What with all of the places to eat in the metro, it can be hard to choose where to go when eating out as a group. What some people fail to realize is that malls are actually some of the best places to go for food. In fact, you can make some delicious discoveries just by branching out and trying new restaurants you haven’t set foot in before or new dishes you haven’t tasted before.
So, whether you study near the area and are looking for a place to eat during your lunch break; want to grab a bite to eat at night with your officemates before facing Manila traffic; are on a date with your significant other; or want to treat your family to some good food – we’ve discovered 12 delicious restaurants that you can visit in SM City Manila. All you gotta do now is take your pick!
Manilennial Eats: 12 Places to Satisfy Everybody’s Hunger at SM City Manila
8 Street Bites
Everyone has their favorite comfort food to speak of. Well, 8 Street Bites is filled with comfort food for the soul. If you are extra hungry and want to fill your bellies with delicious comfort food, this is the place to be. Plus, it’s spacious enough to hold big groups of people!
Their Double Party Burger has a unique taste and is packed with flavor. I mean, just look at it! It has onion rings on top and cole slaw at the bottom – amazing!
Their Freeway Nachos may not look overly packed with ingredients, but their nachos are packed with flavor and deliciousness.
The Oreo Chocolate Sundae was a sweet surprise! You’re sure to love it!
Big Daddy’s
Another great place for comfort food would be Big Daddy’s. This place is the perfect choice for comfort food if your group isn’t too big. Though you can combine tables, a typical table at Big Daddy’s is big enough to host four people searching for their favorite comfort food. They’ve got pasta and burgers – the works!
Their Seafood Penne? So. Good.
Look at the cheese dripping from that burger. Wow!
Plus, their mashed potatoes are made from real mashed potatoes, not that fake mashed potato mix that you may find at other places. And, oh, their shrimps were a big hit with us, too!
Buffalo’s Wings ‘n’ Things
As the name suggests, Buffalo’s specializes in Buffalo wings. They’ve got wings in trays big enough to share and they’ve even got them on different spiciness levels, depending on your preferred levels of spice. We tried their Garlic Parmesan Wings and their New York Style wings.
If you’re not a fan of spicy food and would prefer something with a lot of flavor, try their Garlic Parmesan Wings.
If you are looking for just the right amount of kick in terms of spiciness, the New York Style Wings would be perfect for you. If you’re up for it, you can even take the Buffalo’s Wall of Flame Challenge. We tried it and all we survived was a bite… maybe you’ll fare better than we did.
Buffalo’s isn’t just for wings lovers, though; they also have a wide array of other food dishes for you to enjoy, including cheeseburgers (try their delicious Buffalo Cheeseburger) and quesadillas.
Buffalo Cheeseburger
Their Bacon Fries are a must-try, too.
Choobi Choobi
If it’s seafood you’re after, the seafood dishes at Choobi Choobi are sure to satisfy you. They’ve got all sorts of assorted seafood for you to choose from – all dishes of which are good for sharing. This is another one of the more spacious restaurants at SM City Manila, by the way!
Stan’s Black Pepper Shrimp Version 2 dish comes with a special pimiento sauce with lots of spices. Take note that the chili flavor can be quite strong. Their chef told us that you have two versions to choose from when it comes to their shrimp. In version 1, the skin of the shrimp is edible; in version 2, it isn’t. It’s all just a matter of preference.
The Choobi Bay comes with sauce specially created by the owners of the restaurant, adapted from the US. So if you’re looking for US flavors, you can come to Choobi Choobi and taste them there for only Php200-Php300. You may also pair your dishes of choice with cha tao miao (snow pea sprouts) to offset the potential umay.
Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken
Some people eat at Hot Star and can finish a dish on their own, but I tend to go to Hot Star with a few friends to share a dish because let’s face it: not everybody can eat a 12-inch slab of chicken on their own. (Even their Junior 6-inch chicken is quite a feat for me, to be honest!)
Look how big that is!
