Because not everyone wants to be in a mall
Metro Manila is home to different malls. Inside, you’ll find a slew of restaurants, fast food, cafes, and places to get food from. While that’s all fine and dandy, there’s still something different about dining in establishments outside of malls.
Also read: Where to Celebrate Halloween with Your Friends
If you want to dine while avoiding the crowds inside malls, we have you covered. Here are the 20 best food spots in Metro Manila that aren’t inside a mall!
H&T Wine Gallery
Located in Quezon City, H&T Wine Gallery is a bar that combines art, wine, and food. At H&T, you can get charcuteries with different meats, including jamon, salchichon, chorizo, and more. They also have a cheese plate that includes three artisan cheeses. Lastly, their red wines boast flavors across the globe, like Argentina, Chile, the US, Portugal, and more.
556 Kapitolyo
Situated in Pasig, 556 is a bar with an inviting atmosphere that serves food and drinks sure to keep you in. Whether you’re riding solo or partying with friends, their pica-pica menu offers the perfect drinking partner. This includes their crispy squid, chicken skin, sisig, and more. 556 also serves rice bowls for the hungry, with options like pork belly, roast chicken, or Angus beef.
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G/F, 50 West Capitol Dr cor United St, The Vantage, Kapitolyo, Pasig
Delgado 112
Tomas Morato has varying food options, but none offers the same flavors Delgado 112 has. We recommend dining at Delgado at brunch with their farmer’s breakfast consisting of ribeye, sausages, eggs, and rice. And if you crave seafood, their mariscos fiesta pintxos has fresh shrimp, homemade pico de gallo, and guac.
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112 Scout Delgado Street, Tomas Morato, Quezon City
The Gold Room
The Gold Room is a bar in Tomas Morato that serves sophisticated drinks and to-die-for appetizers and mains. Perfect for warm summer days, Gold Room’s frozen mojito and margarita should help soothe adulting blues. But before you quench your thirst, we recommend trying their baked brie with poached pears, walnuts, and a sweet and salty caramel sauce.
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112 Sct Delgado St (Basement Bar of Delgado 112), Tomas Morato, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Nihonkai Tsukiji
Nihonkai Tsukiji is a restaurant in Taguig that serves and prepares traditional Japanese dishes. Their sushi menu is arguably the most authentic in the country. Salmon aburi, tamago, shime saba, kani kama, and more, you have a variety of options for sushi. And if you want something filling, their donburi, which includes gyudon, tendon, tuna teriyaki, and more, is for you.
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Bldg 1, Upper McKinley Rd, Tuscany Private Estate, Taguig, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Metro Manila
White House Taguig
White House Taguig takes you on a culinary journey through Asia. Start the meal right by trying their tom yum goong, a traditional Thai soup with a tangy and spicy seafood broth. For the health-conscious, gai lan is the perfect Chinese dish, as the broccoli has a flavorful garlic-infused oyster sauce. And if you want umami, we recommend their Japanese chicken karaage.
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68 ML Quezon St, Taguig, Hagonoy, Taguig, Metro Manila
Seoul Train
Located in Tomas Morato, Seoul Train Korean Barbecue is a locomotive train-themed restaurant perfect for get-togethers. Seoul train offers different wagyu dishes, including makikarubi, striploin, and chateaubriand. And for group dinners, Seoul Train offers meat platters that include wagyu, prime, galbi, ggotsal, buchaesal, and more, depending on the platter.
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28 Sergeant Esguerra Ave. near Tomas Morato, South Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City
Karsa
Karsa is a restaurant situated in Las Piñas that serves classic Filipino food. One of the crowning jewels of our cuisine is breakfast, and Karsa has everything from daing na bangus to homemade corned beef, chorizo, hotdogs, tapa, and more. They also have staples like kaldereta, chili beef bowls, pork sisig, pork belly, and more. As for dessert, we recommend trying their original vanilla pudding.
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4 Elegant Homes, JB Tan St, BF Resort Vill, Las Piñas, Talon Dos, Las Piñas, Metro Manila
Yume no Aji
In the busy streets of Quezon City lies Yume No Aji, a Japanese-inspired restaurant that serves classic and not-so-familiar dishes. For one, their agedashi tofu is an appetizer with deep-fried tofu drizzled with sauce. We also like their satsuma-age, a fishcake marinated and grilled to perfection. Of course, they also have familiars like the ebi tempura, seafood kakiage, and sushi.
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G/F , 91 Xavierville Ave, Nuevo Uno Commercial Bldg, Xavierville, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Chef Laudico Ok Cafe
Snuggled inside Renaissance Tower in Ortias is Chef Laudico Ok Cafe, a bakery that serves an all-day breakfast consisting of Angus corned beef, daing na bangus silog, omelets, and more. However, your visit to Laudico isn’t complete without trying their best sellers like kare kare, lechon kawali, binagoongan, and adobo fried rice. Laudico also serves party trays of fish, beef, pork, and chicken dishes.
