Latest Reviews
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The small casual restaurant made me feel I was in one of the alleys in Japan. Chef will cook right in front of you. Had the Saikoro steak and it was p…
Harley-Henson Wong
Matoi
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Legit Japanese home cooked meals. The place is small but the food is quite authentic. The Japanese chef is also very friendly. The ramen wasn’t good b…
Marie Ishimura
Matoi
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The owner have a nice attitude, but the waitresses are the worst professionals I have found in my 25 years staying in Manila. Uneducated staff. Noisy,…
Manuel Pérez
Matoi
About
Matoi is open for Manila and Casual Dining. Matoi serves Japanese dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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5 Reviews on “Matoi”
The small casual restaurant made me feel I was in one of the alleys in Japan. Chef will cook right in front of you. Had the Saikoro steak and it was perfect with my beer. Oh and they served me a free appetizer.Sat beside a Japanese guy and he mentioned that chef is one of the well known Japanese chefs in Malate.
Legit Japanese home cooked meals. The place is small but the food is quite authentic. The Japanese chef is also very friendly. The ramen wasn’t good but the sushi and other items on the menu were very good
The owner have a nice attitude, but the waitresses are the worst professionals I have found in my 25 years staying in Manila. Uneducated staff. Noisy, chismosa, cheating the owner, very bad experience. Wait 30 minutes for any yakitori dish you have ordered. It’s a shame because the place is cozy and you really seem to be in a Tokyo izakaya. Poor owner.
Would have been good except they charge 100php per pax if you order any kind of liquor, which doesn’t make sense, and felt opportunistic. It is in the fineprint on the menu, but we didn’t notice as we ordered beer mindlessly–as one always does when at a restaurant. We immediately received a small bowl of egg and spinach, which the waitress said came as a set with any kind of alcohol. It looked like the type that’s free at japanese/korean restos, so we ignored it, oblivious to the fact that we were actually paying 200 for it. At least a heads up would have been nice, especially since it was pretty obvious we were unaware of the rule. My partner doesn’t even eat egg so he left it untouched. Not counting our other orders, since we ordered one beer (smb pale pilsen) each, we ended up paying 340 just for 2 local beers. Not coming back.
A bit of a hidden gem in old trodden Malate, Matoi is a Japanese masterpiece. I wasn’t able to try their Japanese dishes (in another time) as this visit was mainly for the purpose of trying their ramen offers. Unlike the modern and contemporary flavors of Ramen Nagi and Ippudo, Matoi maintains a very simple yet interesting flavor approach to their ramen. The flavor is interesting and complex enough but it doesn’t drown you too much. I recommend that you give this restaurant a try. Their ramens vary from P180 – P290 and are in big servings. The ramen is worth every peso!