# The most expensive restaurants in Manila, and whether they are worth it

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Published: 2026-10-22

*What the priciest meal in Manila costs one person, from a ₱15,800 sushi omakase to A5 wagyu and a Cantonese tasting menu, who each one suits, and the cheaper way into the same kitchen.*

The most expensive meal in Manila with a printed price is the Tokusen sushi omakase at Yamazato in Hotel Okura Manila, at ₱15,800 a person before service. Close behind are Iai's premium omakase in BGC (from ₱13,500), a 500g A5 Omi wagyu striploin at CRU Steakhouse (₱12,500), Hinoki's omakase in Legazpi Village (₱10,000++), the ten course menu at Kása Palma (₱8,500), the Crystal Dragon tasting menu at City of Dreams (₱8,000) and Helm, the only restaurant with two MICHELIN Stars in the current Philippine guide (₱7,500). Below we say what each price buys, who it suits, and the cheaper way into the same kitchen.

Updated October 2026.

This is not a ranking of tasting menus; we have one of those already, [Tasting menus in Manila, ranked by price](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/tasting-menus-manila-prices). This list asks a different question: across every format, from sushi counters to steakhouses to Cantonese banquets, what does the priciest meal in the city cost one person, and is it worth it for you. Every price is as the restaurant or the press printed it, with the month in our notes. Service charge and VAT (value added tax) are mentioned only where the restaurant says how it counts them. Drinks are extra everywhere.

## The short version, by top price per person

- Yamazato, Japanese, Pasay: ₱15,800
- Iai, Japanese, BGC: from ₱13,500
- CRU Steakhouse, steak, Pasay: ₱12,500
- Hinoki, Japanese, Legazpi Village: ₱10,000++
- Kása Palma, tasting menu, Poblacion: ₱8,500
- Crystal Dragon, Cantonese, Parañaque: ₱8,000
- Helm, tasting menu, Makati: ₱7,500
- Sage Grill, steak, Makati: ₱5,300 for one, or ₱14,300 for a tomahawk to share

## For a food trip: the omakase counters

Japanese counters hold the top three prices in the city because the fish is flown in and the seats are few. They suit someone who wants to watch a chef work for two hours and try fish they would not order themselves. If you would rather choose, they are less good value.

**[Yamazato](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/yamazato)** at Hotel Okura Manila serves the most expensive printed menu we found. The Tokusen sushi omakase brings fifteen pieces of nigiri in two rounds, with appetizers, a grilled course, kanpyo maki, tamagoyaki, a dobin mushi soup and dessert, at lunch or dinner. The restaurant is in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide. It suits a quiet, unhurried meal and works well before a flight, since the hotel is close to the airport. The cheaper way in is the autumn Kinshu kaiseki at ₱6,800, with wagyu, three kinds of sashimi and the house wagyu stone pot, until 30 November 2026.
2nd Floor, Hotel Okura Manila, Newport City, Pasay. ₱₱₱₱. Lunch 11:30am to 2:30pm, dinner 5:30pm to 9:30pm; sushi counter Wednesday to Sunday. Tokusen sushi omakase ₱15,800, VAT included, plus 10% service and local taxes. Tip: give a day's notice for the counter; three hours of free parking with a ₱500 spend.

**[Iai](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/iai)** is chef Bruce Ricketts' sushi kappo room in BGC, listed in the MICHELIN Guide. The premium omakase, 16 to 18 dishes with a longer nigiri course, has to be requested in advance and starts at ₱13,500. Most guests book the sushi omakase at the ten seat acacia counter instead, which is the better first visit: appetizers, six or seven pieces of nigiri, a meat course and dessert for ₱8,900. The kappo omakase, seven courses without sushi, is ₱5,800.
G/F The Montane, 8th Avenue corner 35th Street, BGC. ₱₱₱₱. Wednesday to Sunday, 6pm to 10pm. Prices include 12% VAT, plus 10% service. Good to know: online booking only, with a 50% down payment per seat, and no vegan, vegetarian, seafood or soy restrictions can be accommodated.

