Top 5 Japanese Restaurants in Metro Manila

I always tell my friends and strangers (since I've shared this in my 'About me' page) that Japanese cuisine is one of my Top 3 favorites. However, whenever anyone asks me what my go-to Japanese restaurants are, I often fold and come up with a lame excuse of not giving any. I'd end up saying, 'Oh there's nothing in particular I can remember as of the moment. All I know is that I love Japanese dishes'. Now, I've grown tired of myself saying this, so I took the time to finally contemplate on the matter, and come up with a list.

Sushi Ten's Vibrant Chirashi Bowl

Surprisingly, coming up with this list was not as easy as I initially thought. The moment I sat on it, my mind was almost blank. I needed to rattle it off by looking at the collection of photos in my phone just to remember which restaurants stood out for me across the years. I also initially thought that I'd arrive at a long list, but coming up with even just five restaurants was provingly hard enough. I wanted to extend it to seven, but that may come along in the future. For now, we stick with 5.

Haru Sushi Bar's Immersive Interior

Contextualizing what I mean by 'Japanese Restaurant'
Now, before I jump onto the list, I'd first like to qualify and put more context when I say 'Japanese Restaurant'. I know a lot of restaurant comes into mind when we talk about Japanese food. There are ramen shops, sushi belts and even fusion restaurants. However, for the sake of this list, I'll limit the definition of a Japanese restaurant as a place that offers a relatively wide range of Japanese food that leans heavily toward a more traditional take on the dishes. This means that modernized Japanese restaurants that give "twists" to the dishes or specialty restaurants are excluded from the list.

To build a little bit of excitement, let's start from 5 and work our way upwards. While we're at it, why don't I start with an honorable mention first. 

Honorable Mention: Sugi

During my younger days, Sugi was influential in shaping my appreciation of Japanese cuisine. The original restaurant, back when it was still in Greenbelt, holds a special place in my heart as it contained treasurable family celebrations held there. I remember falling in love with Gindara Teriyaki and chawanmushi the first time I had them there. For all of these, I am giving it an honorable mention.

Unfortunately, with the reconstruction of the restaurant, and now in a different location (i.e. in front of Glorietta’s Palm Drive entrance), Sugi feels like a different entity. It’s overly modernized that it almost lost its soul. I miss how the interior was so quaint, homey and cozy before. Now, it looks overly commercialized. It’s no longer the same, and to me, Sugi became what it was because of that overall experience. Dishes are all still magnificent, so that's still stands, but I feel reluctant of officially putting it in the list.

📍Location: Ground Floor, Palm Promenade, Garden Towers, Palm Dr, Makati City

What to order: Gindara Teriyaki, Hamachi sashimi

Budget: P1,500 and up for a group sharing dining experience

5. Izakaya Hamachi

Izakaya Hamachi is a fairly new discovery. It is just a few walks away from where I work, which makes it very convenient for me. The place may easily miss the eye, which makes me want to describe it as a hole-in-wall restaurant. Perched on the obscured corner of Bautista and Tordesillas, Izakaya Hamachi has this intimate homey vibe that calls onto me. Dishes may not always be as authentic as I can imagine them to be, as there are elements I find a bit lacking when it comes to the taste, but the ambiance is what builds the fantasy. It feels like I’m in a suburban restaurant in Japan. It’s an escape amid the hustle and bustle of Makati City. This is why it still ranks 5th in this list.

For food recommendation, I suggest the tempura lunch set. It comes with a hefty serving, and has a miso soup and two pieces of gyoza. This is normally my go-to order for lunch, so that I can maximize their lunch set promo. Otherwise, I'd go for the Master's Gyudon, very straightforward yet really tasty.

📍Location: Ground Floor, Finman Centre Bldg, Tordesillas, Makati City

What to order: Master's Gyudon, Tempura Lunch Set

Budget: P500 or less for a personal lunch set, or a single dish

4. Haru Sushi Bar 

I needed just one visit to fall in love with Haru Sushi Bar. From the outside, it’s inconspicuously simple. One that may also easily miss the eye, especially on mornings. However, it transforms at night time as it vibrantly glows with its inviting facade. Nevertheless, there’s more to what meets the eye. As you walk in, it will feel like you entered a portal that leads straight to an old-fashioned Japanese izakaya. 

The sushi dishes here are immensely noteworthy standing up to its name as a legitimate Sushi bar. However, they have a complete set of offerings, which make them more than just a sushi bar.

