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Specialty Seafood Restaurants in Manila

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Photo by Red Crab Alimango House

One of the benefits of living in an island country like the Philippines is the abundance of seafood. We have one of the longest coastlines in the world and many Filipinos depend on fishing for a living. Seafood dishes and restaurants are popular in many restaurants in coastal areas.

For first-timers to Manila, the best introduction to the country’s vibrant seafood scene is the Dampa, a wet market where shoppers can choose fresh seafood and have it cooked any way they want. Dampa dining areas in Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City, Libis in Quezon City, Daang Hari in Las Piñas, and Parañaque City are frequented by locals and tourists alike looking for a unique seafood dining experience.

But for seafood lovers who prefer just a particular type of seafood and want a classier dine-in experience, the best bet is to head to specialty seafood restaurants. Here are a few seafood restaurants in Manila to address your specific cravings.

The Red Crab Alimango House

In the mood for some crabs? Red Crab has multiple branches all over the metro including in Eastwood Mall, Greenbelt 3, Newport Mall, Shangri-La Plaza, and Tomas Morato. This well-loved seafood restaurant can cook crustaceans up for you in a variety of ways including Szechuan-style, simmered in garlic and white wine, with salted egg, in Thai Chili sauce, butter and ginger and many more. The Red Crab also serves other types of seafood dishes including baked oysters, prawns, seafood soups, and lapu-lapu that diners can enjoy family-style.

The Essentials

The Shrimp Bucket

Do you love eating shrimps? Get ready to get your hands dirty when you dig in at The Shrimp Bucket, a restaurant that specializes in shrimp, crab, and mussels mixed with signature sauces. Shrimp Bucket currently has branches in BGC, U.P. Town Center, Il Terrazzo, Greenhills, Circuit Makati, Ayala Malls The 30th, Glorietta 1, Ayala Malls Feliz, Resorts World Manila and Trinoma. Diners can also order bags of boiled, grilled or fried shrimp by the pound marinated in either salt and pepper, Frenchy lemon or plain salt for delivery to enjoy at home along with other signature dishes like mussels mardi gras pasta, fish cakes, and deep fried baby squid.

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Red Lobster

The Red Lobster, an American casual dining chain that’s been billed as the biggest seafood restaurant in the world, opened up its first branch in the Philippines in 2018. Red Lobster takes pride in sourcing their seafood sustainably and preparing every dish with passion and expertise, so diners can discover new ways to enjoy seafood.

Their live lobsters are wild caught, fresh from the Atlantic and are prepared to order, simply steamed and served with a choice of sides. For an ultimate feast, order the Maine lobster tail, served with snow crab legs, shrimp scampi, wild rice, veggies and butter sauce.

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Wantusawa

Did you know that there’s a hidden oyster bar in Poblacion that serves the freshest Aklan oysters along with creative Southeast Asian dishes? Wantusawa is an unassuming oyster bar that puts the spotlight on Philippine oysters, which are freshly harvested and flown in daily from Aklan. This cozy 16-seater bar serves oysters fresh, baked and grilled for just P50 a pop. Wantusuwa also serves classic favorites with a twist, such as Grilled Prawn Laksa, Shiro Butter Garlic Prawns, Spicy Crab Fat Yakiudon and Baked Scallops with Bacon and Mushroom for those late night comfort food cravings.

The Essentials

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