Tagaytay Restaurants

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Just having our regular Tagaytay weekend trip & trying to reach farther than we used to go, we tried to reach Splendido further down south when we chanced upon this newly opened indian restaurant called Andanita TAJ of Tagaytay. When we stopped by we were greeted by a very groovy indian music & their welcoming staff said, "Namaste!". Probably a 'welcome' in India. The moment we stepped in inside the restaurant, I instantly craved for food as we smelled the curry and masala sauce-very,very stimulating. Nootime, we ordered right away Rose Milk, Rose Sharbat and Sweet Lassi! Very refreshing. We ordered the bestseller of the house: Roti Chanai, Mutton Biryani, Rogan Josh, Shahi Paneer, and Chicken Curry. Needless to say we were so full after munching all of it as indian foods are heavy and filling. But we were tempted by the dessert: Gulabjamun & Kulfi (Indian ice cream) so everybody ordered one. The waiter was persuading us to order Gajar Halwa, it is some kind of indian carrot pudding but when the rest of the group heard Carrot as dessert-nobody ordered it except me. But i let everybody tasted some & were quite surprised that they never expected it to be good tasting. By the way it has fresh milk that you pour into it before having a bite. A fellow caucasian customer overheard us & said that if you want to know the authenticity of an indian restaurant, they should have a very good tasting Gajar Halwa. And so-there's the verdict!
By the way, the same waiter who persuaded me to buy the Gajar Halwa was so friendly & talked about the establishment & said TAJ has hotel rooms also downstairs with indian-mediterranean motifs. He was so detailed even as to the names of the rooms. Their presidential room is called 'The Maharashtra Suite' -a huge 75sqm indian themed room. They also have a spa called Green Mountain Spa. I tried their Philippine Hilot & tell you it was one of the best. The view also is fantastic.

Food alone, this establishment is already highly recommendable. Try also their rooms & spa.

Favorite Dish: Mutton Biryani, Mutton Masala, Roti Chanai

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Like every resto along the ridge, the Yellow Cab Pizza Co. has its share of the sought-after view of the fantastic Taal Volcano and Lake. Dining table options include aircon tables on the second floor of the small yellow building and the ground/ yard tables overlooking Taal Volcano and Lake.

This food strip in front of Mahogany Public Market is consists of a dozen or so restaurants (turo-turo style) side by side with each other. Its clientele are mostly people applying for driver's license and vehicle registration from the nearby Land Transportation Office.

Favorite Dish: All dishes are worth P60 per order. Some of my favorites are bulalo (beware of the cholesterol though) and crispy dilis. Do try also their local fish - the tawilis - endemic to Taal Lake.

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View Site Resto can be found few minutes from Mendez Crossing at the right, overlooking Taal Lake. The place was not too crowded when we went there. It was late Saturday afternoon and little bit rainy. We were so amazed with the view, and so hurried up to take shots before it got totally dark.

The people were very accomodating, kind and warm. What I really love about the place is the ambiance and the view. The food was great too. I like their bulalo steak, and of course filipino dishes like sinigang na sugpo. The seafoods are really fresh. The fish we ate was indeed fresh. We just love it! The price is very affordable. We were five and we just spent P1500.00 for a great whole meal: sinigang na sugpo, plates of pork barbecue, grilled tilapia, bulalo steak, rice and juices, plus cups of coffee.

And the great twist here was there was a singing duo who sang our songs while we were eating.. Great experience at View Site Resto!

Favorite Dish: Bulalo steak was good. The gravy was so tasty. Their pork barbecue was superb too. The meat was lean , and the sauce was not sweet yet yummy.

We always go to Tagaytay with my whole family specially at weekend , If we like to eat "Bulalo" a beef thigh bone soup, only one restaurant always in our mind, the Diners restaurant in Tagaytay.

Favorite Dish: Diners Bulalo is so delicious with fried Tawilis (fish that found only in a single lake on the island of Luzon in the Philippines in Taal Lake) a freshwater sardinella.

