Image courtesy of insights.looloo.com
The 15 top markets in Metro Manila, Philippines
With new shopping malls and hip, trendy restaurants constantly popping around in Metro Manila, marketplaces still remain popular tourist attractions. No surprise, as markets not only offer cheaper alternatives to goods and services, but a diversity of products, both local and international, handmade, retail, wholesale, that make marketplaces a popular shopping destination.
Also, today’s markets also offer activities and other gimmicks, which attract visitors from all social classes. The modern market is no longer a space for consumers or shoppers, but promotes another kind of experience that no shopping mall can replicate.
Here are our picks of some of the best markets in Metro Manila that will gratify more than your shopping urges.
1. Legazpi Market
Herrera st.cor Legazpi and Salcedo V.A. Rufino St, Makati City, Metro Manila
Opens 7:30 AM up to 2:00 PM. (Every Sunday only)
Image courtesy of tripadvisor
Located at the Legazpi Car Park inside Legazpi Village, the Legazpi Market is the biggest weekend food market in Metro Manila. It also earned a reputation as one of the best markets in the metro for its wide array of foods and artisanal goods, both local and foreign. The market only opens on Sundays, which makes it pretty crowded but still very much enjoyable. Like a once-a-week treat.
The diversity of foods that you’ll find in Legazpi Market is what makes it so popular; from regional dishes, Asian cuisine, to Middle Eastern, American, and Spanish fare. If you’re a noodle lover, you’d be delighted to find that tere is even a stall that serves a wide selection of noodle dishes in Southeast Asia. Truly a foodie’s paradise.
But the bestseller of all in Legazpi Market is Imang Salud’s classic ensaimadas. An ensaimada is an authentic local delicacy; bread baked to a fluffy, golden glow sprinkled with the special queso de bola (Edam Cheese). Don’t let the price of the ensaimada scare you, because each serving is generous enough to make this popular merienda (snack)—inherited from a generation-passed recipe—truly a bang for the buck.
But make no mistake, as Legazpi Market also sells more than just food. Although about 70% of the products are food, you’ll also find an assortment of clothes, handicrafts, fresh produce, accessories and more. And it is important to take note that the items sold in Legazpi are not available in malls; they are unique products, which keeps patrons going back again and again. The market also exudes a neighborly ambiance, where regular patrons bond over food and shopping that the market came up with the tagline, “Eat, Shop, and Mingle.”
Established in 2005, the outdoor market started with only around 40 vendors, and now it has nearly 200 vendors. Patrons are a delightful mix of locals, celebrities, tourists, expats, shopping and food enthusiasts.
2. AANI Weekend Market
FTI Complex, Taguig City, Metro Manila
Opens 5:00 AM up to 5:00 PM (Every Saturday and Sunday only)
The history of the AANI (Weekend Market has become complicated due to its frequent changes in location. From the TESDA Compound at the South Superhighway service road, it is now located at the FTI (Food Terminal, Inc.) Compound (both in Taguig City).
The 74-hectar land, which exudes a charmingly rustic and provincial ambiance, is a dream market for foodies, chefs, aspiring chefs, and gardening enthusiasts. The market boasts of high-quality produce that come from various regions of the Philippines, including produce from the Cordillera highlands, like sub-tempered vegetables, like violet cabbages, salad tomatoes, and sitsaro, as well as fresh bounty from various, neighboring seas.
The organic selection in AANI is superb, not to mention mostly exclusive. Farm fresh products like wild honey, orchids, potted herbs can only be found in this market when you’re in the metro. At the wet market side, you’d be astonished to find tuna from Mindanao, mud crabs from Roxas City, and, get this, Norwegian pink salmon!
There are also grilling restaurants available at AANI, where you get to choose from a selection of meats and fish to be grilled and have for lunch.
And if you’re a plant lover, or a gardener, you will definitely go crazy with the diverse range of products. AANI has devoted an entire section to everything you need—with free talks for aspiring gardeners. Pick from an awesome selection of plants, such as bromeliads, anthuriums, orchids, ferns, and more.
It is indeed the pioneer of weekend markets in the country, as local blog site Pork in the Road like to call it: “the granddaddy of them all.” It is a cultural hub itself, endlessly attracting epicureans. And it’s good to know that despite the hoard of patrons visiting, AANI managed to maintain its cleanliness.
3. Soderno Night Food Market ** Foodies Pick
Molito Lifestyle Center,Madrigal Ave, Ayala, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Metro Manila
Opens 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, depending on the day schedule (Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday only)
This is another market designed for the passionate foodies. A vibrant night food market located in Ayala, it offers an amazing selection of food and dessert from the South. Barbecues, rice pots, rib-eye steaks, char-grilled burgers, an ample variety of Filipino street food, milk tea, and more.
