Best yakitori in Manila?

There is a small enclave of restaurants and Japanese stores in Makati along Chino Roces Avenue near the Makati Cinema Square. The enclave is called Little Tokyo and hosts several izakayas, stores and even a barber shop that are frequented by Japanese residing in Metro Manila including expats and staff from their embassy. It is a nice place where I guess the Japanese could get their comfort food as the chefs and owners of the restaurants and shops were Japanese and dished out authentic Japanese food at Philippine prices.

I remember eating at a restaurant popular for its yakitori in the 1990's when our office still had a lot of JICA Experts assigned to it as part of a project that transformed our Center from a mainly training facility into a research institution. One time, one of the experts invited the staff to Little Tokyo where we ate and drank at an izakaya. Some friends sat that izakaya turned out to be Nanbantei restaurant, which eventually had a branch at the now posh Greenbelt 3 at the Ayala Center in Makati. Nanbantei opened another branch at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig and has become very popular with the growing office worker population and residents of Bonifacio Global City. 

Carrot dip

Miso shiru

Left: Shiitake maki and Right:Aspara maki

Nanbantei menu on a leaflet

Nanbantei leaflet featuring specials

The branch in Taguig is quite new but the staff are attentive and efficient. Prices are very reasonable and the variety is probably the clincher for most diners. Did I mention the taste was authentic? It is and I think the many Japanese who also eat there attest to the restaurant's consistency and commitment to high quality food just as we like our food to be. Nanbantei is a definite winner and a must try!

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