What it costs to eat at PH's new MICHELIN Bib Gourmand spots
Ten Philippine restaurants have been added to the 2027 MICHELIN Bib Gourmand selection, and it's a rich mix of homegrown Filipino comfort food, authentic Vietnamese fare, and European-inspired dishes.
To help you decide which one to go to first, here's a menu price guide, along with the bestsellers of each dining destination.
Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen
Run by the Tatlonghari family, Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen started with Vietnamese-French matriarch Duyen, who brought her recipes with her when she moved to the Philippines with her husband Ver.
"We've always wanted to preserve that same home-cooked goodness and the warmth she shared with our family and guests," youngest Tatlonghari child Paul told PhilSTAR L!fe. "At the end of the day, we want people to feel at home whenever they dine with us."
For first-timers at Bawai's, Tatlonghari recommends starting their meal with gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls, P395) and chả giò (fried spring rolls with nuoc cham, the restaurant's famous patis sauce, P375).
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There are several bestselling main dishes, including tôm rang me (prawns in tamarind sauce, P855), bun bo hue (P495), which is a different soup besides pho, and the wrap & roll platter, which is perfect for sharing.
A full meal at Bawai's can cost between P700 to P1,000 per person. But for the seafood specialties, you'll want to shell out a bit more.
Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen is located at J. Hernandez Street, Purok 5, Barangay Bucal, Silang, Cavite. Contact them at 0920 972 2924 or via email at info@bawaisgroup.com.
Apag Marangle
Kapampangan cuisine is the hero in this nature-inspired restaurant. Apag Marangle, which is Kapampangan for "dining in the farm," offers over 70 dishes in its menu, which showcases local ingredients and condiments made in-house.
The MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Selection particularly mentioned pairing the restaurant's fermented rice and shrimp dip with fresh vegetables and sauteéd greens, then finishing off the meal with a dish of creamy leche flan. Other dishes to try are: Begkuan, a wok fried pork belly with shrimp paste; Balatung, monggo bean soup with peeled shrimps; as well as the Betute, or pork-stuffed fried frog.
Salads start at P195, soups at P275 up, Binulu dishes are between P385 to P415, while mains range from P225 to P730. Boodle fight sets are also available to up to 10 pax.
Apag Marangle is located at JASA, San Juan Nepomuceno - Dalan Betis, Guagua, Pampanga. Contact them at 0922 8880568 or via email at apagmarangleco2008@gmail.com.
Balay Dako
Clear views of Taal Volcano add to the experience of dining at Balay Dako. Hearty regional Filipino specialties abound in this place on the Tagaytay ridge, made cozier by steaming bowls of bulalo (P1,950).
Many of Balay Dako's servings are meant for sharing, which is consistent with the Filipino translation of the restaurant's Hiligaynon name, "Big house."
Dishes you can try are Pastel de Lengua (P1,200), Bangus Shrimp Lumpia (P620), Pork Steak (P890), and Sinuteng Pusit (P890).
Although its menu offers individual dishes, Balay Dako also serves set meals for groups of five. One of the sets, at P7,400, offers gambas al ajillo, ensaladang mangga at kamatis, sinigang na bangus, kalabasa at sitaw, pork steak, fried chicken (half), kalderetang tadyang ng baka, rice, turon con langka at saging, and a carafe of iced tea.
Balay Dako is located at Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, Cavite. Contact them at (046) 413 4866 or 0923 7266290.
Kalipay!
Named with the Bisaya word for "joy," Kalipay! offers Filipino comfort food prepared with a modern touch.
According to the MICHELIN Guide, a couple of generously flavored dishes stood out: plump shrimp coated in crab fat paste (P420) and kare-kare served with crispy pork belly (P495).
Other crowd favorites are sisig baboy, the Kalipay boneless lechon (P995), and seafood paella (P850). Then there are the new menu items, including lechon baka and kagubkub pork belly. And don't forget their halo-halo, garnished with corn flakes and leche flan (P150 for small).
While it also serves individual dishes, diners can also order Kalipay's family set meals, which are good for four to six people. Each of these sets ranges in price from P2,900 to P3,550, offering favorites, such as sinigang na lapu-lapu, baked scallops, chicken gallantina, baby squid chorizo, and tinola lapu-lapu.
Kalipay! is located at 109 R. Duterte St., Banawa, Cebu City, Cebu. Contact them at 0994 0858088 and 0994 0858188.
Atoh-Ah
Cebuano for "ours," Ato-ah is a dining destination brimming with familiar Cebuano flavors. It opened in 2025 with the aim of showcasing rich Cebuano cuisine to the world. Mission accomplished: the restaurant got MICHELIN's attention in just one year.
