Café Mezzanine — Restaurant in Manila

DO NOT EAT HERE. THE STAFF ARE UNPROFESSIONAL. FOOD ISN'T GREAT EITHER.

Not worth the hype. The only reason it's famous is because it has been around for several years. Doesn't necessarily mean the food is great. If you're hungry, it does its job but personally, I would not go back. Read more below.

Cafe Mezzanine is an extension of Chuan Kee restaurant which is located on the second floor and basically serves the same food, just with a small price difference. Since there was a long queue of people waiting to be seated at Chuan Kee (first floor), we were told that we could dine at Cafe Mezzanine (second floor) instead since the place wasn't as packed as it was on the first floor. Upon entering Cafe Mezzanine, the staff told us to go back and wait outside so they could clean the vacant tables. So we waited thinking that they would let us in right away. About 20 minutes later, it seemed as if they had completely forgotten about us. No one was telling us to come in so we eventually had to knock and ask if we could occupy one of the empty tables before they finally realized we were there and let us in. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

After being seated, we finally had the chance to look at the menu but some of the items on the list were unfamiliar to us so we asked the server what was in it. We also asked what items were most popular on the list so we could order it too but the lady kept saying "hindi ko po alam, bago lang po ako dito" which was disappointing since we went all the way to Binondo to try out some food which we couldn't typically try elsewhere. So we asked her to give us a different server who could explain the menu a bit more but for some reason, no one came to our table. In the end, we just picked whatever was familiar to us then raised our hand so someone could take our orders. However, the servers just kept on passing by without paying any attention to us. Take note, there were at least 5 servers on duty and the place wasn't even packed with customers. At this point, it had already been almost an hour since we arrived and we were already super hungry so I went up to the counter and started telling them our orders. The staff told me to wait at the table but I insisted that no one was assisting us. I also told them about how long we waited outside and that no one called for us to come in in spite of the fact that there had been several vacant tables to occupy. They said that it was cause they were busy but I found that to be impossible since the place wasn't packed and the staff could be heard just chit chatting with each other. In the end, no one apologized for the bad experience. We waited for our food for another 20 minutes, ate it, payed then left. Food was average, not worth standing in line for, and probably a 6 out of 10. For a tourist food destination, this was NOT the kind of experience I was looking for. I also should've checked the reviews online before even considering to dine at this place since other people pretty much had the same bad experiences. So if you're still reading my review at this point, mag...

HONEST REVIEW. NOT RECOMMENDED. I find this place extremely overrated. I was excited to experience the food alone but was quite disappointed. My friend and I ordered the ones mentioned in the attached receipt, flavours are good except the Wonton Noodles (in the menu it is indicated as "special" wonton noodle soup), not so special after all, we found it very bland, not a condiment was even offered. The temperature of the food was really bad. The chopsuey was pipping hot, but the lechon kawali was served cold when the airconditioned restaurant was not even cold. The texture and the temperature of the rice was a disappointment, knowing it's a South Asian restaurant. My friend and I didn't even finish the whole dining experience cuz aside from the food disappointment, the staff were louder than the guests. They were not even accommodating, and there is no crowd control at the tini-tiny waiting area. The place needs extreme renovation, if not, then just sanitation, cleaning and pest control. Walls are dirty and greasy, ceiling is moulding, covered in thick dark fungus, one of the reasons why we left quickly as it is a very unhygienic place to dine i. Some creepy crawlers also on the floor are grossing me out. We decided to just box for take out our leftovers. But guess what, our "special" wonton soup was not in the bag when we arrived home. They missed it! Where is the attention here. Im not asking for 5 star service but just simple attention to details, hygienic place to dine in and accommodating staff. Ugh. Not coming back and not recommending this...

Cafe Mezzanine in Binondo, Manila needs some improvement. The taste of food is okay, overall experience is not great, the lack of attention to details of the cashier and server was below the standard.

The servers lack of attention to details is very disappointing. They are not approachable. Restroom was so dirty. Even if I really needed to pee, I decided not to. The smell is awful and disgusting.

I was also very disappointed to the unavailability of coffee. I dont understand, they call their shop a cafe but they dont serve coffee that day (July 3, 2023), ordered xiao long bao and hakaw but also unavailable. My partner and I visited this place because it was recommended and must try daw the Beef La Mien but it was not in the menu. I dont know if they dont sell that anymore.

Lastly, when I ordered coffee and it was not available I decided to just order avocado smoothie, but when I ask for the bill, they still charge me for the coffee when it was not available in the beginning. If I did not check the receipt they could have profit over that. Ask for a new receipt but was not provided urgently. It was given to me after 10 minutes. I don't know what's the reason for the wait. I would say that I will never dine here again with this kind of service. They need to improve if they want customers to come back.

PS. Pork siomai was still served cold. I did not mind them getting me a new one, it is possible kasi na it may take a while for them to provide. Lava Pao...