Restaurant in Quezon, Philippines
Michelin-noted tasting menu, easier to book than you'd expect.
MŌDAN is the most credentialed restaurant in Quezon City — a personal modern Japanese tasting menu from Chef Jorge Mendez, holding a Michelin Plate (2026) and back-to-back Tatler Best 20 Philippines placements. Located in Cubao, it suits food-focused diners who book with intent. Easy to book relative to its recognition level.
Yes — if a serious modern Japanese tasting menu is what you are after in Metro Manila, MŌDAN is the most credentialed option currently operating in Quezon City. Chef Jorge Mendez has earned consecutive Tatler Leading 20 Restaurants Philippines placements (2025 and 2026) and a Michelin Plate in 2026, which for a restaurant in Cubao — not Makati, not BGC , is a meaningful signal. Seats are limited and the format is tasting-menu only, so this is not a casual drop-in. Book with intent.
MŌDAN occupies the ground floor of Escalades East Tower on 20th Avenue in Cubao, a location that would not immediately suggest a restaurant earning Asia-Pacific recognition. That contrast is part of what makes it worth paying attention to. The tasting menu format means every visit is structured around a single, sequenced experience , the kind where what lands on the table has been thought through from sourcing to plating before you sit down.
Chef Jorge Mendez's approach is described by Tatler as "highly personal modern Japanese," which in practical terms means the menu reflects specific ingredient decisions rather than a generic fusion template. Modern Japanese tasting menus at this level typically anchor around sourced proteins , wagyu grades, live seafood, and seasonal produce , where the procurement choices are visible in the cooking. An image from the Tatler record shows a plate built around A5 wagyu, scallop, and gambero rosso in a bisque with shiso, which points to a sourcing standard that competes with what you would find at dedicated omakase counters in Makati or Bonifacio Global City. The difference here is that Mendez's menu carries a personal editorial voice rather than defaulting to the conventions of Japanese fine dining.
For food-focused travellers already planning visits to Toyo Eatery in Manila or Helm in Makati, MŌDAN belongs on the same itinerary. It occupies a different register , more Japanese in discipline, more personal in expression , and the Cubao address means you are unlikely to stumble across it accidentally. That is worth noting: this is a restaurant you visit because you decided to, not because you walked past it.
The Michelin Plate recognition in 2026 is the most recent credential on record and marks a meaningful evolution for the restaurant. Michelin entered the Philippines guide cycle relatively recently, so a Plate designation in this early period signals that inspectors are watching the kitchen seriously. Paired with back-to-back Tatler placements across 2025 and 2026, MŌDAN has accumulated more consistent third-party recognition than most restaurants in its neighbourhood category.
For the explorer-minded diner , someone who tracks sourcing provenance, follows chef-driven menus, and treats a restaurant visit as the primary reason to be in a neighbourhood , MŌDAN delivers the kind of experience that justifies advance planning. This is not a restaurant you fit around other plans. You build the evening around the booking.
For broader context on where MŌDAN sits within the Manila fine-dining picture, Linamnam in Parañaque and Asador Alfonso in Cavite represent contrasting approaches to tasting-menu dining in the wider Metro Manila region. Internationally, the chef-driven tasting menu format MŌDAN operates in has strong parallels with how Lazy Bear in San Francisco positioned itself: a highly personal menu in a non-obvious location that built its reputation on consistency and sourcing rigour rather than address.
Quezon City has other strong options , see Deo Gracias and Esmeralda Kitchen for different price points , but none carry the same combination of international recognition and tasting-menu discipline that MŌDAN does. If you are visiting Quezon City specifically for food, this is the anchor booking.
For a complete picture of dining and more in the area, see our full Quezon restaurants guide, our full Quezon bars guide, and our full Quezon hotels guide.
Quick reference: Modern Japanese tasting menu, Cubao, Quezon City. Michelin Plate 2026. Tatler Leading 20 Restaurants Philippines 2025 and 2026. Booking: easy, but plan ahead given the format. Contact: +63 947 449 4387.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is notable given the tasting-menu format and the recognition level. That said, tasting-menu restaurants operate on fixed seatings with limited covers, so booking ahead is advisable rather than optional. Reach MŌDAN at +63 947 449 4387 or via Instagram at @modan.mnl to confirm availability and current menu format before you visit.
MŌDAN is on the ground floor of Escalades East Tower, 20th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City , a commercial tower in Cubao, one of Quezon City's main districts. Cubao is accessible via the MRT-3 Araneta Center–Cubao station and the LRT-2 Cubao station, both within walking distance of the address. If you are coming from Makati or BGC, budget 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Valet or nearby parking is the practical choice for those driving.
Hours and price range are not confirmed in our current data. Contact the restaurant directly at +63 947 449 4387 for current tasting menu pricing and available seatings. Given the tasting-menu format, arriving at the agreed time matters.