You will be delighted not just with the food varieties, but the fact that the market is in an air-conditioned tent with music and free wi-fi!
And while the food selection is the main attraction of Soderno, you can also shop for novelty items, menswear, ladies wear, beauty products, shoes, bags, and more. Also, Soderno now offers their space for corporate launches, wedding receptions, and even school and private fund-raising activities.
Never let the market’s small space discourage you, because there are definitely new things to discover here. Soderno Night Food Market shifts its offerings; during Fridays and Saturdays, the Night Market opens (6: 00 p.m. to 3: 00 a.m.), the Lifestyle Market every Saturday (7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), and the Organic Market every Sunday (7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m).
4. Farmers Market
Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Opens early morning up to 11:00 PM daily
Farmers Market has achieved an iconic status since its establishment 40 years ago. One of the most accessible markets in the capital city of the Philippines, it is located near the intersection of main roads EDSA and Aurora Boulevard, right at the heart of Cubao. It is easily populated, especially during mornings, because the goods are cheaper compared to other markets.
This huge market is Metro Manila’s primary destination for seafood finds. Aside from the seafood’s affordable prices, you get plenty of options here. Also, you can very well enjoy a seafood meal at Farmers Market—just visit popular the market’s dampa, which is a row of restaurants that cook fresh seafood according to the customer’s preference—you get to pick a live fish of your choice, tell them how you want it cooked, and then enjoy your delectable seafood.
At Farmers Market, you’ll also find rare products, like the ultra hot habanero chilis from Baguio, organic salted eggs (from organically fed ducks), bangungon, or pointy edged snails from Bicol, black chicken (mostly found in Chinese cuisine, with medicinal purposes), spanner crabs, and more.
But you’ll also find dry goods in the market, like household items.
Farmers also remains to be one of the cleanest markets in the country due to its strict policies and organized stalls that are divided according to the goods sold, which makes shopping really convenient. Also, it is very airy and bright, which makes market-shopping a more pleasant experience.
5. Xavier Weekend Market
64 Xavier School, Xavier Street, Greenhills,San Juan, Metro Manila
Opens 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Every first Saturday of the month only)
Image courtesy of mapio.net
Xavier Weekend Market is more of a food bazaar than a market, but boasts of a multinational selection. Located at the grounds of Xavier School in Greenhills, the place is populated mostly by food enthusiasts who come to witness and taste food offered by new businesses introducing themselves to the market. Home-baked goods, poultry, fresh seafood, cooked foods, organic produce and more.
6. Dangwa Flower Market
Dimasalang, Sampaloc, Manila, Metro Manila
Opens 24 hours daily.
Ask any Filipino the best place to buy flowers, their answer would be the same: Dangwa Flower Market, which is located in the Sampaloc area, near the University Belt (University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, etc.).
Dangwa Flower Market, also known as the “Flower Market of Manila” is brimming with a wide variety of blooms—all colors, sizes, fragrance. Roses, mums, ylang-ylang, gerberas, asters, orchids, anthuriums, carnations, stargazers, tube roses, purple statice, daisies, and more, hydrangeas, dahlias, lavenders, white gardenias, and more. The flowers are not only found locally, but there are also imported flowers from the Netherlands, Thailand, Ecuador, and more.
Dangwa’s popularity stems from its reputation as the former First Lady Imelda Marcos’s favorite place to buy flowers to decorate the Malacanang Palace during the ‘70s. Which is why, today, Dangwa is dubbed as the “Flower Market of Manila.”
In the early ‘90s, a surge of flower vendors began operating their stalls at Dangwa 24/7 because of the amount of customers flocking in to buy fresh flowers. Dangwa reaches its peak during the Halloween season and Valentine’s Day, since Dangwa offers way cheaper prices for flowers— 50 to 90 percent cheaper than in other flower shops. And although Dangwa Flower Market is essentially a wholesale flower market, you can definitely buy per piece or per dozen.
There are flower stalls that specialize in specific blooms, too. For example, one flower shop in Dangwa only sells Taiwan’s butterfly orchids, or a shop that offers flower arrangement consultations via their website. There are also stalls that only sell flower accessories, like fern curls, silver brunia balls, scabiosa pods, and more.
Dangwa is a tourist destination in itself—visiting the market is just surreal, bursts of a thousand colors, explosion of fragrances.
7. Good Food Sundays
Uno Morato, Garden Area GYY Building, #1 Tomas Morato Ave, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Opens 8: 00 AM to 2: 00 PM (Every first andt hird Sundays of the month only)
Good Food Sundays is a tiny market founded by the Good Food Community (GFC), a group whose advocacy is to build connections between consumers and small-time farmers and agriculture people. This market offers mostly organic foods, so if you are very much health-conscious, you’d be excited by the healthy options the market offers.
