# Omakase in Manila: counters, prices and how to book Canonical page: https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/omakase-in-manila Source: What's On Manila. Please cite and link the canonical page. Published: 2026-10-18 *Eight Japanese counters in Metro Manila with the price per head as printed, the seats, the seatings and the booking rules, from ₱4,500 yakitori to a ₱15,800 sushi omakase, each checked in October 2026.* Omakase in Manila runs from about ₱4,500 to ₱15,800 a person before service. For sushi at the counter, book Iai in BGC (₱8,900), Hinoki in Legazpi Village (₱8,000++ or ₱10,000++), Ginza Nagaoka at Okada Manila or the Tokusen omakase at Yamazato (₱15,800). For something shorter or cooked, Iai's kappo menu is ₱5,800, Yamazato's autumn kaiseki is ₱6,800 and 12/10 in Rockwell runs a non-traditional Japanese tasting menu. For a gentler bill, Birdjovi in Makati serves yakitori omakase for ₱4,500, and Kei and Sakagura in BGC let you sit at the counter and order as you go. Every price below is as the restaurant or the press printed it, with the month. Updated October 2026. Omakase means "I leave it up to you": the chef decides the menu on the night, usually at a counter, from what came in that week. In Manila the seats are few, often eight to twelve, so most of these places take bookings only, and several ask for a down payment. Prices usually include 12% VAT (value added tax) and add a 10% service charge on top, which we note where the restaurant says so. ## Sushi counters **[Iai](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/iai)** is chef Bruce Ricketts' sushi kappo room on the ground floor of The Montane in BGC. The sushi omakase is served at a ten seat acacia counter: four or five small seasonal plates, six or seven pieces of nigiri, a meat course and dessert. It is in the MICHELIN Guide, and the room is quiet enough that the restaurant asks guests not to wear perfume. The Montane, 8th Avenue corner 35th Street, BGC. ₱₱₱₱. Wednesday to Sunday, seatings at 6pm and 8:30pm. Sushi omakase ₱8,900, premium omakase from ₱13,500 by request, VAT included, plus 10% service (restaurant site, October 2026). Good to know: book only through the website with a 50% down payment per seat; cancel at least 48 hours ahead or it is not refunded. **[Hinoki](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/hinoki)** opened on Arnaiz Avenue in mid 2026 with chef Yusuke Hino, who ran the kitchen at Senju in Edsa Shangri-La. The eight seat counter sits in a wooden room by Studio Ong, the designers of Iai, and Hino is easy company: he asks what size of nigiri you want and talks in Tagalog as readily as English. Expect bluefin tuna in three cuts, Hokkaido uni and Kagoshima wagyu, and a choice of his king crab sushi rice risotto or a wagyu sukiyaki to finish. Keyland Building, 851 Arnaiz Avenue, Legazpi Village. ₱₱₱₱. Tuesday to Sunday, 6pm to 10pm. ₱10,000++ for 5 appetizers, 10 nigiri and a signature dish; ₱8,000++ for 3 appetizers, 9 nigiri and a signature dish (Spot.ph, September 2026). Tip: call 0917 650 7417 to book, and ask for the counter. **[Ginza Nagaoka](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/ginza-nagaoka)** is the ten seat sushi bar of chef Junji Nagaoka inside Okada Manila. He opened Ginza Sushi Nagaoka in Tokyo in 2007, is licensed to prepare fugu, and picks the fish, rice and condiments himself. The MICHELIN inspectors single out thick cut fish on precisely seasoned rice. UG Floor, Restaurant Promenade, Okada Manila, Entertainment City. ₱₱₱₱. Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm to 11pm. Good to know: the restaurant does not publish its omakase prices, so ask when you call +63 2 8555 5799 or email PremiumDining@okadamanila.com. **[Yamazato](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/yamazato)** at Hotel Okura Manila carries the most expensive published omakase in the city. The Tokusen sushi omakase brings fifteen pieces of nigiri in two rounds, with a grilled course, kanpyo maki, tamagoyaki, a clear dobin mushi soup and dessert, at lunch or dinner. The hotel is close to the airport, which makes it a calm meal before a flight. 