PH restaurants El Poco Cantina, Kodawari miss Michelin ceremony after mistaking invite for spam

Metro Manila, Philippines - Filipino restaurants El Poco Cantina and Kodawari shared a humorous twist to their recent recognition after accidentally skipping the inaugural Michelin Guide Philippines 2026 ceremony, all because they mistook the official invitation for a scam email.

El Poco Cantina in Malate and Kodawari in Salcedo, Makati, were among the 74 Michelin Selected restaurants recognized in the guide’s debut edition. However, both restaurants missed the awarding after their invites ended up in their email spam folders.

El Poco Cantina owner Richard Ken “Tots” Ramirez shared on Facebook that he initially thought the Michelin email was a phishing attempt.

“We got Michelin Selected without me even knowing because I blocked the email. I thought the email was a phishing scam,” he wrote. “Yes, I’m at home and I am in tears and shock. Thank you so much El Poco fam for making this happen. Akala ko scam yung Michelin,” he added, with laughing emojis.

A similar situation unfolded for Kodawari co-owner Toni Potenciano, who shared that she discovered the missed invitation after a stressful week dealing with a stolen phone and dental surgery. “Literally found out after that we had an invite to the Michelin Guide awarding, which went to our SPAM!!! Wow. Kodawari Salcedo is a Michelin-selected restaurant,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Wow, next time remind us to check our spam for important emails... we're screaming from our laptops,” Kodawari wrote on Facebook.

“We're unbelievably grateful and honored to be part of the @michelinguide selected restaurants, alongside the many other restaurants we respect, love, and that have inspired us to be better.”

Michelin Selected restaurants are recognized for “quality ingredients that are well-cooked,” although not at Bib Gourmand or Michelin Star level. Michelin International Director Michael Ellis explained the selection means “inspectors have found the food to be above average.”

El Poco Cantina is celebrated for its casual Mexican offerings, with Michelin highlighting its crispy and soft flour tortilla tacos — particularly the beef barbacoa and pork carnitas — best paired with horchata.

Kodawari, meanwhile, earned praise for its signature gyudon, hailed as “the ultimate comfort food.”