TopView Restaurant and Bar at Newdawn Hotel — Restaurant in Cagayan de Oro

A View to Dine For But Not the Food

I ordered their so-called “beef stew with mashed potato,” and I swear, my kidneys wept in protest. As a Filipino, I’m no stranger to salty food. We grew up with dried fish and bagoong, after all. But this? This was a full-blown salt ambush. The beef stew alone was already pushing the limits, but the mashed potato? It somehow managed to be even saltier. I didn’t even know mashed potatoes could scream, but these did. And they screamed salt!!!!!!!!!

I also ordered their “Bacon Old Fashioned” to go with the food. The menu described it as smoke, bacon, whiskey, and sweetener. I asked to cut the sweetener in half to my liking to bring out more of the spirit and smoky notes. It was okay. Nothing terrible, but nothing memorable either. No smoke. At ₱300, it felt underwhelming. I’d gladly pay more for an expertly balanced Oaxaca Old Fashioned at The Oak Room. If you’re looking to enjoy drinks, this is not the place.

As for the service, I arrived to a nearly empty restaurant. Just one table occupied by two diners. Three staff members were standing by, courteous enough to greet me. I found myself a seat, expecting someone to follow with a menu… but no one came. Instead, they disappeared into another area, deep in conversation. I sat there, invisible. Eventually, I had to walk over and ask for the menu myself. Let me remind you: the place was practically empty when I arrived at 18:30ish..

To be fair, they did better after that. Once I had the menu in hand, the rest of the service was more attentive.

Now, the ambience? That’s where they shine. I came here for the view of the city which doesn’t require a ride from my hotel, and it did not disappoint. Perched 20 floors above ground, it offers a sweeping 180-degree view that’s absolutely stunning. I stayed from sunset through to the evening, watching the city lights gradually come alive. Live music started at 7 PM, and I genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere. If you’re here for the view, to chill and a bit of music, it delivers.

But beyond the view and the music? Nah. I wouldn’t come back for the food. Especially not for that salt-flavored beef stew with mashed potato. And if you’re hoping to enjoy a solid drink, you’re better off heading...

GOOD FOOD, FANTASTIC LOCATION, IMPROVED SERVICE.

RE-REVIEWED AFTER 12 MONTHS, WENT FROM THREE TO FOUR STARS:

Hi there! CDO's top foodie here.

THE SPACE: Fantastic downtown location, great decor and furniture. It is a bit small and doesn't hold large crowds, but that adds to the coziness of the place. The music is not loud, and the furniture is tasteful. The view, obviously is the main feature of TopView and it is absolutely fantastic. THE SPACE: Five Stars.

THE FOOD: It's average, but for a "restobar" I found it to be surprisingly good. The pizza is the best in town from a restaurant not actually claiming to be "Italian". The sisig, carbonara, and grilled pork belly were average and offered nothing in their tastes that would make them different from other samplings I have had. No complaints. The cocktail menu was a lot of fun. I tried 3 cocktails: The basil cocktail was tasty but lacked any real basil flavor. The Bacon Old Fashioned was way too sweet and lacked any real bacon flavor. However, the dragonfruit rhumbarb cocktail was great and I fully recommend it. THE FOOD: Three Stars.

THE PRICE: It's a good deal for the location and the atmosphere. Most items are in the PHP200-300 range, average for top-shelf eateries in CDO. THE PRICE: Three Stars.

THE SERVICE: When I first went to TopView a year ago, the service was just a complete train wreck, and I wrote extensively on the shortcomings and gave one start. However, upon returning several times, I can say that the service has turned around completely and is perfectly acceptable. THE SERVICE: Four stars.

SUMMARY: TopView Restobar has everything going for it. The best address and view in the city in a fantastic space. There is some perfectly good food considering it is a bar (though getting some more cutting-edge food recipes to match their cocktail efforts would not be an unwelcome development... keep the...

The bigger taller waiter there is one of the laziest humans I have ever encountered. I was under the impression he was high or I was being filled for a prank YouTube video. He lay over a stool and table on his phone and basically ignored The entire roof top restaurant while he chewed his own fingers and scrolled his phone. After watching and laughing at him we shouted and waved to get his attention. So immersed in his phone another table who could hear us 10 meters away -waved at him to wake him from his day dream. Food was ok. Nothing special. The food pics are deceiving. I won’t mention how ok and below standard the rest of the hotel is. To many people would...