SPOT.ph's 50 Great Restaurants—What You Need to Know

(SPOT.ph) Restaurants are a fixture of the city, and every year, we see a number of new players enter and bring a different color to the local dining scene. Some in particular are left tattooed on our minds long after we’ve finished our last forkful. It’s for that reason that we put out the SPOT.ph 50 Great Restaurants list year in and year out (since 2013!): we want to express our gratitude to the chefs and establishments for the flavors and experiences they've come up with, that moved us, made us think, lifted our spirits.  And by sharing this list to you, our readers, we're thinking you might follow our lead, try these spots, and perhaps be moved too. 

Also read: 
The SPOT.ph 50 Great Restaurants of 2023: Best of Manila and Beyond
Best of Manila + More: 50 Great Restaurants of 2022  
Best of Manila: 50 Great Restaurants of 2021 

50 Great Restaurants 2024 is coming out soon

It's that time of the year again when, like Santa, we put together a list but of the year's best in the Philippine dining scene. We do celebrate great restaurants the whole year round, but come December, we get to relive those glorious moments of tasting an excellent dish from an upcoming or veteran chef in a newly opened establishment. What do we think about when we put together each year's list?

We think about a restaurant's core purpose, yes, which is basically to serve customers food and drinks, but for those of us who find great pleasure in dining out, restaurants are really more than that. They’re a hub for gatherings, a place to unwind, an escape from the real world—in the company of great flavors. Restaurants are businesses, yes, but they're a reflection as well of the heart and soul of its chefs, owners, and the community they serve and uphold.

We think about a criteria, too, but we also know that what makes a dining spot great isn't easily reducible to quantifiable terms. We also don't believe in comparing restaurants with one another—apples versus oranges versus grapes, you get the idea. But mostly we have points that we keep in mind in curating the 50 Best Restaurants list.

Good food is obviously a must; whatever the cuisine or genre a restaurant specializes in, it has to know what its doing and it should be doing it with conviction, by using quality ingredients relative to the intended dish and price point, and delivering flavors that either offer pleasure or provoke the mind—or both.

Service is another point we consider. We’re not asking to be spoiled but food tastes much better when you're at a place where you know you’re welcomed, you're graciously attended to, and you feel your presence is appreciated. Plus points for interiors that excite; restaurants can be a way to showcase local design talents, and eye-catching visuals add a whole other dimension to the dining experience. Add a compelling story to the mix—be it from the origins of certain dishes or ingredients, the roots of the cuisine, or the chef’s relationship to his food—and you’ve got a truly special establishment.

Manila’s food scene is beautifully diverse—and to reflect that, SPOT does its best to cover a range of genres, locales (including regional spots worth the drive or the plane ticket), and price points. We discover hidden gems and try out the stuff people are talking about. After all, the 50 Great Restaurants is as much a list of spots to visit as it is a celebration of the dining zeitgeist.

As of this writing, we're making last minute changes, adding names here and replacing names there, while looking back fondly at a very exciting year in dining. Check up on us again come December 1st when we reveal SPOT.ph’s 50 Great Restaurants of 2024.

Also read: 
The SPOT.ph 50 Great Finds of 2024