Makilala

What is Makilala? Occupying 105 Church Street in Old Town, Makilala is a deeply personal Filipino restaurant from chef Nuit Regular alongside her husband Jeff and brother-in-law Joel Regular. The sprawling space sets aside generic decor in favor of an immersive barangay aesthetic, featuring an indoor basketball-court floor, wooden church pew seating, a stage with a karaoke setup, and a front bar modeled after a traditional sari-sari neighbourhood sundry store. Guests enter through a small artisan marketplace before stepping into a vibrant, communal room designed for lively group gatherings.

Makilala Menu & What to Order Built around heirloom Regular family recipes, the kitchen delivers soulful Filipino staples executed with serious culinary technique. The slow-simmered oxtail kare-kare in rich peanut gravy paired with toasted rice and house-made bagoong alamang is an essential order, as is the decadent lobster palabok tossed in smoked mackerel and chicharron sauce. Plant-based and gluten-sensitive diners can lean on the coconut-laced ginataang langka (green jackfruit stew) and smoky ensaladang talong topped with salted egg. Pair dinner with a calamansi-infused cocktail or ice-cold San Miguel, and round up a crowd to pre-order their banana-leaf kamayan feast.

Know Before You Go Tables can be booked online via OpenTable, though the spacious room keeps a portion open for walk-ins on weekday lunch and early dinner shifts. Peak crowds arrive on weekend evenings and during Tuesday live karaoke sessions, so plan your transit via the Queen or King streetcars to Church Street. The restaurant runs from lunch through dinner Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays.