Filipino breakfasts tend to be savory and hearty, exemplified by the beloved tapsilog, a portmanteau of tapa (cured beef), sinangag (fried garlic rice), and itlog (fried egg). Rodic’s has been serving a version since 1949 that’s tender, sweet, and shredded like corned beef. According to a student documentary about the restaurant, owner Pacita Tecson got the idea to shred the beef from her sister, who wanted to make the typically tough tapa accessible to both children and senior citizens who might have a hard time chewing. Every Sunday morning, entire families line up at the branch located in the University of the Philippines for little red and white boxes of tapsilog.

In 2018, owners Biboy Cruz and Cereb Gregorio, owners of Kusina Luntian in Baler (a surf spot northeast of the city), opened a version of their surf town restaurant in Manila, rebranding it Gubat. The restaurant serves binalot, meals of rice in banana leaves, in a small bonsai garden where eating with your hands is encouraged. The lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly), adobo, and piniritong isda (fried blue marlin steak), served with rice and lightly pickled vegetables, are some of the best sellers.

Along a stretch of Maginhawa Street in Quezon City well-known for food, Provenciano serves heirloom Filipino recipes in a retro converted house. The specialties include adobong pusit sa bawang (baby squid cooked in vinegar and squid ink); KBL, or kadyos, baboy, and langka (pigeon peas, pork hocks, and jackfruit); and sugpo sa alavar (prawns in coconut milk, ginger, and turmeric). Don’t leave without sampling the bibingka (coconut-rice cake with salted egg) and puto bumbong (glutinous purple rice cake).  

Buen Comer started from a drunken debate among five friends about the definitive food to pair with booze. The result is the kare-kare burrito, a Tex-Mex Filipino innovation with a cult following that stuffs the classic oxtail and peanut stew into a tortilla. The rest of the menu — steak and fries, a Caesar salad burrito — pairs equally well with beer.

At the height of the strictest pandemic lockdowns, Half Saints’s owners Christine Roque and Jo Arciaga undertook the painful task of reengineering their cafe’s menu, resulting in a stellar pastry line. While mains like arroz con pollo are delicious, come for showstopping bakes like the Merci Buko Cream Puff, a choux au craquelin filled with coconut custard and young coconut meat, and topped with roasted pili nuts. Not to be missed are the Gruyere brown butter cookies and the cafe’s take on the local favorite crema de fruta, which here is encased in liqueur gelée. Roque and Arciaga are currently working on opening their first international branch in Tokyo.

Mang Leo can be found most mornings along the residential street of Esteban Abada folding sliced sweet plantains into spring roll wrappers. His turon — deep-fried banana lumpia with langka (jackfruit) and caramelized sugar — is one of the area’s best-kept secrets. He and his son Jeric are there till they sell out, which is sometimes as early as 4 p.m. It’s a favorite merienda snack among residents and nearby office workers, many of whom place bulk orders for his turons, which run P20 each (about 34 cents).

When former electrician Rado Bautista lost his job at one of Manila’s oldest distilleries in 1994, he turned to food to make ends meet. Today, his side street eatery is a favorite among the residents of Tondo, one of Manila’s oldest and most densely populated districts. He’s known specifically for tumbong soup, a clear broth served with pig’s large intestines, spring onions, and garlic. Bautista’s creamy version goes for about P125 (about $2.20) with a cup of rice. Rado’s also sells asado (sweet braised pork), kamto (beef brisket) soup, and crispy lechon kawali with grated papaya. Note: Simon Street can be challenging to find, but it’s roughly two blocks down from Ugbo, a food destination in its own right.

Head to Habanero for the kind of food best paired with a cold bottle of San Miguel. Located in Cubao X, a community hub for artists and musicians, this restaurant is best experienced in the evenings when the area comes alive. Many of the dishes (and drinks) utilize habanero chiles, but everyone comes for the lechon habanero, a kilo of sous vide and deep-fried pork belly cut into slices and served with chiles and a soy sauce dip. It comes with a side of mustasa (mustard) leaves and buro (fermented rice and fish) for a little acidity to balance the salt, fat, and heat.

Globe Lumpia House is a tiny eatery in Quiapo’s old Globe Theater that’s been around since 1956. It’s famous for its lumpiang sariwa: fresh vegetable spring rolls made with ubod (heart of palm), topped with crushed peanuts, garlic, and sweet sauce. Look for the line snaking out onto Raon Street in downtown Manila and you’ll know you’ve found the right spot.

This neighborhood microbrewery can be found along one of the side streets off another of the city’s notable food stretches, Wilson Street in the San Juan area. Craft beer has had a bit of a boom since the pandemic hit, led by places like El Depósito, one of the first microbreweries to set up a taproom in 2021. You can sample a selection of single-hop IPA beers, and the space hosts local brewery competitions and DJs who spin on select weekends.

