Batala Bar / Philippine Artisan Trade — Restaurant in Manila

I’m a local, born and raised here. My boyfriend’s white but I cook him proper Filipino food all the time, so believe me when I say he knows what the real thing tastes like. This place? A total scam for tourists who don’t know any better. Everything is overpriced and flavorless, like they’ve never eaten the food they’re trying to “recreate.”

We ordered sinigang and pork belly was hard as a rock, vegetables half raw, soup tasted like warm dishwater with calamansi. You could literally make better sinigang from a Knorr packet and still have change left for dessert.

They had this “PINAUPONG MANOK SA ASIN NI NANAY” on the menu, calling it a Filipino classic. I’ve been alive long enough to know that’s a lie. It tasted like chicken steamed in sadness and table salt. Nothing about it said “Nanay’s kitchen,” unless Nanay forgot how to cook.

To top it off, they served my boyfriend’s coffee half a cup full. Half. Like we paid for the privilege of being shortchanged.

Stop eating at these fake “Filipino artisan” restaurants hyped for tourists. They ruin the reputation of our food and make foreigners think this bland nonsense is how it’s supposed to taste. Go eat where locals actually eat. This...

Well trained and accommodating staff, amazing filipino food and beverages, and cozy and aesthetic filipino interior that truly fits the vibe of intramuros.

Seats are limited, there were two tables inside the court if you want to dine next to the fountain and an air conditioned bar upstairs.

The staff always checks in with you and they also ask how the food was. They are always ready to greet you, making you feel welcomed, as well as showing gratitude when you're leaving.

Food can be costly as a meal per person may be around 500 pesos but it tastes amazing. We had the mestizo adobo, inasal, and truffle pasta. The adobo was so tender and the meat was quite falling off the bone, the soy sauce was light and there's a perfect hint of sourness along with well cooked mushrooms. The inasal was well seasoned and grilled to crisp without being dry. The truffle pasta was rich but not too overpowering and the sauce was sticking well to the noodles.

The highlight for me are the drinks. We had guyabano and dalandan soda, which were made from fresh fruits. The flavor was so authentic and not too sweet.

Their icecreams were creamy, smooth, and not...

Located within and next to the Plaza San Luis Complex, this delightful bar was a pleasure.

Ordered some potato cuts - "handcut potato fries" - which were tasty and nice with the sauces.

I also ordered some local craft beers and beers on tap. The IPA from the tap was decent, although a good bit pricey at about 8 Euros - wow! So then after went for some bottled beer - Engkanto Coconut Stout - which cost considerably far less than the draft beer at 3.70 Euros - and tasted much better. It was very good stout, I really liked it.

Service was fine and friendly, the décor was relaxing and we had good seats upstairs overlooking some of the plaza. It was raining heavy outside so it was the perfect place to kill an hour or so waiting for the weather to improve.

Overall I really liked this bar, had good friendly vibes and the beers were of a high quality - but some of the prices were a bit eye watering, and also it was a bit far away from the main drag which was a bummer for me as I did want to return but decided it wasn't worth the journey out here as it closes...