10 Restaurants in Manila Open for a Cheery Christmas Celebration

(SPOT.ph) You’ve hustled hard amid the holiday rush, and Christmas is just a couple of days away. Traditionally you’d be dining at home with a whole spread prepared by (and enjoyed with) the family—but in this day and age, there’s no reason you can’t use the occasion as a reason to head out and check out the many great restos in the city. If you're looking for spots that will remain open through the holidays in case home just isn't where it's at, we round them up for you. In this list are 10 spots open on December 24th and/or 25th; some even have limited-edition specials cooked up in time for the holidays.

Also read: 10 Dining Spots to Hit Up for Your Upcoming Christmas Reunions

Some of the best restaurants in Manila will be open for Christmas:

Tatatito

Filipino food is pretty much a fail-safe come Christmas time, especially when you’re with family. Trust Tatatito to deliver on those classic flavors, in an easy-breezy setting. The Legazpi Village spot is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 24th and 12 to 8 p.m. on the 25th. Apart from their winning Crab Palabok and Roast Bistek Tagalog, their holiday specials—which include the likes of the Crab Relyeno (P580/regular, P960/good for three to four) and Buco Pies (P250/single, P980/box of four)—are also worth sampling. Give them a call at 0917-862-4000.

Tatatito is at OPL Building, Carlos Palanca Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. For more information, check out Tatatito’s Facebook page.

Metronome

Up for a modern-French expedition? Metronome’s fashioned a special set lunch (P5,500) and dinner (P8,500) menu for the season, both available at their respective time slots on the 24th. Featured on both sets are courses of the likes of Bresse chicken (the coveted French chicken considered to be some of the best in the world!), Artichoke (with an artichoke ragout and Tyrolean bacon), and Gateau au Gingembre (a dessert with the flavors of ginger, dates, and mulled wine). Give their hotline a ring at 0917-147-3776 to make a reservation.

Metronome is at G/F The Grand Midori, 160 Bolanos Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. For more information, check out Metronome’s Facebook page.

Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar, Samba, and High Street Café

These resident dining spots of Shangri-La The Fort will be open on the 24th and 25th, with their own respective specials. Hit up Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar if you’re up for a meat fest, as they’ve got a Christmas set menu (P5,450 net/person) of premium meat and seafood cooked over the Josper grill; for a Peruvian fiesta, troop over to Samba and try Chef Carlo Huerta’s holiday lunch and dinner set menu (P3,750 net/person). And if it’s variety you crave, High Street Café is the place to go. Don’t miss their Christmas eve and Christmas day dinner buffets (P3,900 net/person) on the 24th and 25th; their Noche Buena spread (P2,700 net/person) on the 24th; or their Christmas day lunch buffet (P3,900 net/person) on the 25th. Give the hotel a call at 0917-536-3287 or email eats.slfm@shangri-la.com to reserve your tables.

Shangri-La The Fort is at 30th Street corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City. For more information, check out Shangri-La The Fort, Manila’s Facebook page.

Tomatito

Maybe your idea of holiday cheer involves feisty flavors and a chic, party-ready ambience to boot. You can count on “sexy tapas bar” Tomatito to deliver on both aspects, and they’re open from 12 to 9 p.m. on the 24th and 25th! Tried-and-tested faves include the IG-famous Salmon TNT (P740) and Paella Cochinillo (P1,995); also worth ordering up are their holiday specials of Roast Beef (P2,195) and Pescado al Horno (P3,955) a.k.a. baked lapu-lapu. Call them up at 0915-588-4803 to reserve.

Tomatito is at 30th Street corner 11th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Bonifacio Global City. For more information, check out Tomatito Manila’s Facebook page.

Spiral

You’re in for a flavor (and possibly food coma)-filled ride pretty much any time of the year at Sofitel’s resident buffet Spiral. But it’s especially fun to drop by come the holidays as they bring out big guns of the likes of Beef Wellington Royal, Luxury Seafood on Ice, Tomahawk Steak, Turkey, and Glazed Leg of Ham. Catch their Christmas spread for dinner on December 24 (P6,900 net/person with free-flowing wine, champagne, and more) and for brunch on December 25 (P6,600 net/person, P6,500 net/person with free-flowing wine, champagne, and more). You can reach out to their hotline at 8832-6988 to save your seats.

Spiral Buffet is at Sofitel Manila, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. For more information, visit Spiral Manila's Facebook page.

The Grid Food Market

It can be challenging to decide on just one restaurant that’ll please if you’re dining with a group of friends or family with varied interests. Enter food halls, like The Grid Food Market and its stalls covering a wide range of cuisines or genres. They’ve got everything from Southeast-Asian staples from Babu and Flower Boy, to Chinese eats from White Flower Tea House and Pilya’s Kitchen, to Umami Fried Chicken from Bad Bird, to spunky tacos from La Chinesca, to good ol’ burgers and steaks at Beefier, and more. The Grid will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the 24th and 12 to 9 p.m. on the 25th; you know what to do.

The Grid Food Market is at 2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City. For more information, check out The Grid Food Market's Facebook page.

Gloria Maris Greenhills

Christmas-day hakaw or Peking duck, anyone? Gloria Maris is an institution that’ll please everyone from your lolo and lola to your five-year-old nieces and nephews. They’ll be open between 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the 24th and the 25th; save your tables by calling 8570-0921.

Gloria Maris Greenhills is at Missouri Street, Greenhills, San Juan City. For more information, check out Gloria Maris Restaurant Greenhills’ Facebook page.

Tapenade

Discovery Primea’s Tapenade restaurant dishes out Mediterranean eats all year ‘round. On the 24th they’ll be having a dinnerbuffet spread (P5,000 net/person) with everything from antipasti to brick-oven pizza to meaty eats (Osso Bucco and USDA Prime Rib Roast, anyone?) and more. Come December 25 dinner (P5,000 net/person), the buffet will also have baked rice dishes, Lamb Navarin, and a hearty Seafood Bouillabaisse. Give them a ring by calling 7955-8888.

Tapenade is at Discovery Primea, 6749 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. For more information, check out Discovery Primea’s Facebook page.

Blackbird

Dining out with your special someone? Well worth considering is Ayala Triangle’s famous Blackbird, what with its subdued elegance and topnotch continental-Asian eats by Chef Colin McKay. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the 24th, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the 25th. Take your pick from their ala-carte fan faves, some of the author’s top picks being the Twice Cooked Beef Short Ribs, Sweet Fish Sauce, Hot and Sour Salad (P980); Prawn Scotch Eggs, Betel Leaves, and Coconut Chili Sambal (P320); and the Spiced Lamb Chops, Potato Masala, Spinach and Tomato Dahl, Basmati Rice, and Papadum (P2,080). Give them a call at 8828-4888 for reservations.

Blackbird is at Nielson Tower, Ayala Triangle, Makati City. For more information, check out Blackbird at the Nielson Tower’s Facebook page.

Kazunori

Japanese might not be the first cuisine that comes to mind for Christmas (the occasion having Western roots and all), but there’s really no reason you can’t go for it this time of the year. For exceptional renditions in Manila, Kazunori is a reliable—everything from their sashimi to their donburi to their noodles and more features great-quality ingredients from the Land of the Rising Sun. They’ll be open for dinner on the 24th and the 25th; go for the first seating from 6 to 7:45 p.m., or the second seating from 8 to 9:45 p.m.

Kazunori is at 2301 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. For more information, check out Kazunori Japanese Restaurant / Kazu Cafe’s Facebook page.

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