Where to order the best food trays in Metro Manila, according to Tatler editors and readers

Chef Nathaniel Imson and his wife Ethel Sy have built a loyal following with Belly Best, their home delivery service anchored by a menu of comfort food done with genuine care. The star is their porchetta: a pork belly roll slow-cooked over 72 hours until the skin crisps and the herb-stuffed meat collapses at the fork, served with rice and chimichurri. Regulars also swear by the baked salmon or pernil roast.

When one thinks of Bizu, the mind goes to French macarons and ornate cakes. But the catering arm is a reliable pick for party trays that go well beyond the pastry case, from continental selections like prawns thermidor, linguine with clams and chorizo, to a hearty roast beef or herb-crusted lamb leg.  

Enjoy chef Wade Watson’s unfussy Australian cuisine in the comfort of your own home. The Legazpi Village restaurant offers a generous selection of food trays—Moroccan chicken salad, three-cheese lamb bolognese and classic Aussie meat pies among them—alongside a Feasts at Home menu featuring a whole roasted turkey and roasted bone-in prime rib: ideal centrepieces when entertaining a crowd.

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Always top of mind for quality New York-style bagels—whether classic or outrageous—Booya Bagels offers three catering boxes: the Bestsellers Box (Booya lox, Italian bagels, ham and cheese), the Hot Track Melt (tuna melt and ham and cheese) and the Straight Up Schmear (plain bagels with plain schmear, everything bagels with herb and garlic schmear, and rainbow bagels with birthday cake schmear). An unexpected entry on this list, perhaps—but the third most popular recommendation from our readers, and a strong case for reimagining the party tray format entirely.

Burnt Bean began as Holy Smokes BBQ in Poblacion before evolving into the smokehouse concept now found across BGC, The Podium and TriNoma—and many of the original specialities are still available through its catering arm. Choose from family trays for five to six, party trays for ten to 12 or the lechon belly with two sauces for a party of 15. The menu covers smoked bacon Caesar salad, truffled prosciutto salad, slow-roasted Angus beef with red wine gravy and pan-roasted 40-clove chicken with rosemary.

Since 2003, Carlito’s Catering has delivered on its promise of elevated comfort food—a menu that spans family favourites like chicken teriyaki and baked salmon in spinach cream sauce alongside newer additions like garlic-loaded crabs and Thai grilled pork with tamarind dip. Hosting a group for merienda? Their merienda cena menu covers turon, lumpiang ubod, buko lychee, ginataang halo-halo and more.

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When a business retains its patronage with virtually no social media presence, you know it’s worth paying attention to. Cocinero Poch—the home kitchen of Poch Camahort—serves Spanish specialities including paella, lengua, callos, bacalao and a buttery kalitiran. The Instagram page may not have been updated in years, but trust that the effort is going exactly where it should.

Chef Robby Goco’s Cyma has been the introduction to Greek cuisine for many Filipinos since its original Boracay outpost, now with five branches across Metro Manila. Their party trays span the breadth of the menu: mezedes like hummus and tzatziki, roka salata, pastas, souvlaki, yiouvetsi (which Goco describes as Greek paella), seafood and meats. The standout option for those entertaining: a whole slow-roasted bone-in leg of lamb with roasted potatoes, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.

Through Epicura, chef Bettina Arguelles and her business partner Pia Villavicencio-Lago offer B2C and B2B catering solutions: bespoke grazing tables, packed meals for offices and seminars, party trays spanning comforting favourites like chicken Alexander, lengua estofado and Pinoy spaghetti alongside more ambitious selections like Hainanese pompano, truffled beef pares, Wagyu tomahawk and chorizo lasagna.

Tatler Trivia: Arguelles made history as the first Filipina executive chef of a five-star international hotel brand in the Philippines—a distinction she held at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

Founded by chef Patricia “Trish” Locsin Cheung, Feliz Dish & Details has built its reputation on catering and event styling—but the party tray menu holds its own. It runs from dips and pica-pica through sandwiches, tacos, pasta and paella to an assortment of meats. Not sure where to start? Try the six-hour slow-roasted beef belly.

