Spanish restaurants and tapas in Manila, from a MICHELIN Star to paella since 1952

Tasting menus and the big night out

Singular Manila is one of the newest serious Spanish rooms in the city, at The Palace in Uptown Bonifacio, from Marbella chef Fernando Alcalá, who was named revelation chef at Madrid Fusión in 2019. There is no à la carte. You choose between two journeys through Spain: Raíces at ₱4,890 for snacks and six courses, or Horizontes at ₱7,980 for snacks and ten, with dishes like tuna with pipirrana and ajoblanco, mackerel in adobo, and grouper with arroz de caldero. Wine pairings are ₱2,400 and ₱3,900, and there is a non-alcoholic pairing too (singular.ph, October 2026). The Palace, 11th Avenue corner 38th Street, Uptown Bonifacio, Taguig. ₱₱₱₱. Monday to Saturday from 5:30pm. Good to know: reservation only, prepaid and non-refundable; book on singular.ph or +63 917 309 8027, send dietary needs 48 hours ahead, and dress smart casual.

Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez is the Spanish restaurant on the roof level of The Westin Manila in Ortigas, MICHELIN Selected for 2026. The kitchen leans on the sea, with grilled wild turbot as the house signature, alongside classic and more inventive tapas, and the rooftop terrace looks out over the Ortigas skyline. Roof Level, The Westin Manila, San Miguel Avenue corner Lourdes Drive, Ortigas, Mandaluyong. ₱₱₱. Daily 11:30am to 2pm and 5pm to 10pm. Tip: book on SevenRooms through cantabriamanila.com or call +63 2 8256 2020; set menus need advance booking.

Asador Alfonso is a day trip, about 80 kilometres south in Alfonso, Cavite, and the reason to make it is a long Spanish lunch. Chele Gonzalez is chef patron, the building is shaped after nearby Taal Volcano, and a wood fired Castilian oven turns out Segovia style suckling pig. It holds One MICHELIN Star in the 2026 guide, and Phil Rosenthal ate here in the Manila episode of Somebody Feed Phil. Lot 3308 Barangay Road, Alfonso, Cavite. ₱₱₱₱. Thursday to Sunday 11:30am to 4pm and 5:30pm to 10pm; closed Monday to Wednesday. Good to know: the whole table orders the same set menu; book by email at reservations@asadoralfonso.com or on +63 917 150 7621, and go for lunch to see the farm in daylight.

Chele Gonzalez's tasting menu restaurant in the city, Gallery by Chele in BGC, cooks Philippine produce rather than Spanish dishes, but it is worth knowing if you are planning a big night. For more rooms like these, see Every MICHELIN Star and Bib Gourmand in Manila, Tasting menus in Manila, ranked by price and Romantic Restaurants in Manila.

Tapas and a bottle of wine

La Tapería Martínez is Valencian chef Luis Martínez's tapas bar on the second floor of One Bonifacio High Street, in the old La Picara space. It is small plates for drinking: fried boquerones at ₱295, baby squid a la plancha at ₱520, clams with spicy chorizo at ₱695, and chistorra simmered in cider at ₱895 (menu prices quoted by Our Awesome Planet, May 2026). SPOT.ph put it on its 50 Great Restaurants of 2026 list and points to the patatas bravas and the huevos rotos with prawns. For three or four, order the arroz al horno, the baked rice of Valencia, at ₱1,950; it takes 35 minutes. L214, 2/F One Bonifacio High Street, 5th Avenue corner 28th Street, BGC, Taguig. ₱₱₱. Monday to Thursday 12pm to 10pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm; Sunday 11am to 10pm. Tip: it is busiest at night, so come at lunch for an easy table; book on nikkei.com.ph or call +63 945 663 8052. The menu also lists a happy hour and BYOB Mondays, so ask for the terms when you book.

Txanton began as a wine and gourmet importer and calls itself the first jamonería in the Philippines. You eat on the second floor of the Alegria Alta Building on Chino Roces Avenue Extension, among shelves of wine and Spanish goods, and the MICHELIN inspectors count around 3,000 bottles. Order jamón ibérico to start, then Rubia Gallega beef or pluma ibérica, cuts that are hard to find elsewhere in Manila. It is MICHELIN Selected for 2026. 2nd Floor, Alegria Alta Building, 2294 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Magallanes, Makati. ₱₱₱₱. Daily 11am to 10:30pm. Good to know: there are private rooms, including a Cave for up to 8 with no phone signal; book on +63 917 624 4270.

