Restoran Garuda — Restaurant in Makati

Food is good; better than I expected. This isn't my first time to try a similar cuisine, and I had an idea what to expect, and this place exceeded my expectations. Although my expectations weren't really that high to start with.

What really stood out for me was their service. It was horrendous. Their service is what I will expect if I will be eating at a local carinderia wherein everything will cost you 50 pesos. It's really a shame.

Their service crew had this habit of not paying attention to what we were saying. As an example, we kept repeating and following up on our order, but they still gave us the wrong item. Another example would be a server clearly seeing we were taking a selfie, but he went on to bus our table anyway. Last example would be me about to pour water on my glass when the same photo bomber server grabbed my glass to bus it out. I am completely in disbelief about the level of incompetence in this establishment.

Maybe we came in at a time when all their servers on duty were the bottom performers (we were there Friday, 8PM), but still doesn't change the fact that their management clearly needs to address this.

Either way, despite how OK their food was, I do not plan on coming back here. I will recommend everyone I know to stay away from this...

AMBIENCE & LOCATION They are located along Salcedo across the Embassy of Indonesia and near the entrance of Beneficial Life. Air-con is freezing cold and their warm lights in the evening are relaxing. Seats are also available outside but parking seems to be tricky. We walked to this location to avoid possible parking inconveniences. Packets and kid meals are not included for Zomato Gold perks.

FOOD Ayam Bakar Padang Boneless smelled and tasted so good! Daging Martabak (Beef Pancake) had an interesting shape and the first few bites were exciting, but halfway through the dish, we started getting a bit thirsty. It reminds me of lumpiang shanghai but it is cut into squares. Dip was a bit bland and, overall, the dish was okay. We LOVED the Soto Ayam! Glass noodle combination was a first for us.

SERVICE There weren't that many customers during our visit but the servers weren't proactive with beverage refills. I couldn't ask them to smile more but they might need a little more motivation from the management because they seemed straight-faced, and I understand that feeling.

CHANCE We felt adventurous during our last visit but the Chicken Sate and Beef Rendang might be promising choices for next visit. When we get the chance, we'll give...

If you're craving for authentic Indonesian food, Garuda is the best place to go to. I've been hearing a lot of nice reviews from friends who actually ate here pre-pandemic days BUT was only able to visit early this year. I know, I know ...

Food tastes delish and I do love the flavors and texture esp the fried chicken. The rendang is a family favorite also but skip this if you are not into spicy food. The satays are also good and reminds me of the stalls in Jalan Alor (I know that's not in Indonesia) that sells similar satays. There are still many dishes I am excited to try but always end up with the fried chicken and rendang because they are that good!

The staff are nice also. Btw, we also celebrated my hubby's surprise bday here and reserved half of the restaurant. It was on a Sunday so we were accommodated. Thumbs up for the good food and great service.

Parking can be a bit tricky though because you need to park at the back of the bldg. or better if you park in Makati Med then walk to the resto. We do like dining here on Sundays though because the area is not busy...