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Chef-turned-congresswoman Florabel Co-Yatco may now spend her days as vice chairperson of the Committee on Welfare of Children, but her eponymous restaurant and catering service remains a well-oiled machine. Party platters span all ages and cravings—from mini corn dogs to puttanesca with tuyo
or ⁠⁠Spanish sardine sun-dried tomato pasta, chicken inasal paella, to whole pork cochinillo. They even have three pre-set menus that make the ordering process even more straightforward.

With locations at San Antonio Plaza and Power Plant Mall in Makati, Gourmet Corner positions itself as a one-stop shop for curated gourmet food—and the party platter menu earns that description. Best-sellers include Angus beef salpicao, baked salmon with leeks and lemon, chicken galantina and lasagna. When picking up your order, it’s worth browsing what else is in-store: snacks like the Cunanan ensaymada and 50 & Co.’s burnt butter polvoron are reason enough to visit.

La Madrina (Spanish for The Godmother) is the catering project of makeup artist, entrepreneur and chef Tinette Herrera. Readers recommend the butter garlic crab and adobo, but the menu ranges wider than it first appears: Spanish callos, Japanese yasai itame and Italian lasagna all make an appearance.

Nobody does it quite like the late chef Margarita Forés, and Margarita Signature Caterer remains the benchmark for milestone occasions and intimate celebrations alike. The tray menu carries the same elegant touch: baked Camembert with prosciutto, paella, truffled chicken galantina, duck à l'orange, salt-crusted Chilean sea bass, cassava cake with 24-month-old Parmigiano Reggiano and many more. Familiar faces from her restaurants appear too, including Cibo’s penne al telefono and Grace Park’s muscovado beef belly.

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Milky Way Café is best known for its crispy hito and iconic halo-halo, but the party platter menu warrants equal attention. The listing is largely anchored by Filipino comfort food: fresh lumpiang ubod with garlic sauce, chicken lollipops, dinuguan, etc. For lighter spreads, the assorted Milky Way sandwiches are an unfussy, crowd-pleasing choice. The more whimsical end of the menu includes a turon cake with saba and langka, and a pancit sotanghon lumpia shanghai cake—plus, of course, the halo-halo kit.

With over 50 reader recommendations—far more than any other entry on this list—The Purple Wok clearly has a following that speaks for itself. The signature US Angus roast beef comes with au jus, gravy, truffle demi-glace and garlic aioli alongside mashed potato or rice, and readers cite it as the dish they keep coming back for. Other reader favourites mentioned are the boneless chicken inasal, crab fat pasta, baked lobster and truffle roast beef sliders.

If you love crab, Sandra’s Specialties should be your first call. The signature chilli curry crab with fresh coconut milk and sautéed sotanghon crab are the main draws, but the menu stretches to Vietnamese fried chicken, Singapore-style fishballs with fried mantou, cuapao with stewed pork belly and preserved mustard leaves, birthday noodles and many more. Ten years in and still going strong.

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In business since 2014, Special T’s by Talia Asuncion is the second most popular recommendation from our readers—and the menu gives some indication of why. Readers love these in particular: the chicken inasal, beef salpicao, beef wonton, truffle pasta, adobo flakes, sisig tacos, wonton nachos, bagoong rice, callos and pulpo. Packed meals and full catering services are available as well.

Stevie’s needs no introduction to those who’ve been following Manila’s food scene—but as its devoted regulars know, the Hainanese chicken is just the beginning. The home-based delivery service also turns out Iberian chicken, fried lapu-lapu with mango sauce, fried shrimp and bacon lumpia, callos, salpicao and tuyo pasta, among others.

Born during the pandemic, Taste & Tell became synonymous with the viral sushi bake trend—and is one of the few brands from that era that didn’t just survive, but evolved. Now with three restaurants across Metro Manila, the menu has grown into a playful spread of mentaiko fries, beef tartare, chirashi and tempura. The dish that started it all remains, too: favourites include the scallop and salmon aburi, steak aburi, kani aburi and unagi trays.

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