The Aristocrat lands spot in Taste Atlas’ ‘Most Legendary Restaurants in the World’

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino restaurant The Aristocrat has been included in Taste Atlas’ 150 Most Legendary Restaurants in the World, with lumpiang shanghai being its most iconic dish!

The 2023 list is composed of restaurants and dishes that the international food database believes “are not just places to grab a meal, but destinations in their own right, comparable to the world’s most famous museums, galleries, and monuments.”

“These are establishments that have remained relevant and highly regarded in an ever-changing culinary landscape,” they wrote. “Our list celebrates these enduring icons of gastronomy, the restaurants that prioritize substance over show, serving honest, no-nonsense food that is simply delectable.”

In the list of 150 global names, Manila-based The Aristocrat ranked 108th, just below Laurentina in Lisbon, Portugal, and above Prachak in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ranking fifth is L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (Naples, Italy) with its pizza Napoletana. La Polar (Mexico City, Mexico) and its birria placed fourth, just below Warung Mak Beng (Sanur, Indonesia) and the ikan goreng at number three. In second place is Katz’s Delicatessen (New York City, USA) and its pastrami on rye, while Figlmüller (Vienna, Austria) and its signature schnitzel wiener art ranked first. Taiwan’s Din Tai Fung and xiao long bao ranked 28th, while New York City’s Peter Luger Steakhouse and its dry-aged porterhouse ranked 25th.

According to Esquire Philippines, The Aristocrat started as a mobile canteen in 1936, selling traditional Filipino dishes, before its flagship restaurant opened along Roxas Boulevard. It is hailed as the “Home of the Best Chicken Barbecue in Town,” known for its signature meal of grilled chicken barbecue, java rice, atchara, and peanut sauce. It would later see several other branches throughout Metro Manila and even Imus, Cavite. In 2013, the Roxas Boulevard restaurant was deemed a historic site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

Taste Atlas dubbed lumpiang shanghai as Aristocrat’s “most iconic dish.” The Filipino party favorite is a fried egg roll stuffed with ground meat (usually pork) and veggies, and then served with ketchup or sweet chili sauce. In September 2022, Taste Atlas also named lumpiang shanghai the second Best Street Food in the World. It was included in the same list again in February 2023, placing 45th.

Taste Atlas is an online gastronomic database that promotes the local culinary culture of countries all over the world. The website contains over 10,000 specialty dishes, drinks, recommended restaurants, and local ingredients for anyone to check out before an international trip. – with reports from Sophia Gonzaga/Rappler.com

Sophia Gonzaga is a Rappler intern.