Budget-conscious travelers and foodies, listen up!
If you haven’t heard it yet, you can now get a sneak peek of what it feels like to be surrounded by the well-known white-washed buildings with blue accents of Santorini here in Metro Manila. Nestled along Quezon City’s Katipunan Avenue, Kantorini offers a lovely exterior design inspired by Greece’s most-sought island.
However, instead of the island’s stunning panoramas, romantic sunsets, and black sand beaches, in Kantorini, you will be welcomed by mouth-watering dishes and unique food concepts from all over the world.
For a food park with over 25 food stalls, we know that it might get a little tricky to decide which dishes to try. No worries, we made a list of our top 19 picks below to help you out on your gastronomic adventure at Kantorini.
19. Sloppy Fries from Potato Hub
Imagine freshly cut potato wedges topped with their signature sweet style spaghetti sauce, tender ground meat, and torched melted cheese. Yes, honey. It’s as good as it sounds. Not a sweet tooth? Go for Potato Hub’s Spicy Wedges instead. It will surely fire up your appetite!
18. Spicy Classic Tantanmen from Kyodai
And because we believe that ramen is best served hot and spicy, we highly recommend Kyodai’s Spicy Classic Tantanmen. Its broth is so fiery and flavorful that anything you’d eat after will taste like meh. Non-spicy ramen lovers can go for the tried-and-tested Shoyu and Chasu flavors.
17. Chef’s Special Cereal Shrimp from The Shrimp Basket
If you’re yearning for some prawns, do yourself a favor and order The Shrimp Basket’s Chef’s Special. It’s fool-proof plus, you get to taste the week’s must-try shrimp selection. We got to try their Cereal Shrimp and indeed, it did not disappoint. Tender prawns + crispy cereals = happy tummy.
16. Tinapasilog from Rice Stuffing
Rice Stuffing serves Filipino silog dishes as if they are burgers. Instead of patties, the viand and sunny side up egg are stuffed in between two mounts of rice. What’s even interesting is that you can actually create and customize your own couple meal or double date meal.
15. S’mores from NY Crepe
If you’ve had enough of all the savory flavors, NY Crepe’s S’mores is there to pamper your taste buds with its rich melted chocolate and marshmallows. Other flavors are also available, such as Blueberry Cheesecake, Banana Nutella, Banoffee, and more.
14. Crab Claw and Scallop Cake from Hong Kong Foodie Street Food
If you also want a taste of Hong Kong while enjoying the Santorini-like scenery, we suggest you try Hong Kong Foodie’s Lobster Ball, Crab Claw, and Scallop Cake. Fret not, a stick only costs around 40 pesos.
13. T-Bone Steak from Steak Two Six
You won’t go wrong with a beefy and bony T-Bone Steak from Steak Two Six if you ever want a meal that will satisfy your hunger and appetite. They also have Porterhouse, Ribeye, and Sirloin. Rest assured that all their steaks are grilled to perfection to ensure that the meat is tender, rich and smoky.
12. Beef Bulgogi from Korya
Rice bowls are also a great choice when in Kantorini. Korya, a food stall specializing in Korean dishes, serves this really good Beef Bulgogi which is a rice bowl with Bulgogi bathed in their signature sauce. As the owner puts it, “it is a lingering sweet, salty and tangy mouth play.”
11. Steak Burrito from The Hungry Burro
If you’re up for some slow-simmered beans, freshly made salsa, cabbage, melted cheese, and tender meat, then The Hungry Burro’s Steak Burrito is the meal for you. For only 175 pesos, you can indulge in some Mexican classics in just one roll.
10. Greek Platter from PorteNon
When in Santorini, you eat Greek food. And so, when in Kantorini, you do the same. Try all of PorteNon’s bestsellers, such as Greek Salad with Feta Cheese, Gyros, Kofta, and even Greek dips with their all-in-one Greek Platter. Don’t miss the chance to share a hookah with your friends too! Available flavors are mint, strawberry, double apple and more.
9. Linguini Frutti di Mare from La Manitalia
This red-based pasta called Linguini Frutti di Mare is a must-try. Made with thick tomato sauce, mussels, squid, shrimp, cheese, and special herbs and spices, a plate of this is a seafood surprise. Bechamel and oil-based pasta are also available.
8. Cheese Boat from Pizzanista
Who would say no to Pizzanista’s bread boat filled with the warm and gooey combination of cheddar and mozzarella, cream, butter, and fresh eggs? Definitely not us. In fact, we loved it so much that we would love for you to try it too! By the way, they serve delectable pizza selections too.
7. Garlic Parmesan and Inferno Wings from Wing Vibe
There’s always room for chicken wings marinated in a garlic parmesan sauce and served with a tangy and delicious blue cheese dip. Want something bolder? Go ahead and try Wing Vibe’s Inferno. Tossed in a classic hot sauce, this is the hottest flavor of them all!
6. Cheesy Tower Meatloaf from Worth Eat
With just one bite, we instantly fell for Worth Eat’s Cheesy Tower Meatloaf. This seasoned meatloaf stuffed with cheddar and mozzarella is an all-day everyday meal you’ll never get tired of. Well, we won’t. Other rice meals, such as Bulalo Steak, Pork Belly, and Sisig Rice are available too.
5. Hanging Grilled Liempo from The Grilla
If there’s an award for best in food presentation, The Grilla deserves it. For only 140 pesos, you can get your own Hanging Grilled Liempo served with java rice and papaya relish. If you happen to be with your barkada, you should go for their Seafood and Meat Platter (P 500 each) or a mix of both for only 750 pesos.
4. GyuTom Platter from Gyu Tom
There’s no room for gutom at Gyu Tom’s stall. With their bestselling Wagyu cubes that have all the right flavors in it and added with Chicken Yakitori, Pork Butabara, Bacon Wrapped Kani, and Bacon Wrapped Quail Egg, their GyuTom Platter is your best bet.
3. Flat Sticks with Shrimp, Brocolli, and Corn from Teishtee Wok
We cannot overemphasize how delicious this is. At Teishtee Wok, you have the luxury to create your own wok which starts from choosing the base and picking the meat and vegetables up to selecting the sauce. No worries, all combinations taste good. But if you wanna make sure, order our flat sticks with shrimp, broccoli, corn and stir fry sauce combo.
2. Takoyaki Ice Cream from Hitokori
“Is it a takoyaki or an ice cream?”, you may ask. Well, it’s actually an ice cream that looks like takoyaki. Hitokori specializes in desserts that are aesthetically similar to classic Japanese appetizers like tempura and spring rolls. For the flavors, you may choose from their premium quality ice cream available in coffee, strawberry, mango graham, cookies and cream, and vanilla.
1. Churros from El Churro
For a sweet snack anytime of the day, these fresh, crisp, and buttery deep-fried treats from El Churro is the way to go. Best paired with their rich chocolate, classic yema, and signature pastillas dip, you will never get enough of these golden sticks of happiness which are also known as churros.
And so, the next time you find yourself in Quezon City, make sure to pave a visit at the newest and one of the coolest food parks in town – Kantorini.