GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
9 restaurants where balikbayans can have their fill of delicious Filipino food
Holiday season is balikbayan season, and often the first thing our returning loved ones want to do is get their fill of good ol' Filipino food.
For everybody's convenience, below are a few of the best and most dependable Filipino restaurants in Metro Manila you can take them to. Happy eating!
RELATED: Where to order food...for your next holiday potluck party
1. MilkyWay Café
Originally an ice cream parlor when it first opened in the 1950's, MilkyWay Café has evolved into an elegant, full-fledged Filipino restaurant that offers the best of Pampango cuisine.
Order the Crispy Hito (P445), deep-fried catfish with tomato and cucumber salad, mustard greens, MW bagoong or the no-fail Lechon Kawali (P795), lechon de leche accompanied by liver sauce. The Adobong Pato (P395) is a rich dish comprised of duck breast that will require you spoonfuls of rice and dessert.
Enter the quintessential Filipino treat, Milky Way Halo-Halo (P175). Since 1962, this tried-and-tested creation gives pleasure to its diners with its delicious medley of preserved fruits, ube, pinipig, and leche flan on shaved ice with milk. If that's a little too much, get the Milky Way Ice Cream (P175/2 scoops). Our pick is avocado, always and forever.
2/F, 900 A. Arnaiz Ave corner Paseo de Roxas Street, San Lorenzo, Makati City. +632 8434124, +632 8437124.
2. Cirkulo
Cirkulo is one of Chef J Gamboa’s four restaurant ventures and one of the two where he is the executive chef.
It’s primarily known for its Spanish fare, which is close to the hearts of the Filipinos, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that one of its menu items that sounds foreign is actually a local favorite. Everybody, meet the Cabeza de Cerdo (P495) or...spicy sisig made from suckling pigs cooked in chili and sweet onion.
You’ll enjoy bite after bite of perfectly seasoned and crunchy pork with a hint of tangy flavor. Want to make your meal feel like a fiesta? Order the Cochinillo Asado (P4,475/half; P8,950/whole), roasted suckling pig that would surely impress fellow foodies. Note: This requires a 48-hour advance notice.
G/F, MilkyWay Building, 900 A. Arnaiz Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas Street, San Lorenzo, Makati City. +632 8108735 / +632 8102763.
3. Manam
Manam serves a wonderful mix of classic and updated Filipino food. There's the famous Watermelon Sinigang (starts P245), the beloved Filipino stew made thick and even velvety, thanks to the use of watermelon as its souring agent.
A dish with a dash of drama is the Crispy Pancit Palabok (starts P200): a tower of crispy noodles collapse as you pour the thick orange sauce onto it.
Have a rice cake to end your meal or for merienda; Bibingkang Galapong with Salted Egg (starts P85) would be a sure hit. The best thing about this establishment is that its food comes in different serving sizes so you can have solo orders or for sharing. Also, you’ll most likely to find Manam in one of the major malls around the city.
Various locations including G/F, Net Park, 4th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
4. The Aristocrat
HERE
The Aristocrat is a culinary institution that continues to dish up the best Filipino-style chicken barbecue in town. Enjoy the classic 3-piece Chicken Barbecue (P210) meal served with the eye-catching yellow-orange java rice and java sauce, or go for the Boneless Chicken Barbecue (P190) option that come with the same rice and sweet sauce. There’s also a pork version, and a whole lot of other a la carte dishes to satisfy your hankering for Filipino favorites.
Take your balikbayans to its Roxas Boulevard location right around sundown for a classic Manila experience.
432 San Andres St corner Roxas Boulevard, Malate, Manila
5. Toyo Eatery
Toyo Eatery has been making waves not just in the local industry, but also outside the Philippine shores as well. Chef-Owner Jordy Navarra continues to champion Filipino cuisine in his establishment, which garnered the Miele One to Watch Award for Asia in 2018, another feather to its culinary cap.
The restaurant offers a Set Menu (P1,000) with a choice of appetizer, meat main dish, and dessert. But it's best to go for the Tasting Menu (P2,900) so you can sample a little bit of everything, including Toyo Eatery Three-Cut Pork BBQ with Toyo Eatery Silog or the Grilled Loin and Belly of Bangus with Toyo Eatery Silog. Stay for craft cocktails that feature local ingredients like Iskul Buko (P350) a blend of Tanqueray, lambanog (coconut wine), lemon, and sugar.
G/F, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Ave, Magallanes, Makati City. +63917 7208630
6. Locavore
It’s not just by word of mouth that Locavore has grown popular among foodies, but its innovative take on Filipino cuisine and modern hipster vibe made it a go-to dining destination. Chef Mikel Zaguirre highlights the use of locally grown and produced ingredients and combines it with French cooking techniques.
One of the famous food finds here is the Lechon Oyster Sisig (P380), Aklan oysters cooked in white onion, garlic chili, and mixed with lechon bits. The Kare-Kare Wings (P275) is another must-try with chicken wings doused in kare-kare glaze and served with buttermilk ranch dressing, singkamas at mangga, and bagoong. But the one thing that you shouldn’t miss is their Sizzling Sinigang (P550), which is not in its usual soup form. Here, the beef short ribs come with sampaloc gravy, sautéed French beans, and garlic confit. It’s a nice place to have dinner and then hang out for after-dinner drinks.
Various locations including 10 Brixton Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig City
7. Livestock Restaurant and Bar
Discover the Pinoys’ love for all things porcine in Livestock, which is famous for its Melts-in-your-mouth Crispy Pata (P650) that you can slice with... a popsicle stick. Yes, you won’t even need a metal utensil to get a piece of the delicious pork knuckle.
In this trendy establishment, you can eat, drink, and be merry with your visiting relatives or friends. Have a local beer with pica-pica or bar chow like Chicharon 3 Kinds (P280), a platter of your fave cracklings: crispy bulaklak, bituka, chicken skin. There’s also the Livestock Crackling Pork Belly (starts P320/300g), tender pork belly stuffed with fresh herbs and roasted until crispy, which will bring you straight to meat heaven.
Various locations including 2/F, Uptown Parade, Uptown Bonifacio, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
8. Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen
Younger balikbayans, Fil-Ams who might be coming to the Philippines for the first time will especially appreciate Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen. Located in the hip Poblacion area, Agimat serves delicious Filipino food and drinks, created by Chef Niño Laus and master mixologist Kalel Demetrio, presented in a most exotic fashion.
The space itself transports diners to what feels like a forest, with moody lighting and a Balete tree (or what seems like it) right in the center of the bar, where drinks are concocted using local spirits and herbs and spices. Order the Ritual ng Agimat and you get not just a drink but a, well, ritual comprised of percussion, masks, and fire.
The food is something to be experienced as well. Order the Balut and Chicharon, and you'll be served the staple street food items made sophisticated. Tengas is pigs ears terrine with pickled wood ear mushrooms and topped it with a crispy soybean curd.
2/F 5972 Alfonso cor Fermina Street Poblacion. Tuesday-Sunday 12pm-8pm. +639178904039
9. Romulo Cafe
This low-key Filipino restaurant has been serving delectable Filipino dishes fit for VIPS. In fact, these are heirloom dishes that First Lady Virginia Romulo served the guests of her husband, President Carlos Romulo back in the day.
Be sure to order old favorites like Tita Virginia's Chicken Relleno, Tito Greg's Kare-Kare, and for good measure the conchinillo, because hey! It's Christmas!
Various locations including 32 Scout Tuazon St corner Scout Lazcano Street, Quezon City. +632 3327273, +632 3327275, +63915 6623121
