#KaonSerye: Best Japanese Food in Davao

Japanese restaurants in Davao City have sprouted sporadically for the past three years. Although it is no surprise as Davaoenos have retained many Japanese influences since the latter's occupation, it is only now that we have further explored our taste for the Japanese cuisine.

For the past two years we've been together, Keen and I have tried almost each Japanese restaurant in the city. We've tried every gyoza, maki and ramen we can get our hands on. We've been to many minimalist, modern or high-end Japanese restaurants. We've also been satisfied and disappointed many times. With the many things we have tasted, we are confident enough to judge and identify which Japanese restaurant in Davao serves the best dish.

Not all restaurants are perfect. Some have the best gyoza but has the most disappointing ramen, or vice versa. To be fair, we will only be comparing the dishes we have tried from each restaurant. Also, we will be judging not only the taste, but the servings and prices as well. For each category, there can be a maximum of 3 stars. So a maximum of 9 stars can be earned by a restaurant for a particular dish.

1. Gyoza

First off, we have our staple Japanese dish Gyoza. These pan-fried dumplings are great appetizers to begin with. I think this is the only dish we've consistently eaten in every Japanese restaurant Keen and I have been to in Davao. Here's our verdict.

Manzoku tops the list with an almost perfect score of 8/9 stars. It is closely followed by Nonki with 7 stars and Taishozan with 6 stars. Manzoku's gyoza is definitely worth your money. The taste and texture of the dumplings are really good. The serving is great considering its price. Unfortunately, we don't have a picture of Manzoku's gyoza since we eat it immediately after being served (lol). Here are the other gyozas we've tried though.

Katsu Country's Gyoza

Matsuri Ichiban's Gyoza

Taichou Izakaya's Gyoza

2. Gyudon

Gyudon is our personal favorite Japanese rice topping dish. It is a bowl of rice topped with beef in a mildly sweet flavored sauce. It is sometimes topped with a raw or poached egg. We don't always order this but when we do, we are very critical about the taste and all. Here's our rating.

Again, Manzoku strikes another win with a score of 8/9 stars. Its competitors lag behind by 3-4 stars. So far, everyone who has eaten Manzoku's gyudon are quite impressed also. What I like about their gyudon is its rich flavorful sauce and the shitake mushrooms that complement well with the beef.

Manzoku's Gyudon

Matsuri Ichiban's Gyudon

Shikisai's Gyudon

 3. Maki

Next in our list is maki. Maki is a roll of rice and other ingredients wrapped in nori (seaweed) and sliced into bite size pieces. Keen and I have tried quite a variety of Maki as they can be subject to a lot of creativity and innovations. Here's what we have to say so far.

Taishozan and Tsuru tie at first place with 8/9 stars. While they both have the same scores in every category, their maki are quite distinct. Taishozan retains a more authentic style of maki but their fresh ingredients make it superb in taste. Tsuru, on the other hand, has an ecclectic and inventive variety of maki that tastes quite remarkable.

Taishozan's Maki

Tomodachi's Maki

4. Ramen

Before Keen and I were in a relationship, I have always been a huge fan of ramen. So far, the really best ramen houses I've tried are in Manila. No trip in Manila would ever be complete without a visit to Nihonbashitei, Ramenagi or Ikkoryu. So when I relocated back to Davao and had very few trips to Manila, I've always searched for that legit ramen in the city. Here's what Keen and I have explored so far.

When we tasted Taishozan's shoyu ramen, I was able to say that it was the only legit ramen in the city. The broth was thick and satisfying. The chashu pork is so tender it feels like melting in your mouth. Although legit, it still doesn't have a perfect score since I know I've had better ramen. Nonetheless, Taishozan is the only restaurant in Davao City that we will recommend for that hearty bowl of ramen.

Taishozan's Ramen

Kaizen's Ramen

5. Sushi

The last but not the least in our list is sushi. This simple dish is made of vinegared rice topped with a variety of ingredients which are mostly fresh seafood. For us, freshness is what makes a sushi distinctly good. So here's the best sushi in Davao so far.

Manzoku and Nonki are a tie for the best sushi in Davao City. Although they both have 8/9 stars, they have different scores in terms of category. Manzoku has a better price while Nonki has a better taste. Both restaurants serve generous servings of their sushi making each one a satisfying mouthful.

Manzoku's Sushi

Matsuri Ichiban's Sushi

So there you have it, our personal ratings for all the gyoza, gyudon, maki, ramen and sushi we've had in all the Japanese restaurants James and I have been to in Davao. It seems like Manzoku is quite a winner given that they have the best gyoza, gyudon and sushi so far. They are followed by Taishozan for having the best ramen and maki. Tsuru and Nonki are also winners as they tie with others for the best maki and sushi respectively.

If you have any suggestions or recommendations for us, feel free to comment below. We'd love to update this list as we go along and explore more of what the Japanese restaurants in Davao City has to offer.

#KaonSerye Partners ❤️