Manila at two in the morning is a city built on bad decisions. Drunk office workers stagger out of bars, students count change for one last round, and everyone eventually hunts for food greasy enough to keep the hangover at bay. Many spots hand you bowls of lugaw so bland you wonder if they soaked leftover rice in tap water and called it a hangover cure, but when you’re craving late night food in Manila, nothing hits like a real bowl of goto.
Then there’s Goto Believe in Kapitolyo. The bowls here are oversized, the toppings are insane, and the flavor doesn’t politely whisper. It kicks you in the throat and spits in your eye while daring you to keep eating. This isn’t dainty comfort food. It’s survival fuel disguised as rice porridge, built to silence drunks, feed the hungry, and ruin diets in one sitting.
This site contains affiliate links to products and services. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links which help keep me on the road and costs you absolutely nothing
Table of Contents
About Goto Believe Kapitolyo
Kapitolyo has grown into one of Manila’s food arenas. New shops open, stumble, and die before anyone even remembers their names. Rent is merciless, the competition is worse, and the only survivors are those who learn to fight dirty. Goto Believe didn’t sneak into Kapitolyo. It marched in with giant bowls of goto raised like weapons, and made itself impossible to ignore.
They have a bright shiny new location these days right across the street from the original open-air location that made it famous in the area. But make no mistake, they are still serving massive portions of that famous Manila lugaw with enough toppings to kill a goat. The servers don’t glide with rehearsed smiles. They sprint between tables, carrying bowls so big they look like props from a medieval feast.
The crowd is pure Kapitolyo chaos. White-collar workers loosen their ties while slurring arguments about toppings. Students calculate whether they can share one giant bowl between five wallets. Food pilgrims pose for photos before realizing the steam fogs their camera lenses. Goto Believe thrives in this mess. It’s not aiming for refinement. It’s aiming for survival, and in Kapitolyo, survival means feeding people more than they can possibly finish. People come here for the chaos, the massive bowls, and the infamous Goto Believe menu that piles on toppings no other congee joint dares.
Goto Believe Menu
The Goto Believe menu doesn’t read like polite dining. It reads like a slaughterhouse menu of things people shouldn’t be eating. Or should they? Yes, you can order plain goto if you’re boring, but why would you? The kitchen clearly wants you to pick the reckless options.
In addition to an insane amount of goto options, the menu has several side options or you can add them right to your goto. Eggs, a hundred different ways, isaw (intestines), atay (liver), tenga (pork ears), and the list goes on and on. They also have pancit bilao meals to choose from. Literally anything you need to stave off the next day alcohol blues. Or maybe you just need a hearty breakfast or lunch, I don’t know what the hell you’re into.
They have several locations in the NCR and all of them are open 24 hrs so you won’t ever lack a goto fix. But every dish screams excess. Portions are enormous, toppings ridiculous, and combinations shameless.
Ordering is a simple process. Choose your wet or dry. Yes, they have a goto fried rice dry version too. Choose your size, broth preference if wet, toppings, and have a seat. That’s it.
Where to Stay in Metro Manila Near Goto Believe
Luxury Accommodations: – Edsa Shangri-La, Manila – Edsa Shangri-La in Ortigas delivers five-star comfort with lush gardens, elegant rooms, and top-tier dining. A luxury stay just minutes from Kapitolyo, perfect for travelers who want resort-style escape in the city.
Mid-Range Accommodations: – Ace Hotel & Suites – Ace Hotel and Suites in Pasig combines modern rooms with access to the famous water spa, rooftop dining, and skyline views. A comfortable stay minutes from Kapitolyo with wellness and comfort in one spot.
Budget Accommodations: – Privato Ortigas – Privato Hotel Ortigas offers sleek modern rooms, a rooftop pool with skyline views, and easy access to Kapitolyo’s dining scene. A stylish budget stay for as little as $30USD a night
Looking for other great places to stay near Goto Believe? Use the search bar below.
