La Mensa Italian Chophouse — Restaurant in Dumaguete

Review first written: May 2022, and edited a few times to update facts

La Mensa is one of the fairly new places to eat at in Dumaguete. I’ve been here 3x in the last 3-4 months (Feb 2022 to May 2022) all for dinner. This gem of a restaurant is well-hidden, so you wouldn’t know to look for it unless someone told you where, or you used Maps/Waze to get there, as the building itself can’t be seen from the road.

Location: La Mensa is the evening version of Buglas Isla. The entrance is located right on EJ Blanco, right across from old The Food District. You can use the new Hotel Dumaguete/Piapi Deli as a marker for the entrance to the compound as its bright lights will tell you where to turn. The place is most accessible by car or motor as it’s still a few hundred meters from the gate to the actual restaurant. Commuting here is possible, but best to get your tricycle/pedicab to bring you all the way in versus dropping you off at the gate.

Parking: There is ample parking space at La Mensa which can fit multiple cars.

Booking: The best way to eat here is to call ahead and book. They accept walk-ins but it’s best to just call them first in case there happens to be a big crowd for the evening. La Mensa opens at 6, and is usually closed after Buglas Isla’s lunch to afternoon run, so best to plan ahead especially if you’re a big group.

Ambiance: The exterior of the building is amazing, and really gives off a Filipino vibe. This house, moved from Bais City to Dumaguete, was taken apart and put back very well. While the home is an old Filipino home, it gives off a modern feel that goes well with its surroundings. The first floor has a more casual feel with its non-uniform tables and chairs and cemented floor. The second floor has a stronger semblance of its previous life with its original wooden flooring and panelling which creaks as you walk. There’s also an outdoor/garden seating for those who want to enjoy eating under the trees.

I recommend seniors find a table on the ground floor as the stairs to the second floor have tall steps which may make it difficult for older people to go up and down.

Service: Excellent service from the staff. They’re very friendly and attentive to customers. Empty plates are dished out if not needed. Food is served within a decent amount of time.

Food: I enjoyed most of the food I had while at La Mensa. I really enjoyed the Sicilian Caesar Salad and their Cauliflower Fritti. Their pizzas are okay, though not exceptional. Pasta is also good. I’ve also ordered the peppercorn steak, and maybe it’s because I’m not a steak-lover that I wasn’t able to appreciate the steak, which is supposed to be a highlight of La Mensa. Steaks here are, from my visits, a bit of a hit-or-miss, as even multiple orders of the same kind of steak (like medium-rare) can result in different looking steaks. 😂

Their gelato is delicious! Have the coffee + vanilla combo for an excellent dessert to end the evening.

Drinks: A quick note to add that I found refreshing is that straws here are metal, not plastic. So kudos!

Prices: At La Mensa, expect to pay higher than your usual Dumaguete food scene prices. They don’t yet accept cards so make sure to bring enough cash. (Edit: As of August 2022, they’ve started to accept...

We were so excited to bring our guests to La Mensa and showcase this beautiful restaurant. Having dined here several times over the past year, we’ve always enjoyed great service, delicious food, and an ambiance that’s hard to beat. Unfortunately, this visit fell short of our expectations.

To start, the service from our waitress was underwhelming. While we understand that restaurants can occasionally run out of popular items, it was disappointing to find out that standard dishes like the Salad and Lasagna were unavailable. That said, the Bolognese pasta and Fromaggio pasta we ordered as alternatives were absolutely delicious, and they saved the meal.

We were also excited to try the blue drink special (buy one, get one free) and took advantage of the Disconnect Savour promo, (Merlot from Chile was fantastic but server provided small pours) which we thought was a creative and fun idea. However, issues arose again when we attempted to order dessert and additional drinks. Despite being promoted, the special drink was unavailable, and the dessert we selected was also out of stock. These repeated occurrences dampened an otherwise enjoyable evening.

To improve the experience for future guests, we would recommend the following: Menu Updates: Consider updating the menu to clearly indicate unavailable items, either digitally or through the server, to set clearer expectations. Proactive Communication: Encourage servers to be more forthcoming about item availability and to suggest enticing alternatives upfront.

We believe La Mensa has so much potential to continue being a standout dining destination, and we hope these improvements are considered. We look forward to returning and experiencing the excellent service and consistency we’ve come to love...

Areas for improvement: Wifi - although this is a good venue to socialize, it would also be convenient in a fine dining experience to have complementary wifi. The waitress said the two connections are solely being used for CCTVs when I asked for one. Attention to detail and listening skills - I would say, for a fine dining experience, attention to detail and listening skills is very important. An order shouldn’t be repeated thrice if it was stated audibly. Also, I requested for warm water and I had to repeat it twice even when the waitress acknowledged it the first time. Service - I was advised that food from Buglas Isla Cafe cannot be brought here. I somehow understood it, because it somehow maintains the elegance of the restaurant. Though I was advised that I can bring my food downstairs. To my surprise though, the warm water I asked for I not available here, and they had to obtain it from the cafe downstairs.

Overall, the place is very inviting and classy. The food is delicious and they served complementary bread. Not a very bad place for good food, but the service kinda sucks given the minute details. They could use some enhancement in dealing with finer details.

I’m a huge fan of great service, because it somehow magically adds flavor to the food. But with the type of service I received tonight, I’m not sure if La Mensa will still be on the...