Niu, The Podium — Restaurant in Mandaluyong

Dining at NIU by Vikings was an absolute delight. From the moment we entered, we were warmly welcomed by the staff and guided to our table. The ambiance was elegant yet relaxed — perfect for a special occasion or even just a well-deserved treat.

The food selection was impressive — from fresh sushi and sashimi, perfectly grilled meats, flavorful Filipino dishes, to international cuisine that was thoughtfully prepared and presented. I especially loved the truffle pasta and the premium carving station!

Desserts were equally divine — the gelato, cakes, and chocolate fondue station were a sweet ending to our meal. Plus, unlimited drinks and cocktails were a big bonus!

What stood out most was the service. The staff were courteous, attentive, and always smiling — making sure we had everything we needed without being intrusive.

Highly recommend NIU to anyone looking for a luxurious buffet experience that’s worth every peso. We’ll definitely be back! Dining at NIU by Vikings was an absolute delight. From the moment we entered, we were warmly welcomed by the staff and guided to our table. The ambiance was elegant yet relaxed — perfect for a special occasion or even just a well-deserved treat.

The food selection was impressive — from fresh sushi and sashimi, perfectly grilled meats, flavorful Filipino dishes, to international cuisine that was thoughtfully prepared and presented. I especially loved the truffle pasta and the premium carving station!

Desserts were equally divine — the gelato, cakes, and chocolate fondue station were a sweet ending to our meal. Plus, unlimited drinks and cocktails were a big bonus!

What stood out most was the service. The staff were courteous, attentive, and always smiling — making sure we had everything we needed without being intrusive.

Highly recommend NIU to anyone looking for a luxurious buffet experience that’s worth every peso. We’ll definitely be back! Dining at NIU by Vikings was an absolute delight. From the moment we entered, we were warmly welcomed by the staff and guided to our table. The ambiance was elegant yet relaxed — perfect for a special occasion or even just a well-deserved treat.

The food selection was impressive — from fresh sushi and sashimi, perfectly grilled meats, flavorful Filipino dishes, to international cuisine that was thoughtfully prepared and presented. I especially loved the truffle pasta and the premium carving station!

Desserts were equally divine — the gelato, cakes, and chocolate fondue station were a sweet ending to our meal. Plus, unlimited drinks and cocktails were a big bonus!

What stood out most was the service. The staff were courteous, attentive, and always smiling — making sure we had everything we needed without being intrusive.

Highly recommend NIU to anyone looking for a luxurious buffet experience that’s worth every peso. We’ll...

NIU is a shadow of its former self.

I remember the first month the restaurant opened its doors. There was high quality food items but perhaps even this establishment cannot beat food cost inflation over the years.

We were able to dine in via walk in without any issues, but we arrived very early still.

We opted for a different order this time around, and focused on the meats section first. The steak rice was super terrible, the roast chicken and beef was great, and we were surprised to see actual Ricca’s lechon being served, but it was gone and never came up again later on during the buffet. Was fortunate to get some portions. Pretty sad for later diners though.

For our second plate, we went to the charcuterie. It was terrible. they only offer lyoners and a few cheese as cold cuts. Not even Salami or hams. The only way I put it was we were dissapointed. The salmon in a cone with caviar on top was good though.

We then went to go for some Spanish. The Paella was great, but the rest of the Spanish offerings were terrible, especially the stuffed squid. That one was disgusting.

Ordered a pair of pasta too, both were great as usual but the pasta was overcooked.

The tempura had a long line as always, but this was understandable and expected. Went in for two helpings. It was okay I suppose, for a buffet.

The sashimi station was one of the things that also ruined it for us. They said the salmon was still frozen, and we had to come back 10 minutes to get them, and they serve them in very few potions. When you ask for more, they will tell you to just come back later. As for the tuna, I had 2 small plates of it. The first one was okay, but the second plate had a pungent taste that I did not finish the plate in disgust.

As for the drinks, there was actual Coke Zero, coffee and their own home crafted sodas, but it did not have the Twinnings cold tea. Beers and wine were also available.

Desserts were just usual. Nothing noteworthy.

It is quite hard to get everything right in a buffet, but overall, I think we still enjoyed our time. There were hits and misses, but we still thought that the place still presented good value for what we paid for. True premium buffets cost about ₱2800 upwards today anyways, and this was understandably lower than that. I suppose you get what you pay for. All in all, I’d rather visit the cheaper, more bang for buck sibling of this chain, Vikings. Three and a half...

Dear Niu Vikings Management,

I would like to share my recent experience at your restaurant, which unfortunately did not meet the expectations we had when we chose to celebrate a special occasion with you.

Upon arrival, my husband’s phone was already close to running out of battery because we used it for navigation via Waze. I asked the receptionist if there was a charging station available, and I was informed that there was—but with a P500 deposit, which I completely understood. However, I was disappointed to find out that payment could only be made through GCash or online banking, which I didn’t have access to at that time.

I even politely asked if there was any way we could charge the phone elsewhere, even if I had to pay in cash, since we also planned to use his phone to capture memories during the celebration. Unfortunately, we were told that it wasn’t possible. Because of that, his phone died just as we were starting to eat, and we missed the chance to take photos and document the moment.

More importantly, I had made a reservation and requested in advance for the staff to sing a birthday song for my husband. I repeated this request to one of the servers on the day itself, and he confirmed in front of my husband that it would be done. My husband smiled when he heard that, thinking something special was going to happen. Sadly, we finished our meal, paid the bill, and left without anyone acknowledging his birthday at all.

It may seem like a small thing, but it meant a lot to us. My husband lost his parents at a young age, is no longer in contact with his siblings, and doesn’t have close friends because he dedicated most of his time to working. That simple gesture would have made him feel appreciated and remembered—even just for that moment.

We chose Niu despite the relatively high price because we believed the experience would be worth it. The food was good and the ambiance was nice, but the little things that were missed made the celebration feel incomplete. It was disappointing, especially since I went out of my way to make the day feel special for someone who doesn’t usually get to celebrate.

I hope this feedback can help improve your service in the future. If you ask guests for special requests during reservations, I believe it’s important to follow through—especially when those requests are simple but meaningful.

Thank you for taking the time to read...