Since it opened in 1995, El Cirkulo has evolved from a sort of tapas bar to a stylish restaurant serving familiar Spanish classics like Paella Negra and other original creations such as its Slow Roasted US Beef Belly. Helmed by Chef Jay Gamboa and sister Malu, who runs the restaurants operations, El Cirkulo is well loved by many who swear that their home made ice cream is a mus

My Favorite Restaurants: El Cirkulo - modern take on Spanish classics like paella and tapas. Inventive menu constantly updated with new-world influences. Food is consistently superb. Make sure to check out their specials which change monthly.

Nouveau Spanish. Excellent desserts. Consistent. Most dishes tried have been delicious. For tapas the gambas al ajillo and baked oysters are very good. Other best sellers are chorizo frito, salpicao, sisig (sisig lovers swear by it), and hojaldre (spinach and blue cheese in a phylo triangle). For paella, the paella negra is loaded with flavor, I prefer it to the others on the menu. The bistecca (Australia Angus Ribeye) is succulent, and comes with delicious Portobello mushrooms. Pasta is OK, just not as wonderful as their other dishes. Don’t skip desserts! They have the best chocolate dessert in Manila – warm dark chocolate truffle café. Also divine are the white chocolate bread pudding (best bread pudding in Manila) and the bolsillo de platano (phyllo pastry purse filled with warm banana compote). Coffee is good too.

"...with two award-winning talents in the kitchen, we put ourselves in their hands..first came Vieras al Horno, and Delicias de Cangrejo...Hojaldres de Espinacas...I loved them...Cabeza de Cerdo [which] is the two Jays' take on the Pampango 'sisig', using only head parts of suckling pigs -- soft and crunchy, rich, yet so well grilled that it isn't oily...a lovely Ensalada de Berenjenas...dessert we sampled and shared...all drew sighs and exclamations, and plans to return..."

"'Gluttony' may be too strong a word for the degustazione our "gang of five" enjoyed at El Cirkulo in Makati the other week...the five of us were Norma Olizon Chikiamco, Food Magazine Editor, Nancy Reyes, Sandy Daza, Suzette Montinola -- food columnists all, and I. Our degustazione was neither gluttony nor gorging. But in view of the splendid cuisine that evening, ours was a "sinful" one. "Try" is the key word here because in proving they really deserved the first prize in the Bonlac competition -- a tough one to judge as certain other restaurants gave El Cirkulo a really close fight -- the two J's, J. Gamboa and Jay Roces, prepared a dinner fit for the most fastidious palates and, therefore, to be relished to the last spoonful!"

"At El Cirkulo, a little bit of 'art talk' before 'food talk' was inevitable because the framed works that lined all the walls inside are what the diner finds initially attractive about the place. The collages were done by Arturo Luz whose touch is seen in the choice of colors, predominantly red and black. The eyes will assuredly be satisfied before the stomach in this place.".

"It isn't difficult to find. It is the only restaurant in the metropolis with a large circular door painted red with a grey metal handle shaped like a circle. It is here that you can feast on the best of tapas, traditional Spanish appetizers taken before the main course...By day and early evening hours, you can enjoy their Spanish music. The tempo and mood both turn more exciting after dinner when the place becomes a bar."

"El Cirkulo started eliciting raves the day it opened sometime last September. It is run by the team of Jay Roces (California Culinary Academy), J. Gamboa (Culinary Institute of America, NY) and Malu Gamboa (MBA, University of Chicago). These 3 are responsible for El Cirkulo's immediate success. Young and aggressive, they blend experience and talent into what I like to call "nouvelle Spanish cuisine"...their paellas are to die for...they offer 3 varieties that I wouldn't mind having every day."

"No one will dispute that El Cirkulo on Pasay Road in Makati offers the best tapas in town. It is quite unique eating in a place designed to look like a typical bullring enhanced by artifacts and authentic torero outfits. Queso con anchoa rebosado, Hojaldres de Espinacas, Tanguingue ala Parilla, and the Paella Bacalao are but a few of my favorites..."

The latest entry into the growing circle of Spanish specialty restaurants is El Cirkulo, a brash newcomer whose calamares paella at the Instituto Cervantes' food fair caught notice...El Cirkulo is like a bull charging in the ring. Its menu is innovative, embellishing the more traditional Spanish dishes; and its venue is more daring. Its decor is modern, tables were without table clothes...the decor departed from the usual wrought iron and wood setting of the more traditional Spanish restaurants."

"El Cirkulo provides a new hang-out that people frequent not only because of the food and music, but the familiarity of the place. Where everybody is either an old friend, a new acquaintance or someone you've been longing to meet."

"El Cirkulo is cosmopolitan Manila, mundane, friendly, noisy but not too much. No overkill here ..."

"... there is seriously good food here."