The Gin Mare Art of Hospitality award honors the unparalleled brand of Filipino hospitality that Toyo Eatery espouses

In a recognition that probably didn’t surprise anyone, Toyo Eatery has received the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award 2025—a pre-announced special award given ahead of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 ceremony in Seoul, South Korea on Mar. 25.

The award marks the unparalleled brand of Filipino hospitality that Jordy and May Navarra as well as the whole Toyo Eatery crew and community espouse at the 24th best restaurant in Asia.

“To dine at Toyo Eatery is to feel at home. It feels like home because the people make it feel like home,” says chef Jordy Navarra in the video interview. “We’re not formal at all but at the same time, we value the professionalism that [the F&B] world brings.”

Inside Toyo Eatery in Manila — Asia's Most Hospitable Restaurant

“Everything we do here has full intention. It’s always about the ‘why,’” says general manager and co-owner May Navarra, adding that receiving this award is affirmation that their “deeply Filipino” way of welcoming guests is universal.

“At Toyo Eatery, each guest is warmly immersed in Filipino food culture—whether you are there to enjoy a tasting menu of reimagined cuisine, or the kamayan sharing plates, eaten by hand off banana leaves,” William Drew, director of content for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, says. “Genuine hospitality is also evident in the personal touches from Jordy and May—from the seamless integration of interiors, floral and vegetable displays and wall art to local craftsmanship and, of course, in the way they educate diners about their food.”

“Everything we do here has full intention. It’s always about the ‘why,’” says general manager and co-owner May Navarra, adding that receiving this award is affirmation that their “deeply Filipino” way of welcoming guests is universal

Toyo Eatery’s warm and friendly attitude towards hospitality both befits and belies the restaurant’s cuisine. Put under a microscope, Toyo Eatery boldly explores Filipino culinary culture—seen in its vegetable-forward, fermentation- and preservation-driven menu and focus on local ingredients—but exhibits this in an amiable setting and with a kind of service imbued with front of house warmth

The dining area may be dimly lit but it's illuminated by the glow of Toyo Eatery's staff — The dining area may be dimly lit but it’s illuminated by the glow of Toyo Eatery’s staff

Toyo Eatery debuted at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants as the recipient of the One To Watch Award in 2018 before making the list in 2019 at No. 43. In 2023, it won the Sustainable Restaurant Award and last year raced to No. 24, firmly holding onto its title of The Best Restaurant in the Philippines.

The Gin Mare Art of Hospitality award is voted for by the 350-plus members of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, who were asked to name one establishment that has provided the best hospitality experience in the last 18 months.