Intramuros Restobar & Grill — Restaurant in Mississauga

The 15% automatic tipping is the most annoying thing of this restaurant (besides the worn out menu, not-so-clean, disorganized space). Apparently it could be taken off if dissatisfied with service & food but this is all mentioned once they've taken your money from you. The tipping culture has gotten out of control. Servers and restaurant feel they are entitled to earn a portion of their salary from their patrons who already spend alot of money on their overpriced food, granted it is good food, compared to other Filipino restaurants I've been in. But to automatically claim more $$ from people who probably can't afford to tip that much is absurd. Restaurants should be grateful people want to visit and eat in their establishments bc there's hundreds of restaurants to choose from these days and most do not "automatically" add tip as if they did some extraordinary service, flipped some bottles, or clear my table in between dishes, and wipe my table down from crumbs; none of these are performed at this restaurant. Perhaps I got a lazy server who tries to upsell me a platter when we're only a party of 2. Really you think 2 skinny ppl can eat a whopping platter? I despise ppl quick to put their hands in my pocket but don't provide relevant service to it. Also for this automatic tipping, this place should be clean and pleasant. If servers have time to lean, they have time to clean - yes I've worked in other restaurants and I can tell servers don't provide cleanliness. If you think it is clean here then I'm scared to see your house. If you think automatic tipping is okay then you don't value your money and the hard work you do for that money. Protect your money from greedy establishments like this. If you come to this restaurant for good food just to be bullied for tipping with no exceptional service then I can tell you're in a toxic relationship elsewhere. Treatment like this should not be tolerated. There's nothing filipino about this restaurant as they took over an old Irish pub and did minimum to enhance the interior. Don't even argue time is tough for restaurants! You think they're the only ones having a tough time! Clearly you don't respect yourself and your hard-earned money. Absolute ridiculous and I'm ashamed to recommend this place to my non-filipino friends. It's nothing to be proud of. Just another greedy and entitled owner, filipino or not, you don't dare take ppls money "automatically". Also, there is nothing "Intramuros-like" about this space. At least live up to the name and make ppl feel they are in Old Manila to justify your absurd prices & automatic tipping rule. It's...

An update - customer service experience

Before heading to this place, I had called them many times in order to get a reservation, however my calls weren’t answered at all. Regardless, I still wanted to go since I have been here a couple of times as well as my friends. These previous experiences were not exceptional but nonetheless still good for a busy restaurant, hence 4/5 review before.

So me and my friends decided to go for a late night out, hoping to spend it in this establishment. We walked in and found the place packed. As we walked, no server or customer rep greeted us at the door - which is understandable since it is busy, however a lady at the counter saw us and instead of approaching us to where we are at, she says that the tables are full all the way from the counter. It’s no problem if the establishment is full, we understand and there’s no problem with that.

However, I didn’t like how they handled the situation, it’s definitely one of the worst customer service experience I’ve had. There were no greetings, no smiles, no welcoming atmosphere when we entered - which is something I expect in a resto bar. Customer service is key to retaining customers, and having good customer service means having the ability to empathize with customers. If it’s not possible for us to be seated or served, I would like to have a customer service experience where a server or customer rep, apologizes for the inconvenience, or at least having a more friendly approach instead of the one we got. I’m not sure why were approached in such a way, since we haven’t done anything to get that kind of treatment. In fact we understand their situation, and we respect if they can’t accommodate us, and if we we’re approached nicely I’d have no problem. Also maybe my phone calls are ignored because they were busy, but then again it’s their responsibility to answer the phone.

On a note @intramurous, thank you for replying that customers have to call earlier at least on non-busy days to get a reservation. However, it’s best if phone calls are actually answered in case a customer has an inquiry or is trying to make reservation. It’s best the customer is informed, even if the restaurant can’t make accommodations it still builds a good rapport. I hope the servers’ approach change.

The ambiance and decor is nice. The servers are friendly but waiting time for food is a bit slow - this last review...

FABULOUS EXPERIENCE We celebrated my husbands birthday with 25 people. Having my own experience working in a restaurant I understand the hard work each employee has to contribute to accommodate a large party. With that in mind I cooperated with the staff to ensure our guests come and enjoy a wonderful night out.

The key is to PLAN. The best thing about Intramuros is the pre-ordering. I believe that is genius! Friday nights can be busy so we booked reservations in advanced and pre ordered our food to be prepared at a specific time and when our guests arrived, as soon as they sat at their table the food was placed! Everyone was impressed with the service. Elaine was a phenomenal host, her team of servers were on point with our party, Edward was on top of everything and hustled to get our drinks & food out on time.

In addition to the service I also rate the entertainment 5stars. ICE is a talented human and kept us dancing in our chairs and singing along with his acoustic performance. It was a $2 cover charge/person but to us that’s the cost of a McDonald’s coffee which we were happy to pay for. We would even pay $5 (cost of a Starbucks latte) for the entertainment.

Suggestions for customers.....

Make reservations if you plan on going on a Friday or a Saturday dinner since it gets busy and overwhelming for the staff. I know the importance of this having my own working experience in the restaurant industry.

PRE-ORDER your food. What restaurant allows you to pre-order your food?! I believe this option is amazing simply because I know what it feels like to be hungry and waiting for your food. It sucks! So plan ahead, & cooperate with the staff. Remember these people handle your food. :) I highly suggest to order the tofu sisig and the bangus sisig. Those were the biggest hits of the night.

Come with compassion and understanding to the staff because some nights can be crazy busy and I believe they are doing their best. Don’t believe the hype with all the awful reviews about this place either. Rather come and enjoy this place with an open mind and empty belly’s because trust me, you’ll enjoy the food!

Thank you again Intramuros and staff for a wonderful night and allowing us to stay until 2am with no complaints lol you guys were awesome! We are definitely coming...