**[Hinoki](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/hinoki)** opened on Arnaiz Avenue in 2026 with chef Yusuke Hino, formerly of Senju at Edsa Shangri-La. The ₱10,000++ omakase is five appetizers, ten nigiri and a signature dish, either a sushi rice risotto with king crab or a wagyu sukiyaki, at an eight seat counter. Hino asks what size of nigiri you want and talks in Tagalog as easily as English, so this is the friendliest counter on the list for a first omakase. The ₱8,000++ version drops two appetizers and one nigiri, and the à la carte room serves the sukiyaki, the bestseller.
Keyland Building, 851 Arnaiz Avenue, Legazpi Village, Makati. ₱₱₱₱. Tuesday to Sunday, 6pm to 10pm. The ++ means service charge and tax are added. Book: call 0917 650 7417.

## For a steak dinner or a client

Steak is where a bill climbs fastest, because the price rises with the grade and the weight. These two are hotel steakhouses with calm rooms and private dining, which makes them reliable for a client dinner. For the full range, see [Steakhouses in Manila](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/steakhouses-manila).

**[CRU Steakhouse](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/cru-steakhouse)** at Manila Marriott Hotel is listed in the MICHELIN Guide, and its signature is the Omi wagyu A5 striploin, Japanese beef with heavy marbling, served with two sides and a sauce: ₱9,188 for 350g or ₱12,500 for 500g. A 350g steak of this richness is plenty for one person. For a table, the Tajima MB5 tomahawk is ₱16,888 for 1.5kg. The cheaper way in is a grain fed Portoro rib eye at ₱3,100 for 250g, or Sunday lunch, which the restaurant started in February 2026.
Ground Level, Manila Marriott Hotel, Newport World Resorts, Pasay. ₱₱₱. Sunday to Thursday 6pm to 10:30pm, Friday and Saturday 6pm to 11:30pm, plus Sunday lunch. Book: +63 917 659 5420.

**[Sage Grill](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/sage-grill-makati-shangri-la)** is Makati Shangri-La's grill room, cooking over a Josper charcoal oven. Its most expensive cut for one is a 380g Westholme wagyu cuberoll at ₱5,300; the 1.5kg Black Market tomahawk at ₱14,300 is printed as a sharing dish. It is the easiest of these to reach from Ayala Avenue, and the private room seats 15. The cheaper way in is the 250g Black Onyx flank at ₱2,200 or the 180g Angus tenderloin at ₱2,850, at weekday lunch.
Level 2, Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue. ₱₱₱. Monday to Saturday, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 6pm to 10:30pm; closed Sunday. Prices include 12% VAT, plus 10% service and local taxes. Book: (02) 8813 8888.

## For a milestone: the MICHELIN Star tasting menus

These cost less than the top omakase, but they are the meals people plan a year ahead for. You get a fixed run of courses, a chef's point of view and, here, recognition from the MICHELIN Guide. They suit a birthday, an anniversary or a visitor who wants to taste modern Filipino cooking.

**[Kása Palma](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/kasa-palma)** in Poblacion holds one MICHELIN Star. Aaron Isip's ten course menu at ₱8,500 is built around Filipino flavours and seafood, including Lechon de Lobster and ube in three textures; with the beverage pairing at ₱4,000 it comes to ₱12,500 a head before any service charge. The eight course menu is ₱6,500. The cheaper way in is the counter, where the Jungle Kitchen cooks à la carte over live fire, so two people can share a few plates instead of committing to a menu.
6042 R. Palma Street, Poblacion, Makati. ₱₱₱₱. Tuesday to Saturday, 5:30pm to 11pm. Book: SevenRooms through kasapalma.com.

**[Helm](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/helm)** is the only restaurant with two MICHELIN Stars in the first MICHELIN Guide to the Philippines. Josh Boutwood's current menu, Single Ingredient, gives each course to one ingredient, from akami and otoro tuna to an A5 wagyu striploin with marrow, served across the counter in a 24 seat room. At ₱7,500, VAT included, plus 10% service, it is the lowest price on this list for the highest recognition, which is the strongest case for "worth it" here. There is one menu and no shorter version.
3F Tower 2, The Shops at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati. ₱₱₱₱. Tuesday to Sunday dinner from 6pm. Book: joshboutwood.com, +63 915 909 8647 or helm@bistro.com.ph.

## For a family celebration: Cantonese fine dining

Chinese fine dining is priced differently. There is a tasting menu, but much of the spend sits in dried seafood such as abalone and bird's nest, priced per person, and in whole roasted birds shared across a round table.