2nd Floor, Hotel Okura Manila, Newport City, Pasay. ₱₱₱. Sushi counter Wednesday to Sunday, lunch 11:30am to 2:30pm, dinner 5:30pm to 9:30pm. ₱15,800, VAT included, plus 10% service (restaurant menu, 2026). Tip: give a day's notice for the counter on TableCheck or +63 917 818 9868, and dress smart casual. Until 14 November 2026 there is also a short run at Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC: Tokyo trained chef Yuki Anzai has turned the Round Bar of The Lounge into a twelve seat Edomae counter, Wednesday to Saturday at 6pm and 8:30pm, at ₱5,800 nett for seven courses or ₱7,800 nett for ten (Lifestyle Asia, September 2026). Book through the hotel on +63 2 8838 1234. ## Kaiseki and tasting menus Kaiseki is the formal seasonal Japanese meal of many small courses; kappo sits between kaiseki and an izakaya, cooked in front of you without the sushi. **[Yamazato](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/yamazato)** is also the place for kaiseki. The autumn Kinshu menu runs from wagyu and crab to three kinds of sashimi, a grilled Spanish mackerel, the house wagyu ishiyaki nabe and a steamed eel sushi, for ₱6,800, VAT included, plus 10% service, from 1 September to 30 November 2026. **[Iai](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/iai)** has a kappo omakase of seven courses without sushi, served at its two tables and in a private room for four to nine. At ₱5,800, VAT included, plus 10% service, it is the lower priced way into Ricketts' cooking, with seatings at 6:30pm and 7:30pm. **[12/10](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/12-10)** in Rockwell is an izakaya first, with a dinner omakase of non-traditional Japanese courses built on French technique, from chef Gab Bustos. It is in the MICHELIN Guide and on Tatler's Best 20 Restaurants list for 2026, and the uni toast with chicken liver and pineapple is the dish to order. G/F 8 Rockwell, Lopez Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati. ₱₱₱. Omakase seatings at 6pm or 7pm, Monday to Saturday. The restaurant sells a dinner omakase for two as a gift at ₱13,000, tax included (twelveten.ph, October 2026). Book: twelveten.ph or +63 917 701 9275. For more menus like these, ranked from the top down, see [Tasting Menus in Manila, Ranked by Price](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/tasting-menus-manila-prices). ## More accessible omakase and counters **[Birdjovi](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/birdjovi)** is yakitori, not sushi, and the lowest priced omakase we found. Chef Takuto Kato from Nagoya grills each part of the chicken over binchotan charcoal at a nine seat counter in the Comuna building, from thigh and neck to heart and liver, and finishes with a chicken ramen made in front of you. There is now a weekend lunch omakase and a 13 dish Utage course for families and groups. Ground Floor, Comuna, 238 Pablo Ocampo Sr. Street Extension, Makati. ₱₱₱. Tuesday to Sunday dinner at 5:30pm and 8pm; Saturday and Sunday lunch at 12pm or 1pm. Yakitori omakase ₱4,500 (Spot.ph, February 2026); Utage course ₱2,800 plus service (Birdjovi, September 2026). Good to know: book by Instagram message or Viber on 0945 849 7095, with a down payment. **[Kei](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/kei)** is a 24 seat hand roll counter from the Wildflour group at Verve Residences in BGC. Chef Kei Takahashi toasts the nori over a clay charcoal shichirin, fills it to order and passes it across, to be eaten whole. There is no set omakase; you order hand rolls in sets of two to five, so a counter lunch here costs a fraction of the rooms above. GF Verve Residences Tower 1, 26th Street corner 7th Avenue, BGC. ₱₱. Tuesday to Saturday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm; Sunday 11am to 3pm and 