barbara's

for a restaurant of this prestige, or so i've read, i expected more. the food was okay, but the serving time was too long. the portions were also meh. it'sgoodfriday today and the restaurant should have expected the influx of customers. the holy week surge is not an excuse.

it was mother's day so my family decided to celebrate it here at barbara's . the moment that i stepped in barbara its a travel back in time feeling . we arrived at barbara's around 5:30 pm , early birds for the dinner buffet so we are able to choose a table that is in front of the stage . the dinner buffet cost php895.00 all in the drinks is not included but it comes with a cultural show , i find the cultural show very entertaining . the show features most of the filipino dance from luzon to mindanao culture dance at the end of the show they will ask if you want to join them for their tinikling dance hehehehe. the food i can say  is mostly  filipino and healthy food , they serve a lot of vegetables and fruits . they also have lechon yummy. over all the food isgoodservice isgoodthe cultural show is very entertaining and the ambiance is very nice. clap clap for barbara's.

✅a warm welcome with a smile the attendant gave us. all we know is, it went well but after we ordered i ask one of the staff (it was a guy) where is the comfort room, he gave me unclear direction and leave immediately. for me it's ok i'll just ask another staff, so i go to the wrong direction. another staff said to the staff i asked "hala! mali ng way si maam." my partner heard that the guy said "bahala siya kung saan siya mapunta." it was just annoying! i think you need to teach your employeesgoodmanners not to be arrogant. two thumbs down. very disappointing in a restaurant like this.
✅the food taste are ordinary nothing special even the presentation of the food. the cheese quesadilla was so dry and the food doesn't serve hot.
✅the only thing that isgoodis the ambiance and the cleanliness of the place.
✅they have limited dishes. no parking space available.
✅too pricey even the buffet, the only thing you pay is the show the dance presentation not on the food, the serving is limited not really worth it for the food and service, the staffs are disrespectful. you will only pay for the show. two thumbs down for this restaurant. i don't recommend this for an excellent dine in experience.

beef caldereta 🐮
cheese quesadillas 🧀
dalandan shake 🍹

usually, when i would go to barbara's we would order or eat from the buffet. but this time we opted to order ala carte. ordered pritchon, seafood platter, kare-kare and of course.... the favorite blueberry cheesecake. suprisingly the pritchon was just the right crunch.the seafood was good, cooked just right... and of course loved the cook of the kare kare. though... it wasnt asgoodas i have remembered. the cheesecake was as always for me one of if not the best ive had yet. :) the service was awesome and they accomodated us despite arriving at 930 pm (they close at 10pm) and allowed us to stay till around 11pm. the ambiance is cozy and homey though i still get dizzy going down their steep stairs. always a favorite to go back to. :)

thank you barbaras heritage resto for your hospitality and warm welcome 😊 super nice ng mga staffs very accomodating the food also aregoodfave namin yung fried lumpia ng batangas 😁 thumbs up sa ambience feels like the old days ang set up! 👍🏼 thanks again for experiencing to us yourgoodcreativity 😊

few of us got food poisoning.. the seafood pasta looks like mashed leftover food. it didn't taste like seafood at all. it took me 5 times asking different waiters just to get a glass of water. the food is expensive and takes 45 minutes to prepare. if you just want to experience an interior with a filipino ambiance, this isgoodbut the food is totally not worth it.

the place is cozy and al fresco. if you are fond of natural lights and natural ventilation, this place is for you. pro is the design and interior.goodfor taking photos and a lot instagramable features. con is the food serving size, value for money, services, and location (since this is a passage area, a lot of people might walk through anytime and may interrupt a moment). food is fair. tried their tapa and halo2x. nothing special. this place are might be into foreign tourist than local ones.

an authentic spanish-filipino restaurant in the heart of intramuros. this restaurant is a great place for fine dining and experiencing of spanish style interiors. love the decor and settings in this restaurant.goodplace to go on romantic dates or take balikbayans and foreigners for an authentic experience

we arrived here around 8pm, galing kaming bgc. so patapos na yung buffet ng 9pm and the show (traditional filipino music) as we arrived, almost uwian na dahil magsasara na nga sila. we did not enjoy so much the food ans the ambiance, but thegoodat the buffet was great!!

buffet start at 6:30, next time will be here around 6pm para naabutan lahat ng shows. well be back here, kasi were not satisfied sa nangyari samin gawa ng late kami nakadating

overall- 4.5/5

well be back here.

