LIST: Savor Italian’s Best in Makati City at These 8 Ristoranti
More than food for the soul, the Italian cuisine is an art unlike any other. It is nestled within memories from childhood and recorded even in history books. In fact, an Italian chef in Manila once described the local cuisine as “next to God in Italy.” This is why the Italian cuisine is well-loved but difficult to master.
Fortunately, we have a list of the best Italian restaurants in Makati City that will satisfy your cravings for authentic Italian cuisine!
Caruso Ristorante Italiano
If there is one Italian restaurant that you should not miss in Makati, it is Caruso Ristorante Italiano in LRI Design Plaza along Nicanor Garcia Street in Bel-Air. The Italian restaurant is known to source its ingredients straight from Italy, making its heritage Italian dishes as authentic and of the best quality as it can possibly be!
Bistecca all Fiorentina / IMAGE from Caruso Ristorante Italiano
While Caruso has a diverse menu including steaks, pasta, pizza, chicken, veal, and even seafood, the Italian restaurant handpicked a few dishes for you to try such as Spaghetti aglio olio pepperoncino con Vongole and Caruso’s Florentine-style beef steak, Bistecca all Fiorentina.
Spaghetti aglio olio pepperoncino con Vongole / IMAGE from Caruso Ristorante Italiano
Aside from its mouthwatering Italian specialties, the fine dining restaurant, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in May 2022, is also known to be a home to well-known musicians like Andrea Bocelli, an Italian opera singer, who dined at Caruso Ristorante Italiano during his stay in the country.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: LRI Design Plaza, 210 Nicanor Garcia Street, Brgy. Bel-Air, Makati City
Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Contact Number: 02-8895-8790 / 02-8895-2451
Website: http://www.carusosristoranteitaliano.com/
Facebook: Caruso Ristorante Italiano
a mano
If you’ve been to Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, your eyes wouldn’t miss this stylish Italian restaurant on the first floor of the indoor shopping mall. This is a mano that boasts a menu offering a variety of mouthwatering pastas, pizzas, and steaks that will surely tickle your tastebuds.
IMAGE from a mano
In addition to the sumptuous food that can be had at a mano, the restaurant is also particular about its coffee. Brewed by professional baristas, their coffee is a favorite among the caffeinated ton.
Delivery and pick-up are also available at a mano. Just order from amano.pickup.ph.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: R1 Power Plant Mall Rockwell, Makati City
Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (Monday to Thursday); 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (Friday to Sunday)
Contact Number: 0917-552-6266
Website: amano.pickup.ph
Facebook: a mano
Instagram: @amano.ph
M Dining + Bar
Welcoming a new executive chef with a vast experience in New York City, M Dining + Bar now offers a revamped menu with sumptuous Italian dishes including Beef Cheeks, a melt-in-your-mouth beef cheek stew, and Sea Bass Truffle Mushroom Broth, an exquisite sea bass and truffle soup.
Beef Cheeks (Php 960) / IMAGE from M Dining + Bar
Sea Bass Truffle Mushroom Broth (Php 650) / IMAGE from M Dining + Bar
For their pastas, try the Tagliolini Anchodina with anchovies and garlic, continuously teasing your palates with rich flavors.
Tagliolini Anchodina / IMAGE from M Dining + Bar
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: 3/F, Alegria Alta Building, 2294 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City
Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; 5:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Contact Number: 02-8810-3565 / 0917-843-3565
Website: https://mgroup.com.ph
Facebook: M Dining + Bar M
Instagram: @m_dining.bar
Mama Lou’s Bambino
Being a family-run restaurant makes Mama Lou’s Bambino an epitome of hospitality to everyone who visits it. What’s more, many of the guests frequenting the place are families. Children’s laughter reverberate around the place, making Mama Lou’s Bambino’s atmosphere warm and welcoming.
IMAGE from Mama Lou’s Bambino
While you may begin your gastronomic journey with their Italian menu, Filipino, French, and Canadian dishes can also be enjoyed at Mama Lou’s Bambino. So if you’re looking for a place to enjoy dinner with family, choose among Mama Lou’s Bambino’s 13 restaurants around the Metro!