4pm to 9pm; closed Monday. Tip: call 0917 158 3614 for a seat at the bar. **[Sakagura](https://whatsonmnl.com/place/sakagura)** is the Nikkei Group's sake bar and izakaya on the second floor of One Bonifacio High Street, with a long counter under more than 50 premium sakes and fish flown in from Japan. Order the chef's choice nigiri, six pieces for ₱1,495, or the chef's choice sashimi for ₱2,500, and let the staff pick a sake. The kitchen runs omakase and seasonal specials paired with a sake of the month, but the price changes, so ask when you book. 2nd Floor, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 28th Street, BGC. ₱₱₱. Monday to Thursday 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm, Sunday 11am to 10pm. Prices include VAT, plus 10% service (Sakagura menu, checked October 2026). Book: 0956 029 4791. If you are dining alone, all of these counters suit it; see also [Eating Alone in Manila: Counters, Bar Seats and Tables for One](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/solo-dining-manila). ## Before you go - **Booking.** Book well ahead for Iai, Hinoki and Ginza Nagaoka, especially for a Friday or Saturday. Iai books only through its website; Hinoki and Birdjovi take bookings by phone, Viber or Instagram message; Yamazato uses TableCheck. - **Deposits and cancelling.** Iai takes 50% per seat and keeps it if you cancel within 48 hours. Birdjovi asks for a down payment. Ask about the rules before you pay anywhere else. - **The bill.** Most prices here include VAT and add 10% service charge. A "++" after a price means service charge and tax are added. Drinks are extra, and Iai charges ₱2,000 corkage per bottle. - **Allergies.** Tell the restaurant when you book, not at the table. Iai cannot adapt its menu for guests who avoid raw food, seafood, gluten or soy, or for vegans and vegetarians, and most sushi counters are the same. - **Getting there.** Iai, Kei and Sakagura are in BGC, a short ride apart. Hinoki and Birdjovi are in Makati. Ginza Nagaoka and Yamazato are near Manila Bay and the airport, so allow for traffic, and Yamazato gives three hours of free parking with a ₱500 spend. ## Questions people ask ### How much is omakase in Manila? Of the menus we could verify, from ₱4,500 for Birdjovi's yakitori omakase to ₱15,800 for Yamazato's Tokusen sushi omakase. Iai (₱8,900) and Hinoki (₱8,000++ or ₱10,000++) sit in between. Add 10% service charge and drinks. ### What is the best omakase in Metro Manila? For sushi at the counter, Iai and Ginza Nagaoka are both in the MICHELIN Guide, and Hinoki is the newest room worth booking. Yamazato is the pick for a hotel setting and a longer sushi course. For something different, Birdjovi does the same counter format with yakitori. ### Is there affordable omakase in Makati? Birdjovi in the Comuna building is the most affordable we found, at ₱4,500 for the yakitori omakase, or ₱2,800 plus service for its 13 dish Utage course. In BGC, a counter lunch of hand rolls at Kei costs less again, though it is ordered as you go rather than set. ### Does Sakagura in BGC do omakase? Sakagura runs omakase and seasonal specials paired with a sake of the month, but it is not on the printed menu and the price changes, so ask when you book. The chef's choice nigiri (six pieces, ₱1,495) is the everyday version. ### Is omakase worth it? It is worth it when you want to watch a chef work and try fish you would not order yourself. If you would rather choose, sit at a counter that lets you order as you go, such as Kei or Sakagura, and save the full omakase for an occasion. For more ideas, see [Romantic Restaurants in Manila](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/romantic-restaurants-in-manila), [Every MICHELIN Star and Bib Gourmand in Manila](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/michelin-restaurants-manila-2026), our [eat and drink hub](https://whatsonmnl.com/eat-drink) and the [BGC neighbourhood page](https://whatsonmnl.com/neighborhood/bgc).