MOA Restaurants by Budget, and Which Ones Face the Bay

MOA restaurants fall into three price tiers: under ₱500 a head at Army Navy and Bo's Coffee, ₱500 to ₱1,500 at The Aristocrat, Café Adriatico and Cabalen, and ₱1,500 and up at China Blue by Jereme Leung and C Lounge inside the Conrad. Three of the seven come with a Manila Bay view: Army Navy, China Blue and C Lounge.

How the seven sort

This is not every restaurant in the complex, and the tiers are a guide, not menu prices. A typical night at MOA runs about ₱700 to ₱1,500 a head, which is the middle tier with a coffee or a snack on either side. For two people, a middle-tier dinner comes to roughly ₱1,000 to ₱3,000 together.

Under ₱500 a head

Army Navy serves burgers and burritos with a Manila Bay view, and it is the only place in this tier with the bay attached. It has indoor and outdoor seating. It also has a location at Harbour Square in the CCP Complex, which is a ride away, so make sure the map pin is the MOA one.

Bo's Coffee is a branch of the local coffee chain inside SM MOA. Use it as the meeting point, or as the second stop after dinner when nobody wants a drink.

A date at this level is a burger with the view and a coffee after. That leaves the budget for something free: a walk along the Seaside Blvd esplanade or the viewing decks at MOA Sky on the mall's rooftop.

₱500 to ₱1,500 a head

Three Filipino kitchens inside SM MOA sit in this tier, and they suit different tables.

The Aristocrat serves chicken barbecue and java rice, and the restaurant dates from 1936. It is the pick when the table wants a classic and no surprises.

Café Adriatico is a bistro serving adobo rice and palabok. A bistro table suits two people better than a buffet line does, so this is the date pick of the three.

Cabalen is a Filipino buffet with kare-kare, and it takes big groups. Use it when the headcount is uncertain or the appetites are unequal. A full night built around it is in a MOA birthday for ten.

₱1,500 and up a head

Both places in the top tier are inside the Conrad, on Seaside Blvd in the MOA Complex.

China Blue by Jereme Leung is Chinese fine dining with bay views and private rooms, and it is on the Michelin Selected list. The private rooms make it the one for an anniversary or a family dinner. Ask about bay-side seating when you book.

C Lounge is the hotel bar, with a bay panorama and live entertainment. It is open to midnight, and to 1 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. That makes it a useful last stop at any budget: eat in the mall at middle-tier prices, then pay hotel prices for one drink and the panorama.

Which ones face the bay

• Army Navy: under ₱500 a head. Bay view, indoor and outdoor seating.
• China Blue by Jereme Leung: ₱1,500 and up. Bay views and private rooms.
• C Lounge: ₱1,500 and up. Bay panorama, indoor and outdoor.

The three middle-tier kitchens are inside SM MOA. If the sunset matters more than the table, eat in the mall and watch it for free. The spots are sorted in where to watch the Manila Bay sunset near MOA. Sunset depends on the weather, but dinner does not: almost everything at MOA is indoors, which makes it the most rain-proof of the four areas.

Turning dinner into a night

For what to do before or after the meal, see things to do in MOA. For an overnight version, see the Conrad staycation plan.

The planner covers Cubao now, and the Pasay Bay Area is next; the areas page shows what is live. Until then, date ideas across Manila has plans that can be booked tonight.

The planner covers Cubao now. Pasay Bay Area is next, and this post is written from the same kind of checked list.