Toyo Eatery wins Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025
Filipino restaurant Toyo Eatery in Makati won the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award as part of this year's Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.
The restaurant got the votes of over 350 members comprising Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Academy for providing the best hospitality experience in the past 18 months.
It was the second in a series of pre-announced special awards unveiled leading to the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants program. The live awarding ceremony will be held in Seoul on March 25.
Toyo Eatery, whose name is based on the Filipino word for soy sauce, debuted at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2018 as the winner of the One to Watch Award.
It then joined the best restaurant list in 2019 at 43rd place. It stayed on the list in 2021, 2023, and 2024, when it placed 24th.
In 2023, it also won the Sustainable Restaurant Award.
Managed by husband-and-wife Jordy and May Navarra, Toyo Eatery champions Filipino heritage and food culture and offers a deeply personal hospitality experience as if customers were dining at their homes.
In giving the award, William Drew, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant, noted how Toyo's guests are "warmly immersed in Filipino food culture–whether you are there to enjoy a tasting menu of reimagined cuisine, or the kamayan sharing plates, eaten by hand off banana leaves."
"Genuine hospitality is also evident in the personal touches from Jordy and May—from the seamless integration of interiors, floral and vegetable displays and wall art to local craftsmanship and, of course, in the way they educate diners about their food," Drew added.
May said the award brought them tears of joy "as it validates that the distinct Filipino style of hospitality that’s often deemed as more casual than the norm is now accepted and appreciated.”
Jordy, meanwhile, said their style of hospitality has always kept in mind the idea of a welcoming Filipino home.
"We continue to go beyond just service," he said, "which is why we are deeply honored to receive this year’s award."
"We aim to convey the Filipino experience, not just through the dishes we serve, but also by creating genuine connections with our guests. This award belongs to our incredible team and to all those who have dined with us. Maraming salamat!" he added.
Toyo was part of PhilSTAR L!fe's Life, But Better: The 100 List last year.
"Sharing the down-to-earth but flavorful qualities of the condiment it’s named after, Toyo Eatery puts Philippine cuisine on the global map by simply and expertly elevating Filipino produce and people," L!fe's citation read.
"Toyo Eatery is infused with local flavors in the best way. It uses ingredients sourced from local farmers and artisans and prepared using modern Filipino techniques... To enjoy a meal in this fine-dining restaurant is to celebrate the best flavors of the Philippine islands. It’s an opportunity you don’t pass up."
