Been in existence for more than 50 years. Established by the late Don Loring, managed by his sons…read more Eventually, the 3 star hotel is now run by a prominent Chinese family in Iloilo City. Rooms have been renovated to modern. They are know to have the best food and hospitality.

Casting around to check out yet another restaurant in Iloilo City, we tried Hotel Del Rio's only…read moremore casual resto, and were disappointed by the results of the kitchen. The positive first... The pompano/pomfret fish was fresh and tasted good, and the cold sauce was piquant, overall nice but sauce really should be served hot. The whole lemon chicken was good, but the accompanying veggies were cold and not fresh looking. And the gravy that came with it, however much cool also, tasted unusually good. The drumsticks were good, but the breast on the chicken solid in texture instead of moist and tender. Seems that being in the freezer may be the culprit... We'd like to rate it better, but that the veggies were in short supply and cold, and they charge extra for a bit of rice, seems strange. For the two dishes we paid over 1100 pesos, but just not up there. Very much a chinoy venue, the service was most accommodating, and the usual too-loud muzak filler that did little for ambience, but in the end, we had to conclude we'd not ever return. Just too bad, but nothing unusual for the Philippines, especially in the province.

My wife and I made plans to meet with a good friend so he suggested for us to try Cabalen on the…read more2nd floor of SM City Iloilo. He has been there himself just after they opened last month. We heard it gets pretty busy there so we decided to meet up before the huge crowd. After we were seated, we checked out their food. For a Philippine AYCE buffet, they have some pretty good choices. They have separate stations full of salads, grilled food, main dishes such as pancit noodles, kare-kare, and paella rice. Tucked near the front is a dessert station with halo-halo and fruits. So the choices were plenty which is always pleasing at any AYCE buffet. So I will get right down to the pros and cons. For this place, I'd rather start off with the cons first and finish off with the pros on a high note just because any AYCE buffet is always targeted to having a lot of criticism especially after being opened for just a month. The service is super slow. Our drinks came at a snail's pace and getting their attention for refills was twice as bad. So I've learned that you need to order your drinks right away and plan ahead for any refills. In case you want bottled water, they don't serve it so don't bother asking for it. If you get up to grab another plate of food, your used dish should be taken away by the time you return but not here. This is because the lunch crowd arrived so the staff was focused on new patrons and completely lost their focus on serving their current guests. I have noticed that when the lunch crowd does set in, the staff has a very hard time keeping up with the traffic flow. While the restaurant kept busy and more people dine in, the food is just not replenished quick enough and when it is, they bring out a very small plate. That becomes quickly taken away from someone who has been patiently waiting there for a few minutes (me!) so the next person would wait longer (could have been you!). The restaurant gets pretty loud and the eating area became filled with smoke from the kitchen. They accidentally knocked over a 5 gallon jug of water near the other drink station and it started to stream down underneath my feet. "Why did the floor become so slippery" I thought to myself. So the service needs a pretty big facelift. But that can always be fixed if and only if the management are quick to fix immediate issues. The most important feature of any AYCE restaurant is the food. The greens and salads are a good mix. They have a few salad dressings which is always nice to choose from. The same goes for their main dishes - lots of choices. It makes it easy to say which one makes it to my plate. The one thing I really missed about the Philippines is their crispy "kangkong" which is a lightly battered water spinach deep fried to a crisp. Their lechon and grilled fish selection is really tasty. The lechon is cooked just right. Every bite you take, the lechon flavour really makes you feel you are eating catered food. I usually don't eat the skin because it is high in fat and cholesterol but I did try a few small pieces and I'd have to say that it has a good crispy taste. The grilled fish was cooked very well and had a good amount of sauce choices for me to try out. Perhaps next time they might choose a different type of fish that doesn't have too many bones in it. I try not to pile on all the food for my first plate because I always like to sample different foods. If I like what I ate, then I will go up for a second helping provided that there is still food left for me to grab. Their halo-halo station is not bad but I did feel like it was missing something. They didn't have any leche flan to mix in with so I ended up putting in some more liquid sugar to boost the sweetness. For a nationwide AYCE brand (with other food restaurants under their belt), I'd have to say my AYCE lunch experience here was positive. I mean for P298 I could really enjoy having a lot of veggies and protein on the same plate without feeling guilty about calories, as long as I don't overeat or stuff myself with rice. So yes I would come back here again but I strongly advise everyone to go before the crowd sets in. And don't you all go in when I'm there because I don't want to stand at one station waiting for them to refill!

Ate here thursday with cousins and 3 of us vomited and had severe headaches. 2 other in our party…read moredid not have any of the symptoms. The only commong food item 3 of us ate was the crispy leaf (think was kangkong leaves) that was fried and actually tasted good. 2 crispy fried leaves = 2 days of vomiting nd diarrhea. Will avoid eating here for now.

Reviews are just reminders to myself. Only buffet I've gone…read moreto in the Philippines. -Drinks were cool and refreshing - i like calamansi drink and cucumber lemonade -Rice in sushi rolls taste a bit off and are oddly compacted -Chinese food was mislabeled for some things, i think some of the dim sum is store bought frozen packages - Italian was okayish, pizza was very bready with nice cheese pull but little flavor, pasta was okay - Mexican- I've found that most Philippines places don't really know how to do Mexican, this place included - philipino food was what they did best, the lechon was a bit fattier than i would've liked though Locals may like the place but international travelers may find it lacking

Delicious food and a nice place to celebrate birthdays. Very Accommodating. Will go back with…read morefriends and family.

Ive probably gone here once a week during my 3-week stay on my vacation for several special…read moreoccassions. I always liked their food. They have good variety - both entrees and dessert. They frequently refill the stations that run out. Their meat station selection is good and they have large bathrooms. They also have private rooms for events and long tables for the entire family. For certain occassions, you may want to make a booking or reservation in advance. For Valentines Day, my girlfriend specifically wanted to try this place for the first time. I arrived the day before and I was able to secure a spot for 2. When the place gets busy, people wait outside for the next table to become available, but when the time comes for your reservation, you could just easily go through the reservation line and be seated almost immediately. I did pay a deposit, so I just paid the remainder. I was also here for a birthday. OMG i didnt know they sing the song to you,too. Or you can just ask for a viking hat and a picture with a sign if you want to be discreet. Overall, im pretty satisfied with all my visits here. I would like to come back and dine with my friends here.

In Bacolod, this probably the most consistent quality restaurant…read more Service at the tables is very helpful. Always crowded and always a wait.