OGAWA — Manila’s favorite Japanese restaurant for both locals and Japanese nationals — finally reopens at Shoppes at McKinley West 🇯🇵✨The interiors are stunning, especially the signature bridge — fitting, since “Ogawa” means river 🌊 The iconic original door adds an authentic touch, while the glowing lanterns and nighttime lighting make it feel like you’re walking through the streets of Tokyo 🏮
Their tuna, salmon sashimi, and most of the seafood are premium quality and flown in from Toyosu Fish Market Japan 🇯🇵 ✈️🐟 Standouts for us were the grilled hamachi head and jaw — perfectly charred, juicy, and packed with flavor. The crazy maki rolls, yakitori, teppan beef, and kamameshi rice were excellent too 🍣🍚
Now we’re just waiting for their Burger Yaki — teppan wagyu hamburg steak concept — to open next 👀
OGAWA
Traditional Japanese Restaurant Sushi▫️Robatayaki ▫️Teppanyaki
📍GF, Park Mckinley West, The Shoppes, Lawton Avenue, BGC, Taguig
📞+63 917 856 4292
🌐 OGAWA Traditional Japanese Restaurant
📸 @ogawa.manila
VIBE
We also loved the stunning lighting centerpiece by Noel Bernardo — designed as an acoustic diffuser, yet beautifully reminiscent of a samurai’s armor. It anchors the main communal dining area, creating a dramatic space where all the action happens.
We love this semi-private dining area, especially at night when the glowing Ogawa lanterns make it feel straight out of Tokyo. The ambiance is beautiful and intimate, though it can get quite warm during the daytime.
Reserve the private room with the large circular window so the space feels open and less claustrophobic.
This is the main private dining area, connected to another 10-seater room, accommodating up to 30 guests — perfect for intimate tinghun or pamamanhikan dinners ✨ It also has its own private teppan counter, so dishes are served hot and straight from the grill.
The sushi counter is where the magic happens — serving fresh, expertly crafted sashimi and sushi 🍣✨ Ogawa also retained its original chefs and culinary team, allowing them to reopen seamlessly right after the restaurant turnover.
Robatayaki is excellent, with the grill masters perfectly cooking the yakitori and hamachi over open flames.
Can’t wait for the teppanyaki and Burger Yaki counters to open soon!
SUSHI & SASHIMI
TOKUSEN 7 SASHIMI NORI (₱1,950)
Special Assorted Sashimi (7 Kinds)
Sashimi is top-notch — you can taste the quality of the salmon and tuna belly even without any sauce.
CRAZY MAKI (7pcs/order) (₱1,080)
Prawn Tempura, Crabstick, Omelet, Cucumber Wrapped
This is their best-selling maki — each piece is a full, satisfying bite, with great crunch and texture from the crumbs.
YAKITORI
NEGIMA (₱110 /stick)
Chicken Leg with Leeks
Their yakitori is among the best in the city — especially the chicken leg, still juicy, smoky, and best enjoyed straight off the grill.
GYUKARUBI SLICE (₱280 /stick)
Thinly Sliced Short Rib Beef
The beef yakitori is so good — best enjoyed with an ice-cold Sapporo beer.
GYUNIKU ASPARAMAKI (₱240 /stick)
Asaparagus wrapped in Thinly Sliced Beef
My personal favorite — the asparagus is perfectly grilled, still juicy and not tough, while the beef is tender and easy to bite into 🍢✨
SALAD
KAISO SALAD (₱430)
Assorted Seaweed and Mixed Greens with Ume/Plum Dressing
The salads are surprisingly good — especially the mixed greens topped with wakame and seaweeds.
SPICY SALMON SALAD (₱600)
Spicy Salmon Served with Mixed Greens
The spicy salmon with ikura is a standout — rich, flavorful, and balanced by fresh mixed greens for a lighter, healthier bite 🐟✨
CHIRASHI
TOKUJYO CHIRASHI SUSHI (SAKURA) (₱1,900)
Assorted Premium Seafood Topped on sushi rice
This chirashi is exceptional—fresh sushi served apart from the rice, finished with perfectly grilled eel 🍣
My wife loved the fresh uni—rare and trustworthy in Manila 🍣✨ The tuna belly is rich and fatty, while the salmon is silky and velvety. Finished simply with ikura, egg, wasabi, and a touch of lemon.
A pleasant surprise — grilled eel over rice, finished with a touch of pickled ginger (gari).
TEPPANYAKI
US TENDERLOIN BEEF (₱1,800)
US Beef Tenderloin 150g
The US beef tenderloin is cooked just right—smoky, hot off the teppan, and flavorful – sarap!
GYUNIKU YAKIMESHI (₱280)
Beef, Egg and Vegetables Fried Rice
The portion is small, but packed with flavor—just enough beef to complement the teppan perfectly.
HAMACHI KABUTO SHIOYAKI (₱2,100)
Grilled Hamachi Head w/ Salt
An Ogawa standout — perfectly grilled hamachi head and jaw (kama), with juicy, delicate meat and crisp, flavorful skin. My wife especially loved the head. We would go back just for this Hamachi head.
SHAKE KAMAMESHI (₱730)
Salmon with ikura Rice Casserole
If you like rice with your yakitori and meats, the kamameshi is a must — served hot with a light crust at the bottom, topped with salmon and ikura 🍚🐟✨
TEISHOKU
TEPPAN GOZEN (₱1,300)
Appetizer, Salad, Salmon, Prawn, US Rib-Eye Steak 120g, Fried Rice, Miso Soup and Dessert
The Japanese set meals are ok too but combination and presentation wise Ootoya does a lot better.
MISO RAMEN (₱430)
Ramen Noodle Broth with Soya Bean Base with Sliced Barbequed Pork
This ramen satisfies a craving, though the soy-based broth is quite thick and heavy.
TANTANMEN (₱600)
Ramen Noodle w/ Ground Chicken & Spicy Sesame Paste Broth
My son didn’t enjoy the tantanmen version, though the noodles were quite good.
DESSERT
MATCHA ICE CREAM AND SHIRATAMA ZENZAI (₱290)
Green Tea Ice Cream with Rice Cake Ball and Red Bean
We ended up fighting over this dessert — loved the contrast of matcha ice cream with red bean and bits of mochi.
KUROGOMA ICE CREAM (₱250)
Home Made Ice Cream with Black Sesame and Soy Bean Paste
Black sesame ice cream is hard to get right, but this one hits the spot and satisfies the craving.
STRAWBERRY ICHICO (₱180)
Loved this and specially Yugi!
FINAL THOUGHTS
OGAWA is back and impressively so, with its original team intact and consistently high quality. The sashimi is on par with Tsukiji-style restaurants but more accessible in price, sitting above Ipponyari in overall quality (though Ipponyari remains stronger on value) and offering a more elevated experience than Ootoya, which is best known for its set meals. The yakitori is arguably among the best in BGC and can rival standout spots in Carmona. Ramen is available but not a highlight. Best experienced for premium sushi, robatayaki, and teppanyaki at around ₱2,000 per head.
OGAWA
Traditional Japanese Restaurant Sushi▫️Robatayaki ▫️Teppanyaki
📍GF, Park Mckinley West, The Shoppes, Lawton Avenue, BGC, Taguig
📞+63 917 856 4292
🌐 OGAWA Traditional Japanese Restaurant
📸 @ogawa.manila
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: This article was written entirely by a human—reflecting my own biases, opinions, and insights—with grammar and clarity checked using AI assistance. Thank you to OGAWA for hosting us.
p.s. love their complementary salmon appetizer to awaken your palate.
