SPOT Out of Town: The Best Places to Eat in Antipolo

(SPOT.ph) It's not such a big surprise that when one thinks of Antipolo, one thinks of its churches. It's the Pilgrimage Capital of the Philippines, after all, and devout Catholics flock to the city to visit the famed Antipolo Cathedral, where Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage is enshrined. The second thing one might associate with Antipolo—especially in recent years—are its cafés, which, owing to the city being sprawled along the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range, offers visitors with beautiful mountainside views. Filling up your out of town itinerary with church visits and café shoots can be fun, but you'll also be missing out on what more Antipolo has to offer.

In this edition of Spot Out of Town, we're taking you on what is perhaps literally the road less traveled—particularly because where we've gone, it was less driving and more hiking. But also, we're veering away from the cafés with a view; here, we're recommending where to eat in Antipolo in case you're coming from (or going to) one of its more physically demanding activities. There are cafés where you can take a well-deserved break with suman and coffee, Antipolo restaurants that have spanned generations, and new under-the-radar food spots that are worth the drive.

For most Filipinos, nothing quite beats home-cooked meals. For the family running Cristina's Kitchen & Cafe, nothing beats their Inang Tinay’s—that is, Cristina Mariñas'—cooking. While Inang Tinay's great-grandson Chad Garcia now runs this restaurant, he has lovingly named some of the menu items after his family. Tinay’s Binagoongan (P608) is named after Cristina as it was her specialty: sweet and salty binagoongan sauce coating crispy pork belly. Eleng’s Kare-kare (P698), which was the favorite dish of Tinay’s husband Felix Mariñas (nicknamed Eleng), follows a similar style. It’s made with crispy pork belly and perfectly blanched veggies, with a thick, deliciously peanut-y sauce on the side, nicely complemented by the bagoong. 

Other favorites include the Sinigang sa Sampaloc at Gabi (P498), which features melt-in-your-mouth baby back ribs served in a sampaloc broth thickened with gabi—just how Chad’s mom serves it, and the Beef Adobo sa Gata (P550), which is Chad’s own contribution to the family menu. It’s a twist on adobo, where he uses tender beef ribs and adds coconut cream to the traditional soy-sauce-and-vinegar adobo sauce, making for an irresistible salty-sour-sweet sauce that we couldn’t get enough of. And if you’re hankering for something you don’t have to eat with rice, their Laing Creamcheese Pizza (P360) is also a must-try. It’s exactly as it says in its name, and trust us: it works. The whole menu is a love letter not just to the Mariñas family favorites, but also to Filipino cuisine; while Western twists find their way in it in the form of pizza and pasta, it remains distinctly a celebration of Filipino food.

Stepping onto the grounds of Crescent Moon Cafe feels like entering a different world—it’s whimsical, colorful, and best of all: it serves excellent food. You may know them for their pottery classes, but in the cafe part of their property, they not only sell ceramics; you can also dig into unique dishes like the Adobibe (P470), which is fork-tender duck confit cooked adobo-style, served with an addicting soy reduction and over fluffy omurice, or the Laing (P350), which is served in pani puri, transforming this beloved taro dish into a one-bite appetizer you’ll want more than just one bite of.

In true Antipolo fashion, their dessert menu also has Suman at Tsokolate (P150). The suman is soft and chewy in all the right ways, and it’s drizzled with a decadent chocolate sauce that balances out the sweetnes of the suman. Don’t sleep on the Turon (P180) and the Ube Pudding (P220) either, which are both served with ice cream on the side—the perfect cold treat to go with the hot crunchy turon or the warm, earthy ube pudding.

Bem's Burger may be a simple food truck in a food park in a parking lot, but pay close attention and you'll see people driving up to it to pick up their orders at all times of the day. Yup, they're worth all the hassles that come with driving to and from their little spot in Antipolo, and it's easy to see why especially when you order their chicken burgers, which they call Chicken Sammies. The first thing you'll notice for both is just how large the chicken fillet is that goes in the buns, but that's just the tip of the iceberg: the buns are buttery and firm and holds up the rest of the ingredients well, and the homemade burger sauces and pickles—the well-rounded Comeback Sauce and dill pickles for the Chicken Sammie (P299) and the tangier Secret Sauce with the onion-dill pickles for the Chicken Special Sammie (P299) —add delicious pops of flavor to the bite. 

