Your Sinigang Cheat Sheet: 12 Restaurants Serving this Filipino Comfort Food
Just like a breakfast of tapa and longganisa, a hearty lunch of adobo, kare-kare, and nilaga, the Filipino dish Sinigang
has nostalgic flavors that lure us back to our favorite mealtime
memories of yesteryears, making it a quintessential comfort food.
Sometimes, all you need to soothe your weary soul is a bowl of savory
and sour, hearty stew, strewn with vegetables, bursting with flavor in
every sip.
Traditionally, sinigang's broth is made sour by tamarind, but many
souring agents also lend their flavors in the soup--fruits like
calamansi, kamias, and guava are common ingredients used for their
sourness. The meats and seafood in the soup vary as well: pork, beef,
fish, and shrimp are common proteins used, stewed with assorted fresh
vegetables such as gabi, eggplant, kangkong, and okra. Modern recipes
get even more playful with their sinigang creations, deconstructing some
of the ingredients for crispy versions, or adding different fruits to
make the flavor of the broth more complex. Another popular sour stew is
the sinampalukang manok, loosely considered the chicken
counterpart of sinigang, still using tamarind as its souring ingredient,
but distinct with its addition of ginger.
Craving for Sinigang becomes more frequent especially during the cold and rainy season, or when one has had a long day at work and needs the comfort of warm soup to appease the belly. In this edition of The Click List, we share 12 restaurants in Manila popular for their renditions of sinigang. Which one is your favorite? Did we miss it in our rundown? Leave us a comment so we can discover new haunts for more soupy goodness!
1. The Aristocrat Restaurant
This family favorite started as a snack bar in the 30s, and is most famous for their Chicken Barbecue and classic cakes and bread from their bakery. For sinigang-seeking tastebuds wanting a more traditional take on the soup, visit this restaurant for pork, beef, and seafood sinigang options.
Order: Sinigang na Baboy (P295), Sinigang na Baka (P375), Sinigang na Tiyan ng Bangus (P355), Sinigang na Hipon (P355), Sinigang na Isda sa Miso (P350)
2. Max's Restaurant
Max's fried chicken will always be its number one superstar, best dipped in banana ketchup and ended with a dessert of caramel bar for the complete Max's experience. Don't shy away from their sinigangs, though. All their hearty tamarind-based soups are good for 2-3 persons, perfect for you and your friends on a rainy day.
Order: Sinigang Na Baboy (P295.90), Sinigang Na Hipon (P346.50), Sinigang Na Tiyan Ng Bangus (P295.90), Sinigang Na Ulo At Tiyan Ng Salmon (P368.50)
3. Cafe Via Mare
Via Mare has been the ultimate foodie destinaltion when craving for Filipino Christmas food faves like bibingka and puto-bumbong at any time of the year. Ever reliable, this long-time favorite also serves the classic sour broth in both meaty and seafood variants.
Order: Sinigang Na Karne (P365), Sinigang na Hipon (P320), Tiyan ng Bangus Sinigang sa Miso (P295)
4. C2 Classic Cuisine
This Filipino restaurant of the Cravings Group has grown a strong following for their delicious dessert--Bibingka Souffle, modernizing a Christmas staple into fluffy-sweet goodness in every spoonful. They get playful with sinigang, too--order the crispy beef ribs version if you want to try something new.
Order: Grilled Liempo Sinigang (P375), Sinigang na Ulo sa Miso (P445), Sinigang na Bangus (P385), Crispy Ribs Sinigang (P475)
5. XO 46 Bistro Filipino
What charms new and loyal patrons to this restaurant, aside from their Filipino dishes, is the customary greetings and rapport of their staff in our local language. After your meal, bring home some of their best-selling puto available in many flavors.
Order: Sinigang na Salmon sa Mustasa (P425), Sinigang na Lechon Kawali (P385), Sinigang na Lamang Dagat (P395)
6. Pino Resto Bar
This restaurant is known for their creative twists and turns to Filipino food classics like kare-kare and bicol express (they're served with crispy bagnet, which is always a sure-win for carnivores). Pino also serves homestyle classics that comfort the hungry soul, if you want something more familiar to feast on.
Order: Sinigang na Salmon sa Miso at Bayabas (P315, good for 2-3 persons)
Every first timer at Sentro is highly recommended to try their corned beef short plate version of sinigang, as this is the dish that placed the restaurant on the map!
Order: Corned Beef Sinigang (P595), Sinigang na Fish of the Day in Tamarind and Guava Broth (P200 per 100g)
This restaurant is home to their very popular juicy USDA prime grade steaks and luscious truffle cream pasta. Do leave space, however, for their 'elevated' version of the Filipino stew, using tender Kurobuta (Japanese black pig).
Order: Kurobuta Sinigang (P395, with country vegetables, served with garlic or Bicol fish paste rice)
This restaurant is known for their bloody delicious creation, the deep fried Crispy Dinuguan, but leave space for another creative dish: a 'dry' sinigang in the form of fried rice!
Order: Sinangag na Sinigang (P235), Sinigang na Tadyang ng Baka (P383), Sinigang na Hipon (P413), Sinigang na Liempo (P383), Sinigang na Salmon Belly sa Miso (P391)
10. Manam (Namnam)
Formerly knowns as Namnam, this Filipino restaurant by The Moment Group splits their menu into Classics and Twists, easily appeasing the appetites of foodies wanting something familiar and something new. Orders come in Small, Medium, and Large servings convenient for the solo eater, foodie dates, and foodtrips in large proportions.
Order: Sinigang na Baboy sa Sampaloc (Small P200, Medium P355, Large P655), Sinigang na Beef Short Rib & Watermelon (Small P225, Medium P395, Large P725), Sinigang na Prawns sa Green Mango (Small P240, Medium P435, Large P805), Sinigang na Salmon Head sa Japanese Miso at Guyabano (Small P205, Medium P385, Large P680)
11. Abe
Trust on LJC Restaurants to spoil your tastebuds with classic renditions and modern takes on Filipino favorites.
Order: Sinigang na Baboy sa Ube (simmered in special purple yam broth), Sinigang na Boneless Bangus Fillet with Ripe Guava (P399), Pork Sinigang in Sampaloc (P395) , SInigang na Bangus Fillet sa Puso ng Saging (P399)
12. Elias / Crisostomo
These two restaurants share one menu, featuring their take on turn of the century Filipino cuisine. Their dishes--most good for sharing--are named creatively, making menu browsing extra fun.
Order: Sinigang Mestizo (P595) - Sinigang na Whole Pompano or Apahap sa Bayabas, Sinigang Gomez (P395) - Sinigang na Baboy sa Sampalok, Sinigang Burgos (P495) - Sinigang na Baka with Gabi, Sinigang ni Kapitan (P435) - Sinigang na Hipon, Sinigang na Hacendero (P495) - Sinigang na Lechon
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