Read Next: Where to Eat in Kapitolyo: 13 Extraordinary Locations
Inferno Goto
Inferno Goto isn’t subtle. The moment it lands, you smell garlic, chili, and pure menace. The broth glows red, an open declaration that this bowl plans to hurt you. The first spoonful confirms it. Heat slams across your tongue, garlic bites back, and chopped chilies set your lips buzzing like live wires.
I am of the opinion if you are ordering this, you go all out to get the OMG inferno. All that means is it’s their spicy broth with everything you can imagine included in it or on the side, your choice. I’m not joking, this is what it comes with.
- Beta Max (Grilled Blood)
- Grilled pork and chicken isaw (intestines)
- Chicharon bulaklak (fried pork mesentery)
- Pork BBQ
- Fried chicken isaw (intestines)
- Beef tripe
- Grilled tenga (pork ears)
- Eggs
- Wanton chips
Absolutely packed and their goto is otherworldly. Strong hints of ginger and garlic permeate it and then that spice hits you. The variety of meat is an added bonus at this point. I personally prefer my chicharron bulaklak on the side that I can dip into the goto so it doesn’t become a soggy mess and is left with some bite to it, but you do you. Either way, you won’t regret it, especially if you’re drunk.
Chicharron Bulaklak
Might as well tell you about this as the side it should be. I usually get two orders. One for a sasawan and one for dipping directly into the goto. Anyway, chicharron bulaklak doesn’t win beauty contests. It looks like fried confusion. But bite into it, and you stop caring. The crunch is sharp, the fat bursts with salt, and the grease coats your lips like a badge of honor. On its own, it’s already perfect drinking food. On top of congee, it becomes legend.
Every order is made fresh so they are piping hot and they are absolutely huge. They definitely aren’t the sad looking shriveled things you find road-side on the regular. The flavour is pure pork though. A little chewy but nothing offensive if the thought of mesentery freaks you out. But if I gave them to you without telling what they were you would love it. Guaranteed.
The pairing with goto works because the porridge softens the edges without killing the crunch. Smooth rice carries the flavor, soaking in stray oil until every spoonful feels like an indulgence. You get balance without compromise if you choose to mix them.
This is food reminding you that fried fat belongs on rice as much as it does in beer sessions. Chicharron bulaklak may look strange, but it eats like a revelation. Ugly food rarely tasted this good.
Chicken Isaw
This lands here because I also order a side of this too because I love it so much. Chicken intestines of the grilled kind. These are perfect on their own with a sasawan of soy sauce, vinegar, and chilies.
The intestines are chewy, and carry smoke and char from the grill. Vinegar cuts through the richness. When included with the goto, it balances out the porridge before it gets too heavy. Each spoonful blends smooth rice, sharp acid, and chewy isaw, a mix that shouldn’t belong together but absolutely does.
For squeamish eaters, this is the moment they hesitate. For locals, it’s nostalgia. For everyone else, it’s proof that intestines taste better than most cuts of meat when treated properly. This is Goto Believe flipping the middle finger to anyone who thinks porridge should stay plain. And it tastes incredible doing it.
Deep-Fried Liempo
Another side I order because it’s just too damn good not to. If you can’t tell by now, I am indeed a glutton. Damn Filipinos seducing me with their delicious food. But imagine this for a sec. Thick cuts of pork belly fried until the skin snaps under your teeth, and equal parts fat melting in your mouth at the same time.
Lay it across a fat spoonful of goto it might as well own the place.
The first bite delivers everything at once: shattering skin, melting fat, salty meat, and grease that drips into the rice below. The porridge changes, each spoonful now infused with pork, turning what was comfort food into a heavy, unrestrained feast. It’s indulgence without apology, exactly what you need at midnight when restraint is already dead.
No one pretends liempo is sensible. It’s heavy, greasy, and impossible to stop eating once you start. On its own, it could feed you. On top of goto, it feels excessive. And it is, but it’s my blood pressure so shut up.
