We Found the Place in Poblacion That’s Actually Doing Claypot Rice Right

A hot meal in the open air

In a neighborhood that has long thrived on reinvention, where izakayas rub shoulders with cocktail dens and street food vendors cohabit with artisanal bakeries, a new comfort has nestled itself among the bustle: Super Uncle Claypot. Tucked into a corner of Poblacion, Makati, this unassuming establishment is betting big on the honest and time-worn ritual of claypot rice.

There is something cinematic about the experience. You arrive under the electric Makati dusk, where the air is thick with humidity and late-night promise. Super Uncle Claypot is modest in appearance, set slightly off from the main drag. It’s all outdoor seating, a fleet of overhead fans hum steadily, cutting through the heat like a good breeze in Guangzhou.

And perhaps that’s no coincidence. The chef, as it turns out, trained in Guangzhou, China, the spiritual home of claypot rice. You can see everything from your table: the ladlefuls of jasmine rice, the swift layering of Chinese sausage, marinated chicken, mushrooms, and egg. It’s a small act of choreography.

The sauce that seals the deal

“Authentic” is an overused word in food writing, but it applies here, if only because it doesn’t feel labored. There’s a confidence to the restaurant. No ornate plating, no gimmicks, just the pleasure of crispy-bottomed rice, and a sauce so umami-rich it feels borderline emotional.

Each claypot comes to your table scalding hot. A server drizzles in their house-made soy-based sauce, a concoction that is deeply savory, slightly sweet, and intensely fragrant. You mix it in yourself, scraping the sides, folding everything inward. The joy is tactile.

What makes Super Uncle Claypot so compelling isn’t just the food, though that would be enough. It’s the way it insists on ritual in a city obsessed with speed. You sit. You wait. The claypot takes time. There’s no rushing the sear of rice against ceramic. But when it arrives, it asks only one thing of you: to eat it hot, and slowly.

An essential in a loud city

It’s no accident that this place is thriving in Poblacion, where diners have grown savvier and more curious. Super Uncle Claypot appeals not to trend-hoppers but to those who crave depth, to eaters who understand that sometimes the best meals are the unassuming ones.

If you’re wondering whether you can get authentic claypot rice in Poblacion, the answer is emphatically, yes. And more than that, it’s a place that reminds you why hot food in a hot city can still feel like comfort.

Courtesy Super Uncle Claypot