The best Italian restaurants in Manila, for pasta, pizza and a big night

For a celebration or a long dinner

L'Opera Ristorante Italiano has cooked classical Italian food in Manila since 1994, and in 2025 it moved from Fort Strip to Seven Neo in BGC with the same kitchen standards. Expect handmade pasta, Tuscan classics and a wine list with real depth. Sunday is the day to go: the Sunday Roast is a long midday table of roast beef, crispy pork belly and lamb leg, served from noon. G/F Seven Neo, 4th Avenue corner 26th Street, BGC. ₱₱₱. Daily 11am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 11pm. Sunday Roast ₱1,900+ per adult, ₱950+ for kids (Dude for Food, May 2026). Tip: book the roast ahead on +63 2 8889 3963.

Lusso at Greenbelt 5 is the European room founded by the late chef Margarita Forés, who trained in Italy, and it still serves her signature dishes. Order her spinach taglierini di Marghi, the foie gras brûlée and the crunchy tiramisù. The terrace looks onto the Greenbelt garden, which makes it as good for a long lunch as for dinner. The Greenbelt branch is MICHELIN Selected. Ground Floor, Greenbelt 5, Makati. ₱₱₱. Good to know: listings disagree on closing time, so check when you book; book through the AF Hospitality site or call +63 917 700 5893.

Finestra is Solaire's Italian restaurant, led by chef Andrea Spagoni, with handmade pasta, grilled steaks and tiramisu made at the table. It is the obvious dinner before a show at The Theatre at Solaire: the Pre-show Express Menu is three courses with tea or coffee for ₱3,800+ per person. Solaire Resort Entertainment City, 1 Asean Avenue, Parañaque. ₱₱₱₱. Dinner daily 5:30pm to 10:30pm; Sunday brunch 11:30am to 2:30pm. Good to know: smart casual to elegant; book on +63 2 8888 8888.

For a pasta dinner

Fresca Trattoria started as an 11 square metre pasta pop up and is now a long, narrow trattoria on a quiet Legazpi Village street. Chef and owner Francesco D'Arrigo trained in Italy before cooking in London, Sydney and Amsterdam. Order the fregola gamberi (small toasted pasta with prawns), the pesto pistachio with guanciale and the tiramisu. It is MICHELIN Selected, and the back room closes off for a private dinner. GF The Grand Midori, 158 Bolanos Street, Legazpi Village, Makati. ₱₱₱. Daily 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30pm to 10:30pm. Tip: call +63 954 408 6873; it is small, so book for weekends.

a mano means "by hand", and the pasta here is made that way, next to Neapolitan style pizza from a wood-fired oven. It ranked 9th in the 50 Top Pizza list for Asia-Pacific in 2026, so you can order both and not lose out. Get the prosciutto and rucola pizza, the garganelli bianco and the burrata gelato soft serve. It suits a family table and a quiet dinner for two equally. R1 Level, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati. ₱₱₱. Sunday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm. Good to know: also in BGC, Araneta City and Shangri-La Plaza; book on SevenRooms up to 30 days ahead or call +63 917 552 6266.

For pizza

Crosta Pizzeria on a Salcedo Village corner ranked 5th in the 50 Top Pizza list for Asia-Pacific in 2026, the highest of any pizzeria in the Philippines. Head chef Yuichi Ito works from a long-fermented sourdough with a Neapolitan base, then tops it in ways no pizzeria in Naples would: the Morty and Ella 2.0 has a black truffle béchamel with pistachio mortadella. There are square Detroit style pies too. 104 HV Dela Costa Street corner L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati. Tip: expect a queue; call +63 977 284 5636 before you go, or try the second branch at O-Square 2 Mall in San Juan.

Carlo's cooks the Italian food of the American east coast: New Haven style pizza with a smoky, blistered crust, fresh pasta, mozzarella sticks and lasagna. Carlo Alvarez founded it and Morris Manalo runs the kitchen. Order the spicy vodka rigatoni, the vongole spaghetti and the vodka PEP pizza. G/F Asian Century Center, 27th Street, BGC. Good to know: a block from L'Opera; book on +63 928 552 2756.