It’s impossible to miss this Cali-inspired taqueria, run by owner Mano Lotho, when you’re driving along Wilson Street in San Juan; just look for the detached industrial structure on the corner of Wilson and Arras with a couple of tables out front. Try the buche (confit pork stomach) and tempura shrimp tacos, along with whatever boozy agua fresca is available that day. Make sure to start with the chips and queso, which take advantage of the excellent house-made tortillas.

Named (with a bit of obfuscation) after the nearly eponymous stoner duo, Cheech and Chang has become a favorite of the residents of the west Kapitolyo neighborhood in Pasig. In a city dominated by indoor malls, the al fresco, bike-friendly establishment became the watering hole of choice when pandemic restrictions began easing up. The menu consists of Chinese-, Singaporean-, and Taiwanese-influenced dishes that pair well with drinks, like chicken and duck baos, bak chor mee, and dan dan noodles. If available, order the fried chicken skin. Top it off with a Spicy Mango Diwata cocktail from the attached bar, the Lotus Gin Room.

Many consider Cafe Adriatico the restaurant that heralded Manila’s bistro and cafe culture when it opened in 1979. Journalist Larry J. Cruz converted an antiques store on the corner of Macario Adriatico Street and Remedios Circle in Ermita into a Parisian-style cafe that became one of the landmarks of the historic Malate neighborhood, the center of Manila culture in the ’70s and ’80s. The cafe remains especially famous for merienda items such as ensaymada (a soft pastry typically topped with sugar and cheese), suman sa lihiya (a glutinous rice cake and lye water), and tsokolate eh (a thick chocolate drink) served in a demitasse.

On the outskirts of the central business district, by the residential side of Makati, Goto Monster serves beef tripe porridge with a twist. The best sellers include goto with bagnet (the Ilocano version of deep-fried pork belly) and chicharon bulaklak (deep-fried pork intestines). All bowls are served with a salted egg and a heaping portion of fried garlic. It bears mentioning that the house-made ice cream pops are just as divine, particularly the leche flan and the ginataang halo-halo flavors. Goto Monster is open 24 hours and best experienced anywhere between midnight and 3 a.m. after a night out in Manila.

Located on the second floor of a nondescript apartment building in Poblacion, Lampara serves a generous selection of hearty neo-Filipino cuisine and cocktails. It’s run by young chefs RJ Ramos, Prince Tan, and Alphonse Sotero, who all build on experience in the kitchens of other fine dining restaurants. Favorites include a starter of rice cups (inspired by lumpia), dinuckduckan (a duck version of the Ilocano dinakdakan), and pork (crispy porchetta, star anise reduction, and pork floss). Don’t leave without trying the inventive desserts, specifically the yema and tsokolate (sweet custard and chocolate). 

Along with the Curator, David Ong runs this cocktail lounge and listening room. An extensive selection of cocktails is set to the bar’s all-vinyl playlist, which pours out of the bespoke sound system. Like the Curator, Oto regularly hosts global bartender takeovers, but it also invites Manila’s finest young DJs to spin on most weekends, which has made it an indispensable part of the local nightlife and music scene. While everything on the cocktail menu is amazing, ask the friendly and talented bartenders for their recommendations.

Tetsuo’s menu is inspired by East Asian casual eats like baos, fried noodles, and Japanese-style fried chicken, served with various spices: sansho (lemon and pepper), ichimi (mild heat), and Kaneda (hot and spicy), the last aptly named after the protagonist of the cyberpunk masterpiece Akira. Unlike the first branch in Quezon City, the hip Poblacion outpost is open late and serves canned drinks like Strong Zero, Horoyoi, and One Cup Ozeki. According to cofounder Sean Bautista, the restaurant tries to cater to the creative community, especially musicians and artists.

Gallery by Chele is the revamped version of Gallery Vask, the multi-award-winning restaurant of chef Chele Gonzalez. Codeveloped with chef Carlo Villaflor, Gallery by Chele specializes in haute cuisine that makes use of local and regional ingredients like gotu kola (aka takip-kuhol, a traditional medicinal plant) and ulang (river prawn). Unlike its predecessor Vask (which had only a tasting menu), Gallery by Chele offers a la carte items, along with multiple set menus, including plant-based options. Reservations are encouraged.

Tucked in a quieter corner of Makati, Metronome is a modern French restaurant helmed by Joël Robuchon-trained chef Miko Calo. The place offers an exquisite dining experience with both a la carte and tasting menus, which demonstrate chef Calo’s mastery and creativity. Diners rave about the foie gras tart with tamarind and the Iberico secreto. Pop in during lunch for a classic ratatouille. Reservations are highly encouraged.  

