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For a restaurant to last three decades, something must keep people coming back.
When Japanese restaurant Ipponyari opened in Makati City in 1996, its menu had fewer than 10 dishes. Today, it has on offer nearly 300 dishes across various locations in Southern Luzon and Metro Manila.
Its first restaurant, then located on Arnaiz Avenue, initially drew Japanese businessmen and residents looking for food similar to what they were used to back home.
“When we started Ipponyari, we simply wanted to have a place where people could enjoy Japanese food that felt familiar and comforting,” general manager and co-founder Grace Lachica said in a press release.
“We never imagined that the small restaurant we started in 1996 would eventually grow into what Ipponyari is today,” she added. “What makes us happiest is seeing people continue to come back, year after year.”
Over the past three decades, Ipponyari has expanded its menu by offering more choices across a wide range of categories, from ramen, soba and udon to rice bowls, tempura, sushi, sashimi, curry, yakitori and other deep-fried dishes.
The restaurant has also incorporated a Chinese-inspired selection, including stir-fried vegetables (P220), shrimp stir-fried in sweet and spicy sauce (P430), and pork and cabbage stir-fried in spicy soy sauce (P300).
To mark its 30th anniversary, the restaurant is highlighting some of its bestsellers, including gyoza (P220), chashumen (P490), ebi tempura (P480), salmon sashimi (P410), California maki (P340), tori karaage (P280), katsudon (P450), tonkatsu (P340), and katsu curry (P480).
The anniversary celebrations will also include a limited-edition collection and other promotions, culminating in a special event on October 30.
Ipponyari now has six locations, expanding to Sta. Rosa in 1998, followed by Dasmariñas in 2001, Lipa in 2009, and Calamba in 2012.
Its two newest branches are in Alabang West Parade, which opened in 2022, and Mitsukoshi BGC, which opened in 2025. — Hermes Joy Tunac/LA, GMA News
