Spread Some Awesome

Budget : ~Php200-500 per dish

Duration : ~1-2 hours

Bummers : quite pricey but food is really good and the ambiance, just wow.

Cafe Juanita

Wow.

That’s what I can say about Cafe Juanita in terms of its food, service, and ambiance inside and out. When I first entered Cafe Juanita, I had to pick up my jaw from the floor. The interior design was amazing. It was really classy and perfect for intimate dining with a special someone or with your family. It felt like dining inside a mansion. I felt a bit hesitant with what I was wearing – a short, a shirt, and a pair of flip-flops. I should have dressed up to dine here.

Passageway to the Entrance Door

Dining Table at Cafe Juanita

Staircase to the Al Fresco Dining Area

Cafe Juanita Coffee Shop

Water Fountain Outside Cafe Juanita

I was feeling a bit parched so I got a drink and since it’s summer, I got the Ripe Mango Shake (Php 70).

Ripe Mango Shake

For appetizers, the Calamares Fritos (Php 195) was perfect. Compared to the usual calamares, this one is not very oily and the squid inside melts with every bite. At first, I thought the filling inside was made of ground squid but when I cut it open, I found that it was a whole squid ring just cooked perfectly.

Calamares Fritos

The Bagnet (Php 298) would have been perfect to if not for my love-hate relationship with celery. The meat was cooked well and the Bagoong Balayan complements the dish well. I just find the chopped celery a bit overpowering for my palate.

Bagnet

The Pinakbet (Php 214) is an Ilocano specialty of vegetables cooked in anchovies sauce. Even without that shrimp, I am still giving this dish a thumbs up!

Pinakbet

Of course, we wouldn’t miss Cafe Juanita’s best-seller, the Kare-Kare ni Juanita (Php 495). The ox-tail tripes are stewed in ground peanuts and toasted rice. Vegetables like eggplants, string beans, and banana heart are added. You’ve never been to Cafe Juanita if you haven’t tried its Kare-Kare. It is served with anchovies paste.

Kare-Kare ni Juanita

Now, I realized that I don’t have to drive that far to enjoy authentic Filipino food. Just around my neighborhood, Cafe Juanita is there to satisfy my cravings for dishes that I usually only get to enjoy when I am home in the province.

Spread some awesome..ness..

Tags: bagnet, calamares, Filipino food, Kapitolyo, kare-kare, pinakbet