LIST: The Restaurant Openings We're Most Excited About This 2026

(SPOT.ph) Busy as local F&B already has been these past couple of years, it seems there’s no slowing down for the industry this 2026. Not with the many more promising spots that have opened this January, or that are set to debut in the coming months. These are mighty exciting times for those of us who love to eat—and you'll want to update your lists with these recently birthed or upcoming concepts and establishments.

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Chefs Keith Patrick Curitana of Los Tacos and Ralph Sy of Goods From Scratch take on the deceptively simple art of roast chicken at Pluck, which opened January 9 on Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong. The menu is comprised of shareable plates, central to which is their rotisserie chicken marinated in koji and served with charred cabbage leaves, chimichurri and chicken jus. Others to look forward to are the house-made flatbread with bonito butter; the radish-potato cake with nduja salsa; the onion tart with blue cheese; a burnt-honey panna cotta dessert; and more. They’re also home to a full beverage program courtesy of Toka Wine’s Butz Tenchavez.

Pluck is at NBS Park, 125 Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City. For more information, check out Pluck's Instagram page.

The team behind Poblacion’s Bibio take on the BGC crowd with June Eatery, which is set to open in Burgos Circle in February. Akin to a European-style bistro, June will be serving up plates that are “fresh and vibrant,” highlighting seasonal produce and artisanal food products from selected suppliers. Behind their menu is Kier Ibañez, former chef-in-residence at Bibio who grew up in Cebu and moved to New Zealand, where he heads his own pop-up venture called Long Table. Expect an eclectic selection of dishes—think brunch specials, coffee, and pastries available during the day; and bigger plates for sharing in the evening, along with a beverage program centered on natural wines and cocktails.

For more information, check out June Eatery's Instagram page.

From Chef Takuto Kato of Cavite's Yakitori Ao Chan by Suijin comes Birdjovi, a yakitori spot slated to open by the end of January on the ground floor of Comuna, Makati. It’ll be home to a short but sweet lineup with just 13 dishes in total: two small plates; nine kinds of yakitori; one ramen bowl; and one dessert. The menu’s simplicity aside, you can expect nothing less than the best, as Kato (a Nagoya native himself) is known for his mastery of the Japanese grill.

For more information, check out Birdjovi's Instagram page.

Missing the modern comforts of the now-closed Elbert’s Collective? Find your favorites and more at Harry’s Bistro, a soon-to-open restaurant by veteran restaurateur Elbert Cuenca and Chef Adrian Cuenca. As of writing the exact menu remains to be a work in progress, but you can expect cocktails, small plates (including croquetas, gambas, pork ears, steak tartare, and an intriguing scallop-Iberico XO), and bigger dishes from the now-closed Collective (they’ll have most of the menu minus the pizza and sandwiches), among others. Harry’s Bistro will be opening on Bolanos Street, Legazpi Village sometime in February.

For more information, check out Harry's Bistro's Instagram page.

It’s hard to go wrong with Mantra Bistro for North Indian classics. Their new venture Agni—named after the Sanskrit word for fire—serves more modern interpretations of regional Indian fare, paired with cocktails that incorporate the cuisine’s defining flavors in fun ways. Where possible, Agni uses organic produce and makes as many components from scratch, including their breads and the masala that flavors their roasts and curries. Some specials to look out for are the butter-poached lobster in a Charu-style mango reduction; the melt-in-the-mouth beef galouti kebab over ulta tawa ka paratha; the smoked butter chicken, named so for their use of smoked cashew nuts for the gravy; and the lamb shank nihari with meat so tender you can cut into it with a spoon.

Agni by Mantra is at Comuna, 238 P. Ocampo Senior Extension, Makati City. For more information, check out Agni by Mantra's Instagram page.

The Forefront Fine Dining Group (a.k.a. the guys behind BGC’s Taupe Dining) hinted at upcoming openings last year. They’re pushing through with said plans this 2026, though the proposed concepts have since been renamed and now take after color motifs. What was initially called Alon is now Cerulean, an ocean-themed concept spotlighting local seafood and Asian flavors by Chef Francis Tolentino. Expect à la carte plates and a seasonal tasting menu, plus a stunning space to go with it: the group is partnering up with EC Studio Manila for the interior design, Vito Selma for the interior styling, and Kevala ceramics for the tableware. Cerulean is slated to open around the end of February to the first week of March, at The Shoppes at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati.

For more information, check out Cerulean's Instagram page.

The familiarity of Filipino flavors meet the diverse and dynamic energy of the Big Apple at Onyx (formerly Union), the next concept up the Forefront Fine Dining Group’s sleeves. It’s described to be a “high-end, high-energy” Filipino x New York dining concept that’s sleek and stylish yet full of soul, set to open along Bonifacio High Street sometime in Q2. For the food side of things, Chef Francis Tolentino is partnering up with celebrity chef Jordan Andino, who worked at top kitchens in the U.S.: The French Laundry, Jean-Georges, and Spago, among others. Some gems to look forward to on the menu are a burnt coconut tuna soup; golden-brown potato pavé topped with Wagyu and caviar; and a “Fried Chicken Feast.”

For more information, check out Onyx's Instagram page.