Quick reference: 1/F Escalades East Tower, 20th Ave, Cubao, Quezon City. Phone: +63 947 449 4387. Instagram: @modan.mnl. Nearest transit: MRT-3 / LRT-2 Cubao.
A week to two weeks ahead is a reasonable target given the easy booking difficulty rating, but tasting-menu restaurants operate fixed seatings with a limited number of covers per service. Booking two to three weeks out removes any uncertainty, particularly if you have a specific date in mind. Call +63 947 449 4387 or message via @modan.mnl on Instagram to check current availability.
MŌDAN runs a tasting-menu format, so you are committing to the full sequence when you book , this is not a la carte. Chef Jorge Mendez's menu is described as highly personal modern Japanese, which means the menu reflects specific sourcing and culinary decisions rather than a standard omakase template. Come with time and appetite. The Cubao address surprises some first-timers given the recognition level, but the restaurant has earned consecutive Tatler Leading 20 placements and a Michelin Plate, so the quality is documented. For context on the broader Quezon dining scene, see our full Quezon restaurants guide.
Specific seat count and private dining information are not confirmed in our current data. For group bookings, contact the restaurant directly at +63 947 449 4387 before assuming capacity. Tasting-menu restaurants in this category typically have small dining rooms, so groups of more than four to six should confirm in advance. MŌDAN is better suited to intimate dinners of two to four than large group occasions.
Yes, with a clear caveat: it suits a special occasion for someone who values the tasting-menu format and chef-driven dining. The combination of Michelin Plate recognition and back-to-back Tatler Leading 20 Philippines placements gives the evening a credentialed anchor. If the person you are celebrating would rather choose freely from a menu or prefers a more social, multi-course-sharing format, look at Deo Gracias or Esmeralda Kitchen instead. For diners who treat a tasting menu as the occasion itself, MŌDAN is the strongest option in Quezon City.
For a different format at likely lower spend, Morning Sun Eatery and Fong Wei Wu offer more casual dining in Quezon City. If you want tasting-menu dining elsewhere in Metro Manila, Helm in Makati and Toyo Eatery in Manila are the closest comparisons in terms of recognition and format. MŌDAN is the only Quezon City restaurant in this tier currently holding both Michelin and Tatler recognition simultaneously. See our full Quezon restaurants guide for a broader view of the city's dining options.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| MŌDAN | Easy | ||
| Morning Sun Eatery | Unknown | ||
| Palm Grill (Diliman) | Unknown | ||
| Fong Wei Wu | Unknown | ||
| SOME THAI | Unknown | ||
| Esmeralda Kitchen | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Booking difficulty at MŌDAN is currently rated easy for a restaurant at this recognition level, so a week or two of lead time is typically sufficient. That said, tasting-menu formats with a named chef — here Chef Jorge Mendez, recognised on both the Michelin Plate list and Tatler's Best 20 Philippines — can fill quickly around weekends and public holidays. Book through their Instagram (@modan.mnl) or call +63 947 449 4387 to confirm availability before making plans around the visit.
MŌDAN serves a modern Japanese tasting menu by Chef Jorge Mendez, located on the ground floor of Escalades East Tower in Cubao — a commercial district that does not signal fine dining from the outside, so go in knowing what to expect from the surroundings. The restaurant holds a Michelin Plate (2026) and has appeared on Tatler's Best 20 Restaurants Philippines for both 2025 and 2026, which means the cooking has been vetted by credible external sources. Price range is not published in the venue data, so confirm costs directly when booking.
Group suitability details are not available in the venue data, so contact MŌDAN directly at +63 947 449 4387 or via Instagram (@modan.mnl) before planning a group visit. Tasting-menu restaurants generally seat smaller parties better than large ones, and a format driven by a single highly personal menu means the kitchen's pacing is easier to manage for tables of four or fewer.
Yes — a Michelin Plate (2026) and back-to-back Tatler Best 20 Philippines recognition give MŌDAN the kind of external credibility that makes a booking feel justified for a birthday, anniversary, or professional dinner. Chef Jorge Mendez's modern Japanese tasting menu is a format that structures the meal for you, which suits occasions where the experience itself is the gift. Call ahead (+63 947 449 4387) to flag any dietary restrictions or occasion-specific requests.
Within Quezon City, the comparison set is quite different in format: Morning Sun Eatery, Palm Grill (Diliman), Fong Wei Wu, SOME THAI, and Esmeralda Kitchen are all neighbourhood restaurants rather than tasting-menu destinations, so they serve a different purpose. If you want a tasting-menu experience at MŌDAN's credential level, the practical alternative would be fine-dining Japanese or modern Filipino restaurants elsewhere in Metro Manila. If you want a more casual or affordable meal in the area, any of the local options above will be lower in price and commitment — but they are not like-for-like substitutes.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