The best part about Hot Star is that they occasionally come up with new dishes to keep things interesting. This time around, they have a new chicken dish with spaghetti:
They also have new dim sum bowls that may come with chicken dumplings or chicken Shanghai rolls.
If you aren’t craving a slab of fried chicken at all, their spring rolls are delicious and their soy rice has a unique and interesting flavor to it.
They also have a new chili pepper chicken with barbecue sauce for those who want a new twist. (They also provide unli-gravy!)
Mad for Pizza
The interiors of Mad for Pizza are to die for. If you love all things retro, you’ll love going down memory lane just staring at the posters of the wall. Their choice of music is also very energetic and upbeat, it’s hard not to feel happy at this place.
Once you get over the strong smell of fish and cheese, you’ll love their Danggit Pasta.
Their Boss Rudy Pizza is delicious. With a thin and super soft crust, it proved to be such a joy to eat. It had just the right amount of toppings, too.
Just look at everything that’s part of their Appetizer Sampler!
Their Country Fried Steak tastes like a gigantic chicken nugget and is huge enough for sharing at only Php158.
Ramen Cool
Also contrary to its name, Ramen Cool has so much more to offer than just ramen. Their interiors in themselves are already well worth the visit. I loved the pastel colors of the place and the cool atmosphere, in general. And the food? Superb!
The crunchy salmon skin and cream cheese of their Cheesy Salmon Maki prove to be a nice combination.
Their California Love is a maki sweeter than usual because of the use of super ripe mangoes.
The salmon in their Salmon Lovers tastes real fresh. And even their wasabi is cute!
Ramen Kuroda
We all know that ramen can get quite expensive in the metro. So, if you want to get your ramen fix at an affordable price – and we’re talking about authentic Japanese ramen here, to boot!), get it at Ramen Kuroda.
For those who love their ramen spicy.
Take your pick from different flavorful bases and don’t forget to order extra eggs – that’s the best part!
Red Table
Korean food is something that a lot of families love to eat together because a lot of the dishes are good for sharing. If you love Korean food as much as we do, don’t miss out on Red Table!
Just grab the meat, place it in some lettuce, dip and eat!
This interesting dish is like a mix of a gyoza and a fried pancake, but it’s oh so good. Their kimchi has just the right amount of spice, as well.
Teresita’s of San Fernando
Teresita’s of San Fernando is the perfect place to visit if you love Filipino comfort food. They’ve got all of my personal favorites – and they’re all budget-friendly, as well.
Kare-Kare
Pancit Palabok
You’ll love their halo-halo if you prefer your halo-halo on the less sweet side.
Everything at Teresita’s is extremely flavorful and easy on the wallet. Even the rice is good on its own (I ended up munching on it way after we ran out of ulam).
Tokyo Joe
Gohanlimited rice? 150-peso ramen? Set meals for only Php250? If you want affordable Japanese food, Tokyo Joe is the place to go.
Their Super California Maki has Japanese mayo and an extra kani stick on top.
Their Texas Maki is perfect for those who are looking for maki that is more filling.
Their Hamburg Katsudon provides a unique take on Japanese food.
And their Katsudon, albeit drier than usual, is incredibly flavorful and satisfying.
The Wicked Waffle All-Day Breakfast
Contrary to its name, Wicked Waffle has so much more to offer than just waffles. They call themselves an all-day breakfast café, but they also have dishes that can be eaten way past breakfast.
Their Baby Back Ribs are chunks of flavorful goodness.
The dip of their Buffalo Wings is so good, I would gladly order a bunch of celery sticks and the dip alone.
Of course, you still need to try their waffles, though.
Their Chunkee Monkee is topped with vanilla ice cream, bananas, whipped cream, granola crunch topping and caramel fudge. Yum!
They also have shakes and frappuccinos to satiate your sweet tooth in drink form, by the way.
As you can see, SM City Manila can satisfy all of your food needs, regardless of what kind of cuisine you are craving for or whom you visit the place with. The best part is that you’ll even be able to walk around and shop before and after you fill your bellies here. Eat, eat, eat and get your money’s worth! Enjoy!
SM City Manila
523-7044
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