barbara's

i had an awesome dining experience with my siblings at this very quaint place.
my review for barbara's:
1. food (taste, variety & presentation) = 3.5/5
2. price (is it worth your money?) = 3.5/5
3. service (courteousness, promptness, grooming of staff) = 3.5/5
4. location = 4/5
5. ambiance (exterior and interior cleanliness, design and facilities) = 4/5

i've been for a snack and drink in the casual part of the restaurant in the casa manila courtyard.  it's a nice spot and the staff were good. the meals were very basic though - quesadillas and taquitos that were somewhat bland but pretty expensive.

had a buffet dinner with my boyfriend. the ambiance was okay. the cultural dances was very entertaining as well. my only concern is when my boyfriend asked for the bill. the waiter handed us the receipt, then my boyfriend asked how come our bill ended up with 3,000 pesos? the buffet dinner only costs 699. we did not get any answer from the waiter. he just took the receipt back and went back inside. be careful everyone. always check your receipt before handing your cc or cash.

going old school:

the joy of going over to intramuros to have a feel of the old walled city is always a thrill. stepping out of the car and being greeted by guardia sibil and lady's in their filipiniana adds delight to what the customers want to experience.

today is father's day and we decided to head over to barbaras for dinner. i first glanced at the buffet offer which cost around php783.00 per head, got the feeling that the value of the buffet does not match the price as the main course offering is too few; so we decided to have an a la carte menu to start off our dinner.

my siblings ordered barbaras special salad, while i ordered the chicken and pork adobo. the salad cost around php215.00 and as described on the menu its mesclun greens with caramelized walnuts and shaved parmesan topped with fresh fruits in season. salad arrived with just the mesclun greens and shaved parmesan (hardly any) there were some fruits coming from a fruit salad can... that's how fresh it was. we requested for the salad to be replaced but unfortunately the description on the menu is inaccurate.

the chicken & pork adobo taste good, but priced at php315.00 the portion size is too few...

we don't mind the old carpet nor the smell of old furnitures, we loved the service of the seasoned staff because it gives you a feeling of the traditional restaurant service that is lost now with all the hipsterish restos who does not know what service is all about.

i hope the management improves the serving sizes & accuracy in menu descriptions. would love to go back here when that happens, but as it is... no reason for going back.

maybe i ordered something not on their radar. what could go wrong with a simple grilled cheese sandwich? none you'll say because this is barbara's, well i was wrong. this must have been the saddest grilled cheese sandwich in my life.

very nice atmosphere at friendly staff. surroundings are nice. did not try filipino food there but their blue marlin was reasonably good. nice coffee malongo. nice juices. good place for a break when visiting intramuros

it was valentine's day but we have reserved seating. what i did not expect was to be seated in the lunch area, when we bought tickets to see the dance performance for cultural show. we will be back just to see the show next time. btw, the beef menu that time was bulalo, when on an ordinary day they would serve roast beef and almondigas for soup. bit disappointing.

relaxed ambiance , great food , affordable price and world class customer service combined into one. this restaurant is located in the historical place of intramuros manila , in front of san agustin church. this is truly a place to be, may it be for business meetings, dinner dates or just plain casual dining. barbara serves a reminder that filipino dishes will always be an endless favorite. this restaurant delivers all the great filipino cuisine that will never be forgotten by our tastebuds . i definitely enjoyed my barbara's experience. i will surely be back ! try it out too!

price is expensive for average tasting food. there is a 22% added charge to any orders total (12% vat, 10% service) making the cost more than the already expensive meals listed in the menu. food is only okay tasting and not served in large servings despite it costing double the common price. i'm angry at places like this. they serve only ok tasting diner food at fine dining prices. who the heck do they think they are? they're pretentious! the setting and prices give an air of self-importance, of quality, but the quality is just okay and they must think their food tastes better than it actually does to charge so much. i ordered pancit canton here for 175 (with 22% additional charge its 200+) elsewhere i got pancit canton with a similar flavor and portion size for 95php. guess which establishment i'm going to go back to. not this one. plus i found a fly in my 3rd order which was a double decker and i thought it was a burger because i have only seen the term "double decker" for burgers and its listed under "burgers/sandwiches". they should make it clear in the description or change the name of it to not have confusion. its like an egg salad + ham sandwich... it was served with a fly in the egg salad part 😡

nice ambiance, an old fashioned spanish motif, good food and well-trained waiters.

just that if you do a la carte serving it has additional show fee of 350 and the buffet is 699(package wth show). buffet has more or less 10 choices as i remember? anyway i'd rate it 8/10. so far, it's good. :)

my team and i and our business partner went to this restaurant for lunch. the place was reminiscent of old spanish colonial architecture. the ambiance was of the same era too. they served buffet lunch for just 550 pesos. the selection wasn't that many but every dish they served was really good. there was a pancit molo soup, lechon kawali, pansit malabon, beef karekare, pinakbet, grilled gindara, lechon manok, lumpiang ubod,a salad bar, and banana cue,and turon,and assorted fruits for dessert. halfway through the meal, a male trio serenaded us with classic and new songs. the food tastes really homemade....something that will remond you of grandma's cooking. i will definitely go back to this place.

we went here at barbara's to spend my sister's birthday. the overall ambiance and location was really overwhelming. the place is actually great. although the drawback was the service. there are only few attendants which made it hard for us to order and ask for assistance. the servers are always nowhere to be found.

the pricing? expect a tourist price.

the food? i'd say average. not really that overwhelming compared to all restos i've been to especially the ones in tagaytay.

that's all

do they have buffets? i need to know coz i want to take my girl out of a date. i consider this place as one of the greatest. when i was 3 we ate here and was my first restau experience thats why i want her to experience the feeling. (not her first time) 😂✌🏻️🙈

you won't be drawn immediately by the food but by the ambiance it offers. you'd see mostly foreign tourists enjoying the coffee shop branch just beside casa manila patio. the food, while nothing spectacular, is adjusted to have an international flavor.

food - the salad bar was excellent. a must try is their beef kare-kare. it was juicy, tender, and mouth-watering, with their matching shrimp paste. other faves were their lechon kawali, sotanghon and laing.

ambiance - loved the dining experience. it reminds me of vigan. our dining spot was perfect, aligned with their chandelier and themed music.

price - i was looking for more filipino dishes and desserts. they could have add more variety to compensate for the php 549 paid for the set menu. also, they may add a fine selection of wines and spirits for a better dining pleasure.

service - friendly staff. top-notch service, and authentic filipino hospitality.