A travel & adventure blog by Kara Santos
Looking for the best coffee shops and bar crawl spots in Poblacion, Makati?
Whether you want to start your day with a perfectly brewed cup of coffee or are planning a night out filled with beer, wine or craft cocktails, Poblacion has become one of Metro Manila’s top destinations for café hopping and nightlife.
When I’m not traveling, I like eating out and trying different restaurants in the city. One of my self-imposed personal side quests is to visit and dine in the oldest restaurants in Metro Manila that are still operating today. It just felt like a fun thing to do since a lot of older establishments are overlooked compared to the trendy new spots.
Below are just some of the oldest food establishments established in Metro Manila, including the oldest restaurants and oldest bakeries (some of which have cafes) where you can dine or buy food in Metro Manila. For the purposes of this list, I limited it to establishments that are more than 50 years old and the ones where I have personally eaten or visited.
Continue reading “Oldest restaurants and bakeries in Metro Manila”Intramuros, the historic walled city of Manila, is one of the country’s top destinations for international tourists and locals alike. While most tourists visit mainly for the churches, museums, and historical sites, some dining spots also offer unique destinations to grab a bite or drink in between all that sightseeing.
Along with classic restaurants serving Filipino-Spanish cuisine, a few new cafes have popped up in the past few years, giving locals a reason to revisit.
Here’s an ultimate guide to the classic and new restaurants in Intramuros currently operational as of May 2025.
Continue reading “Where to eat in Intramuros: Classic and new cafes to visit in Manila”La Rosa Vino, a premium wine shop in Quezon City, recently held the third run of their annual Wine and Food Hop, a unique food crawl with curated wines and delicious bites in several establishments along Maginhawa Street, QC’s famous food and arts district.
Where’s the best place to get halo-halo in Manila? When summer temperatures sizzle, thoughts often turn to cool drinks and refreshments like halo-halo. This famous Filipino dessert is a delightful mix of crushed ice, sweetened fruits, ube, leche flan, and a drizzle of evaporated milk, leading to a burst of flavors and textures in every bite.
Maginhawa Street in Quezon City has a LOT of restaurants to pick from. You could spend a day food-tripping here with different themes. You can find everything from budget-friendly eats catering to students, garden restos ideal for dates, vegan fare, Southeast Asian street food, classic Filipino restaurants, and more.
NOTE: Originally written on October 2023. Last updated on January 2025.
The mere mention of the City of Pines immediately brings to mind images of hot chocolate, brewed coffee, ube jam, strawberry taho, and a lot of other iconic eats. Baguio City is an amazing destination for foodies, with a sheer variety of artistic homegrown restaurants to choose from serving all types of cuisine. In the past few years, Baguio has become a destination for beer lovers as well.
What’s new in Maginhawa? This foodie street in Teacher’s Village, Quezon City is well-known as an Arts and Food Hub, with small start-ups, family-run establishments, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and unique concepts that have evolved over the years. Some favorite establishments closed amid the pandemic, while loads of new cafes and restos have popped up.
After a day of hiking, caving, biking, and other adventure activities, you’ll definitely work up an appetite while in Sagada. Even if you’re just on a chill staycation, you’ll probably get really hungry walking around town because of the cooler weather and steep roads.
While the small mountain town has fewer dining choices than Baguio City, it’s worth checking out all the unique homegrown restaurants that make use of local ingredients and highlight the rich mountain culture.
Continue reading “Food Trip: Where to eat and drink in Sagada”While in Venice, we got to stay in a historic hotel on Lido de Venezia or Lido Island, which hosts the Venice Film Festival every year. The 1st Venice Film Festival took place on Lido Island in August 1932. The 81st film festival is happening from August to September 2024, with stars congregating at “Palazzo del Cinema,” a 1937-era theater just five minutes away from the hotel we stayed in.
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