Restaurant-bar Esquinita by Konyo brings Filipino food and drinks to Cuppage Terrace

Located a stone’s throw from Somerset MRT, Cuppage Terrace is lined up with bars and restaurants showcasing all sorts of cuisines. If you frequent the area enough, you might have seen or passed by Filipino bar and restaurant Esquinita by Konyo that sits along Cuppage Terrace — it’s been around since 2024.

It’s one of the few Filipino resto-bar in the central town area and are great for those evenings when you’re craving Filipino food and beer, or simply a place to keep the conversation around the table going. 

While its prices lean slightly higher than most Filipino food spots in Singapore, the real draw here is the communal and convivial vibe of the space.

Its venue at Cuppage Terrace is spacious, with both indoor and al fresco seating available. 

If heat isn’t an issue for you or if you’re visiting later in the day, opt for the outdoor seats — when it fills up, it oozes the laidback, communal spirit the Filipino community is known for.

If you prefer a bit more privacy, there are some indoor seats to choose from.

We were there on a Thursday afternoon so it was still relatively empty, but if you do decide to check out this spot, do note that it can fill up after working hours, and on the weekends. 

What we tried

Esquinita’s extensive menu is befitting of a solid Filipino restaurant-bar, with options spanning starters and mains, to sharing platters and desserts.

If you’re planning to drink the night away, you start with the chicharon manok (S$11) for the table — deep fried pork rinds that are both crunchy and salty, served with a vinegar dip. Don’t say we didn’t warn you about how addictive these can get!

Another snack to get for the table is its lumpiang Shanghai (S$14), paired with a chilli dip. These are popular Filipino deep-fried spring rolls filled with pork and vegetables, and Esquinita’s rendition is as authentic as you can get. 

As the lumpiangs are made-to-order, they can take a while to arrive. Not that we minded, because in 30 minutes, they arrived at our table fresh, hot, crispy, and packed with flavour. This was easily one of the highlights of our time at Esquinita, in spite of the wait.

The lechon kawali (S$17) — a popular Filipino dish of fried pork belly — is also worth a try. It was done exactly the way it should be — crispy skin, tender meat, and presented beautifully. 

It comes with both a soy-based dip — reminiscent of classic sawsawan (Filipino dipping sauce), and a garlic vinegar dip for those who want something sharper.

If you’re looking to move beyond starters for the table or happen to be there for more than just drinks, there are plenty of dishes on the menu that would make for a complete, well-rounded meal.

The laing (S$17) — a creamy dish of taro leaves cooked in coconut milk, chilli, shrimp paste, and spices — is an ultimate comfort favourite of mine, and Esquinita nails it. 

The liberal, but welcome, use of coconut milk gives the dish its distinctive rich and creamy taste. Meanwhile, the taro leaves are cooked just right — soft but not mushy —  with just the right amount of bite to it.

It’s especially good when eaten with its garlic fried rice (S$3) — practically a staple of any Filipino meal — a solid base that definitely worked up our appetite further.

Wanting to get something more substantial for the table, we ordered the bistek Tagalog (S$21), a classic Filipino dish of thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce and comes with caramelised onions — a savoury, tangy comfort dish. 

However, compared to other versions that I’ve had, this dish was quite heavy-handed on the salt or soy sauce, and the saltiness was quite prominent even when taken alongside a generous helping of rice. 

It’s still a relatively generous portion for the price point, and may appeal to diners who love their bistek Tagalog heavily seasoned.

If you want to try other options, crowd-favourites also include the half chicken inasal (S$21), a classic FIlipino dish of grilled chicken thigh marinated with a blend of spices, and bangus sisig (S$24), where milkfish, seasoned with chilli and citrus juices, comes with peppers on a sizzling hotplate. 

If you’re coming in a group, the big manong platters — “manong” is a Filipino term often used to refer to street food vendors — such as the ihaw ihaw ni mangong (S$24), would be great to have on the table. It’s essentially a barbecued skewers platter with isaw (grilled intestines), tenga (crispy pig ear), classic BBQ pork skewers, and inihaw hotdog (grilled Filipino-style hotdog). 

Stay for the drinks at Esquinita

If you’re there for drinks, you’re in luck as Esquinita runs some pretty solid drink promotions. 

When we visited, there was an all-day Happy Hour, with draught beer, bottled beers, red and white wine, cocktails, and spirits, starting from S$10. 

For those who like to BYOB, you’d also be glad to know that there’s an ongoing BYOB (bring your own bottle) deal on Wednesdays, when you can bring your bottle without incurring a corkage fee.

With that said, Esquinita tends to change up its promotions often, so it’s worth checking what’s running before you head down. 

As you would expect, the bar carries the popular Filipino lager San Miguel light (S$12 per bottle), an easy-to-drink crisp beverage. 

There’s also another crowd-favourite beer label Red Horse (S$14 per bottle), also another lager but with a stronger kick, available here. 

Besides beers, Esquinita also has a selection of five Filipino-inspired speciality cocktails, with drinks such as a Pinoy martini (S$18), featuring vodka, kaluah, triple sec, espresso shot, and dulce de leche, a Manila Bloom (S$16) with rum, triple sec, cherry liqueur, cranberry citrus, and mixed-berry syrup.

As we were looking for a sweet finish to our meal, we opted for the dessert-like Halo-Halo cocktail (S$20), featuring rum, coconut milk, milk, ube sorbetes (a denser Filipino-style ice cream), and gulaman (chewy jelly cubes).

The colourful drink may look mild but it was actually quite robust owing to the rum. It is sweet, though, which we enjoyed, but those who prefer their beverages less sweet might want to consider other options.

Esquinita by Konyo is certainly a place we’d return to — ideally with a group of friends for a night out. Between the food platters made for sharing, fun drinks, and the laidback, convivial energy of the space, it ticks all the right boxes for a good time.

For more ideas on Filipino eats, read on J&J Foodhub: Filipino home-cooked food at Toa Payoh and Mary Grace’s first international outpost in Singapore.