Terry's Bistro, Pasong Tamo is a deli, a wine shop and a Spanish bistro under one roof on Chino Roces Avenue, a short walk from Txanton. Pintxos come in threes from ₱395, gambas al ajillo are ₱985, the black paella is ₱990, and freshly carved jamón Montaraz is ₱1,540 for 100 grams (bistro menu, October 2026). For a party, a whole Segovia style cochinillo is ₱15,000 with three days' notice. After lunch, shop the cheese and wine on your way out. Ground Floor, BCS Prime Building, 2297 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati. ₱₱₱. Bistro daily 11am to 10pm, last order 9:30pm; the deli opens at 10:30am. Tip: book through terryselection.com or call (02) 8354 6997.

Heading on for a drink after? See The Best Bars in BGC.

Paella for the table

Terraza Martínez is where Luis Martínez cooks the Paella Valenciana of his hometown, in a terracotta and ocean blue room with arched windows on the ground floor of Shangri-La The Fort. The paellas come in wide pans for sharing, and the tapas list runs from croquetas and gazpacho to Iberian pork, bacalao and a carpaccio de presa ibérica at ₱995. It is MICHELIN Selected for 2026, and because it is open until midnight every day, it works for a late lunch or a late dinner. Ground Floor, Shangri-La The Fort, 30th Street corner 5th Avenue, BGC, Taguig. ₱₱₱. Daily 11am to midnight. Good to know: call +63 966 700 5801 or book through nikkei.com.ph, especially for dinner and weekends.

Alba Restaurante Español, Makati is the oldest name on this list. Anastacio de Alba came to Manila from Ávila in 1952, and the restaurant credits its cooking to him and his son, chef Miguel. The Makati house on Polaris Street in Bel-Air is the main branch, and the menu is classic and generous: around fifteen paellas, each for two to three people and cooked to order in about 30 minutes, plus callos, lengua Sevillana, rabo de toro and house-cured jamón serrano. It is the place for a family lunch where everyone already knows what they want. 38 Polaris Street, Bel-Air, Makati. ₱₱. Tip: call (02) 8896 6950 or 0917 315 3457 to book; bank card promos run often and usually need a reservation. Alba also has branches in Tomas Morato, Alabang, Mall of Asia, Estancia and Greenhills.

El Born is a Catalan restaurant on the second floor of Mitsukoshi BGC, opened in July 2023 by chef David Amoros and his wife Ivone and named after the Barcelona quarter. The kitchen is built around arroz, the Catalan rice dishes, and a Josper charcoal oven. Try the bomba de la Barceloneta, a potato croquette filled with spicy pork, at ₱425, and the Josper roasted chicken at ₱995 (Philippine Primer, April 2026). Three private rooms seat 4 to 12. 2/F Mitsukoshi BGC, 8th Avenue corner 36th Street, BGC, Taguig. ₱₱₱. Daily 11am to 10pm. Good to know: call 0917 316 9129, and book ahead for a private room.

Cooked over fire

Brasa Martínez opened in July 2026 on the ground floor of Joya Lofts and Towers in Rockwell, and almost everything comes off a two metre charcoal grill. It is Luis Martínez's fourth restaurant under his own name and his most personal, with an octopus gilda, whole grilled fish, Iberico pork presa and cochinillo, and a wine room upstairs. SPOT.ph named it one of its 50 Great Restaurants of 2026. Ground Floor, Joya Lofts and Towers, Joya Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati. Sunday to Thursday 11am to 10pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm. Tip: call 0966 177 6197 or book on nikkei.com.ph. If you are seeing a show, it is a short walk from the Proscenium; see Where to Eat Before a Show at the Proscenium, Rockwell.

Txoko Asador is a Basque and Castilian grill house on Esteban Street in Legazpi Village, from Grupo Pintxos, the team behind Bar Pintxos. A txoko is a Basque eating society where friends cook together, and the menu is built for sharing: pan con tomate y jamón at ₱695, patatas bravas at ₱320, a foie pintxo at ₱980, the campero paella at ₱890 and a Josper grilled Spanish pork tomahawk at ₱2,010 (Philippine Primer, February 2026). A private room seats up to 14. G/F Erlag Building, 102 Esteban Street, Legazpi Village, Makati. ₱₱₱. Lunch daily 12pm to 3pm; dinner Monday to Thursday 5pm to 10pm, and in two seatings Friday to Sunday, 5pm and 8:15pm. Good to know: book on grupopintxos.com or 0956 047 3224. It is an easy pick for a client lunch; see Where to Take Clients to Dinner in Makati and BGC.

