Jolly-Jeeps are these food stands that are made of the same kind of steel or metal that would…read moreremind me of a jeep. Heck, maybe that's where they got their name from. Anyway, this project is an initiative of the local government in promotion of employee benefits. To keep it simple, Jolly-Jeeps are basically karenderia stands made out of the stainless jeepney steel that I was talking about. I like it cause it's an extremely cheap alternative to what you'll typically see around Makati. In fact, I'm glad these things exist because I'm no longer restricted to eating at fast food restaurants considering my limited budget. Most Jolly-Jeeps have similar menus. I've only ever tasted the ones I found along Rada Street so I can't say if there's a massive difference between the Jolly-Jeeps there and those in other places. Anyway, most of the things you'll see in these things are typically Pinoy, Longganisa, sisig, bananacue, kamotecue, and so much more.

One icon immediately sets the twin villages of Makati apart from any other district in the country,…read moreand, who knows maybe even the world--the so-called "jolly jeep." These almost space-age looking capsules of convenience line the major avenues of villages Salcedo and Legazpi, with outlets in select streets in and around Makati CBD. They may look uniform, but don't let the Demolition Man grey monotone fool you: these are individual merchants with their own strengths and surprises in store. Most jolly jeeps offer the standards: pancit, lugaw, a couple of ulams with rice, and the omnipresent pinoy spaghetti. Where each jolly jeep differs is in flavor. If you're a fan of banana cue or turon, in particular, there is a wide range in quality and price (and these aren't always directly proportional) so experiment until you find the flavors you like. If you're in the mood for sisig, head on over to the jolly jeep fronting the 711 on Rada--but make sure to get there before the lunch time crush.

Just when you think you couldn't fit another restaurant into Kapitolyo, they open up an entire…read morefoodpark. Insane. Having said that, Gastro Park Kapitolyo is a fantastic addition to the Kapitolyo food scene, if only for the fact that it was able to cram so many restaurants in one space. It also established 1st Street as Kapitolyo's second food street, sharing it with Kanto, Nori, and Ser Chef, among others. The layout of the food park was kept simple and straight to the point, and I appreciate the fact that it actually has a roof. As with most food parks, the outlets are good and decent although no outlet really stands out. I do appreciate the price point of the outlets though, as most of them have plenty of options below P150. That's a major selling point in my book.

A fun place to eat and go on a food trip with friends!…read more This Gastro Park has quite a variety of cuisines available. They have Filipino, Japanese, Singaporean, Thai, and Italian, just to name a few of them. I like that they also thought of how warm it can get. They provided ceiling fans in the middle seating area. The outer areas don't have fans but at the least the fans they have help keep the air circulating.

Very affordable and the food is amazing. Within the food court in the mall so there's a lot of…read moreother food spots to compliment the experience you have here. The wait time is quick and the service was efficient. Definitely one of my favorite places.

It's pretty cheap and good for what you get. I absolutely love the chili tubes they provide for…read moreextra spiciness. I wish the rice would be a little more toasted as the stone didn't stay as hot as I'd like. The meat was also kind of bland compared to what I'm used to.

What it has going for it is its brand and name recognition. Mang Larry's has been an institution at…read moreUP for quite a while now. The order placement system is also very organized. The food order is properly itemized and priced in the printed order slip. It gets full very quickly nearing meal times. We had to wait a short while after placing our order at around 5:45 PM. Students, office workers, and tourists are the present diners when we ate there. What I did not like was the setting and service. It did come a long way now that it has a dedicated seating area and a covered roof compared to yesteryears when it was only a stand-up kiosk. It would have been nice if they went all the way and cemented the flooring and have chosen more presentable table and chairs. Durint the time we were present dining, we also overheard another customer having their order wrong. He ordered something around 20 sticks, but what came in the take-out bag was only around 16 sticks. It was a few sticks short. Lastly, do not expect to get good value when eating here. The small portions of food on the sticks are a little pricey and can add up quicky with just a few sticks ordered.

There is a reason why Mang Larry's is one of the most famous stalls in the UP Diliman Campus. It is…read morea small and humble cart near the Internatonal Center and the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, yet it manages to drawn in hordes and hordes of students and faculty. It serves a variety of innards and offal, which I think shows the ingenuity and the resourcefulness of our street food eating habits -nothing goes to waste. On the menu are different kinds of isaw or pig and chicken intestines, and other adventurous stuff such as pig ears, tripe, gizzards and liver. People would actually line up and end up smelling like the smoke from the outdoor grill, which goes to show how good the isaw is. I personally don't like isaw very much, and I have already shifted to my veg diet when I came to UP, but my friends swear by the quality of the isaw sold by Mang Larry's. A friend remarked that he wouldn't even touch any other isaw, unless he is sure that utter care was taken by the vendor in cleaning the innards. They say that the stuff sold by Mang Larry's taste fresh and clean, and free from that undesirable taste of chicken poop that any amateur isaw vendor wouldn't think of cleaning out thoroughly. Anyway, I heard Mang Larry was able to send his kids to college because of his trade, to which I say, well done! Excellent job, hardworking and charismatic Mang Larry!

