Kuya J SM Megamall — Restaurant in Mandaluyong

I dined for lunch today at Kuya J, choosing the restaurant because I had a visitor from another country and wanted him to experience Filipino cuisine. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing.

Upon arrival, there was no receptionist at the entrance. We had to walk inside and find a seat ourselves. Eventually, someone assisted us and seated us, but the overall lack of organization was already very apparent.

When we were ready to order, I raised my hand, but no waiters were visible in the dining area. It was Sunday lunchtime a peak period yet it seemed the store was severely understaffed. Waitstaff were practically impossible to find or call, and only a man in a polo shirt (who I assumed was the supervisor) was attending a nearby table. Service here was very poor extremely poor.

When our orders were finally taken, we were told that food would take 30 to 40 minutes to be served. That timeframe is unacceptable, especially during a busy lunch service. The order taker casually said, "Pasensya na po, madaming tao," as if the customers should be the ones adjusting. This shows a clear lack of foresight and poor management planning. Given it’s a Sunday, the managers should have properly plotted staff schedules to anticipate high customer volume.

After waiting nearly 20 minutes, not even a glass of water was served to us. No follow-up, no courtesy checks. It made my visitor feel ignored and unwelcome — he even remarked that we seemed completely "denied" and not acknowledged.

When food finally arrived after almost 35 minutes, it was deeply disappointing:

Food Quality:

The monggo was already slightly sour, indicating it was not fresh.

The rice was of very low quality — yellowish in color and smelled bad.

The dinakdakan was overly sour, and the pork was mostly fat.

Other dishes were just average and not worth the long wait.

Because of the poor service and the long waiting time, I chose not to complain anymore on-site about the sour monggo or the rice quality fearing that any replacement would take even longer.

Overall, this experience was far from the Kuya J quality I used to know. It was a complete disaster — definitely not recommended, especially if you're hosting visitors or expecting decent service and food. Management needs to seriously revisit their operations, manpower planning, service training, and food...

First time trying this branch. The restaurant is located on the lower ground floor and is well-lit. It features a separate function room for private gatherings and an outdoor seating area for those dining with their furbabies.

Unfortunately, the service was very slow and chaotic due to understaffing. There was also a leak in the kitchen causing it to flood which was unsafe for the staff. We could hear the commotion in the kitchen caused by this issue. While the staff were polite and did their best to deliver the orders, the lack of manpower and coordination among the staff significantly affected our dining experience making it stressful.

We ordered the Kare-Kare Salo-Salo set but some items were unavailable and replaced with alternatives. The Kare-Kare was tasty but the portion was small. The Lechon Kawali was fine and the Pancit Canton was flavourful though the noodles were overcooked. The Squid Sisig was replaced with Chicken Sisig which was quite salty. The Leche Flan was also unavailable and substituted with regular Halo-Halo. Although we originally ordered the Ube flavor, we were served the Classic flavor instead.

We also ordered additional items: the Patis Chicken Skin which was served cold and Grilled Scallops which tasted good but the scallop was noticeably small. Food service was very slow, requiring frequent follow-ups and we finished eating before the last item was served. Additionally, one of our drinks was not charged on the bill so we informed the staff to add.

Upon leaving, we noticed people waiting to be seated even though there were vacant tables available. This branch desperately needs more manpower and a competent manager to ensure smoother operations and provide a better dining experience. Not sure if I’ll return to this...

I had a very disappointing experience at Kuya J’s, mainly because of a staff member named Alyana. She was unprofessional, unfriendly, and lacked basic customer service skills. Instead of politely informing me that a table was taken, she was rude and dismissive. She didn’t smile, didn’t show any courtesy, and acted as if she owned the place rather than providing proper service.

On top of that, she seated me at a two-seater table but didn’t even bother to remove the extra plate in front of me. Since I was dining alone, it was unnecessary and showed a complete lack of attention to detail. It was as if she just didn’t care about customer experience.

To make matters worse, when you call a waiter or waitress, they ignore you—even when it’s clear they heard you. It felt intentional, like they were deliberately avoiding assisting customers. They also didn’t provide tissue or even a glass of water, which are basic necessities in any restaurant. On top of that, they served the complimentary food after my main order arrived—completely defeating its purpose.

As if the poor service wasn’t enough, the kitchen area looked dirty. The tiles seemed unhygienic, which raises serious concerns about cleanliness and food safety. Given the bad service and unsanitary conditions, I will definitely not be coming back.

If management cares about their reputation, they need to address both the staff’s behavior and the cleanliness of their establishment. As it stands, I wouldn’t recommend this...