Antonio’s, But Make It Casual: Meet Sebastian’s in Rockwell

Sebastian’s brings the Antonio’s dining experience from Tagaytay to Rockwell, without the pilgrimage

For nearly 25 years, dinner at Antonio’s, one of the Philippines’ most acclaimed restaurants, meant a drive to Tagaytay. From Makati, that is 90 minutes on a good day and far longer on a Sunday. You could go on a whim, but most of the time you planned.

Now there is Sebastian’s, on the ground floor of Edades Tower in Rockwell. It keeps what defines Antonio’s—careful cooking, thoughtful service, white tablecloths, old-school polish—but translates it into something more urban and relaxed

It is named for Basti Escalante, 28, eldest son of founder Antonio “Tonyboy” Escalante, who stepped back from daily operations in July. Basti joined the group in 2022 to run Pedro the Grocer and now serves as its director of business development, leading its expansion in Manila, including Breakfast at Antonio’s, Azela by Balay Dako, and Antonio’s at PGA. Sebastian’s is less an outpost of the Tagaytay restaurant than a translation of what the group does well.

“I like places I can go back to every day and where I can bring or invite my friends,”† he says. “In terms of the experience, service, and even the space itself, Sebastian’s is still very much Antonio’s.”

Sebastian’s opens for breakfast at 7 a.m., with the morning menu running until noon. After that, it shifts into bistro mode: steaks and chops, fish and chips, pastas, salads, oysters.

The room is warm wood, brass, low lights and mid-century geometric art. There are couches, and tables set far enough apart that you can talk without hearing your neighbor. It is handsome, not intimidating.

The menu pulls from different corners of Basti’s food life: Antonio’s classics, dishes he personally craves, and recipes he grew up eating at home, including Manang Myrna’s Sinigang. Made with pork, vegetables, and gabi, the tamarind-soured broth gets its characteristic richness and body from the starchy root.

That mix of influences carries through the day. Breakfast brings Antonio’s signatures, including Crab Eggs Benedict and smashed avocado toast.

After breakfast, the menu shifts into bistro territory. The Steak Tartare comes on buttered crostini, with a pâté de foie gras alongside. Basti calls it one of his favorite versions, here or abroad. The Cured Salmon Pizza has a thin, good crust topped with smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, capers, and ikura. It makes you want a bottle of champagne.

The Iberico Pork Milanese has a sage-and-pistachio crust, brown butter and Antonio’s mashed potatoes. The Beef Mechado is rich, tomatoey and deeply savory. It begged for garlic rice, so I asked for some.

The Steak Frites is 250 grams of Snake River Farms Gold Wagyu striploin with house-made fries and béarnaise. It sounds simple because it is: very good beef, very good fries, a proper béarnaise. But when everything is cooked and seasoned exactly right, simple becomes spectacular. “When the ingredients are excellent, and everything is done properly, it becomes something special,” says Executive Chef AC Agra. That same attention to good ingredients and precise execution comes through in the Baked Coral Grouper, a lapu-lapu from Palawan and the Visayas, and the dry-aged steaks.

Dessert brings back a bit of old-school restaurant theater. There’s Sticky Date Pudding, and then there’s the Mango Jubilee, mangoes flambéed tableside with rum. Watching a dessert being finished at the table feels almost quaint now, but that is part of the pleasure: the service becomes part of the meal, giving you something to watch, smell, and anticipate.

The best thing about Sebastian’s is that it does not require an occasion. Drop by for brunch, a business meeting, a romantic date, or simply because you’re bored and want to unwind with pasta or a steak by yourself. It’s all good.

Antonio’s in Tagaytay is iconic for its own kind of destination dining and old-school luxury. Sebastian’s offers something different: a more relaxed, everyday kind of luxury, where you can drop in on a whim and still get very good food, drinks, and service.

Sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.