Kayu — Restaurant in La Union

Leaving a substantial restaurant review — or a review of any type — is an unconventional thing for me. But the whole dining experience, from start to finish, was outstanding and left me impelled to do this.

It was unusually hot that day but the vibe upon entry was very pleasant. While obviously there were several patrons minding their own businesses, we did not feel cramped and confined. The place was very open and airy. As we were settling down at our table, the staff greeted us with ice-cold water — the sensitivity of the people working at a restaurant is paramount to the quality of the food they are serving. I also learned that the place is affable to our furry friends — KAYU has their own food and water bowls for dogs and cats and they too are given ice-cold water! This is phenomenal. It is either I have never been out to a restaurant for a long time or this is the only restaurant I know that does that!

Their fresh watermelon juice was authentically satisfying — I had three glasses! Their Ceviche was delectable, this too is a must-try! It was so good that I thought I died eating Ceviche and then came back to life to eat Ceviche again. That's how good it was, seriously. It was funny for me because I was never a fan of raw-fish dishes and then I became one. I wanted to try everything on the menu but we went straight ahead to the big league — their smoked meat platter and it went wild! It had smoked sausage, smoked pork belly, beef, and back ribs. Everything almost melted in my mouth, the meat was so tender. There was also Peri peri chicken which I thought was way better that the one I tried in Cape Town. And their signature dips are all equally heavenly! The authenticity of the word "smoke/d" in the dishes that they offered on one platter was superb! And then of course I was so innocent that I never knew there was such a thing called "proper fries" — it was fire! It's the most 'proper' proper fries in town!

The service, unmatched. The food, unequalled. KAYU is absolutely amazing. Please be...

We went here with friends and family tonight. I live here in San Juan and love having a bunch of restaurants to go to but i was disappointed in coming to Kayu. Im from the USA and know a lot about smoked meats. I have to give credit for the flavor on the beef brisket but it was super dry and a very thin cut of brisket. It seamed like it was probably 6 or 7 days old. That was my wifes meal. I tried there Kayu special house burger. Not good at all. Not really any flavor in the burger. Tasted very plain and the cheese was something, not really sure what it was. The fries that came with it seamed like they were atleast a day old. Dry and stale. Some of the staff are not very nice. The really heavy set girl that was there was not friendly at all. Not good customer service. Sorta normal here in the Philippines but still not acceptable if you want to stay in business. Food should be made fresh daily and served hot to the guests. Im tired of getting left over food from the day before served like its a normal thing to do. If it doesn't sell that day, throw it away and start everything fresh the next day. Oh ya, parking is not good either. Room for 2...

A small, new and hard to find place directly at the highway. The first thing you realize after the entry is the wood oven smoker in front of the dining room. The dining area is very clean with functional interior. The service is attentive and friendly. The top seller are the smoked dishes. We had Buffalo Wings for appetizer followed by Smoked Baby Back Ribs and the Smoked Beef. One dish was served with rice and one with mashed potatoes. The meat of all 3 dishes was tender juicy 😊. Any critics? Yes, critics on a very high level. As an European we love to have mashed potatoes as a side dish, fluffy, creamy and buttery. Unfortunately it is really hard to get the quality in Asia. On the menu you can find also 2 steak dishes, unfortunately we get the info that the overall weight of the steak is 250g and it might be only 1/2” thick. Everything below 1” is considered “Carpaccio”😂. I hope the management consider to serve 2 cut of meat, the existing “Lady Cut” and a steak of 400-500g. As I said, critic on a high level. The only real problem is the parking, there is only space good enough for 2 cars in front of the...