken n’ waffles.

The food at Filling Station may be expensive to some, but the costs are nothing compared to the food, experience, photos, and memories you bring with you after you visit it. Make sure it’s on your itinerary the next time you go on a Metro Manila food trip! Check out their menu here.

The filling Station Bar and Cafe is located at 5012 P. Burgos St., Poblacion, Makati, just a 3-4-minute walk from Red Planet Makati Avenue. It’s open 24 hours daily.

Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza

I was introduced to Gino’s nine years ago. At that time, their first branch, in Salcedo, Makati was buzzing with customers, and there were long lines, especially at lunch and dinner. The crowd has settled now, but that doesn’t mean the menu or taste has changed. It’s the same Gino’s I loved at first bite. See their menu here.

RELATED READ: Everything I Did on My Weekend in Manila: Nightlife Edition

A distinct feature of Gino’s is its spicy honey sauce, which is a wonderful accompaniment to its pizza and burrata. While it may seem weird, it’s an accepted combo that originated in Brazil and was discovered by Chef Mike Kurtz in 2003. Chilli or spicy honey is now often drizzled in different pizzerias in New York and Chicago. Lucky us, we get to try it in Gino’s as well.

Check out Gino’s six branches here. The nearest to Red Planet Makati Avenue is the one in Salcedo/Legazpi Village, Makati, a 9-minute drive or 30-minute walk.

Cosmic

Cosmic is my top favorite vegan restaurant among the eight I’ve tried. Compared to the others that I’ve tasted, there is no waste in the Cosmic menu because the chefs indeed took the time to curate it and had taste tests even before releasing them to the customers. In fact, I was one of the lucky customers to try out one of their upcoming drinks when I first dined in the resto in 2019.

I have always come back to Cosmic with my friend Vincent, and I tell you, he is a picky eater, but he repeatedly goes back to Cosmic. When I introduce the restaurant to my friends, I always talk about their tempura, which is made of different mushroom types, because it is so good. I don’t miss ordering it every time I visit the place.

While other meat or fried pork substitutes can be acquired taste, Cosmic’s vegan bagnet, their fried pork substitute, is heavenly. When you first visit the restaurant, order it or their kare-kare, sisig, or pure vegan bagnet to experience how remarkable it is. Their coco adobo, made of coconut cream and wheat protein, and miso-mushroom sinigang with mushroom meat are also a must-try. See their menu here.

Cosmic has two branches in Poblacion Makati, both of which are a 2-3-minute walk from Red Planet Makati Avenue. They also have branches in Kapitolyo, Pasig and Tourism Rd., Siargao.

Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro

My recent trip to Manila with my friends Clea and Gem was mostly a food trip, but we were able to tick another thing off our bucket list: going to a drag club. We chose to go to the Rampa Drag Club, which was located on Timog Avenue in Quezon City.

It was pretty early when we prepared to go to the club, and we were famished, so I suggested eating at Timog because I heard that there were a lot of great eats in the area. Gem looked for recommendations on TikTok, and one of the top ones was Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro. Upon entering the place, it seemed like a mix of a coffee shop (there were customers absorbed in their work laptops) and a family restaurant (most of the tables were intended for a family of six to eight).

RELATED READ: Everything I Did on My Weekend in Manila: Nightlife Edition

My friends and I decided to order three meals, afraid that two might not suffice our hunger. We ordered their Mixed Seafood Thermidor, Manang’s Kaldereta, Sizzling Sisig, and a plate of garlic rice. To our delight, the servings were so huge that we couldn’t finish everything because we were already full after about 85% of each meal. Check out more of their offerings with their prices here.

We plan to visit Caerus Specialty Coffee + Bistro again because its food is so good. It is located at 26A Sct., Torillo St, Diliman, Quezon City, a 21-minute drive to and from Red Planet Makati Avenue.

