Mico Cruz Names His Favorite Ramen Shops in Manila

At just 26 years old, Mico Cruz has turned a lifelong love of food into a full-time career.

Before becoming one of the country’s rising food content creators, he spent more than three years working at a marketing and public relations firm, where he sharpened his understanding of branding, storytelling, and social media.

It Started With an Appetite

His fascination with food, however, began much earlier. “I’ve always loved food growing up, and that obsession really started with watching Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, and Anthony Bourdain on the Travel and Living Channel,” he says. “My mom used to work in Singapore, so I spent most of my childhood summers there, eating my way through hawker centers and being exposed to all kinds of cuisines at a young age. She later moved to Hong Kong, which meant I traveled a lot growing up, and every trip was always planned around food. I’d post my meals on social media, and friends would always ask me for recommendations on where to eat.”

Long before social media became his profession, Cruz was already behind the camera. He was a photographer and filmmaker in college, and documenting his meals grew to be a habit. “Since I already knew how to shoot and edit, and my day job revolved around social media, I thought, why not start creating short-form content out of the places I was eating at instead of just merely posting it on my Instagram stories?” People within his circle were already asking him for restaurant recommendations, so instead of sending long lists, he directed them to his Instagram reels and TikTok. What started as a personal archive surprisingly found an audience.

One Video Changed Everything

His breakthrough came during a trip to Hong Kong in 2024, where he featured a humble pork chop shop previously recommended by celebrity chef Lucas Sin. The video amassed more than 200,000 views, becoming one of his earliest viral posts. Another feature on a tong yuen dessert shop soon followed with more than 135,000 views, unexpectedly leading to restaurant invitations in Hong Kong.

The same happened in Bangkok, where Cruz documented everything—from street food stalls to fine-dining restaurants—while celebrating his 25th birthday. Nearly every video earned more than 100,000 views, bringing more invitations from restaurants abroad. “It completely caught me off guard because I don’t even live there,” he laughs.

Friends eventually encouraged him to make Manila his next feature. He did. And not long after, a major local corporation reached out for a paid brand collaboration. “They were willing to pay me almost the same amount as my monthly salary from my full-time job. That was the moment I realized I could actually build a lucrative career doing this.” 

The Ramen Checklist Every Food Lover Should Know

Of the many dishes he has sampled and featured, ramen remains to be among his handful of obsessions. His fascination began with Naruto, whose steaming bowls of miso ramen topped with chashu and ajitama triggered his tastebuds long before authentic Japanese ramen became widely available in the Philippines. Everything changed when Ramen Yushoken opened in Alabang in the early 2010s.

“It completely reshaped my understanding of what ramen could taste like, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” he says. “I actually just got back from a solo trip to Fukuoka (the birthplace of Tonkotsu ramen), where I ate ramen every single day, and I still have a reel about that experience waiting to be posted.”

For Cruz, there are five pillars that make for a great bowl of ramen: 1) the broth, 2) the noodles, 3) the toppings, 4) the price point and 5) accessibility. “Every element has to come together to create the perfect bowl and experience.”

He looks for a broth that’s flavorful, potent, and full-bodied, but never overly rich or nakakaumay. The noodles should be springy, perfectly al dente and able to cling to the broth, while the toppings need to be well thought of—from the texture and flavor of the chashu, to the tangy crunch of the fermented bamboo shoots or menma, and the jammy yolk of the ajitama.

“Lastly, I put a lot of weight on price point and accessibility, especially since ramen can get pretty expensive in Manila. I always ask myself whether a bowl delivers good value for money given all those factors. And because the most popular ramen shops usually come with long queues, I also consider accessibility and ask: is it actually worth the wait?”

The Top 5 Ramen Spots, According to Mico Cruz (in random order):

1. Marudori

“While a lot of people hail their sister brand as the best ramen in Manila, I think Marudori deserves just as much praise (plus the lines are way shorter haha!). Marudori specializes in tori paitan, a style of chicken broth that people often mistake for being light or bland. Instead, they transform it into something deeply savory, rich, and packed with flavor.”

What to order: I always get the Shoyu Paitan, topped with a smoky, juicy grilled chicken thigh instead of the usual chashu. It’s been my go-to bowl ever since. Every time I eat it, it feels like a warm hug and checks every box of what I think makes a great bowl of ramen. Ugh, I’m salivating!

2. The Underbelly

“The Underbelly is the epitome of a no-rules ramen-ya and is easily one of the most creative in Manila right now. From the ultra-umami Tantantrum Ramen topped with baby corn to the briny Shell-Ya! Oyster Dipping Ramen, every bowl feels unexpected yet intentional—a testament to just how fearless chefs Noel and Jackson are when it comes to flavor. “

What to order: My favorite has to be their Sinigang Billy, a limited edition item which has now become a permanent staple on the menu. It strikes the perfect balance between nostalgia and indulgence, transforming the familiar flavors of Sinigang into an incredibly satisfying bowl of ramen. Best of all, it comes at a great price point of 480 pesos, making it one of the best-value bowls in the city.

3. Ramen Ron

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ramen Ron for the longest time, mainly because I used to be (and still am) such a tonkotsu and tori paitan broth apologist. I’ve always gravitated toward rich, creamy broths, so I initially found their signature silky fowl-based broths a little too light for my taste. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that’s exactly what makes Ramen Ron so good. Because the broth is more restrained, every single component of the bowl shines through—from the noodles all the way to the toppings. And Tamura-san really goes crazy with the toppings, constantly coming up with creative combinations that make each bowl feel distinct. Ramen Ron is always a reliable choice if you’re looking for variety and consistently great ramen.”

What to order: I like the Batchoy Ramen or the Ukkokei Beef Shoyu Ramen.

4. Ramen Keisuke Tori King BGC

“As you can tell, I’m very much into tori paitan ramen, and this one’s a bit of a controversial pick. I’ve been told a lot of people don’t like it, mainly because of the giant chicken leg quarter sitting on top of the bowl, which some find a little strange. That was honestly my first reaction too when a friend brought me here two years ago, but it’s also what makes this ramen so memorable. The chicken is so tender that it practically falls off the bone (you can pull it apart with nothing but your chopsticks). They also let you choose between a clear broth and a rich broth.” 

What to order: I always go for the rich version, which I think is one of the best showcases of tori paitan ramen in Manila, and one of the city’s most underrated bowls.

5. Menya Ippondo

“This unassuming hole-in-the-wall in Little Tokyo was first introduced to me by chef Alex Tan of Tandem. We dropped by after service since it’s one of the few ramen spots in the area that stays open into the wee hours of the night. I’ll preface this by saying that while their broth isn’t the richest or most umami-packed you’ll find in the city, that’s not really the point. The real draw here is the value and accessibility. Every bowl on the menu is under 500 pesos, and because they’re open late, it’s one of those places you can always count on after a long shift, a night out, or whenever the ramen craving hits.”

What to order: I always order the Chashu Men, their classic tonkotsu ramen topped with a generous pile of thinly sliced chashu and negi. The servers will always ask whether you want your noodles hard or normal, and I always say hard! It’s a simple, satisfying bowl that’s become my go-to post-drinking meal whenever I’m in the area (and a lot of Japanese that live here agree as well!).