Last but not the least, the Forefront group will be opening a more casual Taupe Dining in Rockwell—similar to their previous Balmori Suites pop-ups, but permanently open this time around. They’ll be serving à la carte dishes with the same union of Filipino playfuless and refinement they’ve come to be known for, yet again by Chef Francis. For the interiors, they’re collaborating with Studio Ong, who’s also done the design for restaurants like Iai and Inato. Taupe’s Rockwell outpost is slated to open in Q4, at Edades West.

For more information, check out Taupe Dining's Instagram page.

From the team behind Al Dente Pasta Bar comes Moderna, opening this February at BGC’s Uptown Parade. Chef Donatella Montrone describes the food here as his interpretation of Italian cuisine—an interpretation that’s “shaped by my roots and refined through ten years in Filipino gastronomy.” The food is Italian at heart particularly in “technique, structure, and clarity,” but with Filipino ingredients, climate, and sensibilities in mind. Rather than falling under fusion cuisine, Moderna’s food can be thought of as the natural result of Montrone’s lived experience.

For more information, check out Moderna's Instagram page.

We’ve seen the Senshin Hospitality Group’s great hand at modern Japanese through their existing concepts Inari Sukiyaki, Katsudonya Saiko, Ginza Gyu. This year, the restaurant group owned by Rich and Maxine Sanz is opening Gyudonya—a more upscale concept highlighting “ingredient-driven” gyudon and steak-forward rice bowls using premium beef cuts. Gyudonya will be opening at MITSUKOSHI BGC in March.

Liyab has been the talk of foodie town in recent weeks, but Chef Charles Montañez and the KGA Group are far from done. Opening in April is Anomaly, the Liyab sibling and VIP lounge located on the same floor as the restaurant. The space, which is comprised of an indoor and outdoor lounge, a bar area, a rooftop terrace, and two private dining areas, can accommodate around 150 diners or a 250- to 300-strong standing crowd. They’ll be serving proper sit-down food available for à la carte orders, and cocktails.

For more information, check out Anomaly's Instagram page.

Opening on Pasay Road this year is Hinoki, a Japanese restaurant by Chef Yusuke Hino. Hino is best known for heading Inagiku and Senju, the Japanese restaurants of Makati and EDSA Shangri-La respectively.

It’s going to be a busy year full of openings for The Bistro Group as they’ve got 40 (!) restaurant openings in the pipeline for the year of 2026. Of these is a new concept by Chef Josh Boutwood that’s currently in the works. They’ll also be expanding their reach with new branches of their existing brands: Siklab (a whopping nine new stores!), Italianni’s, TGIFridays, Texas Roadhouse, Krazy Garlik, Denny’s, Modern Shang, Fogo de Chão, and Longhorn Steakhouse. The Bistro Group will also be opening free-standing locations with longer operating hours, and branches with function rooms and their own parking areas. You’ll also be seeing their restaurants in SM La Union.

The Tasteless Food Group looks to be on a roll this year with openings of new concepts and full-fledged restaurants. There’s Mono Beef Bar, for starters, a stall set to open in March at The Grid, Rockwell. As you might infer from the name, beef is the star here—different cuts and treatments of the meat at that, by Chef Patrick Go of Your Local and Lazy Suzy.

Heads up, folks in the North: the Tasteless Food Group will be opening Lah Lah Lah, a concept within Opus Mall’s Epic Eats food hall specializing in Singaporean comforts by The Underbelly’s Chef Noel Mauricio. Like Mono Beef Bar, this is set to open in March.

Long-time Japanese faves take surprise turns at Naisu, a soon-to-open café from the Tasteless Food Group with food by Chef Noel Mauricio and Chef Jackson Chua (both of The Underbelly fame). This is opening sometime in the year at ⁠⁠Park McKinley West, Taguig.

Chefs Chele Gonzales, Carlos Villaflor, and the Tasteless Food Group will be joining forces at Nowhere Else, described as a neighborhood restaurant café where Filipino, Asian, and Western comforts come together. This will be opening at Uptown Mall, Taguig sometime in the year.

Manila’s coffee heads continue to be more and more discerning about their cups of joe. With that, the Tasteless Food Group brings in Kurasu, a ⁠specialty coffee brand from Kyoto, Japan known for their coffee equipment and beans of different origins. The Manila outpost will be opening in Legazpi Village sometime in the year.

Another coffee brand the Tasteless Food Group is bringing is 2050 Coffee, a Kurasu offshoot named so for its goal of addressing the “2050 problem”—that is, the prediction that coffee at the price and quality available today would be difficult to obtain by the year 2050. The brand champions farmers and offers coffee beans obtained through sustainable farming methods. The Philippine outpost will be opening at the Molito Lifestyle Center, Alabang sometime in the year.

Seva Dining brought effortless-elegant plates with global spins to the San Juan scene when it opened in 2024. They'll be expanding on the beverage side of things at Sala by Seva, a cocktail bar that’s part of the new extension area of the restaurant, located on the same floor. Consider it a lounge-style space for hanging out in, with low seating, easy-nosh bites, and of course, a selection of cocktails that Seva’s Neil Dy describes to be “inspired by what our guests have been asking for.” Sala by Seva opens on January 17.

For more information, check out Seva's Instagram page.

UPDATED (January 13, 2:27 p.m.): Anomaly and The Bistro Group restaurants have been added to the list.
UPDATED (January 19, 10:57 a.m.): Hinoki and Gyudonya have been added to the list.