Manila guide · Where to eat
Places to eat in Manila, with what to order and how comfortable each is for families and older travellers.
Updated
Filipino food in Manila leans heavily on pork, chicken and seafood, and fish sauce and shrimp paste are common seasonings even in dishes that look vegetable-based, so strict vegetarians and Jain travellers should plan carefully. Binondo's Chinese-Filipino restaurants and the food stalls of Ongpin Street are the city's best-known eating district, but menus there are meat and seafood led. Vegetarian and Jain dining is limited rather than absent. Little India Healthy Cuisine in Quezon City is the clearest all-vegetarian Indian option we could verify, with a satvik, onion-and-garlic-free approach described by its owner. Desi Palace in Bel-Air, Makati, is described as a vegetarian Indian restaurant, and New Bombay in Ermita is an Indian restaurant that also serves meat. Most are across the wider Metro Manila area, not in the old walled city, so group meals with sights and book a car. Ask hotels about Indian meal arrangements, carry dry snacks for long sightseeing days, and always confirm ingredients, since dishes may contain egg, fish sauce or shrimp paste.
Menus and kitchens change. If you follow a strict diet or have an allergy, confirm with the restaurant before you order.
Banawe Avenue corner Del Monte Avenue, Quezon City
A vegetarian restaurant on Banawe Avenue in Quezon City that offers meatless takes on Chinese-Filipino dishes such as asado and sweet and sour.
Remedios Circle, Malate
A Malate cafe on Remedios Circle, opened in 1979 per Wikipedia, with Filipino dishes such as spareribs adobo and pancit palabok and a Spanish-style hot chocolate. Mixed menu.
Ongpin and Yuchengco corner, Binondo
A restaurant at the corner of Ongpin and Yuchengco streets in Binondo, listed by Coconuts since the 1940s for kiampong rice, xibut soup and go kong. A meat-led menu.
Jupiter Street, Bel-Air, Makati
A long-running vegetarian cafe in Bel-Air, Makati, listed with vegan and vegetarian options and a menu spanning Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and European dishes. Also has a Powerplant Mall branch.
P. Guanzon Street, Poblacion, Makati
A fully vegan restaurant in Poblacion, Makati, reworking Filipino comfort dishes such as sisig and kare-kare with plant-based ingredients. Colourful murals and moody lighting.
G/F Lerato, 3 Malugay Street, Bel-Air, Makati
A vegetarian Indian restaurant in Bel-Air, Makati, with chaat, South Indian dishes, Indo-Chinese food and vegan options.
Brixton Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig
A vegetarian restaurant in Kapitolyo, Pasig, behind Pioneer Supermarket, serving arugula salad, burritos and vegan ice cream.
Ongpin Street, Binondo
The flagship of a well-known Binondo bakery at 628 Ongpin Street, listed for hopia, tikoy and mooncakes, with a Great Buddha Cafe inside. Good for snacks and gifts rather than a full meal.
P. Burgos Street, Poblacion, Makati
A Middle Eastern cafe on P. Burgos Street in Makati known for falafel pita and hummus, with a few clearly marked vegan dishes.
Ilang Ilang Street, San Nicolas
A restaurant on Ilang Ilang Street in San Nicolas, Manila, listed by Coconuts for lomi, stuffed fried shrimp, rice-wine spare ribs and fried gabi. Seafood and pork led.
General Luna Street, Intramuros
A Filipino-Spanish restaurant at 744 General Luna Street in Intramuros, listed since 1989 for rellenong bangus, paella and other traditional dishes. Convenient between the walled-city sights.
The Collective, Malugay Street, San Antonio Village, Makati
A vegan cafe in The Collective, San Antonio Village, Makati, that rebuilds Filipino comfort dishes such as sisig and longanisa from plant ingredients.
One Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Described by Tatler Asia as the Philippines' first Indian restaurant, now with a flagship on Level 3 of One Bonifacio High Street. A mixed vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu with a plant-based section.