Seafood Olio, Mama Lou’s Bambino’s best-selling pasta / IMAGE from Mama Lou’s Bambino
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: Ayala North Exchange corner Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Operating Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (closed on Tuesdays)
Contact Number: 0917-561-6262
Website: https://www.mamalous.com/en/
Facebook: Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen
Instagram: @mama_lous
LUSSO by Margarita Forés
Named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2016, Margarita Forés helms LUSSO, Cibo, and other restaurants that are known for power dishes and the sophisticated dining experience that is mainly Forés. LUSSO, for example, is located alongside other high-end restaurants facing the garden in Greenbelt 5.
With a feminine energy blanketing the place, LUSSO is as cozy as it can be, perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner dates with friends and colleagues. What’s more, the chef’s Italian menu creates a dynamic that will satisfy all your senses.
Chilled Royal Angel Hair Pasta / IMAGE from LUSSO by Margarita Forés
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: G/F, Greenbelt 5, Legaspi Street, Makati City
Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Sunday to Thursday); 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Friday and Saturday)
Contact Number: 02-7756-5893 / 0917-700-5893
Website: www.margaritafores.com
Facebook: LUSSO by Margarita Forés
Instagram: @lusso_manila
Va Bene Pasta Deli
If you are looking for an Italian restaurant where you can enjoy authentic fresh pasta dishes, Va Bene is the place to go. With award-winning Master Chef Massimo at the forefront of Va Bene, homemade fresh pasta tastes heavenly in your mouth.
IMAGE from Philippine Primer
His homemade fresh pasta, which is rolled to order, has a unique firm and chewy texture that is different from dried pasta. The sauce is also exquisitely mixed with the pasta. No wonder the restaurant has steadily gained patrons through word of mouth and has now become a restaurant that boasts of its great pasta credibility among other restaurants.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: 2/F Petron Gas Station, EDSA corner Arnaiz Avenue, Makati City
Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (pick up orders until 7:45 p.m.)
Contact Number: 0917-722-5780
Website: http://www.vabenepastadeli.com/
Facebook: VA BENE PASTA DELI
Instagram: @vabenepastadeliph
Sicilian Roast
Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are often hard to find, but you need not search far with Sicilian Roast in the bustling Palanca Street in Legazpi Village. This popular Italian restaurant, which boasts the tastes of Sicily in Italy, bakes Neapolitan pizzas with its signature delicious, sticky dough.
Pasta Nerano / IMAGE from Sicilian Roast
Philippine Primer highly recommends the Tarfuto Prosciutto Pizza topped with Italian ham and truffle cream, as well as the Pasta Nerano from Nerano on the Sorrento Peninsula. Pair these pizza and pasta dishes with your favorite wine, which you can bring own your own, with a corkage fee of Php 500 per bottle.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: #100 Don Carlos Palanca Street corner Dela Rosa Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City
Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Closed on Sundays)
Contact Number: 02-8541-6550 / 0945-567-353
Facebook: Sicilian Roast
Instagram: @sicilianroastmanila
Casa Mia Ristorante Italiano
Casa Mia is run by power couple Paulo, who is an Italian, and his Filipino wife, Angelene, who honed her skills in Milan, Italy for 12 years. Her experiences led to her scrumptious specialties of pasta and pizza with its deliciously thick crust.
What’s more, their cheeses, sausages, and wine are all imported from Italy, making Casa Mia Ristorante Italiano a go-to place for those who would love to experience the best of Italy around Makati City.
IMAGE from Philippine Primer
GENERAL INFORMATION
Address: 7248 Malugay Street, Assembly Grounds Mall, Brgy. San Antonio, Makati City
Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Contact Number: 0956-544-1533
Facebook: CasaMia Ristorante Italiano
Instagram: @casamiamakati
Have you spotted an Italian restaurant you would wish to try? Share with us your answers, and let’s all savor Italian’s best in Manila!
Featured image from Caruso Ristorante Italiano