TANG

It has been a while since I last ordered a la carte Korean meal in Davao as most of the Korean restaurants here have become unlimited Korean barbecue places. It was great when I was in Manila for a weekend getaway, and my friend Gem suggested we eat at the TANG Korean restaurant in BGC.

Gem heard about the restaurant because it’s where several K-pop idols dined after the Philippine leg of their concerts. Baekhyun of the K-pop boy group EXO is the most well-known celebrity who has visited TANG. It was he who popularized the restaurant. In fact, if you dine there, you’ll see several photos and photographs of him. When we were about to enter the place, a cat was standing on a chair by the entrance, and a woman petting him said his name was Baekyun. It was a moment to behold.

My mind is overwhelmed with wonderful words when attempting to describe the food that TANG serves. Everything we ordered—from the side dishes to their main specialties—was so delicious. It’s perhaps the best Korean restaurant I’ve visited in the Philippines. We ordered four a la carte meals: their bestseller Bossam (one of Baekhyun’s choices from the restaurant), Wanggalbitang (premium short rib soup), Sundubujigae (soft tofu stew), and Gogimandu (homemade meat dumplings). See the rest of their menu here.

Another great thing about TANG is that they never compromise their side dishes. Many Korean restaurants in the Philippines commercialize their unlimited side dish offerings, but TANG’s napa cabbage and radish kimchi are fresh, crunchy, and generously smothered with gochugaru (chili powder) mixture. They also offered wonderfully mixed sauces that complemented each of the meals we ordered.

TANG is definitely a restaurant that I’ll go back to repeatedly. It is located at Fort Strip 7th Ave., corner 28th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It is open 24 hours and just a 15-minute ride to and from Red Planet Makati Avenue.

No.8 China House

No. 8 China House has perhaps one of, if not the most expensive menus in this blog post. I’m quite lucky that I had the chance to attend Metrobank’s Thanksgiving event at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Manila in Bonifacio Global City. They served several bestsellers from the restaurant, and everything was just divine.

We tried their traditional pecking duck, lobster with fried noodles, braised Angus beef, machang, and e-fu noodles with mushrooms. At least those were the five meals that I can remember. Dining at No. 8 China House is one of the meals I treasure because it might be the last time I visit unless someone treats me again there or if I’m with many friends. According to reviews, eating here costs around ₱2000+ per person. See the menu and prices here.

I highly recommend the restaurant. Here’s their menu for your reference. For reservations, you may call (02) 8838 1234. No. 8 China House is located at Metrobank Center, Grand Hyatt Manila, 8th Avenue corner 35th Street, BGC, Taguig. It’s a 15-minute drive from Red Planet Makati Avenue.

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Krapow!

Like Filling Station Bar and Cafe, it took at least four visits to Poblacion, Makati, before I ate at Krapow! That’s mainly because their Poblacion branch is quite small and can cater to only a few people compared to their other branches in the metro.

Before I learned that they have other branches, I always found the mini restaurant to be hip, especially since it’s one of the few that always has many customers. I got my chance to dine there when I was alone and waiting for my companion to arrive. Only then did I realize that Krapow! was serving Thai food, much to my delight (I love Thai food).

I ordered the Holy Basil crispy pork or the crispy pork belly stir fry with Chinese kale. It was so good! On my next visit, I’ll definitely order their mango sticky rice. Even though I have tried them only once, I’m confident in my recommendation because they have great reviews on Google and everywhere else. Check out their menu here.

Krapow! has three branches in Manila: BGC High Street South, SM Mall of Asia, and Poblacion, Makati, a 3-minute walk from Red Planet Makati Avenue.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Since the last time I ate at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka in 2014, they have changed their menu. Although I have always loved their food offerings, their current menu is ideal for me or for anyone who is hungry and wants a big meal with a variety of choices while still being affordable.

Although Hokkaido Ramen Santouka offers a la carte rice meals and ramen, what I love most about its menu is its set meals. For ₱460-₱595, depending on your order, their set meals include one small-sized ramen, one rice bowl, one salad, one dessert, and one tea. You can choose your ramen flavor or your dessert. Here’s their menu.

