Your review helps others learn about great local businesses…read more Meet Cubanos Fil-Cuban Cantina, a fusion of well-loved Filipino dishes and Cuban cuisine that you rarely see in a restaurant. I don't have much idea about Cuban cuisine except that it's a distant cousin of Mexico and they are known for their Cuban sandwiches. That alone gave me a reason to be excited about it. The highlights of our dining experience were the following: 1) GOOD MORNING CUBA - This is their take on the famous Philippine sisig. Homemade chorizo cooked in sisig style was drizzled with sour cream on top, served with sunny side eggs, salsa, soft flour tortilla on the side. By itself, it tasted just like a plain, grounded chorizo with egg. However, when everything was mixed and wrapped in the tortilla, it tasted amazingly delicious. This comforting dish can also be ordered with rice instead of the soft flour tortilla.2) LEMON PEPPER WINGS - Seven pieces of wings glazed with lemon butter sauce served with garlic aioli mayo (pepper) sauce on the side. It might look dry but it was actually a bit oily which was unnecessarily a bad thing. The lemon flavor was prevalent in the crispy and juicy chicken but the sourness was just right. Dipping it in the garlic aioli sauce though cancels out the lemon flavor. 3) CLASSIC CUBAN - It is roasted pork farmer's ham, pickles, Swiss cheese, and cheddar cheese on Cuban bread, served with fries on the side. The sandwich tasted sweet and savory with some sharpness because of the yellow mustard. I liked the way the melted cheese was mixed with the meat. 4) HALF RACK FIDEL'S CUBAN RIBS- These babies are tender pork ribs smothered with sweet and spicy sauce served with corn and rice. Between the two flavors, I would say that this is more spicy than sweet. The sauce is more or less the same sauce that was used on the ribs themselves. Overall, the ribs taste delicious and is a really good value for money dish. Overall, Cubanos with its new fusion cuisine is a great bang for the buck restaurant. What you may also want to know is that Cubanos is not only a great hang out place at night, but it can also be a good place for a heavy lunch. Yes, Cubanos is open for lunch. We'll definitely come back to try out some of their other dishes that piqued our curiosity specifically the Bulgogi Cubano and Liempo ni Gringo.

Café Cubana is a restaurant, bar, music venue located on Burgos Street in Makati; Metro Manila; The…read morePhilippines. The theme of this venue is the Cuban Revolution. The wait staff wear black berets and stylish olive drab military-esque uniforms. (Although, I doubt any guerilla ever looked as well kempt.) The décor is "tropical". I went to drink beer and listen to live music. (This is one of the few places in Manila where I have found beer on tap; although, it is more expensive than comparable bottled beer.) They have a full menu for food; they have a full bar. But before you exercise your urge to tip, double check your bill. The menu clearly states they there is a VAT and a service fee. Admittedly, Burgos Street has a reputation. But you won't find that type of adventure, unless you're looking for it.

Wonderful vibe. Indoor outdoor seating. Live music. Excellent service. In the heart of P Burgos…read moreexcitement. My favorite server Anne has the best smile in town! Cold beer and mixed drinks. Decor that takes you to old Havana.

I've had my fair share of cubanos and Pepi Cubano may top the list as one of my favorites!…read moreUnfortunately, this place is on the other side of the globe but fortunately, I got to try it and look forward to my next visit...someday. I went here on two occasions and thanks to my family and hungry stomach it was enough to try every cubano on the menu. The sandwiches are cut in half which makes sharing easy. On my second visit, one of the staff noticed us sharing all the sandwiches so he cut the sandwiches in quarters :) All the cubanos are very enjoyable but my faves are the Bistek, Tito Choripan and the original Pepi Cubano. The meat portions aren't bountiful but the flavors along with the crispy, buttery bread surely makes up for it. Even the dessert and veggie cubano was very tasty. The cubanos are pressed firmly so the sandwiches end up fairly thin which allows that extra crunch with every bite.

I'm a sandwich guy through and through. This olace have nice selection of sandwiches to satisfy…read moreanyone. Friendly staff and great food

