Where to eat in Cubao before Araneta

Steps from the Coliseum, in Gateway Mall 2

Tatung's is the first restaurant chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou has opened entirely on his own, and it is about 80 metres from the Coliseum on Upper Ground B of Gateway Mall 2. It soft-opened in May 2026 and SPOT.ph has already named it one of its 50 Great Restaurants of the year. Share Mama's Calderetang Baka with queso de bola (₱880), the corned beef sinigang (₱780) and Mama Naty's humba (₱550). The caldereta sometimes sells out, so order it first. Upper Ground B, Gateway Mall 2. ₱₱₱. Closes 9pm. Tip: call +63 945 844 8853 to book a table for a group on a show night.

Grace Park is the farm-to-table restaurant the late Margarita Forés founded, now run by her son Amado Forés's AF Hospitality, and its second room is on the ground floor of the same mall. The cooking is Filipino with an Italian hand: Negros organic lechon with mostarda di frutta, grass-fed beef meatballs, river prawns with anchovy butter. It is the calmer, more grown-up table of the three, good for a birthday dinner before a concert. Ground Floor, Gateway Mall 2. ₱₱₱. Closes 10pm. Tip: book online through AF Hospitality's site or call +63 917 774 7223.

Seafood 8 by Olio's opened in August 2026 and is a modern take on the dampa: choose your fish or shellfish from the tanks and the ice, pick how it is cooked, then one of eight house sauces. The room seats about 130, so it is the one for a family group, about 70 metres from the Coliseum. The Lagoon, Ground Floor, Gateway Mall 2. ₱₱₱. Daily, 11am to 10pm. Tip: call 0908 817 8778 to book.

Food Exchange Manila is the buffet inside Novotel Manila Araneta City, about 140 metres from the Coliseum, with six cooking stations from Japanese and Indian to a grill and desserts. Weekday lunch is ₱2,099 nett and Friday to Sunday dinner ₱2,799 nett, and children 8 and below eat free with a paying adult. Dinner only starts at 6pm, so for an evening show it works best as a long lunch before you queue. Novotel Manila Araneta City, General Aguinaldo Avenue. ₱₱₱. Breakfast 6:30am to 10am, lunch 12nn to 2:30pm, dinner 6pm to 10pm. Tip: call +63 2 8990 7888 to book.

Ten minutes away, in Cubao Expo

Cubao Expo is about a ten-minute walk from the Coliseum. Each place keeps its own hours, and several of the restaurants close on Mondays.

Bellini's has been here since July 1999, when the photographer Roberto Bellini and his wife Maria Luisa opened it, and it is still the room from the film One More Chance. Roberto died in 2024; the restaurant carries on. Order the ravioli with truffle and arugula, the burrata with cherry tomatoes and a tiramisu. It is open every day, so it is also the Monday answer. Cubao Expo, 3 General Romulo Avenue. ₱₱. Daily, 10am to 9:30pm. Tip: it closes before most shows end, so eat here before, not after. Call +63 2 8913 2550.

Best of Luck is a neon-lit Hong Kong-style restaurant over two floors of small metal tables, and the best cheap sit-down meal near the Coliseum. In 2024 the pork and shrimp siomai were ₱168 for three, big ones, and the braised beef tendon dry noodles ₱288. Most tables seat two, so a big group will be split up. Cubao Expo, 3 General Romulo Avenue. ₱. Tuesday to Sunday, until 10:30pm. Good to know: there is usually a queue, so go early.

Habanero Kitchen Bar is where Chef Ryan Patrick Dimapilis works habanero chillies into Filipino food: lechon habanero, oyster sisig, a torched three-cheese pizza, even ice cream. There are milder dishes too, and tables inside and out over two floors. Stall 63, Cubao Expo. ₱₱. Tuesday to Sunday from 11am; closed Monday. Tip: weekday evenings have the shortest wait.

Silingan Coffee is the place to wait out the hours before gates. It was started in 2021 by Redemptorist Brother Jun Santiago and the group RESBAK to give work to the families, most of them mothers and wives, of people killed in the drug war, and it stays open until 11pm. Stall 9, Cubao Expo. ₱. Closes 11pm.

After the show

Most of Araneta City shuts at 10pm, which is earlier than most concerts end. In Cubao Expo, Best of Luck runs to 10:30pm and Silingan Coffee to 11pm on their Google listings, so a show that lets out by 10pm still has time for a late plate or a coffee while the taxi queue thins. For later than that, see our guide to late-night food in Manila.

Before you go

• Getting there. Take MRT-3 or LRT-2 to Araneta Center-Cubao. Both stations connect to Araneta City by walkways, with direct access to Gateway Mall. Our Araneta Coliseum concert guide has the full route and parking notes.
• Eat before you queue. The venue says queueing starts at 2pm, and there is no re-entry once you are inside, so plan the meal for before you join the line.
• Mall hours. Araneta City's malls run 10am to 9pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. The Gateway Mall 2 restaurants keep close to these, so they are a before-the-show plan.
• Booking. On a concert night, call Tatung's, Grace Park or Seafood 8 for a table. Best of Luck is walk-in and Habanero often has a wait, so arrive early.
• Getting home. The last southbound MRT-3 from Araneta Center-Cubao leaves at 10:38pm on weekdays and 9:38pm at weekends, so most evening shows end after it. A coffee at Silingan gives the taxi queue time to thin.
• Payment. We did not confirm card payment at every Cubao Expo restaurant, so carry some cash.

Questions people ask

What are the best restaurants near Araneta Coliseum?

For a proper meal within a couple of minutes' walk, Tatung's, Grace Park and Seafood 8 by Olio's in Gateway Mall 2, all within about 80 metres. For somewhere with more character, Bellini's, Best of Luck and Habanero Kitchen Bar in Cubao Expo, about ten minutes on foot.

Can you bring food inside Araneta Coliseum?

No. The venue does not allow outside food and drinks. There are food stalls inside the Coliseum, and canned beer is sold but poured into a disposable cup, so for a real meal eat before you queue.

Where can you eat in Cubao at night?

Most of Araneta City's restaurants close by 10pm. In Cubao Expo, Best of Luck is open until 10:30pm and Silingan Coffee until 11pm on their Google listings. For later than that, see our guide to late-night food in Manila.

Where can you eat in Cubao on a budget?

Best of Luck in Cubao Expo is the cheapest sit-down meal on this list. At 2024 prices, siomai were ₱168 for three and beef tendon noodles ₱288, so a filling dinner for one stays well under ₱500.

What restaurants are near Novotel Araneta?

Food Exchange Manila is inside the hotel. Gateway Mall 2, with Tatung's, Grace Park and Seafood 8, is next door, and Cubao Expo is about ten minutes' walk.

Planning a show? See concerts in Manila to the end of 2026, and if your next one is in Pasay, our guide to restaurants near MOA Arena. For more of this kind of cooking around the city, read where to eat Filipino food in Manila. More around Cubao is on the Quezon City neighbourhood page and our eat and drink hub.