Regina Troy Barrios

Where To Drink Wine: 15 Philippine Restaurants Earn 2026 Wine Spectator Awards 

Article (news)

<p>The Philippines has placed <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-restaurant-awards-reveal-2026?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=Later-linkinbio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>15 restaurants on Wine Spectator&#x27;s 2026 Restaurant Awards list</strong></a>, joining more than 4,000 restaurants across 87 countries and territories recognized for outstanding wine programs.</p><p>Founded in 1981, the <a href="https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards</a> are among the wine world&#x27;s most influential recognitions. Unlike Michelin, which evaluates the overall dining experience, Wine Spectator focuses on wine programs: the quality of a restaurant&#x27;s wine list, how well it complements the menu, the depth of the cellar, and the overall wine experience offered to guests.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17823647934681.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">A global toast to the country&#x27;s best wine destinations | Photo: Wine Spectator</span></span></span></div><p>This year&#x27;s Philippine winners are:</p><h3><strong>Bonifacio Global City</strong> </h3><ul style="list-style-type:disc"><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/grandhyattmanilaph/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Cellar, Grand Hyatt Manila</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/wolfgangssteakhouseph/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wolfgang’s Steakhouse</a>, Bonifacio High Street </li></ul><h3><strong>Mandaluyong</strong> </h3><ul style="list-style-type:disc"><li>Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, The Podium </li></ul><h3><strong>Makati</strong> </h3><ul style="list-style-type:disc"><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aya.manila/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ayà</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/hapag.mnl/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hapag</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kong.mnl/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kong </a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/m_dining.bar/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">M Dining + Bar M</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thepeninsulamanila/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Old Manila, The Peninsula Manila </a></li></ul><h3><strong>Parañaque </strong></h3><ul style="list-style-type:disc"><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/solaire_finestra/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Finestra</a>, Solaire</li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/okadamanila/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">La Piazza, Okada Manila</a> </li><li>Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, City of Dreams Manila </li></ul><h3><strong>Pasay</strong> </h3><ul style="list-style-type:disc"><li>Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Newport World Resorts </li></ul><h3><strong>Quezon City </strong></h3><ul style="list-style-type:disc"><li>Finestra, Solaire Resort North </li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/illupinoprime_manila/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Il Lupino Trattoria &amp; Wine Bar</a>, Opus Mall </li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/world_cellar/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Cellar</a>, Gateway Mall </li></ul><div><br/></div><p>The list captures a shift taking place among wine drinkers themselves. According to Wine Spectator, diners are increasingly choosing quality over quantity, seeking out lesser-known regions, exploring new grape varieties, and saving their splurges for bottles that feel special.</p><p>Restaurants, in turn, are moving beyond trophy bottles and encyclopedic wine lists, giving diners more opportunities to discover unfamiliar regions, grapes, and producers.</p><p>Which makes this year&#x27;s Philippine showing worth a closer look.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782364845176Aya 2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Ayà joins the country&#x27;s top wine destinations | Photo: Ayà Manila </span></span></span></div><p>For years, the country&#x27;s most ambitious wine programs were concentrated in luxury hotels and steakhouses, where wine was often treated as a marker of occasion and prestige. The 2026 winners suggest a more diverse landscape, one that includes independent restaurants, chef-driven concepts, and venues such as World Cellar that are actively cultivating new wine drinkers.</p><p><strong>Wolfgang&#x27;s Steakhouse</strong> remains the country&#x27;s most awarded brand, with four winning locations: Podium, Bonifacio High Street, Newport World Resorts, and City of Dreams. <strong>Finestra</strong> earned recognition for both its Parañaque and Quezon City locations. The achievement is notable because the two restaurants serve different audiences: one remains a fine dining destination, while the other has evolved into a more accessible, family-friendly restaurant. Both, however, maintain wine programs strong enough to earn international recognition.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782364939175Kong.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">A playful presentation backed by an award-winning wine program | Photo: Kong </span></span></span></div><p>One newcomer stands apart. Opened only this year, <strong>World Cellar</strong> was built around a simple idea: make wine less intimidating and more accessible. The Cubao venue combines a restaurant, retail cellar, wine education classes, and regular themed dinners under one roof, with more than 600 labels, around 4,000 bottles in stock, and an in-house sommelier to guide guests through them.</p><p>Its inclusion on this year&#x27;s list is significant because it points to a different kind of wine experience—one focused not just on collecting bottles, but on creating new wine drinkers.</p><p><strong>Hapag</strong> is still the only contemporary Filipino restaurant on the list. Surrounded by steakhouses, Italian restaurants, and luxury hotel dining rooms, it continues to make the case that Filipino food belongs at the table when the conversation turns to wine.</p><p>Taken together, this year&#x27;s winners suggest that wine in the Philippines is becoming less exclusive and more woven into the dining experience itself. Whether through ambitious wine lists, sommelier-led education, or thoughtful food pairings, restaurants are finding new ways to introduce diners to wine.</p>

<p>Fifteen Philippine restaurants earned places on Wine Spectator's 2026 Restaurant Awards list, highlighting the country's growing wine culture and putting destinations such as World Cellar, Hapag, Finestra, and Wolfgang's Steakhouse in the international spotlight.</p>

Fifteen Philippine restaurants earned places on Wine Spectator's 2026 Restaurant Awards list, highlighting the country's growing wine culture and putting destinations such as World Cellar, Hapag, Finestra, and Wolfgang's Steakhouse in the international spotlight.