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. goodplace for a break when visiting intramuros

nice ambiance, an old fashioned spanish motif,goodfood 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. :)

i am not sure there is still an a la carte menu (likely), but you're already better off just booking from their inexpensive buffet meal (p595 on evenings, if i remember correctly). 

there will be several kinds of salad (pako, ensaladang talong, salted egg and tomato, romaine), soup, and five main dishes, which were caldereta, roast chicken, and a lengua, among others.gooddeal!

more than that, this is located right across san agustin church in the plaza san luis complex, which is a reconstruction of old intramuros homes during the spanish period. spanish decor, beautiful wooden furniture (like the curved and straight-backed mariposa chairs), and rugs cover the floors of this mansion repro. and at 7:45, there is a skilled rondalla band that performs an impressive range of cultural dances. we were entertained for over an hour, and the live music helps this performance stand out above the rest, since you get one, or the other, and rarely both.

we played dress up for this, had filipino fun, and had a grand evening.

the food is a 3.5 to me, but the show was tops, and worth repeating.
bring your parents and older relatives, your balikbayan friends, or for a themed evening, this is fun to go to. 

it's best to park near the church, and tip the watch-your-car boys nicely.

the food isgoodas well as the setting of the resto. you have different cuisines to choose from their menu. they have different set up for buffet and fine dining. my mom and my sister really enjoyed their food.

after our tour group explored the rizal park and intramuros, we were tired and hungry. we left our grub plan to the wisdom of our guides who had planned our afternoon well in advance. upon entering an archaic building with some colonial work, i was greatly intrigued about what we will see next. going up the stairs, we made it to barbara's. what followed later was a satisfied lunch enjoyed by a dozen tourists.

the restaurant had a moderate size but had a mix bag of an ambiance. it had a colonial appearance with a distinct touch of spanish influences and a modern day filipino restaurant. the artificial trees felt a bit out of place and made walking a somewhat hard but it would be difficult to imagine barbara's without them.

the most obvious thing about the restaurant were a trio of string musicians who were playing spanish and filipino songs. they did come to our table too and entertained the ladies of our group.

after sitting down and having ice tea - we decided to to get ourselves the buffet. the restaurant was quite crowded due to lunch hour and there was a long line at the buffet counter. the spread was not large but i found enough items to fill my plate. there was the pork adobo which was distinctively different from what i had back at my hotel. there were noodles , rice, chicken, a few chinese items,a few western dishes and filipino food. for a small platter, the diversity was certainly nice.

the desserts had a separate area and i picked chocolate, mango and kiwi cakes. i also enjoyed lemon and kiwi mousse shots which were tasty. 

it could be a bit pricy but the experience was quite memorable for us first timer tourists. the platter size could be larger as well and would certainly be nice if something could be done about the queuing.  but all in all agoodexperience. i think barbara's trump card is definitely its ambiance.

food 3.5/5
service 3/5
ambiance 4.5/5
pricing 3/5

i had the opportunity of dining in barbara's restaurant at intramuros manila last saturday and it was honestly quite amazing. when i got off the cab, there were guardiya sibils. these men are known to be the police force back in the spanish colonial era here in the philippines. the ambiance upon entering the place made me feel like i traveled back in time when dr. jose rizal still used to walk the roads of manila or then known as the "open city". there were antique furniture like chairs, mirrors, pictures and chandeliers; surprisingly they don't look worn out, they appeared to be well maintained and still of a fine dining restaurant quality. i went to the second floor to join other guests at the "main dining " area where barbara's can accommodate about one hundred to one hundred twenty people all at the same time. after entering the glass door, it felt magical. the entire restaurant is designed for fine dining, tables were draped with layers, the silverware, porcelain wares and the glass wares are arranged like in a five star hotel. i felt like i was an ilustrado who have so much money to pay for an expensive dinner. just about around seven when i started to get food form the buffet since they smelled sogoodand enticing. the menu that night were some of my favorite filipino dishes like laing, caldereta, adobong baboy, pancit malabon, inihaw na pla-pla, inihaw na manok, paella at lumpiang ubod. there was a green mango salad corner paired with different filipino sauces like bagoong. just remembering about it makes my mouth watery. my favorite among the dishes was the laing. it was so delicious that i have been thinking about it from saturday til this very moment. my mother is bicolana so i know how agoodlaing tastes like but this one just rises above them all. there was no trace of bitterness, all of pleasure and yumminess. my second most favorite dish had to be two; the adobong baboy and beef caldereta. they were a revelation that these common viands can actually be cooked in a whole lot way better than what we filipinos have been eating for a long while now. the meat was so tender and the sauce was just sinfully good. i had to make second trips to the buffet table because one was really not enough. the paella is a dish passed onto us by the spanish people, yet with time we have made it taste like its one of our own. it was flavorful, the seafood complemented the rice filled with broth that has penetrated every single grain of rice, every spoonful was so delightful. after stiffing myself with all these, i know  had to cap it off with dessert. i have tasted a lot of buko pandan salads from different restaurants but the one in barbara's made me feel that i have been wronged of how it should taste and now salvaged from my naivety. there were fruits topped with a spongy like cake similar to that of a brazo de mercedes with a crunchy caramel glaze on top. also, crunchy turonillas were served along with a rich bowl of ginataang bilo-bilo. that night was my moment of re-discovering why filipinos love to eat--that's because we also love to cook and we do very good. i know i would come back and reminisce my first visit in barbara's, it was nothing but pure pleasure. the amazing dishes were the highlight of the evening but the cultural dances and the rondalla playing classical filipino and contemporary music were the cherries on top. it made the entire experience true to its name, "kultura filipina"- it was nothing short of magical.