2014 has become our year of food trips. We've been to different provinces around the Philippines trying different local delicacies and specialties. It is also the year when we started to rediscover the dining destinations in Metro Manila. Being a Pasigueno, Kapitolyo is very close to my heart. I had so many childhood memories in this barrio. As a child, I had countless birthday celebrations at the good old Three Sisters, the pioneering restaurant in Kapitolyo. Over the years, so much has changed in Kapitolyo, so much that is has evolved to become one of the top food trip and dining destinations in Metro Manila.
To close the year 2014, we decided to come up with our own list of Best Kapitolyo Restaurants. From a long list of 28 Kapitolyo restaurants (which we personally tried this year), we identified the top ten restaurants that we liked the most based on four criteria: Food, Value, Service and Place. It was a tough job indeed!
Top 10 Kapitolyo Restaurants for 2014
| Top 10 |
Food 9/10 |
Value 8/10 |
Service 4/10 |
Place 6/10 |
Total 27/40 |
| Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina 75 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City (02) 654-9657 Cuisine: Filipino-Mexican Silantro is no doubt one of the most famous restaurants in Kapitolyo. Every time we would attempt to eat here, we ended up going somewhere else because the place is always packed with people. When we finally got the change to try Silantro during our International Food Trip in Kapitolyo, we finally understood why. The food was really good plus the prices are relatively affordable. The place is just average, looked clean, a little bit crowded inside. Customer service was not bad, but what turned us off was when one of the crew was spraying air sanitizing spray all over the place. With food exposed on the dining tables, as well as the taco station, that wasn't really an appetizing sight. |
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| Top 9 |
Food 7/10 |
Value 8/10 |
Service 5/10 |
Place 8/10 |
Total 28/40 |
| Tomahawk Chops & Grill 56-A East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City 0917-8409876 Cuisine: American Tomahawk is one of the newest restaurants in Kapitolyo. We instantly fell in love with their tomahawk chops, they're tender and flavorful. Their menu is uncomplicated plus the prices won't really hurt your pocket. One of the best meals we spent on. Since they are quite new, service was acceptably average. We also like their place. Warm lighting and well air conditioned. They also have more dining spaces at the back, big enough to accommodate a huge crowd. |
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| Top 8 |
Food 8/10 |
Value 7/10 |
Service 6/10 |
Place 8/10 |
Total 29/40 |
| Gostoso Piri Piri No. 51-B East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City (02) 477-7330 Cuisine: Portuguese Gostoso Piri Piri's perfectly roasted chicken is the star of this Portuguese restaurant. Full of bold but balanced flavors, tender and moist. These are the key elements we are looking for. Their Porco Gostoso is also a heavenly pork dish that we highly recommend. Their uncomplicated menu includes platters for sharing which makes it easy for groups to order dishes for sharing. Service was quick and efficient. Adding to the experience is the modern interior of the restaurant. |
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| Top 7 |
Food 8/10 |
Value 7/10 |
Service 7/10 |
Place 8/10 |
Total 30/40 |
| Ba Noi's 12-A East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City (02) 477-9761; 0923-5158242 Cuisine: Vietnamese Ba Noi's gave us better appreciation of Vietnamese cuisine. Thanks to their authentic tasting dishes. We love their refreshing and healthy food selection as well as their freshly baked baguettes and premium Vietnamese coffee. With the quality of food and the serving size, we don't mind paying extra pesos for the experience. The well experienced service staff are always dependable and are knowledgeable about their food. We also like their spacious dining area that is clean and well air conditioned. |
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| Top 6 |
Food 8/10 |
Value 7/10 |
Service 8/10 |
Place 8/10 |
Total 31/40 |
| Calderon Tapas y Bebidas 12-C East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City (02) 533-4107; 0905-2266982 Cuisine: Spanish If you are following us on Instagram (@pinasmuna) you must have seen how much we raved about Calderon's pellas. During our visit, we sampled their Paella con Setas, Manchego y Trufa Esencia and the Paella Valenciana which are so far two of the best tasting paellas we ever tasted. The price range are not within the affordable zone but you really get value from your money with the serving size and quality of the food. We also appreciate that the chef interacts with the guests, giving tidbits of story and background about the dishes. We also like their cozy, modern Spanish ambiance of the restaurant. |
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| Top 5 |
Food 8/10 |
Value 9/10 |
Service 7/10 |
Place 8/10 |
Total 32/40 |
| St. Patrick's Pub 24D East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City (02) 654-4881 Cuisine: Irish, British, American, Filipino It's probably the black color of the building which made this restaurant rather invisible. But not anymore! More and more people are now discovering this hidden treasure of no pretensions, straightforward comfort food. Kapitolyo's friendly neighborhood pub offers not only local and international beer and liquor brands, but they also serve some of the most "orgasmic" beer chows. Our top favorites are the Shepherd's Pie and the Spam Chips. Their prices are also amazingly affordable considering the quality and the serving size. Customer service is efficient and accurate. The place is perfectly maximized without feeling too crowded. The area is well air-conditioned, clean and well maintained. |
