Antonino’s Pizzeria — Restaurant in Lipa

A brief review on our quick dining experience recently in Antonino's Pizzeria.

MENU: Half Margherita & Half Mushroom Pizza - PHP 999 -Expect canned mushrooms for this - quite disappointing considering the price and the fact that they grow pretty much everything else in their local garden.

Napoletana - Creamy Spinach & Wild Mushroom - PHP 499 -One of their bests on the menu. Creamy, savory, and enjoyable.

Carbonara - PHP 449 -Al dente, yet bland. No essence of salt from the meat, creaminess from the sauce, and generally a tad too dry.

Old Italian Meat Sauce Spaghetti (Bolognese) - PHP 399 I'd say pretty much the closest you can achieve for an average Italian bolognese. Enjoyable overall.

SERVICE: Terrible, to say the least. The restaurant is self-service, yet the only times we interacted with the staff, we were met with a bland, and borderline snarky attitude.

In one instance, a staff member was on the phone laughing while we stood next to him obviously needing assistance. For 5 whole minutes of awkwardness and attempting to call his atention, he ignored us completely as he went on with his obviously personal phone call. After hanging up, he walked away without asking what we needed, leaving the cashier area staff-less. It was then apparent that this was not his job and didn't even call the attention of the designated staff member in charge. I took the initiative to peek a little into the staff area to call he cashier's attention as they were having a personal conversation in the kitchen.

I understand that the place is self-service and it makes sense, but for the price and the "family-oriented" image they promote and represent, a little hospitality, I believe, would have turned the dining experience from abysmal to mediocre at...

While at the parking area of Robinson's Lipa, Batangas I chanced to look upon the sign board of Antonino's Pizzeria which was located at a nearby narrow side street right beside the mall... I checked out the reviews and saw a whopping 5-stars on all of it's reviews! 😳

So me and the family had to walk from the mall to go check it out ourselves! I gladly admit that this establishment, which is aptly owned and operated by a prominent practicing gastroenterology specialist doctor dabbling as a chef and restauranteur, lived up to its supposed hype! ☺️

The very fresh ingredients that were farmed and harvested in the garden of the resto ground itself make up most of the authentic Italian recipes perfected by the owner! We tried the quattro stagioni (4 flavors in one) pizza, chicken parmigiana and carbonara (egg-based and no creams at all) pasta! It was so yummy delicious it blew our minds!

Plus the homey, modern ambience was one of a kind! Heck, they even have a basketball half court you can use while waiting for your food! I hit 20 free throw shots before the food arrived... 😁🥳

I highly recommend everyone to try to find this hidden gem of resto whenever you are in the Lipa area! I know we will definitely be back here to try their...

Ive been eager to try this place since i make a monthly trip down to batangas and always notice their big banner on star tollway. Well this time i made the effort to stop by and im glad i did.

In my opinion their pizza is the best ive tried in Batangas, and top 3 ive tried in all of Philippines. Im writing this review as i eat the leftovers reheated with the instructions on the pizza box which were easy to follow, so you can be sure that this makes a good pasalubong even if it cant be consumed freshly ordered. Not only is it cooked well, but the ingredients are high quality from the sauce to the dough.

The atmosphere is nice as well, although this was supposed to be a stop to pick up a quick lunch to eat after a long drive my wife was inspired to take a photo op with all of the pleasant scenery from their gardens and dining areas.

All in all this is definitely a...