Cubao Expo Restaurants, Sorted by Occasion

The Cubao Expo restaurants come down to three sit-down kitchens and a few snack counters: Habanero Kitchen Bar for a dinner-and-cocktails date, Best of Luck for a cheap dinner at a table for two, and Bellini's for a booked, slower meal. Which one is right depends on the occasion and the day of the week, since two of the three are closed on Mondays.

The Cubao Expo restaurant for a date night

Habanero Kitchen Bar is the one to build an evening around. It serves oyster sisig, a torched three-cheese pizza and habanero cocktails at Stall 63, and it has both indoor tables and alfresco ones. For scale, the Oyster Sisig (₱395 in 2024) and the 3-Cheese Pizza (₱498 in 2024) put dinner at ₱500 to ₱1,500 a head. The Lechon Habanero is the other dish to look at.

It opens at 11 AM and closes at 10 PM from Tuesday to Thursday and 11 PM from Friday to Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. Arrive with a second choice in mind. The full rundown is in the guide to its oyster sisig and when to go.

A first date or a tight budget

Best of Luck has Hong Kong-style Chinese plates and cocktails over two floors of two-seat tables. It costs under ₱500 a head, and its three priced dishes run from ₱168 to ₱288 at 2024 prices, so the bill stays small enough that splitting it is not awkward. Start with the Pork & Shrimp Siomai (₱168 in 2024).

It is closed on Mondays, so go after 4 PM from Tuesday to Sunday. For a first meeting, coffee before dinner is the safer start, and cafes in Cubao sorts those out.

An anniversary, or anyone who wants a booking

Bellini's is the Italian kitchen, with truffle ravioli, burrata and tiramisu as the dishes to order. It is the only one of the three that takes reservations, through its Facebook or Instagram page, which is the point for an anniversary: the table is settled before the day.

It is open daily from 10 AM to 9:30 PM and costs ₱500 to ₱1,500 a head. The early close shapes the night. Book for 7 PM, finish by 9 PM, and take the last drink somewhere else in the compound.

A Monday

Monday removes two of the three. Bellini's is the sit-down dinner that remains. For something lighter, Silingan Coffee serves coffee and simple rice meals until 11 PM daily, and Ichiban Takoyaki opens at 3 PM and runs until midnight.

Two shops and the gallery are also shut on Mondays, so the compound is a thinner visit that day. If the date can move, move it to Tuesday.

A group, a sober table or a dog

For a barkada, the place in the compound that takes big groups is Cubao X Brewery, an open-air taproom on two floors that is open from 3 PM to midnight daily. It has no kitchen, so food comes in from the neighbours, and the takoyaki stall is the obvious supplier.

For a seated dinner for eight or more, leave the compound. The Gateway Mall 2 restaurants that seat a big group are about a 12-minute walk away.

For a table with no alcohol at all, Silingan Coffee serves coffee and simple rice meals, is a quiet room, and is staffed by families of drug-war victims.

For a dog, Habanero Kitchen Bar is pet-friendly. The alfresco tables are the pet-friendly ones, which means the plan depends on the weather.

Plan the rest

Tell the night-out planner the occasion and the budget and it picks among these for you, then adds a stop before and after. For plates at the low end, see Cubao Expo food under ₱300. For the whole compound, shops and bars included, read the Cubao Expo guide, and for restaurants across Araneta City, restaurants in Cubao by budget. The Cubao date night guide ties the area together.