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Category: Manila

First-hand restaurant reviews from Manila, covering food quality, service, atmosphere, value, and useful dining details.

  • Route 95 Diner Makati Review: Excellent Value, Uneven Cooking

    Route 95 Diner in Makati offers strong value and notably warm hospitality. The ₱899 all-you-can-eat platter is attractive for families, although two cooking issues kept our meal from reaching five-star territory.

    Highlights

    • Service: Friendly, attentive staff made us feel welcome from arrival.
    • Value: The unlimited platter delivered a substantial meal for the price.
    • Burger and fries: My son enjoyed the Route 95 burger, while the fries were perfectly seasoned and one of the most dependable items we tried.

    Room for improvement

    • Salisbury steak: Bland, with a noticeable gamey aftertaste.
    • Chicken: My husband’s serving was undercooked and should have remained on the grill longer.
    • Unlimited ice cream: Available for an additional ₱100, but the quality did not justify the upgrade for us.

    Verdict

    Despite the steak and chicken problems, excellent service and the value of the ₱899 platter make Route 95 a worthwhile family option. I would return for the hospitality, burger and fries—while being more selective with the grill items.

  • Fogo de Chão Review

    Fogo de Chão Review

    This article reflects one personal dining experience. Menus, service, availability, food preparation, and restaurant conditions can change over time.

    Quick take

    A milestone family celebration was disrupted by changing reservation instructions, a shortened dining window, and communication that never produced a reliable plan.

    The experience

    We booked a 6:00 PM table for November 26 to celebrate my mother’s 75th and my son’s birthday, excited to try the country’s first churrascaria. The day before we were told the only dinner slots left were 2, 4, and 8 pm and to try arriving around 7:15 in case earlier parties left. At 4:00 PM Rose called to say we wouldn’t be seated until 8:30–9:00; when I asked the closing time she said 10:00. I asked for Ems, the general manager, who offered a 5:30–7:30 slot and we agreed. Leaving Bicutan at 4:15, we hit heavy traffic; when we rang to say we’d be thirty minutes late they replied we could come but would have to leave by 7:00—half the time we’d been promised. We later learned the restaurant was hosting a party of fifty that night; had we known we couldn’t be properly accommodated we would have made other plans. What should have been a joyful milestone dinner dissolved into a string of last-minute changes, unanswered requests for an email contact, and the bitter realization that this churrascaria was better imagined abroad than experienced that night.

    Final takeaway

    For a time-sensitive family celebration, I would not rely on verbal assurances alone. A clear written confirmation of the seating time and full dining window would be essential before planning another special occasion here.

    Explore more: Browse reviews in Makati and read the latest restaurant reviews.

  • Aida’s Chicken House review: Michelin hype, zero service

    Aida’s Chicken House review: Michelin hype, zero service

    This article reflects one personal dining experience. Menus, service, availability, food preparation, and restaurant conditions can change over time.

    Quick take

    A lunch visit defined by unavailable dishes, repeated ordering obstacles, and a wait of more than an hour with no food served.

    The visit

    Aida’s Chicken House
    1 month ago
    Lunch | ₱1–500

    Michelin Hype, Zero Service: Where Appetites Go to Die

    Dining is a holistic experience. It’s about anticipation, atmosphere, and hospitality. Unfortunately, a visit to this Michelin-recognized spot turned that anticipation into an absolute desire to scram before a single plate even hit the table.

    We arrived at 10:30 AM with high hopes, but our appetite vanished the moment we opened our mouths to order. What followed was a comedy of operational errors:

    The "Ordering" Nightmare

    The Signature Chicken Inasal: Turns out you have to order their star dish a day in advance.

    What stood out

    The Inasal Wings: When we tried to pivot to wings, the server actively discouraged us, warning that it "takes too long."

    Kangkong with Chicken Liver: Unavailable. Why? They ran out of adobo sauce.

    The Bulalo: We actually managed to place the order, only for the server to return 10 minutes later to inform us they didn’t actually have any beef yet.

    The Compromised Feast (That Hasn’t Arrived)

    After navigating a minefield of missing ingredients and operational roadblocks, we settled on a compromised safety order: Pecho inasal, spare ribs, sotanghon guisado, chicken sinigang (to replace the ghost bulalo), and batikolon with chicken liver.

    What to keep in mind

    The Ghost Town Operations

    It is now 11:33 AM – over an hour since we sat down—and there is absolutely no food in sight. We aren’t the only ones suffering in limbo; patrons who arrived well before us are staring at empty tables. The kitchen appears to be in a state of total systemic collapse.

    The Verdict

    A Michelin nod brings massive crowds, but it requires competence to match. When a restaurant spends more time telling you what they can’t do rather than serving what they can, the gusto dies.

    Final takeaway

    A strong reputation only matters when a restaurant can meet basic expectations for availability, communication, and timely service. Until those fundamentals improve, I would choose a different place for lunch rather than risk another hungry and frustrating wait.

    Explore more: Browse reviews in Manila and read the latest restaurant reviews.