While Filipino restaurants and chefs abroad are raising the flag for Filipino food, we also have plenty of culinary visionaries here in the capital elevating the local dining scene. Chef-led restaurants Toyo Eatery, Mecha Uma, and Gallery by Chele were recently included in the 2022 edition of the Top Restaurants in Asia ranking by global restaurant rating website Opinionated About Dining.
Progressive Filipino spot Toyo Eatery, led by chef Jordy Navarra, landed at 78th on the list, while Bruce Ricketts’ creative omakase restaurant Mecha Uma was ranked 100th. Gallery by Chele by Chele Gonzalez, which merges local Filipino traditions and ingredients with innovative techniques, ranked 139th.
Other restaurants in Manila that received a “Highly Recommended” distinction include Mikel Zaguirre’s contemporary Filipino joint Locavore, and the acclaimed fusion restaurant M Dining by Tom Bascon.
Opinionated About Dining is a website founded by Steve Plotnicki that ranks restaurants based on reviews from a voter pool that includes chefs, restaurateurs, food writers, and bloggers.
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