Champorado Cheesecake
Some dishes feel like mistakes that somehow went right. Champorado cheesecake sits at the top of that list. Chocolate rice porridge already feels indulgent, thick with cocoa and sugar. Then Goto Believe turns into a cheesecake and calls it a day. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
The champorado base is sticky, dense, and sweet. Every grain of rice carries chocolate that clings to the spoon. As if a rice porridge turned into cheesecake wasn’t enough it’s then topped with crispy dilis (anchovies)for a savoury and salty finish. Each spoonful becomes a tug-of-war between childhood nostalgia and adult indulgence, rice pudding colliding with dairy decadence.
It isn’t breakfast, and it isn’t dessert. It’s something else entirely, it’s a plate designed for people who don’t care what time it is or what rules food is supposed to follow.
Wondering What to do in the Philippines? Have a Look at Some of These Tours From Viator:
You Might Also Like: Where to Eat in Marikina
Kapitolyo’s Mind-Blowing Congee
Congee has always been treated like background food. Something you eat when you’re sick, broke, or bored. Goto Believe didn’t accept that. Their congee is the main act, thick, flavorful, and loaded until moderation collapses. If you’re mapping out a Kapitolyo food crawl, Goto Believe is the kind of stop that can ruin you for everything after.
The base porridge is creamy without being watery, seasoned enough to stand on its own. Garlic, scallions, and broth give it depth, making sure the rice isn’t just filler. From there, every topping turns it into spectacle. Chili oil for heat, pork belly for crunch, intestines for chew, cheesecake for madness. Every bowl feels different, but every bowl feels alive.
Kapitolyo’s food crawl is crowded with attention seekers. Sushi bars, burger shops, taco joints, all competing for relevance. But none of them hand you a bowl that feels like a weapon. Goto Believe’s congee doesn’t just feed you. It commands the table, demanding you respect rice porridge in a way you never have before.
Goto Believe Prices, Hours, and Location
The best part? The bill doesn’t bankrupt you. Bowls range from budget-friendly basics to loaded monstrosities still priced about the same as mains at a higher end Kapitolyo restaurant. Considering the portions could double as kettlebells, it feels almost criminal.
Basic Goto bowls are going to run the ₱100 range. While something massive like the OMG will run you ₱800. With sides and extras running between ₱50 – ₱100. Their Golog bowls will run between ₱135 – ₱200.
Students, blue and white collar workers, and drunkards all leave with stomachs heavy and wallets relatively intact. This is why it’s become a staple for anyone hunting late night food Manila has to offer, especially after drinks.
Hours stretch deep into the night, because no one eats goto at noon on a Wednesday. In fact, they’re open 24 hours a day. But this food exists for late-night cravings, post-shift recovery, and the kind of bar crawls that leave you regretting your life decisions at four in the morning. If you’re awake, Goto Believe is open too.
Goto Believe sits in Kapitolyo on East Capital Drive, and is surrounded by bars and restaurants trying to prove themselves. That’s where it built its local reputation, where bowls first drowned customers in grease and garlic. Other branches exist across Manila, but the Kapitolyo shop remains the one I swear by. It’s my battlefield.
Goto Believe Final Thoughts
Goto Believe doesn’t try to impress with elegance. It doesn’t serve dainty bowls or garnish plates with unnecessary greens. It serves congee so oversized you need two hands to lift it, stacked with toppings that should probably come with health warnings. And that’s exactly why it wins.
Is it the best goto in Manila? Absolutely. Not because it’s refined, but because it refuses to be. It’s greasy, heavy, indulgent, and built for the hours when people stop pretending to care about restraint. Other places sell comfort food. Goto Believe sells chaos in a bowl, comfort dragged through grease and chili until it demands respect.
That’s why people crawl to Kapitolyo night after night. Not for its elegance, and certainly not for moderation. They exist for bowls that taste like home.