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G/F, Meralco Ave , Renaissance Tower Condominium, Pasig, Ortigas Center, Pasig, Metro Manila
Under the Balete
Are you looking for a pet-friendly establishment on West Ave? Then Under the Balete is for you. Their appetizers are all flavorful, as Under the Balete uses fresh ingredients for dishes like Asian chicken salad, Caesar salad, and seafood chowder. For their entrees, we recommend trying their tailgate ribs, bone-in pork chop, as well as chicken and waffles. Lastly, dessert is up to you, but you can’t go wrong with their bread pudding.
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Lot 4 BW West Ave, West Ave, Paltok, Quezon City, Metro Manila
My Country House
Tagaytay is littered with amazing food spots, but My Country House is among the few worth returning to. Breakfast in Tagaytay hits different, especially with My Country House’s breakfast menu consisting of Filipino classics, avocado toast, eggs benedict, and a protein flavor called “The Champion.” Of course, soup is also a must-have in Tagaytay, so we recommend trying their lobster and seafood bisque.
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115 Pulong Sagingan St, Tagaytay, Maitim II West, Tagaytay, Cavite
ToriTori Kushiyaki Snack Bar
ToriTori Kushiyaki is a snack bar in San Juan that serves Japanese-inspired skewers. Their Kushiyaki menu has familiar proteins like chicken skin/wings and exotic parts like chicken heart. And if you’re not feeling adventurous, we recommend trying rice bowls like oyakodon, gyudon, and katsudon. You can get all these with different types of rice like bacon and egg rice or beef teriyaki rice.
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197 Wilson St, San Juan, Sta Lucia, San Juan, Metro Manila
Hing Chun Tea House
Are you craving authentic Chinese food in Quezon City? Then, Hing Cun Tea House is for you. They have a ton of Chinese dishes, including familiar ones like pork siomai, shark fin dumplings, and siopao. Their kung pao beef boasts a savory and sweet marriage elevated by the mild spicy kick and rounded off by the nutty flavor of peanuts. On the other hand, their Szechuan chicken has a unique flavor profile that’s spicy, savory, and sweet.
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86 Malakas St, Quezon City, Pinyahan, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Timpla
Located in Marikina, Timpla is a quaint restaurant with mouth-watering, elevated Filipino dishes. Their rice meals come with a sweet house blend iced tea, with choices of dinakdakan, sisig, kilawin, pares, and more. They also have chicken wings with flavors such as sweet and spicy, garlic mayo, and salted egg, among others.
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73 Mayor Gil Fernando Ave, Marikina, San Roque, Marikina, Metro Manila
The Smokery
Pampanga is starting to get praised as a culinary powerhouse, and it’s not a surprise since they have food trucks like The Smokery. This truck is home to a jaw-dropping Western plate with chicken tomato barbecue, garlic bread, smoked candies, sausages, potato salad, and dips. The Smokery also boasts a flavorful pares burrito, the popular street food wrapped in a flour tortilla.
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A Lim St, Pampanga, Cutcut, Angeles, Pampanga
Al Jograts Persian Grill
Al Jograts is a Persian grill with branches in Maginhawa and Manila that serve Persian cuisine, including familiar ones like shawarma and kebab wraps, which you can get with rice instead. We also recommend trying their curry specials, as the flavors differ from our sweet curry dishes. For dessert, Al Jograts has yogurt shakes that come in mango, banana, strawberry, or plain.
Comida China de Manila
Binondo is home to a variety of restaurants that offer traditional cuisine. One of which is Comida China de Manila, serving classics like camaron rebosado con jamon, ampalaya con carne, pinsec frito, and more. And if you’re not in the mood for something different, Comida serves familiar dishes like yang chow fried rice, pata tim, beef curry, and fried chicken. But for those looking for some kick, check out their mapo tofu.
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G/F, Eulogio Rodriguez Jr Ave cor Calle Industria, S&R Libis-Bagumbayan, Bagumbayan, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Pranjetto Bar & Restaurant
Situated in Antipolo and Tanay, Pranjetto Bar and Restaurant is perfect for those looking to unwind. This resto-bar serves Filipino favorites like tapsilog, porksilog, and baconsilog, as well as familiar street foods such as calamari, cheese sticks, and more. Pranjetto is also known for delicacies like fried itik. But if you want something comforting, you can never go wrong with their bulalo.
Persia Grill
Persia Grill is a restaurant that serves authentic Persian and Mediterranean dishes in Makati. If you’re unsure what to get, it’s best to check out their best-sellers, like their chicken barbecue served with java rice and salad or their boneless bangus served with the same side dishes. Additionally, your visit to Persia Grill is incomplete if you didn’t try their spicy herb beef kebab stick or chicken tandoori barbecue.
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