As indicated by Yelp, a 3-Star means (A-OK.), which best describes my reaction when I saw their…read moremenu prices. Be prepared to spend upwards of 1500 for 2, (1) Appetiser, (2) main dishes, and (2) drinks. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spending money for food, but my sensible thoughts just has to comment. Their location is definitely far from prime, parking is limited to 3 slots and might be difficult for larger vehicles since you have to manoeuvre through a narrow road. Full Parking? Well, you'll have to find a vacant slot along the road, good luck with that. If you must visit them come on a Saturday or Sunday. The overall interior may be colourful, but the furnishings are tighter than expected for a dining oriented restaurant, in fact their food presentation requires a lot of space thanks to the separate sauces plate, pita plates, and the main dish itself. Okay that's enough of the practical stuff, let's get down to where it matters. Do they taste good? Without a doubt, yes! CHEF MIKEL "KEL" ZAGUIRRE of Locavore and Taqueria 101, definitely knows how to get you to say Empingao! Elena Ruz (480 PHP + 10% S.C.) Wow! This sandwich will make you wish for more of it. Every bite is pleasurable and guilty, This is so good, but so expensive for what it really is, but I don't care right now. The crisp toasted bread and the moist insides is just too good to say no to. Oozing cheese and sweet strawberry jam amidst the warm meaty turkey, is just too much of a good thing, an empingao! moment. It's sided with banana chips, which works well for the savoury goodness of the sandwich, but potato fries would be even better. Lomo Saltado (540 PHP + 10% S.C.) More sauce please! Stir-fried beef tenderloin in an amazing pool of sauce that has to be paired with rice, but let's go with the "flour tortilla" for now. Honestly 3 pieces of tortilla is not enough for the amount of beef in the pan, but I have a feeling it is to limit the "sharing capabilities" of this dish. You start by taking a piece of tortilla, put some beef tenderloin and around 2-3 pieces of potato fries. The you choose either one or more of the 5 sauces to spice up your mix. Then finally you roll it and enjoy. Remarks: For the premium price, I expect corn tortillas and more than 3 pieces of it, at least 5. Salmon Tacos (290 PHP + 10% S.C.) 3 pieces of hard-shell tacos stuffed with lightly grilled salmon pieces and garnished with spices and an orange piece for a zesty punch. It's worth a try, wait for their promos that they advertise on their FB page.

I've been wanting to try Empingao out since I saw their ad on Facebook. It was more…read morehole-in-the-wall than I expected, but the food is amazing! Flavorful, a great mix of textures and color. I'm no expert in Cuban cuisine, but this is a great intro to this exciting new flavor adventure. At first, I felt the prices were steep (for the general look of the place), but when the food was served, the flavors and portions justify the prices, so no complaints!

Sofrito is tucked at a quiet corner of Salcedo Village in Makati, in a block that has a couple of…read morereally interesting establishments. While the interiors are a bit pedestrian, the food is something else. I've never had Puerto Rican food ever, but my first visit didn't disappoint at all. The Mofongo Carnitas, a dish of fried plantain topped with pork, was savory and flavorful, and the Beef Empanadas were something else. For dessert, I had some Fried Banana Balls with some chocolate for dipping, and it hit the spot. But beyond the food, what I really liked about Sofrito was the homeyness of the whole place. I felt like I was hanging out at my Aunt's place as she cooked my favorite dishes, and for a city like Makati, that's really saying something. Sometimes, you just want a home-cooked meal, eaten at your leisure. When that mood hits you, come over to Sofrito. You won't regret it one bit.

Have you watched the film Chef? I came out of the movie house with two overwhelming desires:…read more 1) Have a food truck 2) Try out a cuban sandwich And while I don't exactly have the means to have a food truck, I settled for a cuban sandwich instead. I searched high and low for Latin American restaurants and finally stumbled upon Sofrito, a little homey restaurant tucked in one of Salcedo village's side streets. The cuban sandwich is an explosion of flavors in my mouth, and if I close my eyes I can imagine myself hanging out beside the El Jefe food truck while Oye Como Va plays in the background. They've got deep fried plantain chips on the side too! Another thing worth noting from Sofrito are their empanadas. I havent had the chance to try their savory empanadas but by GOD you should try their dessert empanadas. My favorite is the guava and cream cheese empanada (don't knock it til you're having a foodgasm on the colorful tiles of Sofrito), which I could easily finish an order of, no problem. There's usually a puerto rican lady who's on the till, or busy in the kitchen, (who I am going to assume is the owner) and there is also her little shih tzu that hangs about in the dining room. (The dog is friendly and usually just lazes around on the floor, waiting for some handouts from the kitchen.) All in all, quite an enjoyable place to dine in, just a few blocks away from the heart of Makati, and relatively low key. Must try their cuban sandwiches and empanadas!