It's without a doubt that Zuellig Building, standing at the intersection of Makati Avenue and Paseo…read morede Roxas, is the hippest and most attractive building in Makati to date. I've always admired its exterior and often wondered how could I take a peek inside. Thanks to Laza Food Plaza, a food court located at the second level, I don't have to send application letters to companies holding offices in the building just to experience its ambiance. The Laza Food Plaza lives up to the upscale reputation of Zuellig Building. Its interior design is modern and truly world-class. The limited number of food stalls did not dampen my excitement about spending time there. After going around the food court area, I noticed a few familiar names like Starbucks, Malcolm's, Green Tomato, and Lola's Kitchen. I also saw a couple of interesting stalls, namely New Bistro Deli and Noodle & Co. I tried Lola's Kitchen's Menudo and Paksiw na Tilapia. And from Pinoy Sizzlers, I ordered sizzling squid. The food was good, just as what anyone might expect in other office cafeterias. But the ambiance is reason enough to come back to Laza Food Plaza. By the way, they have an Acoustic Night every Friday at 6:00pm.

Street food heaven! There was plenty of food and drink selection. Lots of seating area. I settled…read morefor calamari and fresh coconut water as it was a little late for me. Service was quick but I'd assume they get really busy on weekends.

This is street food central! I had fun,I was full and my belly was happy…read more Live music and band? For free? Wow,right? Cheap but great choices of all types of street food and other elements added. Highly recommended for tambayan!

Must visit if you're in the area on a Saturday morning. This market is held every Saturday morning…read moreat Jaime Velasquez Park in Makati. The market offers a wide variety ranging from Fresh produce, fruits , local Filipino snacks, seafood & a ton of food vendors. I loved the pumelo & went back to buy more. It gets busy so get there early. There's so much to choose from and wanted to try a little if everything. It's a great spot for a snack or lunch. Many vendors offer free samples. There are tables to sit but you can find a seat in the park to enjoy your food. I had a great time here. They also sell beautiful fresh flowers.

Just being here with all the plethora of food choices. In a setting right out of a movie, what more…read morecan you ask for. Considering you're in Makati a bougie neighborhood pricing is actually reasonable. They have everything, so I'm just going to tell you what we have. Puto bong bong made infront of you and Illocos empanadas fried fresh are the standouts. Just come here and take in life.

If you're Pinoy, you'll understand that when you have a family or company party/get together, you…read moremust bring food that will satisfy and feed everyone...on a budget! Apart from the essential noodles (spaghetti or pancit) and meat dish (fried chicken or pork barbecue), a "kakanin" or rice cake dessert is also something to complete the festivities. For kakanin in a hurry, this is a good place to drop by. They have cassava cake, pichi pichi, and even leche flan. The prices are very affordable and they offer small or big serving sizes. I actually like their pichi pichi with cheese. They are bigger than the usual ones you get from other restaurants and cheaper too! :)

The very first Hungry Hippo opened up waay back when I was in college in 1992 or 93 next to the…read moreUniversity of Santo Tomas. Back then they served your typical U-belt area fare, but in a chic brightly lit and air conditioned restaurant when everyone else was just a dingy hole in the wall. Food was good and somehow affordable for students, but you really would want to eat there when it was very hot outside. This very first location I think closed down in the late 90s.

My very first experience with Hungry Hippo was at the ground floor of the Shell Corporate Building…read morealong Valero Street in Makati. Immediately, I fell in love with their burgers and sandwiches. Honestly, I was one of the regulars who felt sad when that branch closed down years ago. When I met with a friend at RCBC recently, I was surprised to learn that there's a Hungry Hippo branch at the RCBC Plaza food court. Even if we were supposed to eat at a cafe by the lobby, I requested that we move our meeting to my old-time favorite fastfood place. My friend was good enough to oblige. I vividly remember that only burgers, sandwiches, fries, and drinks were served at the old Valero branch. But now, here in RCBC Plaza, Hungry Hippo's menu has expanded to include rice meals, pasta, and even chicken wings. Although I was tempted to taste Tocino and Corned Beef Rice, I still ordered my old-time favorite, the Chunky Chicken sandwich. The smell of the toasted bread brought back many memories. I didn't even bother to take a photo of the food because I was so excited to take a bite. I don't know if I'm just nostalgic but their chicken sandwich remains to be one of the best for me.

The issue with the Makati store is that they will sell very expensive milk with an expiration date…read more5 days from now and the milk is already Turing bad when you open it and then the management gives you a hard time to get a credit even though we have been coming to this store twice a week for 2.5 years and as Americans we stand out and they all know us. Then they tell us to come back next time for the credit slip, when it should take 2 minutes to give you a credit slip that day, then you come back and they say they lost your request for a credit - Mickey Mouse business practices and this is wrong.

This is supermarket we choose when we have to do our big monthly grocery. There's a reason: The…read moreLandmark brings together good variety and also lower prices compared to Rustan's, for example. The highlights, for me, are the great variety of greens, fruits and vegetables (including organic ones!) and the fact that they sell Santïs meats, so I don't have to do two shopping trips. They sell also a good variety of rice (if you're not used to the filipino one, then they have Basmati, Jasmine, Brown Rice and much more) and beans. Thanks to the beans from Landmark, I can keep the Brazilian "rice and beans" tradition at home. And believe me, that means a lot to me :) I also love Landmark's food court. There's a green juice in some stall there that's is just perfect. I also like Bread Talk and Kumori, the Japanese bakery. I mean, there's a lot to explore there before you start pushing your shop cart! TIP: Landmark is cheaper than Rustan's and has much more variety than the SM Supermarket. Choose it for the big once-a-month grocery.