When my friends and I dined there recently, I ordered Set A, which had the pork cutlet for the rice meal. I chose Shio for my ramen flavor and matcha ice cream for dessert. At ₱540, the meal was so filling and divine. My friend ordered Set D with fried salmon, kara-miso ramen, and vanilla ice cream. When he tried my shio ramen, he said it lacked seasoning, but it was enough for me. However, I’ll order what he ordered on my next visit because I also like it.

Here’s the list of Hokkaido Ramen Santouka branches. The nearest one to Red Planet Makati Avenue is Glorietta 4, a 9-minute drive.

Dookki

Ever since my friend Near brought me to Dookki, I have been accustomed to eating here (Gateway Mall 2 branch) before attending a concert in Araneta Coliseum. Dookki is a topokki buffet restaurant with several branches around Asia.

At first sight, Dookki might be underwhelming for some foodies. However, I promise that you’ll get the most out of your ₱599. See their menu here. The topokki choices are unbelievable. You have the traditional ones, the cheese topokki, cream sauce topokki, and more. Not only that, they also have a lot of vegetables–the usual ones like Batavia lettuce, napa cabbage, and leeks.

One of the reasons for saying that you get the most out of your money is because they have unlimited mushrooms, enoki, and porcini, which are quite expensive when you buy them in supermarkets. You also have the autonomy to mix all their available sauces and topokki, sausages, noodles, and vegetables, all to your liking. You may also let their staff prepare them for you.

While the restaurant is focused on serving a wide range of topokki, you need not worry because they also have Korean fried chicken, beef bulgogi, pork bulgogi, stir-fried pork, and jap chae. If you’re looking to have a huge meal or shouldn’t have carbohydrates in your diet, I think the one I mentioned above can suffice (and even more; they also have rice). They’re also pretty good; it’s like you’re dining at a Korean restaurant.

The nearest Dookki branch to Red Planet Makati Avenue is their SM Megamall branch.

Tim Ho Wan

Despite its interiors, which may be quite intimidating for some, Tim Ho Wan is very accessible to middle-class customers. My friend Vincent took me there, and I was shocked to see that their price range was more than reasonable, given that the restaurant is known to offer authentic HK dishes. They have several branches around Asia, including in Singapore Jewel Changi airport, so I thought it would be an expensive dining experience.

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Vincent and I ordered baked barbecue pork buns, glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf (machang), spring roll with egg white, and chow mien stir-fried noodles. Their servings might seem little at first sight, but what we ordered was more than sufficient. It was our first meal of the day at 3 pm, but the pork buns, which were served first, were very filling. We left the restaurant very full and happy. See the rest of their food offerings here.

Tim Ho Wan has nine branches in the Philippines; check the list here. I went to their Gateway Mall branch, but the nearest to Red Planet Makari Avenue is the Glorietta 3 branch, an 11-minute drive or 26-minute walk.

Manam

If you’re visiting Manila and have not yet eaten at Manam, you’re definitely missing out on a lot of good food! According to their Instagram profile, Manam is a Filipino restaurant with some twists.

The first time I tried Manam, my cousins treated and surprised me with this restaurant I’d never heard of. I did not expect that it would be one of my favorites. This was back in 2016, so I can’t remember what they ordered. What I’m sure is that everything was good! See their menu here.

The second time was when my blogger friends and I were treated by Smart Communications publicist Alvin. We ordered a lot that time, but their sisig stood out. I still crave it at times. That’s why my friend Clea and I ordered it and Gising-Gising on my third visit: a perfect combo! As you can see in the photo above, all the dishes have a lot of garlic on top; it’s one of the reasons why I love Manam. You should eat there during your next Manila trip.

Check out all the Manam branches here. However, if you’re staying at Red Planet Makati Avenue, the nearest branch is the one at Powerplant Mall, just a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute drive.