Teachers Village West, Malingap Street, Diliman, Quezon City
A small vegetarian Indian restaurant in Quezon City, described by its owner as satvik, with clearly marked vegan items.
Malakas Street, Diliman, Quezon City
A Quezon City eatery on Malakas Street in Diliman, listed since 1949 for palabok and its Special Halo-Halo. A casual stop in Metro Manila, away from the old city.
Ayala Triangle, Makati
Makati branch of a Filipino restaurant that puts playful twists on classics such as ube champorado and watermelon sinigang. Meat-led menu; check vegetarian options before you go.
Ground floor, Grand Midori, 7 Bolanos Street, Legaspi Village, Makati
An Indian restaurant in Legaspi Village, Makati, with clearly marked vegan dishes beside meat and vegetarian ones. Known for its curries and biryani.
Benavidez Street, Binondo
A Binondo noodle shop on Benavidez Street listed for mami, siopao and asado sauce, with Wikivoyage noting 7am to 10pm opening. Meat-led comfort food, reportedly one of Binondo's older eateries.
Antonio Arnaiz Avenue, Makati
A Makati cafe on Antonio Arnaiz Avenue known for halo-halo with homemade ube ice cream, plus Filipino mains such as kare-kare. Mixed menu with desserts that suit a family break.
The City Flats Amorsolo, corner Dela Rosa Street, Legaspi Village, Makati
A casual Makati cafe mixing Filipino and Indian dishes, open from breakfast. Chana chaat and masala chai are the dishes reviewers mention.
4/F Robinsons Place Manila, Pedro Gil corner Adriatico Street, Ermita
An Indian restaurant at Robinsons Place Manila in Ermita, close to the tourist belt; it serves meat but has vegetarian options.
Ongpin Street, Santa Cruz side of Binondo
A Chinese-Filipino eatery at 926 Ongpin Street, listed since 1940 for maki-mi, siomai, machang and chami. Meat-led, suited to curious eaters who do not need vegetarian food.
Ongpin Street, Binondo, Manila
A walk along Binondo's main street for Chinese-Filipino food; menus lean towards meat and seafood.
Malingap Street, Teachers Village, Diliman, Quezon City
A vegan restaurant on Malingap Street in Diliman, Quezon City, giving Filipino dishes such as arroz caldo and pinakbet a plant-based form. It also makes vegan halo-halo and leche flan.
Kings Court, Chino Roces Avenue, Legaspi Village, Makati
An Indian cafe in Legaspi Village, Makati, serving North and South Indian dishes including masala dosa, paneer butter masala and samosa.
Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati
An Indian restaurant on Level 3 of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati, listed for bold spicing, chilli paneer and tandoori chicken.
Ronquillo Street, Sta. Cruz
A Sta. Cruz panciteria listed since 1929 for fried chicken, pancit canton, sisig and kalderetang baka. Filipino-Chinese comfort food, meat-led, with value lunch sets reported.
5345 Gen. Luna Street, Poblacion, Makati
A well-reviewed Indian restaurant in Poblacion, Makati, serving curries, naan and dosa. Open very late, but it has few vegan dishes.
Retiro area, La Loma, Quezon City
A busy, round-the-clock Quezon City counter known for beef pares with garlic rice and broth. A cheap local institution; meat-led, so unsuitable for vegetarians.
62B Mother Ignacia Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
A small vegetarian restaurant on Mother Ignacia Avenue in Quezon City, run by a family that first opened it in 1990. It serves Filipino and Western dishes made with soy and vegetables.
Tomas Pinpin Street, Binondo
A long-established Chinese-Filipino restaurant on Tomas Pinpin Street in Binondo, listed for pansit canton, roast pork asado and bird's nest soup. A meat-led menu, best for those who eat non-vegetarian food.
The Alley at Karrivin, Karrivin Plaza, Chino Roces Extension, Makati
A Makati restaurant serving a set tasting menu of inventive Filipino dishes built on native ingredients. Listed by The Infatuation and Will Fly for Food; it suits adventurous, meat-and-seafood eaters.