So let’s hear it. Have you eaten at Goto Believe, or is there another late-night goto spot that deserves the crown? Drop it in the comments. I’ll be judging your answer, probably while spooning through another tenga-topped bowl.
FAQs About Goto Believe
Is Goto Believe open 24 hours?
Yes. Goto Believe runs 24 hours, and not in the lazy “technically open” sense where the kitchen shuts half the menu after midnight. At three in the morning you still get the same oversized bowls stacked with toppings that could clog a drainage pipe. That’s the entire point of the place, it exists for drunks, shift workers, and insomniacs who need grease at unholy hours. Daytime customers are a side gig. The real action happens when the rest of Kapitolyo is closing and you’re still too stubborn to go home.
Do Goto Believe deliver, or is it strictly dine-in?
They deliver through the usual Manila apps. Both Food Panda and Grab have them covered in spades. Delivery menus sometimes differ from the dine-in Goto Believe menu, so check add-ons carefully.. Order early during peak nights to dodge long courier queues. Your hangover can wait, but the riders surely won’t.
How do I order like a regular on my first visit?
Start with one decision: wet congee or fried rice version. If you go wet, pick broth strength, then choose heat level. Add proteins or offal, then add an egg style you actually want. Ask for crunchy toppings on the side to protect texture. Finish with acid and aromatics, then taste before adding more chili. If you like pain, add Infierno sauce last, not first.
I hate offal. What should I order that won’t turn me off?
A plane ticket to get the hell out of the country is my suggestion. Just kidding, skip the guts and build crunch and fat instead. Stack fried chicken skin, pork BBQ, or crispy wanton wraps. Add calamares or dumplings for chew without the innards. Keep toppings separate to protect texture during the meal. Order mild broth, then season with vinegar for balance. You’ll leave full without a single bite of the unimaginable.
What’s the difference between lugaw, goto, congee, and arroz caldo?
Lugaw is the plain Filipino rice porridge base. Goto adds ox tripe and often other innards for richness. Arroz caldo leans chicken, ginger, and safflower. Congee is the broader Chinese-style term for rice porridge you see all over SE Asia. Manila menus use the names loosely, but the proteins define them. Order by protein, not label, if you want zero surprises.
Is this friendly for halal, pork-free, or vegetarian diets?
Not really, and you already know why. The kitchen runs heavy on pork, innards, and fried animal parts. Cross-contact risk stays high for strict dietary rules. Vegetarian depth is limited without meat-based broths and toppings. If you need strict compliance, choose another Kapitolyo spot. Congee elsewhere can fit tight rules more cleanly.
Are portions big enough to share, or do I go solo?
Bowls run hefty, and group trays are designed for sharing. If you plan a crawl, split one bowl two ways. Order extra crunch on the side so everyone gets texture. Bilao trays handle four or more. Solo is fun, but sharing lets you try more add-ons. Your stomach will thank you during stop number three.
Cash, card, or GCash at Goto Believe?
Bring cash and be ready with GCash for speed. Manila dining still leans cash, especially smaller spots. Card acceptance varies by branch and terminal mood. Ask before ordering if you plan a card-only night. Your backup plan should always be paper bills
I’m planning a Kapitolyo food crawl. Where does Goto Believe fit best?
Use it as the opener or closer in your Kapitolyo food crawl, not the middle. Opening here lays a base before drinks hit hard. Closing here patches the damage with fat and salt. Split bowls so you can still walk to the next stop. Order crunchy sides on the side to keep energy up. Your crawl stays fun without a food coma halfway through
What should I order if I want comfort, not chaos?
Keep it simple and build from aroma, not heat. Order plain goto with ginger forward broth and a soft egg. Add spring onions and fried garlic, then taste. Drizzle a little vinegar until the broth brightens. Skip chili oil until your third spoonful at least. You’ll get soothing warmth without numbing your lips.
Got another question? Drop it in the comments