📍Location: 21 W Capitol Dr, Pasig City

What to order: Any sashimi, sushi and/or rolls, Tempura and Saba Shioyaki

Budget: P1,000 and up for a group sharing type of dining experience

3. Sushi Ten

Among all the ones in this list, Sushi Ten is perhaps the only one you haven’t heard of. It’s tucked deep within the streets of Malate, and all the more isolated inside a building called Adriatico Square (adjacent to Sheraton Manila). I happened to discover this, since it is in the same building where I workout. During my first visit, I felt immense joy stumbling upon this restaurant, and I couldn't get enough of it thereafter. There was even a point in time that I dined here almost every week for two months. 

I highly recommend you to try their Chicken Teriyaki, which to me is the best I had in my life. The skin is crispy, playfully contrasting with the tenderness of the meat, while further accented by the perfectly balanced sauce. I always think to myself that this is how chicken teriyaki should be. You can also upgrade your dishes into a set meal allowing you to enjoy their chawanmushi and sashimi. Both of which are utterly delicious! If only Sushi Ten happened to have a more solid concept for its interior, then this could have placed higher in the list. Unfortunately, their interior is pretty straightforward. Decent, but still lacking for an immersive gastronomical experience. 

📍Location: 5F, Adriatico Square, Gen. Malvar St, Malate, Manila

What to order: Chicken Teriyaki, Tempura, Chirashi Bowl

Budget: P750 and up for a personal set meal which has appetizers (e.g. sashimi, chawanmushi)

2. Yurakuen 

Yurakuen in Diamond Hotel was an unexpected contender. I used to believe that restaurants found inside a hotel typically fall flat as they put heavy reliance on borrowed elegance, rather than creating a more solid culinary concept and execution. They normally end up as just fancy and/or pricey without much of a substance. However, Yurakuen is one of those that defies this.

Yurakuen is a bit of an opposite. Its glamor is already dimming with its outdated carpeting and interior, but they still manage to deliver a consistent dining experience, especially with its excellent service and great-tasting dishes. My go-to order is the Tempura Lunch set. It comes with chawanmushi, sashimi, miso soup and fruits. All of which are nice, especially their sashimi. The tempura here is perhaps the best I had so far. It has this consistent crunch that goes perfectly well with their balanced tempura sauce. Definitely oishi!

The only downside of dining in Yurakuen is the price; not unless you are a member of Diamond Indulgence (the hotel’s membership) which gives 50% if you dine for two. Without considering the price, it may easily be at the top of the list. However, that’s not the case, which is why we now reveal the current champion. 

📍Location: Ground Floor, Diamond Hotel, Malate, Manila

What to order: Tempura Lunch Set (I have tried other dishes, but nothing beats the Tempura set)

Budget: P750 and up for a personal lunch set which also has appetizers (e.g. sashimi, chawanmushi) and fruits, if you are a member. Otherwise, that will be double at around P1,500 and up per person

1. Musashi Maru

Musashi Maru ticks off all the boxes. It has amazing food selection, and the sashimi is pure bliss. Melts in the mouth, like ambrosia. The interior is well thought of. Relatively modern yet having these homey elements that make it un-intimidating. The service is top-notch. Very attentive and generally friendly. Most of all, it’s considerably affordable, perhaps the cheapest (or second, at the least) among the restaurants in this list. 

The sashimi dishes here in Musashi Maru are the crowning glory. Other dishes are generally fine, but the sashimi is unbeatably good. Whenever I find myself in Glorietta, I’d end up here almost 90% of the time. I just love the overall experience, and that has been consistently so for the past 2 years I’ve been dining there. 

📍Location: 4F, Japan Town, Top of the Glo, Glorietta 2, Makati City

What to order: 5 Kinds of Sashimi (the best!), Inari Sushi, Katsu Dishes, Curry Dishes

Budget: P600 and up for a group sharing type of dining experience

The Afterthoughts

I realized that my ranking and listing decisions were heavily influenced by ambiance. But that makes sense because Japanese restaurants to me are not just about good food. It’s passion. An ikigai that you need to feel. I remember the book similarly titled 'Ikigai', where it talks about how Japanese people tend to view things as crafts that need cultivating to blossom, and during my trips in Japan particularly in Fukuoka and Nagoya, I got to personally experience that. Interiors were carefully curated with cautious intent, bringing this cohesive dining experience that is palpable. And this for me has a heavy influence on how I thought about this list.

Tempura just has an incredible charm to it, not to mention it's so good!

Another realization is that I'm very much of a Tempura person. It somehow became my personal benchmark in identifying whether the Japanese restaurant is a hit or miss. Of course, this is truly subjective, which is why I invite you to take this list with a grain of salt.

Anyway, that's it for now. I hope this somehow proves itself to be helpful in aiding you where to explore, and if you have thoughts, suggestions or comments you may leave a comment right here, or send me an email at renz.cheng@gmail.com