A meal sold at any one of Makati’s tin-colored jollijeeps (food carts named for both the beloved chain Jollibee and jeepneys, decorated jeeps used for public transit) can be as low as P85 (about $1.44). For the average worker on a budget, these trailers are some of the more affordable options in the expensive business district. The most popular jollijeep can be found along Rada Street, with a laminated sign that reads “Sisig sa Rada” (Sisig at Rada). The stall’s version of sisig is a simple variation of the traditional Pampanga version, mixed with onions, peppers, and an egg, and served over rice. Lines for Sisig sa Rada can get notoriously long during the lunch rush, so best to go during off-hours.

Since 2016, the Curator has consistently made it onto lists of Asia’s best bars, including a place on Asia’s 50 Best in 2021. Coffee is served in the afternoons in the store’s front, while inventive cocktails appear in the evenings in the intimate back room. Every so often, the Curator hosts global bartender takeovers, which complement owner and bartender David Ong’s regularly rotating menu of drinks.

The best chicken inasal is undoubtedly found in faraway Bacolod — a Visayan food capital — but JT’s Manukan serves a decent bird. Using the Ilonggo word for chargrilled, chicken inasal is basted in a mixture of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar, and annatto. It’s worth mentioning that the chain is owned by the esteemed Filipino actor and producer Joel Torre, who gained fame in the historic Filipino experimental film Oro, Plata, Mata in 1982. He still does films, but his chicken chain has become a favorite for Manila locals who just want to kick back with a good paa (chicken thigh), garlic rice, and an ice-cold beer.

The original Milky Way started out as an ice cream bar in 1962, serving scoops, buko lechias (coconut and lychee) sherbet, and chicken asparagus sandwiches to Manila’s high society. Today, Milky Way continues to serve homey Filipino classics with inspirations from Pampanga, another food capital of the Philippines where chef J. Gamboa’s family is originally from. The classic halo-halo, a popular shaved ice dessert, is hailed as the best in the city, though also take a look at its minimalist cousin, ginumis: shaved ice, sago (tapioca), and gulaman (jelly) topped with coconut cream, pinipig (popped rice), and house-made panutsa ice cream made from cane sugar. 

The Moment restaurant group has cracked the code to fast-casual dining in Metro Manila, and Manam is perhaps its best proof of concept. The tagline “comfort Filipino” describes the offerings, which feature classic dishes with twists. Order the house crispy sisig that adds a generous helping of chicharon (deep-fried pork rinds) on top of the sizzling pork, sinigang na beef short ribs and watermelon, and the crispy pancit palabok — a mountain of fried noodles that dissolves when orange shrimp sauce is poured over it. If you still have room, the ube shakes are served with sago (small tapioca balls), which is pretty much as good as dessert gets.

Chef Bruce Rickett’s Mecha Uma is celebrated for its modern Japanese, fine dining approach. The seasonal tasting menu features specialities flown in from Japan combined with local organic produce. Rickett’s philosophy has always emphasized produce, and the punchy tasting menus take inspiration from the ingredients themselves, which might include Hokkaido uni, shirako (cod sperm), and quail. Mecha Uma offers two dinner seatings each night. 

According to Filipino food historian Doreen Fernandez, one striking characteristic of Filipino food is a love of all things fresh, and the dampa (wet market) by Manila Bay is as fresh as you’re going to get in the city. A visit to the dampa is a two-part process: First, you’ll need to shop for your seafood of choice by the kilogram (anything from groupers, crab claws, and razor clams); prices may vary depending on availability, and you can haggle with most sellers. Then bring your prize over to a paluto, one of the nearby restaurants, where cooks will prepare your selection according to your preference (common ways include butter and garlic, salted egg, and chile).

When Andre Chanco started Yardstick Coffee in 2013, his goal was to “up the yardstick” for specialty coffee in a city that had only one or two places for coffee-based drinks. Today, Yardstick is an institution for leisurely cafe-goers and aspiring baristas. Besides selling coffee drinks, Yardstick roasts and sells its own coffee (retail and wholesale) and equipment for both home brewers and professionals. Try the branch-exclusive drinks at MOA Square in Pasay, especially the Manila Latte, which is like a nonalcoholic pina colada with an espresso shot.

Chef Stephan Duhesme challenges ideas of Filipino food at his modern restaurant, Metiz. The kitchen is known for its take on common household vegetables like talinum (Philippine spinach), patola (silk squash), and ampalaya (bitter gourd), as well as extensive use of buro, the traditional method of fermentation. The results are technique-driven tasting menus that are constantly evolving and surprising. Sample the beverage list, which features kombucha-based cocktails and bottles of low-intervention wines. By reservation only.