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| Top 4 |
Food 8/10 |
Value 9/10 |
Service 8/10 |
Place 8/10 |
Total 33/40 |
| Avi Ground Floor, D Strip Building 20 United Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig City 0926-6485637 Cuisine: Filipino, Spanish, American, Italian Avi's home style cooking brings the most comforting dining experience because you feel like you're just eating at home. It is at home where everything tastes excellent, that is exactly how their food is. Our top favorites are the Seaside Samba Diablo Pasta and the Sous Vide Hanging Tender Steak. Highly recommended for dessert is their Cheesecake Lime. Dishes are competitively priced making Avi an ideal place for impromptu casual dining. Food service is also commendable, the crew can give intelligent recommendations on food. We also love the cozy, homey setting of the restaurant. |
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| Top 3 |
Food 9/10 |
Value 9/10 |
Service 7/10 |
Place 9/10 |
Total 34/40 |
| Grande Torino 59 West Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City 0918-4363796 Cuisine: Northern Italian, Piedmontese Finally, an authentic Italian restaurant in Kapitolyo. Grande Torino serves Northern Italian cuisine using high quality ingredients imported from Italy. Quality and authenticity of the taste are constantly checked by the Italian-Filipina couple who owns the restaurant. Grande Torino promises a genuine Italian dining experience that is easy on the budget. The restaurant is a big hit to families residing in Kapitolyo and its location puts it away from the busy and crowded east section of Kapitolyo. The unhurried pace of the restaurant makes it an ideal place for families or couples looking for an intimate dining experience. Our favorites are the Spaghetti all'Amatriciana and the Panini Pordoi. They serve the best coffee and tiramisu in Kapitolyo! |
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| Top 2 |
Food 9/10 |
Value 9/10 |
Service 7/10 |
Place 10/10 |
Total 35/40 |
| Wooden Spoon 67 West Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City 0917-8364998 Cuisine: Filipino We are thankful that Chef Sandy Daza decided to open a branch of his Wooden Spoon in Kapitolyo. Barely a month in operation, words spread like wild fire that Chef Sandy has set foot in the neighborhood with his famous Filipino cooking. As expected, the food was great. Every single bite puts on a smile on our face. Pricing was also excellent, great value especially when dining as a group. Nothing spectacular about the service, just the normal thing you would expect in an established restaurant. What we like the most is the ambiance. First of all, the place is really huge! The area is well lit and A/C keeps the dining area very comfortable even during lunch time. They also used creative design in the interior which makes dining more entertaining to the eye. There's an abundance of parking space since West Capitol Drive is not yet saturated with restaurants. |
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| Top 1 |
Food 10/10 |
Value 9/10 |
Service 8/10 |
Place 9/10 |
Total 36/40 |
| Locavore 10 Brixton Street, Kapitolyo, Pasig City (02) 632-9600 Cuisine: Filipino with a Genius Twist Locavore serves innovative recreation of classic Filipino food. Crazy, their imagination is crazy, but the result is genius! Locavore is perhaps the best thing that ever happened to Filipino food. Just imagine, where in the Philippines can you find Sizzling Sinigang? Or a lechon dip that mixes pinakurat and bagoong? We spent about P500-600 per person and it's money really well spent. They are still fine tuning on customer service, but for a restaurant that is barely two months old, they are really doing really good. There's area for improvement of course. The place is also amazing. It doesn't feel crowded inside the dining area. The high ceiling gives a lot of space to breathe. The also have a spacious al fresco dining area. The open kitchen setting also gives the diners a glimpse of what's happening inside the kitchen. Congratulations Locavore! You truly deserve the number 1 spot! |
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Here the other restaurants that didn't make it to our Top 10:
| Rank | Score | Restaurant |
| 11 | 26 | Lee Hak |
| 12 | 25 | Charlies Grind & Grill Poco Deli |
| 14 | 24 | Ninak Greeka Kouzina |
| 16 | 23 | Smile Elephant |
| 17 | 22 | Persia Grill |
| 18 | 21 | Red Panda |
| 19 | 20 | Hiyas |
| 20 | 19 | Three Sisters |
| 21 | 18 | CAB Cafe |
BONUS: We created a separate list for Hole in the Wall and Budget Restaurants in Kapitolyo:
Top 7 Budget Eats in Kapitolyo for 2014
| Rank | Score | Restaurant |
| 1 | 26 | Egg-it |
| 2 | 25 | Pancit Center |
| 3 | 24 | Pomodoro Pizza |
| 4 | 23 | Crepeman Cafe |
| 5 | 22 | Uncle Moes |
| 6 | 17 | Kanto Freestyle |
| 7 | 15 | Longganisa Sorpresa |
Wish List for 2015
Next year, we hope to be able to try the other restaurants in Kapitolyo. Of course, we will always be on the look out for new restaurants. Also, we wish to be able to publish a quarterly chart of Kapitolyo restaurants similar to this one.
We look forward to more exciting developments in the Kapitolyo dining scene and how it is going to compete with a the new fast growing food district of Oranbo where Capitol Commons is located.
In the meantime, we wish you more culinary adventures and discoveries in your 2015 Kapitolyo Food Trips. Tell us what you think of our list, drop us an email at pinasmuna@gmail.com.
IMPORTANT: This list is based only on restaurants that we actually tried and does not include all restaurants in Kapitolyo. Opinion is based on our personal experience and taste.
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