If you're hankering for something beefier, their Double Cheeseburger (P439) packs the meatiest punch, neatly balanced by the cheese, dill pickles, and Secret Sauce. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Onion Burger (P339) has caramelized onions that they grill to crispy perfection, and the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger (P399) is just a big flavor explosion with their homemade barbecue sauce, ranch sauce, crispy bacon. All the burgers are served with crispy fries on the side. And speaking of fries, you also can't go wrong with their Sammie Fries (P269), which is topped with chicken tenders and drizzled with their homemade Comeback Sauce. Want the chicken but with less carbs? Go for their Chicken Tenders (P269), which is served with their Comeback Sauce.

There’s something fitting about how Anix’s House of Kare-kare is in an actual house, with wooden floors and steps that lead into a homey interior. Their menu is filled with Filipino dishes that taste like the best homemade dishes at a family reunion. However, unlike a family reunion where there's usually only one kind of kare-kare, you can choose different versions of this savory stew from their menu. First-timers can try their Classic Kare-kare (P500), which is exactly what you would imagine really good kare-kare should taste like: tender beef and tripe in a kare-kare sauce that's balanced with deeply imbued flavors of beef, peanuts, and a tinge of sweetness. It's served with salty, umami-filled bagoong that enhances and complements the sauce. They've got variations of their kare-kare, too, and you can opt for Crispy Kare-kare (P550), All-Beef Kare-kare (P550), or even an all-veggie version, the No-meat Kare-kare (P300). 

But that's not all; Anix's also offers Filipino favorites like Sizzling Pork Sisig (P350), and Crispy Pata (P900), which has that classic crispy pata skin and super soft and seasoned meat on the inside (but don't skip the dip–they go really well together). Seafood lovers will enjoy the Sizzling Bangus ala Pobre (P410), which is garlicky, crispy, and has a bit of tang to the bangus; and the Inihaw na Pusit (P350), which packs surprising flavor from its onion-forward filling and sweet soy dip combined with the char on the soft squid. And lastly, if you're just there for merienda, their Special Lumpiang Ubod (P160) is a hefty serving that will leave your palate and tummy satisfied.

There’s a reason why Easter Coffee Club is one of Spot’s 50 Great Restaurants of 2025, and it’s because not only do they serve amazing coffee, matcha, and non-coffee drinks that can either wake you up on your drive up or serve as picker-uppers on your drive down from Antipolo; you also can’t go wrong with anything on their food menu. Pick up a Tamago Fried Sando (P225) if you’re just passing by for a savory snack, the Antipolo Suman Balls (P245) for something sweet, or the Cheese Pimiento Toast with Roasted Strawberry Jam (P275) for something in between. 

If you’re staying awhile though, the Chicken Shawarma Rice (P295) is a solid meal, served with turmeric rice, homemade toum, veggies, and of course, their juicy char-grilled chicken shawarma. The “Cup Noodles” Pork Belly Chashu Ramen (P425) may look like a gimmick, but the shoyu ramen that the cup-noodles-themed bowl it’s served in is no joke: it’s the deliciously elevated version of instant noodles, featuring a rich shoyu broth and tender chashu. 

Having people in your travel group that have different preferences when it comes to cuisine can put a wrench in your plans, but that’s one thing that the Chives Bistro & Market menu can solve. They offer Asian and European dishes with their own twist, from Thrice-cooked Spicy Chicken Adobo (P325) and Laing at Bagnet (P415) to Grilled Shrimp Aglio Olio (starts at P280) and the Truffled Mac & Cheese (starts at P290). And if your group is more amenable to sharing, they also offer platters for group orders—just the thing for those who want to try a little bit of everything on the menu.

Nothing quite hits the same as pancit in most Filipino celebrations, even if the celebration is the end (or the beginning) of a roadtrip around Antipolo. Whether you went hiking or chose a more relaxed cultural trip, you’ll be happy to end up at Pon Lo Tai Panciteria, where you can customize your pancit, which is good for two to three people—you can choose your noodles (Canton, Bihon, Lomi, Miki Bihon, Canton Bihon), and pair it with a topping of your choice: Pork & Liver (P180), Lechon (P195), Shrimp (P210), and Lechon and Shrimp (P230). Pair your pancit with their Lumpiang Shanghai (P180), or with their specialty dishes like the Shredded Beef with Onions (P180) or the Lechon Oyster Sauce (P190), and you’ve got yourself a feast.

Check out our full SPOT Out of Town Antipolo Itinerary:
SPOT Out of Town: Rediscovering the Best Things to Do in Antipolo