Gino's Brick Oven Pizza began on Katipunan Avenue, started by Jutes and Cello Templo, and the Katipunan shop is the first of its branches. The pizzas come from a brick oven, with long-fermented dough and mozzarella made in house every day. Order the S.M.EGG (homemade sausage, mushroom, two eggs, gouda and cream), ask for the house spicy honey to go with it, and add the burrata, made with kesong puti, a soft Filipino white cheese. 319 Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Daily 10am to 9pm. Good to know: there are also branches in Salcedo and on Rada Street in Makati, at Serendra in BGC, at Shangri-La Plaza and at Molito in Alabang.

For a family table in Ortigas

Osteria Antica is Wildflour Hospitality Group's Italian restaurant on the sixth floor of The Podium, open since 2025, with exposed brick, a cocktail bar and a view over the city. The kitchen plays with familiar dishes, like a bruschetta topped with mango, next to handmade pasta and pizzas with a smoky crust. Order the carbonara rigatoni, a pizza and the tiramisu, and the Kurobota pork tomahawk if the table is big. MICHELIN Selected. 6F The Podium, 18 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong. ₱₱. Sunday to Thursday 11am to 2pm and 5:30pm to 10pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 3pm and 5:30pm to 10pm. Tip: book by phone on +63 917 109 7880 and ask for a window table.

For more ideas for a special night, see Romantic Restaurants in Manila for an Anniversary, Birthday or Proposal, and for a work dinner, Where to Take Clients to Dinner in Makati and BGC. Every awarded restaurant in the city is in Every MICHELIN Star and Bib Gourmand in Manila, and the month's openings are in New Restaurants in Manila This Month.

Before you go

• Getting there. Take a Grab. The Makati picks (Fresca, Lusso, a mano, Crosta) are 10 to 15 minutes apart. L'Opera and Carlo's are a block from each other in BGC (Bonifacio Global City), 20 to 40 minutes from Makati depending on traffic. Allow 45 minutes or more to Gino's on Katipunan or to Finestra by Manila Bay at rush hour.
• Booking. Book Fresca, Lusso, Finestra and the L'Opera Sunday Roast ahead, especially on weekends. a mano takes bookings up to 30 days out. Crosta draws a queue, so go early.
• When to go. Weekday lunch in Makati is busy with office workers. Sunday lunch is the time for L'Opera, and dinner is the time for Osteria Antica's view.
• Payment. The sit-down restaurants take cards; check with the smaller pizza places before you go.
• The bill. Restaurant prices usually include 12% VAT (value added tax), with a service charge of 7% to 10% added at sit-down places. A "+" after a price means VAT or service is added on top.

Questions people ask

What is the best Italian restaurant in Manila?

For handmade pasta, Fresca Trattoria and a mano. For a celebration, L'Opera, Lusso or Finestra. For pizza, Crosta, ranked 5th in Asia-Pacific by 50 Top Pizza in 2026. Fresca, Lusso and Osteria Antica are all MICHELIN Selected.

What is the best Italian restaurant in Makati?

Fresca Trattoria in Legazpi Village for pasta, Lusso at Greenbelt 5 for a long lunch, a mano in Rockwell for pizza and pasta together, and Crosta in Salcedo Village for pizza. For the best pizza in Makati, Crosta and a mano are the two on the 2026 Asia-Pacific list.

Where can I eat Italian food in BGC?

L'Opera at Seven Neo for classical Italian and the Sunday Roast, and Carlo's at Asian Century Center for pizza and pasta, a block apart. a mano has a BGC branch and Gino's has one at Serendra, near High Street. See our BGC neighbourhood page for more.

Where can I get the best pasta in Manila?

For seafood pasta, Fresca's fregola gamberi or the vongole spaghetti at Carlo's. For something rich, Lusso's spinach taglierini, a mano's garganelli bianco or Osteria Antica's carbonara rigatoni. For truffle, a mano runs a white truffle list in season, and Crosta's Morty and Ella pizza has a black truffle béchamel.