**[Crystal Dragon](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/crystal-dragon)** at City of Dreams Manila has the highest printed Chinese set menu we found: the Crystal Dragon tasting menu, eight courses at ₱8,000 a person. Chef Chan Choo Kean refreshed the menu in October 2026 with a baked crab shell with black truffle and tea smoked beef short ribs. For a celebration, the premium plates are priced per person, such as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at ₱4,800 and double boiled bird's nest at ₱5,500, and the Peking duck is ₱6,850. The cheaper way in is lunch, when the dim sum is served, or the five course Crystal Coral dinner at ₱3,800.
Upper Ground Floor, Nüwa Tower 1, City of Dreams Manila, Parañaque. ₱₱₱₱. Daily, 12nn to 3pm and 5pm to 11pm. Prices include VAT, plus local tax and service charge. Book: +63 2 8800 8080 or Viber +63 917 550 2587.

## Is it worth it?

For a food trip, Iai's sushi omakase or Hinoki puts you in front of the chef for the whole meal, with fish you would probably not order yourself. For a client, a hotel steakhouse gives you a calm room, a private table and a menu everyone can read. For a milestone, Helm offers the most recognition per peso of anything here. And if the price is the point of hesitation, every kitchen above except Helm has a lower priced door: a shorter menu, a counter or a lunch. For more on hosting, see [Where to Take Clients to Dinner in Makati and BGC](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/business-dinner-restaurants-makati-bgc) and [Omakase in Manila: counters, prices and how to book](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/omakase-in-manila).

## Before you go

- **Budget beyond the menu price.** Most of these add a 10% service charge, and drinks are extra; Kása Palma's beverage pairings alone are ₱3,000 or ₱4,000 a head.
- **Book ahead and expect a deposit.** Iai takes 50% per seat online, and Yamazato asks for a day's notice at the sushi counter. Counters seat eight to ten, so book early for a weekend.
- **Getting there.** Yamazato, CRU and Crystal Dragon are in the bay area resorts in Pasay and Parañaque, which are worth pairing with a show or a stay; Helm, Kása Palma, Hinoki and Sage Grill are in Makati. Browse more in our [eat and drink hub](https://whatsonmnl.com/eat-drink) and the [Makati](https://whatsonmnl.com/neighborhood/makati) and [BGC](https://whatsonmnl.com/neighborhood/bgc) pages.
- **Payment.** Ask about deposits, cancellation rules and payment methods when you book; Iai, for one, refunds nothing for cancellations inside 48 hours.
- **Dress.** Yamazato and Sage Grill ask for smart casual. Iai asks guests to skip perfume.

## Questions people ask

### What is the most expensive restaurant in Manila?

Of the printed prices we could verify, Yamazato at Hotel Okura Manila, where the Tokusen sushi omakase is ₱15,800 a person, VAT included, plus 10% service. Iai's premium omakase starts at ₱13,500.

### What is the most expensive steakhouse in Manila?

CRU Steakhouse at Manila Marriott Hotel, where the 500g Omi wagyu A5 striploin is ₱12,500 and the 1.5kg Tajima tomahawk for sharing is ₱16,888. Sage Grill's 1.5kg tomahawk at Makati Shangri-La is ₱14,300.

### What is the most expensive Japanese restaurant in Manila?

Yamazato, at ₱15,800 for its sushi omakase, followed by Iai at ₱13,500 and Hinoki at ₱10,000++.

### What is the most expensive Chinese restaurant in Manila?

Crystal Dragon at City of Dreams has the highest printed Chinese set menu we found, eight courses at ₱8,000 a person. Large family meals with abalone, bird's nest and a whole Peking duck can cost more per head than that.

### How much is fine dining in the Philippines?

In Metro Manila, a fine dining tasting menu is mostly ₱5,800 to ₱8,500 a person, and the top omakase counters run ₱10,000 to ₱15,800. Add 10% service and drinks. The full list is in [Tasting menus in Manila, ranked by price](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/tasting-menus-manila-prices).

### What are the most expensive restaurants in Makati?

Hinoki in Legazpi Village (₱10,000++), Kása Palma in Poblacion (₱8,500) and Helm at Ayala Triangle (₱7,500). For steak, Sage Grill at Makati Shangri-La.