There's the inasal-inspired chicken barbecue (P299 for 3 pcs.) and pansit Bisaya (P398), as well as the familiar favorites sisig (P599), sizzling pochero (P1,599), pork BBQ (P349 for 3 pcs.), crispy pata (P1,249), balbacua (P489), crispy lechon kawali (P549), and turon (P249).
The price of a full meal for one can range from P349 to P649. For lunch, in addition to viands, such as lumpia, beef caldereta, and chicken halang-halang, that comes with sinangag, fried egg, house-made atchara, soup, maja blanca, and iced hibiscus tea.
Atoh-Ah is located at 38 Park Avenue India St., Cebu City. Contact them at 0917 3097000.
Azela by Balay Dako
Azela by Balay Dako features home-style dishes, with several inspired by familiar Filipino street food. Since its recipes are inspired by the family matriarch who hails from Bacolod, Azela's signature dish is the beloved slow-cooked kansi.
The Filipino heritage dishes include pancit ni Antonio (P480 small, P820 large), pinakbet rice (P620), house-made sorbetes (P220), and the Negros region's puto in abundance.
For diners who want a little bit of everything in one plate, Azela also offers salo-salo plates, where mains, sides, and dessert are all served together and cost P620 per plate.
A solo complete meal with separate dishes, on the other hand, can cost between P1,000 to P2,500.
The Bib Gourmand branch of Azela by Balay Dako is located at Level 1, Center Atrium, Robinsons Place Manila, Adriatico cor. Pedro Gil, Ermita, Manila. Contact them at 0998 5527570.
Butcher Boy
Focusing on Southeast Asian culinary influences, Butcher Boy takes familiar ingredients and breathes new life into them using modern techniques.
The MICHELIN Guide particularly mentioned the restaurant's laksa dumplings (P540), which offer "a playful take on regional favorites."
Breakfast baos, such as smashed avocado and bacon, BLT bao, and smoked salmon and bao, range in price from P570 to P880.
A full meal for one, with dessert and a drink, is similarly priced; unless you're having the ribeye steak donburi, in which case it will set you back P1,550.
Butcher Boy is located at 2F Alabang West Parade, Las Piñas City. Contact them at 0939 8680531.
C.H.E. Bacolod Chicken House Express
This chicken house says it has been serving authentic Bacolod inasal since 2002. All that practice has paid off.
Without pretention, C.H.E. Bacolod Chicken House Express specializes in serving inasal with lightly charred and crispy leg quarter and breast cuts. Coupled with spicy coconut vinegar and soy sauce, it's a meal that's worth ordering, according to the MICHELIN Guide.
Aside from chicken, there's also liempo and pork BBQ.
Its menu prices offer no pretentions, either. One complete meal with drinks and dessert, which is butter thins, can cost from P325 to about P500.
C.H.E. Bacolod Chicken House Express is located at 114 K Savana Market, Metropolitan Ave. cor. Chino Roces Ave., Makati. Contact them at (02) 8897 8432.
Tatang's Lechon
"Extra crispy boneless Cebu lechon," Tatang's announces on its Instagram. The lechon comes in classic and spicy variants, with flavors enriched by lemongrass and aromatic herbs.
While lechon is the obvious specialty of this Cebuano restaurant, there are other menu items that complement it, including lechon flakes, sizzling sisig, crispy dinuguan, and scallops.
One kilo of the classic lechon belly costs P1,060; its spicy variant costs P1,080. You have the option of ordering a half slab of the lechon belly, which is about 2 to 2.5 kilos, or a whole slab, which is about 4.5 kilos.
A value meal, with either lechon belly, lechon flakes, or lechon sisig, goes for P180 per head.
Tatang's Lechon is located at Wilson St., Lahug, Cebu City. Contact them at (032) 316 4719 or 0917 5478561.
Tito Boy
The MICHELIN Guide wrote Tito Boy "brings a different energy to Pampanga's dining scene" with its laidback atmosphere acting as a base for its European-influenced cooking.
It went on to recommend the tuna crudo, which is served with soy-marinated tapioca pearls appearing as salmon roe.
There's also sisig croquettas, miso mushroom pasta, the beef Wellington, and, the mainstay in many restaurants in the Philippines, Crispy pata.
A full meal at Tito Boy can cost between P400 to P3,500. The beef Wellington goes for around P1,000.
Tito Boy is located at Pavilion 10 A B C D, Clark Center, Jose Abad Santos Ave., Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Pampanga. Contact them at 0933 0626156.
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