Tsukiji, which was named Manila's best Japanese restaurant, has been serving top-notch Japanese food since 1989. Photo from the restaurant's Facebook page

MANILA – The metro’s well established restaurants triumphed over fancied newcomers at this year’s Manila's Best Kept Restaurant Secrets (MBKRS) Awards held Tuesday night at Enderun Colleges.

The Milky Way group of restaurants of Chef J Gamboa scored a triple win with Azuthai (Thai), Tsukiji (Japanese) and Cirkulo (Spanish) topping their respective categories, while long-time favorites like L’Opera (Italian) and Kashmir (Indian) were also rewarded.

Held bi-annually since 2008, the MBKRS Awards was inspired by the best-selling coffee table book by Ines Cabarrus-Habayeb and Elian Habayeb, who also organized the restaurant awards. For this year, 150 restaurants were nominated for 30 awards.

Over 150 individuals from the restaurant industry and other related fields decided on the nominees and the winners, the MBKRS said on its Facebook page, which also posted the results right after Tuesday’s event.

Here is the complete list of winners.

CUISINE

Best Italian Restaurant: L'Opera

Best French Restaurant: Champêtre

Best Spanish Restaurant: Cirkulo

Best Japanese Restaurant: Tsukiji

Best Chinese Restaurant: Peking Garden

Best Continental Cuisine: Antonio's

Best Thai Restaurant: Azuthai

Best Filipino Restaurant: Café Juanita

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant: Ziggurat

Best Korean Restaurant: Korean Garden

Best Indian Restaurant: Kashmir

Best Mexican Restaurant: El Chupacabra

Best Specialty Cuisine: Cyma

SPECIALTY

Best Steakhouse: Mamou

Best Modern Casual Dining: Wildflour Café + Bakery

Best Burger Joint: 8 Cuts Burger Blends

Best Pizzeria: Gino's Brick Oven Pizza

Best Bar: Draft

Best Nightclub: 71 Gramercy

Best Coffee Shop: Yardstick

Best Dessert, Ice Cream and Cake Shop: Bono Artisinal Gelato

Best Newcomer: Blackbird

HOTEL RESTAURANTS

Best Hotel Buffet: Spectrum, Raffles

Best Hotel Fine Dining: Cru Steakhouse, Marriott

Best Hotel Specialty Cuisine: Inagiku, Makati Shangri-La

Best Hotel Bar: Long Bar, Raffles

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT

Best Emerging Talent: Chef Bruce Ricketts (Sensei Sushi)

Best Chef : Antonio Escalante (Antonio's)

Best Restaurant Group Entrepreneur: Abba Napa ('Cue, Burger Bar, Phat Pho, 8 Cuts, Manam, Mecha Uma)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Glenda Barretto (Via Mare)