Best Japanese Restaurants in Manila 2026
Early list, not yet ranked by diners · 2 votes so far
Manila's Japanese list is small and leans on Filipino accents. Hinoki is the purist: Yusuke Hino runs an eight seat omakase counter at Keyland in Legazpi Village, Makati, and the longer of his two menus runs to five appetisers, ten nigiri and a signature dish, served across the counter by the chef himself.
Tambai, in an old sari sari store on Felipe Street in Poblacion, keeps the shutter and grills yakitori that is Japanese in form and Filipino in accent: beef isaw, chicken liver, chicharon bagnet and a sauce more vinegar than sweet tare. The Underbelly, at The Alley at Karrivin, shares its room with a café and makes three types of noodle in house for Billy's pork rib ramen. It holds a Bib Gourmand.
Nikkei Nama Bar takes the list to BGC and to Peru, on the second floor of One Bonifacio High Street: sushi and nama bowls on one side of the menu, ceviche and causa on the other. This is an early list, opening for diner votes, and positions cannot be bought.
Updated 19 October 2026
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Questions
- What are the best Japanese restaurants in Manila?
- Our early picks are Hinoki, Tambai Yakitori Snackhouse, The Underbelly and Nikkei Nama Bar.
- Where can I eat yakitori in Manila?
- Tambai Yakitori Snackhouse in Poblacion, Makati, grills beef isaw, pork and chicken skewers with a vinegar sauce.
- What is Nikkei food?
- Japanese Peruvian cooking. Nikkei Nama Bar in BGC serves sushi and nama bowls beside ceviche and causa.
- How is this list put together?
- It is an early editorial list, built from our own research, and it will be reordered as diner votes come in. Positions cannot be bought.
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