Our Story
About Mijo
Born from two grandmothers, built for the table.
Born from two grandmothers, built for the table.
"Mijo" is the Spanish term of endearment for mi hijo — my son. It is what a grandmother says when she calls you close. Chef Enrique Moreno opened this restaurant in 2019 in honor of two women: his Spanish grandmother and his Chinese grandmother. Both extraordinary cooks. Both the reason he is who he is.
You can taste both of them in every dish. The croquetas, the braises, the long-simmered mains — those carry the Spanish grandmother's patience. The precise knife work, the clean broths, the restraint — those are the Chinese grandmother's. And somewhere between the sisig tacos and the aligue gambas is the Filipino kitchen that bound them both together.
Mijo is not fusion for the sake of novelty. It is the honest result of a Filipino chef raised by three culinary traditions and determined to honor all three without hierarchy.
At Mijo, what we put on the table is a statement about what we believe — about family, memory, and the way meals hold people together.
The menu is designed to travel around a table. Order more than you think you need, pass things around, and let the meal build in layers.
Nothing on the menu is invented for trend. Every dish has a story — a grandmother, a kitchen, a memory — and that story is what gives it its flavour.
Mijo is not a fine dining restaurant. It is a neighbourhood restaurant that happens to take its food seriously — warm, unhurried, and always welcoming.
Founder & Executive Chef
A graduate of the College of Saint Benilde in Manila, Chef Enrique spent over a decade in kitchens across the Philippines before opening Mijo in 2019. His training spans the full range of the Filipino dining landscape — from casual family dining to elevated tasting menus — but it is the food of his grandmothers that formed the foundation of his palate.
He returned to Poblacion with a simple idea: a neighbourhood restaurant where the food is personal, the portions are generous, and the table always feels like home. The menu reflects everything he has learned — Spanish braising, Chinese precision, Filipino soul — without ranking one above the other.
His signature dish is duck rice with Chinese broccoli: a plate that quietly says everything Mijo stands for.
A warmly lit second-floor dining room with black iron chairs, wooden tables, black-and-white photography, and the two grandmother portraits overseeing every meal. Upstairs: Church, the rooftop bar with a view of the Makati skyline.
Walk-ins are welcome for most tables. Book ahead on Eatigo for up to 50% off selected items — or come as you are and see what the kitchen has in store.