Promoting Philippine culture through the country’s products is the main objective of Good Food Sundays, and so you’d be delighted to know that the assortment of products being sold here are all inspired by popular local ingredients—one of which is Earnest Bakes’ fantastic calamansi pie. There is also specialty coffee, sea salts, butter, Malagos chocolates and cheese, homemade kimchi, various types of bread, pickled goodies, rice, beans, honey, various grains, and more.
Visiting Good Food Sundays truly provides an authentic Filipino experience, which is how GFC intended it to be.
8. Seaside Wet Market
DiosdadoMacapagal Boulevard, Pasay, Pasay City, Metro Manila
Opens 10: 00 AM up to 10: 00 PM daily (Depending on the establishment inside).
Seaside Wet Market consists more of dampa restaurants than wet-goods stalls. Customers usually visit the market to dine. First, they buy raw seafood, then take them to a dampa restaurant.
Seaside Wet Market, which is just a short drive from other notable tourist spots like Mall of Asia, National Museum, and Intramuros. is a treasure of seafood finds: scallops, mantis shrimp, squid, lobsters, stonefish, red frog crabs, oysters, and more. Take your pick fresh from the tank, they will cook it for you, and then there you go: seafood feast!
The fact that the market is also located just next to the infamous Manila Bay creates a more authentic seafood dining experience, especially at night where the sea breeze wafts in. The dampa restaurants here are mostly Asian-inspired, but there are other stalls offering different varieties.
9. Salcedo Market
Jaime C. Velasquez Park, Salcedo Village, Makati City, Metro Manila
Opens 7: 00 AM up to 2: 00 PM (Every Saturdays only)
Probably one of the most popular weekend markets next to Legazpi Market, Salcedo is always heavily crowded with people coming from Makati and various cities in Metro Manila. However, because it is located in the Jaime C. Velasquez Park in Tordesillas Street, you won’t get to feel the crowd; instead, you’d even find yourself enjoying a leisurely stroll.
The food stalls is one of the reasons to visit Salcedo Market on a sunny Saturday morning. So if you are a foodie, Salcedo Market is also a must-visit. Folks as far as Antipolo also visit the place, which has been attracting visitors since 2004 for the hard-to-find local ingredients.
The homey atmosphere of the food stalls makes Salcedo Market a favorite place for family and friends to hang out and dine together. One of the best-selling dishes at Salcedo Market, which lures in repeat visitors, is the salpicao dish sold by Aunty May. Also, international foods abound in Salcedo Market: authentic Thai food, burritos, Himalayan pink salts, Turkish pastries, tapa kalabaw, fresh papaya lumpia, natural yogurts, and more.
Aside from being a major deli, Salcedo Market is also known for its arts and handicrafts stalls. Some famous local artists display their work in the market, which attracts art aficionados–another testament why Salcedo Market is also a popular art hub in the metro.
10. Divisoria Market
Claro M. Recto Avenue, Manila City, Metro Manila
Opens 5: 00 AM up to 10: 00 PM (Depending on the establishments)
Image courtesy of mediaartkitchen.tumblr.com
Making a list of popular markets in Metro Manila isn’t complete without including the ultra-famous Divisoria Market. Compared to every single markets here on this list, Divisoria is easily the most visited. The crowd that flock to Divisioria comes from different social classes, all wanting to get their hands on quality but super cheap items.
A trip to Divisoria is an adventure itself. A tourist attraction. A shopper’s paradise. You can buy almost anything in this colossal market, fabric, houseware, clothes, jewelry, food, toys— anything under the sun, in retail or wholesale. No doubt you’ll leave empty-handed. The market is famous for having the most number of tiangges, a labyrinth of stalls, indoors and outdoors, which Filipinos enjoy for the prices—way cheaper price from the original SRP.
Divisoria is also home to big malls such as the Tutuban Center Mall, the 168 Mall, and the newly opened Lucky Chinatown Mall. The shopping options are endless.
11. Greenfield Market
Greenfield District, United St., Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Opens 4: 00 PM to 12: 00 AM (Every Saturday only)
“Relaxing” is the perfect word to describe Greenfield Weekend Market, this green spot in the center of the city. The market features food, arts and crafts stalls, handmade products, but also a surprising variety of activities, such as live music, painting lessons, and amazing weekend events, like free yoga sessions, film showing, vegetarian cooking demos, and more.
