The days before the new year may be outshone by the holidays they're sandwiched by, but they're also the perfect time to look back on the year that has been. Did you spend 2024 in the same long-term relationship or did you find yourself navigating a messy tangle of situationships and talking stages? (Hey, no judgement!) Whatever the state of your love life was this past year, we can safely deduce that you went on lots of dates—and hopefully ate lots of good food. Today, we're reminiscing on our favorite date places that opened in 2024, from casual coffee shop runs to laidback restaurant dates and bougie special-occasion dinners.
ALSO READ:
- 24 *Date-Worthy* Restaurants And Cafés To Try In 2024
- 7 First-Date Restos For When You Finally Make It Out Of The DMs
- 7 Wine Restaurants In Manila Where You Can Wine And Dine (Before You 69)
- 7 Restaurants In Manila That Are Open Past Midnight
New Date Places In Metro Manila For Coffee
Moment Coffee
Location: 6762 Ayala Avenue, Makati City
Moment Coffee is perhaps one of the coolest coffee shops that opened this year. Sporting an industrial aesthetic with metal fixtures, bare concrete walls, and tastefully placed art pieces, this cafe has the perfect backdrop for your strategically angled soft-launch shot of a coffee plus your beau's hand. It helps that the drinks are great, too. Pair one of their signature Floral Lattes with a flaky croissant for a sweet date.
Cafe Dalisay
Location: G7, Perla Mansion Condominium, 65 Castro Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Very demure, very mindful: That's how we'd describe Cafe Dalisay, one of this year's new cafes in Makati. You're bound to have a romantic time in this coffee shop: Flowers greet you before you enter a cozy space with warm-wood fixtures, shelves full of quirky knickknacks, and vintage speakers that blare out easy-listening jazz music.
For a drink that exudes dainty, I'm-just-a-girl vibes, go for the Honey Lavender Latte—or you can treat your sweet tooth with a Salted Peanut Butter Latte. Then break bread—literally—with your date, thanks to freshly baked Sourdough with Butter & Jam from Goods from Scratch.
Altitude Coffee
Location: 29 West Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Kapitolyo is slowly but surely becoming a neighborhood of cozy coffee shops, and we love to see it. One of this year's additions to the area is Altitude Coffee, which quickly gained a following for cool vibes, great coffee, and tasty pastries. Dress in your street-best to match the industrial-inspired interiors with fun and unique metal chairs. The drinks are just as creative—go for the Polvoron Latte or Coconut Latte. P.S. They're pet-friendly, too—so you can definitely bring the doggos along for an extra fun date.
New Date Places In Metro Manila For Casual Dining
Kas and Poly
Location: W Global Center, Bonifacio Global City
If you're the type to ask your date what time they were born so you can examine their birth chart (as you should) then Kas and Poly is the restaurant opening of the year for you. This cosmic restaurant offers a menu of comfort food and cocktails that are themed around astrology, and they have something that'll please even the most indecisive Libra.
Fancy a dinner date based on the cosmos? You'll enjoy Kas and Poly’s Zodiac Dining, which features 12 courses based on the zodiac. Not only are the dishes delish, but you're sure to have something to talk about with your date all throughout the night.
Carlo's
Location: G/F The Asian Century Center, Bonifacio Global City
Italian food is one of the most romantic cuisines out there—think of The Lady and The Tramp sharing a strand of spaghetti. So when it comes to a fancy-but-not-quite date, Italian is on top of our minds—and Carlo's is on our list of new, good-looking date spots that opened this year. Carlo's exudes warm and homey vibes, but still stylish enough that you and your date can dress up, with light wood, rich red and green tones, cozy booths, and statement art pieces.
The food is just as hearty: You can't go wrong with their signature Carlo's Spicy Vodka pizza with aforementioned vodka sauce plus mozzarella, pesto, and Parmigiano Reggiano, or a rich Truffle and Mushroom with their signature Carlo's Truffle Sauce. They also offer a wide variety of pasta, mains, and dessert, so be sure to come hungry!
Steak & Frice
Location: LG/F Central Square, 30th Street corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City
If you're in the mood for a steak dinner date that toes the fine line between laidback and fancy, then Steak & Frice is the right place for you. As it says on the tin, this year's restaurant opening from the folks behind Italian resto Amano focus on steak and fries, and they're pretty darn good at it. While here, you and your date should go for the signature Steak & Frice, a huge enough plate for two with your choice of steak cooked to your desired doneness plus your choice of sauce, hot and crispy fries, and sinfully rich steak rice.
New Date Places In Metro Manila For Special Occasions
Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill
Location: 2/F Newport Grand Wing, Newport World Resorts, Pasay City
For serious foodies or fans of Chef Gordon Ramsay's brand of great food matched with a fiery attitude, Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill was the restaurant opening to anticipate this year. With dark wood tones and velvet chairs and booths in rich red and green hues, this restaurant's interiors will make you want to show up stylish.
The food matches the luxe vibes, too. Any real Gordon Ramsay fan knows to go for the famous Beef Wellington, with a hefty MB7 Wagyu beef cutlet layered with truffle and mushroom duxelles and wrapped up in a flaky, buttery pastry crust. Make sure to end on a sweet and classically British note with a Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Now Now
Location: 97-C Rosa Building, Calbayog corner Esteban Street, Mandaluyong City
Dating a guy in STEM—specifically someone who gets nerdy about all things fermentation? It may be an ultra specific interest, but there's a restaurant that matches their freak: Now Now, a new venture by the folks behind Crazy Katsu and Kurimu ice cream.
What'll immediately catch your eye are the colorful shelves of their home ferments from kombucha to miso and lacto-fermented chili, especially as they stand out in interiors that are industrial-inspired, chicly metal-heavy. These intriguing experiments take centerstage in their menu of approachable, hearty dishes like their take on Dan Dan Noodles that are an umami bomb thanks to fermented miso or Arancini stuffed with cream cheese and truffle-infused rice, and topped with lacto-fermented onions. All fun, creative stuff—you're sure to have a dinner that you and your date will be talking about for many more days to come.
Iai
Location: G/F The Montane, 8th Avenue corner 35th Street, Bonifacio Global City
foodFans of Mecha Uma were understandably shocked at the news that the much-raved-about omakase was closing—but this was soon replaced with excitement at the news of Chef Bruce Ricketts' newest sushi-centric venture: Iai. If you and your beau are serious about sushi and stylish interiors, this new sushi kappo is a must-visit. Iai's aesthetic is Brutalism meets Japanese minimalism with understatedly classy interiors and a low ceiling that help give the space an intimate vibe.
Treat yourself and your date to an impressive Sushi Omakase which features six to eight otsumami or Japanese small snacking plates, nigiri, and fish courses, a meat course, and dessert—all showcasing local seafood, seasonal ingredients from Japan, and Chef Bruce's playfulness that can only comes from an impeccable mastery of his craft.