Bolero is Fernando Alcalá's more casual room, on the ground floor of Verve Residences in BGC, and it holds a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide. The menu has a Spanish soul and plenty from the charcoal grill, from smoked ribeye empanadas at ₱690 to grilled Ibérico presa, and the Spanish style cheesecake is the one to save room for. It stays open late. GF, Verve Residences Tower 2, High Street South, BGC, Taguig. ₱₱₱. Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 1am; Friday and Saturday 12pm to 2am. Tip: book through bolero.ph or call 0917 120 1228.

Browse more around these streets on our BGC neighbourhood page, Legazpi neighbourhood page and the eat and drink hub.

Before you go

• Booking. Book ahead for Friday and Saturday dinner everywhere on this list. Singular takes prepaid reservations only and no walk-ins. The three Martínez restaurants book through nikkei.com.ph or by phone; Cantabria uses SevenRooms; Txoko Asador books through grupopintxos.com; Alba, Terry's, Txanton and El Born take calls.
• The bill. Most prices include VAT, with a 10% service charge added. Paellas are priced per pan and usually feed two to four, so one pan plus a few tapas is often enough for a table of three.
• Getting there. Txanton and Terry's are both on Chino Roces Avenue in Makati, a short walk apart. Txoko Asador is in Legazpi Village, Alba on Polaris Street near Makati Avenue, and Brasa Martínez in Rockwell. In BGC, La Tapería Martínez, Terraza Martínez and Bolero are around Bonifacio High Street, while Singular and El Born are in the north of BGC near Uptown and Mitsukoshi. Cantabria is in Ortigas, and Asador Alfonso is about 80 kilometres south in Cavite, so plan it as a day out.
• When to go. Lunch is the cheaper and quieter way into many of these rooms: Cantabria's weekday lunch, Txoko Asador's daily lunch, and a weekday tapas lunch at La Tapería Martínez. Asador Alfonso is open Thursday to Sunday only.
• Paella takes time. Alba's paellas take about 30 minutes and La Tapería's arroz al horno 35, so order the rice first and the tapas while you wait.

Questions people ask

What is the best Spanish restaurant in Manila?

It depends on the night. For the most ambitious Spanish cooking, Singular in Uptown BGC serves regional tasting menus from ₱4,890. Asador Alfonso in Cavite holds One MICHELIN Star, and Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez, Txanton and Terraza Martínez are MICHELIN Selected for 2026. For a classic family meal, Alba has served Spanish food in Manila since 1952.

Where can I get tapas in BGC, near Bonifacio High Street?

La Tapería Martínez is on the second floor of One Bonifacio High Street and is a true tapas bar, with small plates from ₱295. Terraza Martínez at Shangri-La The Fort, a short walk from High Street, has a long tapas list and paellas, and Bolero on High Street South serves Spanish style plates until late. For drinks after, see The Best Bars in BGC.

What are the best Spanish restaurants in Makati, and where are Alba and Terry's?

Alba's main branch is at 38 Polaris Street in Bel-Air, Makati, near Makati Avenue. Terry's Bistro is on the ground floor of the BCS Prime Building, 2297 Chino Roces Avenue, with another Makati branch at One Lafayette Square in Salcedo Village. Also in Makati: Txanton for jamón and wine, Txoko Asador in Legazpi Village for Basque grilling, and Brasa Martínez in Rockwell.

Which Spanish restaurant was on Somebody Feed Phil in Manila?

Asador Alfonso. In the Manila episode of season eight of the Netflix series, released in 2025, Phil Rosenthal drove out to Chele Gonzalez's restaurant in Alfonso, Cavite, and ate gazpacho, croquetas, paella and suckling lamb. It is open Thursday to Sunday, and you need to book.

Where can I get good paella in Manila?

For a classic Valenciana, Terraza Martínez in BGC is run by a chef from Valencia, and Alba in Makati has around fifteen paellas for two to three people. El Born in Mitsukoshi BGC does Catalan arroz, Txoko Asador's campero paella is ₱890, and La Tapería Martínez bakes its rice in a clay dish for three to four.