The best restaurants in Manila

The story of COCHI begins in Madrid, where actor and restaurateur Marvin Agustin first tasted cochinillo in a narrow alley in 2014. That memory stayed with him through the pandemic years and became the restaurant anchored inside Verve Residences in Bonifacio Global City: warm, contemporary, designed for family meals and celebration. The menu is built around the namesake Cochinillo — a roasted suckling pig marinated in 12 herbs and spices and slow-cooked for three hours — served in generous, shareable portions with a touch of tableside theatre. Three house-made sauces accompany: a creamy toum, bright kamias marmalade, and a sweet bell pepper reduction. Kare Kare ni Lola, made with peanuts roasted and ground daily, and the crispy Escabeche lapu-lapu round out a Filipino menu that is festive without being fussy. Named a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand in 2026, COCHI is a must-book.

Chef Sam Rohana built one of Makati’s most devoted followings at his original Poblacion location, and the MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recognition only confirmed what regulars already knew. Now expanding to Salcedo Village in a more polished setting — though the warmth and generosity of the cooking remain entirely unchanged — La Pita brings the Levant to one of Makati’s most sought-after dining neighborhoods. Colourful low tables and sofas set the tone for a relaxed, communal meal. Every pita is baked fresh daily in a small kitchen that punches far above its size; start with the hummus — chickpeas, tahini, and fermented chili, finished with extra virgin olive oil — before moving to the char-grilled beef arayes or the shawarma bake, slow-smoked lamb in soft pita with tahini and amba sauce. For dessert, the silky muhallebi melts cleanly on the tongue. 

Scholarship meets home cooking at Lore by Chef Tatung, the MICHELIN-selected Filipino restaurant inside One Bonifacio High Street Mall in BGC. Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou — multi-award-winning author, cultural advocate, and one of the Philippines’ foremost culinary authorities — built Lore around the Filipino salu-salo: the communal feast as an act of kinship. The menu follows the rhythm of a gathering, opening with crispy okoy shrimp fritters with aged sukang tuba and fiery chicken satti skewers from Zamboanga, before moving to stews that reveal the kitchen’s soul: adobo sa pula glowing with annatto and garlic, and a mindanaoan rendang built on burnt coconut and patience. Desserts — biko at mangga with house-made langka ice cream, Inutak with ube and brûléed salted-egg custard — close the meal as a memory. Lore by Chef Tatung is Manila’s most meaningful table.

A restored old house in Diliman — green-tiled shopfront, shaded terrace, interiors of warm wood and patterned tiles — is home to what many consider the finest Spanish restaurant in northern Metro Manila. Deo Gracias, which translates as “thanks be to God,” is the product of a powerful culinary partnership: renowned pastry chef and culinary educator Heny Sison, and chef Alex Del Hoyo Gomez, who hails from Burgos in Spain’s Basque Country. Together they have built a menu of genuine regional depth, anchored by the ensaladilla de prawns and the crispy, cheese-filled croquetas de jamón Ibérico — best enjoyed with a glass of Spanish wine. The signature pulpo a la gallega Deo Gracias, sous vide octopus strips over potato and sobrasada cream, is one of the most interesting plates in any Manila dining room right now. A MICHELIN-selected restaurant, Deo Gracias is a must-visit.

Named after the mother of founder Atty. Nilo Divina, Aurora is a spirited Asian bistro inside the Pacific Star Building in Makati’s business district — and one of the most quietly confident dining rooms in the city. The space accommodates different moods: an upbeat dining floor, a lush outdoor patio, a private dining room, and a full wall display of wine. The menu draws from classically rooted, regional Asian cooking — Taiwanese braises slow-cooked to depth, Japanese donburi creatively reinterpreted, Malay sauces and condiments that bring familiar warmth to every plate. The salmon donburi, dotted with ikura and built on shiitake sushi rice, has earned consistent praise. Every dish arrives on white plates with minimal garnish, letting the food do the talking. For a modern Asian dining experience in Makati, book at Aurora.

Bon Appétit named it NYC’s best new restaurant. Timeout New York agreed. And now Manila gets its own chapter. Tadhana — chef Frances Tariga’s boundary-pushing Filipino tasting menu concept — is opening at the Levanto Building in Makati, bringing the same restaurant that captivated New York’s most discerning diners home to the Philippines. The name means “destiny” in Filipino, and the dining experience lives up to it: an extended, multi-course experience that frames local ingredients and culinary traditions through a contemporary and deeply personal lens. Chef Tariga’s cooking is meticulous and rooted in Filipino identity — her Okoy, a Filipino fritter, and her reinterpreted menudo have become signatures worth travelling for. For those wanting to understand what modern Filipino cuisine looks like at its most considered and its most ambitious, look no further than Tadhana.

“Il Lupino” means little wolf in Italian — a nod from restaurateur Peter Zwiener to his father Wolfgang, the man behind Manhattan’s Wolfgang’s Steakhouse. At Opus Mall, Peter brings a modern, sophisticated Italian concept to Manila, with Sardinian chef Alessio Loddo steering a kitchen that uses ingredients largely imported directly from Italy. The interiors strike a balance: dark wood and earthy leather against marble and glass, with a wine room holding over 200 labels at the centre. Linguine with Veraci clams sourced from the Mediterranean sea — and the sette formaggi pizza, loaded with seven distinct cheeses including 36-month parmigiano and gorgonzola dolce, represent the menu at its most indulgent. For a main, the costata di manzo has drawn consistent praise. Il Lupino is a must-visit for top Italian dining in Manila.

What began in Chicago in 1978 and has since expanded to dozens of international cities arrived at Uptown Eastgate in Bonifacio Global City, brought to the Philippines by The Bistro Group. Morton’s The Steakhouse is one of Manila’s largest steakhouses, designed with a nod to its retro American roots — high ceilings, a buzzing bar, and a sense of occasion that starts the moment guests walk in. The dry-aged ribeye, seared to order and rich with marbling, is the main event; the bacon steak appetiser — a thick, smoky slab that arrives before the main course and consistently steals attention — is not to be skipped. Sides of truffle cream corn and smoked gouda au gratin potatoes are built to complement rather than compete. With private dining rooms for 6 to 12 guests and a dedicated sommelier on hand, serious steak lovers should look no further than Morton’s The Steakhouse.

At the prestigious Finance Centre in Bonifacio Global City, Smith & Wollensky Manila brings the full American steakhouse experience to the Philippine capital with theatre to match. Private dining rooms accommodate up to 40 guests, while The Grill and Lounge — with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings — offers a more relaxed setting for cocktails and conversation. The centrepiece of the menu is the swinging tomahawk: a 44-oz bone-in American Wagyu ribeye, masterfully grilled and hand-seared, served tableside with unmistakable flair. The signature seafood tower — Colossal crab, Maine lobster tail, jumbo shrimp, and freshly shucked oysters — makes for a lavish opening act, while the chateaubriand, a 32-oz centre-cut tenderloin carved for sharing and served with roasted bone marrow, rounds out a menu designed for moments worth marking. For milestone celebrations and executive dining in Manila, Smith & Wollensky Manila awaits.