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Tell me, is it worth to haul your butt out of bed at 6 am and drive up a good hour (sans traffic) from Makati to Tagaytay just to have breakfast? Yes, indeedy!

Breakfast at Antonio's is the more homely, less snotty, all-day breakfast restaurant of Antonio's. It features the best in Pinoy breakfasts as well good versions of intercontinental ones. The house special is the Eggs Benedict, but I actually prefer the oatmeal waffle with bacon. Yes, there is such a thing as a healthier waffle! at P220 you get a really thick crispy waffle filled with morsels of honeycured bacon and topped with whipped unsalted butter. Yum yum.

Or if you want to go all pinoy, I suggest you try the Chorizo breakfast which has a delicate blend of garlic and spices that make you hungry for more rice! Hmm, deadly for dieters, but it is absolute heaven on my taste buds.

Favorite Dish: I'm really pinoy-at-heart. So if you're like me, I suggest you try the Chorizo breakfast which has a delicate blend of garlic and spices that make you hungry for more rice! Hmm, deadly for dieters, but it is absolute heaven on my taste buds.

Wash it off with good Batangas Brew Houseblend coffee and you may end up driving back to Manila scratching your belly!

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Just off the road to Nasugbu just after Royale Tagaytay Estate in Barangay Buck Estate Alfonso Town is Sonya's Garden, which is a restaurant inside what is virtually a big greenhouse like complex with organic plants and vegetables plus a hotel.

The dining area is wrapped in a mix of plastic, galvanized iron sheet and fish net and it lies next to a flower garden. The smell of fragrant flower wafts in the air as one walks into the hall.

The set menu includes home-made pasta with a choice of two sauces (white sauce with chicken and a sprinkling of mango and a red sauce with sun dried tomatoes). Bottomless "dalandan" (a local citrus with a cross between an orange and lime) is served along with a generous bowl of salad and a choice of dressings.

Shrimp (or chicken), mushrooms, nuts and other ingredients you can put on your pasta or munch separately are thrown in, plus a small bowl of jackfruit.

Sonya's people grow some of the vegetables and ingredients in the menu. The dessert--grilled sweet potatoes soaked in caramel sauce--is quite a delight to the palate.

Favorite Dish: Price per head is P500 (or about USD 10) for adults and half for kids. Only one menu is served for lunch while there is a different menu for dinner. In other words, all customers for lunch or dinner eat the same food.

Getting ready to eat, you notice small things which make the dining experience all the more pleasant. Like rose petals randomly scattered all over your table. The dinnerware used are also not uniform but all attractive, with floral designs. The Meal starts with the salad with the delicious toppings like finely chopped hardboiled egg, sliced chico (a small, brown fruit) with just about the right firmness and ripeness, sweet mangoes, crunchy nuts and cucumbers, cheese, and corn.

Freshly baked home made bread is then served with several different dips: sundried tomatoes, white cheese, mushroom, and chili, followed by pasta with two sauces. The pasta sauces are: tomato-based and white cream sauce. These can be mixed with shrimps, anchovies, and olives which are also provided separately.

For dessert, there is sweet banana coated with caramelized sugar, and sprinked with sesame seeds all over. There is also sweet carioca (cassava cake caramelized with brown sugar). To end the meal, hot water with mint tea leaves is served.

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The waiter was very knowledgeable with regards to the food served and can give recommendations. The music was soft and added to the cozy ambiance without hampering conversation. Food of course was very delicious. Plus a little drama when they served the soup.

Favorite Dish: Freshly baked bread with fresh cherry tomatoes appetizers (Bavarian mushroom croute). Really the best bread I've had in my entire life. Basil flavored vegetable soup was delicious but my friend's Lobster bisque was so-so. Ravioli was ok. Chocolate Marquise dessert was heavenly. Black Pepper fetuccini was a bit of a disappointment. Their carafe(white) was also good. Sweet but not overly.