Lilac Street in SSS Village Marikina continues to grow gastronomically as there seems to be a new…read moremunch place every month, and for a foodie like me, I don't mind it at all! :D Anyway, I finally try this Cuban-themed dining place - a far cry from the originally Chinese-themed restaurant that it replaced (East Harbour). Upon entering, I was impressed with how the place looks. It's such a stark contrast to its predecessor because of its vibrant vibe and cool decorations. The place is inspired by the movie, "Chef," where the lead character decided to pursue his passion for Cuban cuisine. The walls are adorned with quotes written in chalk, while nostalgic items surround the area, such as old beer bottles, one of the first Nokia phone models, a Nintendo family computer, vinyl records, an analog TV, and other vintage stuff. I also like their cute makeshift lamps! Their menu is written on a long blackboard, and aside from ribs, they also serve wings, some sides, and milkshakes! I was so curious to try the Cubano sandwich, but since we would be eating rice, I told myself, "Next time!" :p A recent addition to their menu is the classic fish and chips, which are actually fries that reminded me of Mcdonald's! Even if they were a bit soggy, they still tasted good. The fish was just ordinary, but unlike the breaded fish of other restaurants, Brad & Pit's breading was light, so I could still taste the actual fish. At P175 per serving, it's quite a good catch (literally and figuratively hehe). I hope they could serve it with tartar sauce, though. Next, we tried their wings. P200 for 6 pairs is a bit pricey for me, but they tasted great! They weren't too spicy nor too oily, and they were served with honey mustard. Brad and Pit's also offers combo meals priced at P149: that's a pair of wings with one side and rice. Whether they're spicy or not, wings go well with milkshakes! Okay, maybe alcoholic drinks are the best partners, but hey, the heat has been unbearable these days, so milkshakes will do! I ordered strawberry, but you can also choose from chocolate and vanilla. Finally, we tried a huge serving (medium) of ribs, aptly called the "Rib Mountain." These babies come in 4 serving options: small, medium, large, and extra large. We were like, "Medium?! Paano pa kaya 'yung extra large - doble nito?!" (Medium? What more if this were the extra large serving - double this size?!) This size is suited for 2-3 people already, and at P385, it's such a steal! Though the meat isn't the fall-off-the-bone kind, the ribs were still flavorful enough. They are best paired with Brad and Pit's specialty rice: cargo and burrito. IT'S SO GOOD! I could eat the rice on its own! :p Brad and Pit's Ribshack is located at 116 Lilac Street, very near the bridge connecting Soliven and Lilac. They are open from 12 noon until 11 pm from Tuesday to Sunday. It's a good place to indulge in affordable ribs and chill with your buddies or family!

Being someone who's not very fond of chicken, I set my expectations really low for Senor Pollo. It…read morewas my first time to try Latin chicken, and honestly, I didn't know what to expect. It was a cool, humid night, but it was terribly hot inside the restaurant. The place is al fresco, and ventilation clearly has to be improved. There were two of us, and we got a half roast chicken that went with two side dishes. The serving size was just right, but it might not be enough for two incredibly hungry people. Lol. The chicken was surprisingly tender and juicy all throughout. And I loved it even more with tons of garlic sauce! It was awesome, I can't wait to come back!

On one of my last nights in Manila, I was looking for a straightforward place to meet up with some…read morefriends for an evening of eating, drinking, and laughter. Senor Pollo filled that bill perfectly. Tip: This is a very popular venue. The crowd is comprised mostly of twenty-somethings and foreigners (like moi!); if such things don't deter you, it's virtually impossible not to enjoy the excellent food, strong drinks and convivial vibe. Given Senor Pollo's reputation, it was a foregone conclusion that the food ordered by my friends and I that evening would contain several chicken selections. While the chicken here isn't quite as good as the original pollo loco, it's still completely legit ;-) Another of my favorites here are the quesadillas. Additionally, they have several very popular non-Mexican items, including fries and Buffalo wings. While the food selections are spot on, it's the drinks that make this place so popular. All the cocktails, whether they're pink and fruity or uber-Manly, have a kick stronger than a mule; no worries about excess sobriety when you're here ;-) About the only thing lacking here are hangover ready-made hangover cures; maybe they'll address that lack when next I'm in the Philippines :-)

I recently had the pleasure trying out Sobremesa and sampling their new dishes. Sobremesa's food…read morewas honestly new to my palate as their offered flavorful dishes are a fusion of Latin American and Filipino influences which was created by Chef Benjo Tuason, the same man behind Relik and URBN in Bonifacio Global City. The highlights of my visit were the following: 1) SHRIMP POPPERS - The shrimp's crispy texture paired with the savory dressing made up for a good appetizer. 2) DEEP-FRIED PORK BELLY - It looked plain and simple but it surprised me as the seasoning was very good in the delicious, crunchy pork belly. 3) GRILLED LAMB STEAK - It is what I think is my favorite dish out of all that I've tried. The seasoning on the lamb was perfect and the meat was really juicy. It was a bit difficult to eat it due to its bony structure, but it didn't stop me from eating it. 4) CARNE Y GAMBAS - I found this just as good. The Sirloin steak was roasted very well. Additionally, it tasted really good even without the help of any sauce. 5) SALTED CARAMEL AND BANANA CHEESECAKE - The cheesecake was sweet and decadent. The banana on top complemented it, while the drizzled thick salted caramel sauce helped balance the sweetness.

Peruvian chicken with three dips, it's a bit expensive and you need the dip like chimichurri or…read moremayonnaise with jalapeños to bring out the flavors, grilled blue marlin fish fillet was good. The chorizo and peas rice was tasty. The seafood tomato soup serving was small for its price. We were hungry so all the food taste good but serving size for its price should be more.

Since it's just a couple of steps from work, it's a solace to have such a relaxing place to unwind…read moreafter a long day. It gets nice and windy come night time and you'd love to bury yourself in their comfy Murano outdoor furniture. No breathtaking sight here since they've obstructed the busy street view. Maybe there is if you chance upon sunbathers lounging poolside! Chat up Adel who sometimes works the bar. Great guy! All the other waiters with his exception usually take ages to assist you. What I dislike- no ample roofing. Like useless shades that provide to protection from the rain making the cushions of their seats wet!