It is an understatement to say that the Philippines is a foodie’s paradise. Each region of the country offers something unique—from traditional eats and modern cuisines to dishes that champion endemic ingredients. In Manila alone, one could simply walk the streets and experience dining like no other. One of the go-to spots in the capital is Maginhawa Street in Quezon City.

For years, this quiet neighborhood has captured the taste buds of local and international foodies with its vast array of restaurants. What sets it apart is that the businesses featured aren’t big brands, but small enterprises that started in family kitchens, fortified by people’s passion for good food and sharing that experience. Eventually, Maginhawa Street didn’t just become a home for homegrown restaurants, but also for a community that thrives on creativity, resilience, and a shared love for culture and cuisine.

A testament to this sense of community is the Maginhawa Summer Festival. The event is one of the annual activities held on this humble street. Led by the Maginhawa Food Community, the festival is now in its second year and offers a lively experience for people to discover beloved food spots and hidden gems of the neighborhood.

“This is the second Maginhawa Summer Festival. It’s inspired by the annual Maginhawa Arts and Food Festival, which happens every first Saturday of December,” shares Jules Guiang, president of the Maginhawa Food Community, in an interview with Style Weekend. “There’s a city ordinance in Quezon City that mandates the city to organize one. We’re thankful to Mayor Joy Belmonte for trusting the Maginhawa Food Community to implement it since 2023. So we thought of doing a summer version to also provide a space for Maginhawa and non-Maginhawa restos to celebrate what we do with food, music, and arts.”

In a conversation with Style Weekend, Jules shares more about what’s in store for this year’s summer festival, the best way to spend a foodie weekend in the neighborhood, and what makes Maginhawa Street a uniquely vibrant destination that blends culinary discovery with community spirit.

Pre-pandemic, I initiated a petition for the local government unit (LGU) to address the frequent towing of cars, as it affected our customers. Fast-forward to 2021, we had a bigger challenge to face: bouncing back from the pandemic—not just as individual stores, but collectively as a community of micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) restaurants.

We have about 80 food and non-food merchants. Since the area is a mix of residential and commercial spaces, we’ll kick things off with a free Zumba session by Anytime Fitness Maginhawa. This will be followed by a Palarong Pinoy for residents. The Quezon City Symphonic Band will play in the afternoon, followed by performances from Anima Tierra and Motherland PH. In the evening, there’s a free concert headlined by Sandwich. We’ll close the program with a fun drag show.

As someone who grew up in the area since the late ’90s, I’ve seen how residents slowly converted their homes into small restaurants. It’s the same story for my family’s restaurant, Urban Chick. We just opened our gate, and my mom cooked our favorite baon for school. Fast-forward to 2025, our family business is now a fully operational restaurant. Along and around Maginhawa, there are at least 150 restos. The LGU’s city ordinance disallowing big brands to open in the area has been very helpful for small restaurants to thrive.

I usually ask what kind of food they’re into. Of course, biases aside, I’d recommend our family resto Urban Chick for a fusion of Filipino and American diner experience. Or try the unli meals at Tomato Canon, dishes from Black Betty Diner, Mexican food at Puesto, Filipino cuisine at Roberta’s, and grab a pizza from the OG—Friuli. Then, you can enjoy coffee at Daily Habit, Kape Segundo, or Coffee Nook, or try refreshing drinks at Bubble Dreams or Mango Magic. You can also have chocolate-dipped strawberries at Chocoberry or halo-halo at Matteau’s. To cap your foodie weekend, visit La Rosa Vino for wine, get hard drinks at Noki & Escapee, or dance the night away at The Sanctuary.

The Quezon City Government is giving all alleys here a facelift—those that connect inner streets to Maginhawa. They make great Instagram or TikTok spots. People can also jog here since Maginhawa stretches over two kilometers.

We’ll be actively working with the Quezon City Government and Pride PH for the upcoming Pride Month. In December, we’re organizing the Maginhawa Arts and Food Festival! Zooming out, aside from these events, we also hold capacity-building training sessions for our member-restaurants to help improve their operations.