Places to eat in Manila

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This restaurant cum tea house is a landmark at the binondo area and is the most popular and sought after restaurant of Local Filipino-Chinese and Filipinos Alike. It offers classic Cantonese Cuisine.

Opens from 6:30 am - 10:00 pm

Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:30 am - 10:00 pm

Favorite Dish: the assorted dimsums and dumplings

As with most malls in Manila there is a food court on the 3rd floor with perhaps 25 stalls to choose from, most of them will have photos of the various dishes they offer. Normally you can eat for 100 pesos. There are also many other restaurants nearby and especially the ground floor. All the fast food hamburger joints are represented there.

If you are feeling hungry at terminal 3 don't go through the security to the waiting area as the restaurant/cafes there are very expensive. Go upstairs above the departure check-in area and you will find a selection of popular chain restaurants where you can eat at normal prices, such as Jollibee, One of the donut outlets, and many others.

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Very delicious and budget meals of well known Chinese foods, Chaofan Fried Rice, Noodle Soups, Pancit Canton w Shrimps, Lauriat etc .... I suggest u grab the menus as drinks might be included as free, or less price on desserts etc ....

I like that there r many branches all over Philippines, and food is always fresh prepared as u order, and also on "open kitchen" style mostly, sothat u can see as they prepare ur food ...

At the cashier u make ur orders and then u r given a number, as u get ur table as u wish, ur food will be served in ca. 5 mins .... So, thats a mix of selfservice and dine to table ...

Very recommendable restaurant, also they serve breakfast in case u r an early bird ... :)

Favorite Dish: Pancit Canton,
Beef Noodle Soup,
and Buchi Lotus as Dessert ...

Definitely one of the best options in Philippines to eat BBQ Chicken ... :)

Thats a very favourite restaurant of mine which I strongly recommend, rice wrapped in banana leaves and chicken on bamboo sticks or as part in menu grilled ... In case u wanna have a change, also fish and several add on's r available .... And the best is to do as the locals do, eat w ur hands ....

Even some menus r w unlimited rice, good option to get totally full in case u r short on ur budget ...

Several branches all over Philippines ...

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One of my most favorite places in Manila .... :)

Always ice cold drinks, many sorts of dishes, burgers, fish chips, salads, soups, also several local food to taste ...

Padi's Point has several branches thruout Philippines, this one is located at Quezon City in Manila, at Skygarden, where restaurants, bars etc find place next to the giant SM North Edsa Shopping Mall ... On weekdays 12noon till 20pm and on weekends 12 noon till 18pm Happy Hour Promo time, where u can have bundle of beers and drinks for a lesser prices ...

Every Night live music, perfect singers, and fun .. The place is two storey, where the lower floor is located on the connection way from main SM Mall to Annex part of the Mall .... And the upper area which u can reach w stairs has more tables to seat at open air ... Also an indoor area is available, which is mostly pre-reserved and occupied w groups of birthdays, gatherings etc ...

Very recommendable place to enjoy ....

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In January 2012, a number of VT members gathered in Manila for a pre-meet to the Big Boracay meet. Both events were hugely successful and great fun, but the casual visitor to Virtual Tourist probably does not need to know that so I shall confine myself to an objective report here. For any VT members, I shall construct a travelogue on my Manila page.

Barbara's is a part of the White Knight hotel within the Intramuros area and the first impression is that of an old Spanish building. Given the number of earthquakes that have ravaged the city over the years, I am not sure if it is original or not, but if it is a facsimile, it is very well done. There are shady courtyards with plants climbing the walls, whitewashed buildings and very fine old wooden staircases. The staff were extremely well-presented and very courteous. We were shown to our tables and ordered drinks whilst a rather good pianist serenaded us on a baby grand.

Drinks served, we were invited to visit the buffet, which was beautifully laid out. The starter was a local soup with small dumplings in it, and very tasty. The main course was an excellent selection of meat adobo, chicken and fried fish accompanied by the usual rice or noodles. Having not been long in town, a little of all the meats was called for, and you can see the result in the images. On now to the dessert and the ubiquitous assorted jellies which were delicious. I am not normally a sweets person but I am rapidly developing a liking for these things

During the meal, the pianist took a well deserved break and yielded the floor to the band, resplendent in Spanish style costumes. Maybe it is just me getting old, I thought they all looked remarkably young but they certainly did not exhibit it in their playing, which was note perfect and obviously played with a degree of enthusiasm.

After we had finished dining, the dancers took to the floor, and they were excellent. First off were a series of Spanish style dances reflecting the nation's long nvolvement in the region. I am not much of a dancer and don't relly know my foxtrot from my fandango so I can't tell you what they were but they seemed well-done to my untutored eye. Next came a series of regional dances, some involving flag waving and use of various props. The one that really impressed me was when three young ladies danced around with a full wine glass in each hand and, remarkably, another one balanced on top of their head. They were pirouetting at a rate of knots and never spilt a drop. I think they should come and work as barmaids in my local pub!

The climax of the evening was what I call the "broken ankle" dance. I remember years ago seeing this on a TV documentary and it fascinated me. It is difficult to describe adequately although the image of some brave visitors having a go may give some idea. Basically, two dancers kneel and hold two long and rather stout bamboo poles on the ground. They bang them twice on the ground and then raise them and bring them smartly together. Other dancers jump in and ut of the sticks, hopefully getting out before they are cracked together, hence my name for the dance. It is like full-contact jump rope. I could not believe the speeds they achieved, it was very skillful. As I mentioned, they then asked for volunteers and a few brave souls had a go including the usual VT suspects. After a brief photocall where you could get a picture with the dancers, that concluded a very enjoyable evening.

I was surprised to at how reasonable it was. You can have the lunch buffet here for 395 pesos (just less than £7) although this is only music with no dancing. The evening entertainment as described is 495 pesos (about £8). I thought this was excellent value for the centre of Manila with a full cultural show and unlimited buffet. Drinks are not included. I thoroughly recommend this experience.

Favorite Dish: The entire buffet was excellent and I particularly enjoyed the fried fish.

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It is somewhat of a leap of faith to describe this place as a restaurant but it serves food 24 hours a day and that is good enough for me. It is effectively a small burger place with about three seats in the market area of Aurora Boulevard in the North of the city.

I am not sure if this is part of a chain or a one off but it is very welcome if you are wending your weary way home late at night. I can even recite you the entire menu - beefburger, cheeseburger or egg sandwich, that's it. All these are tasty enough and run at under 30 pesos each. There is also a good selection of hot and cold drinks including, to my delight, root beer which I absolutely love but have great difficulty finding in the UK.

OK, so it is not Michelin starred dining but it is clean and it is good enough for me.

Favorite Dish: I have sampled the entire menu here as described but the egg sandwiches are particularly good.