But the main event at Greenfield Market is truly the food, with food stalls that will excite even the most discriminating foodie. You won’t find just local food here—but you can also enjoy foreign fare, like the Indonesian nasi goreng, beef randang, sambal, Japanese snacks, pasta dishes, shawarma, and more. There are also plenty of drinks to choose from, such as pandan, lemongrass, milky melon, soya milk, and calamansi with mint. If you have a sweet tooth, Greenfied Market has an array of desserts: cakes, pastries, snow cones, and native sweets.
Good vibes, art, unique finds, and food adventure, Greenfield indeed provides a holistic experience.
12. Sidcor Sunday Market
Eton Centris Mall, Epifanio de los Santos Ave, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Opens 6: 00 AM up to 2: 00 PM (Every Sundays only)
Sidcor Market is located at Eton Centris, which doesn’t get too crowded because of its vast space. The market offers delicacies of different price ranges. There are carenderia-inspired (local eatery) dishes amped up for a much unique taste. The stalls are also categorized in sections, such as seafood section, fruit section, organic supplements section, home section, clothing section, and the ready-to-eat-food section.
Its spot is originally in Cubao, but it was later transferred to the Diliman area to reach more visitors.
13.Banchetto Market
Cybergate Street, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Opens 9: 00PM up to 6:00 AM (From Tuesday to Friday only)
“Banchetto” means “feast” in Italian, and that is what this food market boasts of. It is a night food market held every Fridays, featuring literally hundreds of food selections, with over 50 vendors: barbecues, kebabs, rice meals, pizza, pasta, grilled foods, and more. Oh, and if you just want some late-night dessert, Banchetto is the place to go to, offering delightful selections for the sweet tooth: red velvet cupcakes, ice cream, smoothies, shakes, brownies, cakes, and more. And, amazingly, they’re really budget-friendly!
There are two banchetto markets in the Metro, one in Emerald Ave. at Ortigas, and one in Mandaluyong, which is the most visited among the two, partly because the selections are wider. Both are accessible, just a short distance from offices and hotels, which makes it really favorite dining experience for office workers who work the grave shift, or working overtime, tourists, and everybody from all walks of life who wish to just hang out together for late-night feast.
14. Pioneer Street Market
Pioneer corner Reliance St, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
Opens 9: 00 AM up to 11: 00 PM (From Tuesday to Sunday only)
Image courtesy of en.yelp.com.ph
Owned by HMR Group, Pioneer Street Market is not your usual outdoor or open-air market. It’s a two-story fully air-conditioned market open the entire week, chiefly selling organic products, especially organic vegetables fresh from Tagaytay.
You’d be delighted to find that the organic vegetables vary on a weekly basis, guaranteeing the patrons that the vegetables are fresh and seasoned. Also, some of the vegetable selections are quite unique, such as toscana cale, curly cake, taragon, romaine round, a variety of tomatoes, and more. The Pioneer Street Market is absolutely the best place to visit if you’re experimenting on unique salads.
Apart from organic goods, which take up an entire floor, the market also has a section that sells bottles of wine, excellent and affordable. There are also plant and flower shops, therapeutic and beauty products, furniture, kitchen needs, handicrafts, and more. Sometimes food trucks will park in the driveway for you to enjoy quick lunch or snacks.
15.Mezza Norte
Mindanao Open Parking Lot, Trinoma Mall, Quezon City
Opens 4:00 PM up to 3:00 AM (Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday only).
Mezza Norte is another popular late afternoon-till-night food market, and the number one food and lifestyle market in Quezon City. Located near big malls like SM North EDSA, and situated inside the parking space of Trinoma Mall, this gastronomical hotspot offers stomach-growling food selections, from home-cooked dishes, dessert and pastry, plus popular dishes from Mercato Centrale vendors: deep pizzas, burritos, nachos, burgers, Pinoy street food, cheesy tacos, and a lot more that you can imagine. The food selections are really affordable, too, which makes visiting Mezza Norte feel like a bountiful feast.
A live band plays, tables and chairs scattered in and out of the tents, and there’s a really sophisticated and posh lavatory in a truck, that going to the toilets will make everything extremely comfortable.
Helpful articles and blog posts on Metro Manila markets:
We only recommend writers and blogs that we read regularly and believe will deliver substantial value to our readers. The following is our top picks of articles we think are worth reading for you to get an extensive knowledge of some of the markets that we mentioned above.
- 99+ Tips and Shopping Guide to Divisoria – by Kikaysikat
- A Different Kind of Food Trip: Our Legazpi Sunday Market Expoerience – by Geoffreview
- Dangwa Flower Market Manila – The Traveling Fool
- Banchetto – Ortigas Weekly Night Market has Full Swing of Street Foods – by Between Bites
- Tips Before Going to Sidcor Sunday Market – by The Misis Chronicles
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