Crisostomo — Restaurant in Pasay

During a recent dinner with my family at Crisostomo's Newport Mall branch, our overall experience fell short of expectations. The GRO or receptionist displayed unprofessionalism by talking to us while eating or chewing something. It is not just unprofesional but rather rude. She just waved to inform us that the table is ready pointing to the table. The menu was casually placed on our table, and we had to manage it ourselves, adding to the disappointment. The order process lacked verification, it was passed from one staff to another, leading to a missing item that was only rectified after our inquiry. The service was sluggish, with dishes arriving at intervals, causing prolonged waits between courses. Two follow-ups were necessary before our food was eventually served. Additionally, the timing of the mais con yelo's arrival before the main courses further contributed to the unfavorable experience.

Despite these issues, I must acknowledge the restaurant's pleasant and cozy ambiance, along with its tasteful decor, comfortable seating arrangements, and impressive food presentation. While the overall experience did not meet my expectations, the positive aspects included the inviting atmosphere, appealing food variety, and well-executed decor and lighting. Despite these positives, my dissatisfaction with the GRO's behavior and the overall dining experience at Crisostomo's Newport Mall branch leads me to believe that this was, unfortunately, my first...

Service was poor. We had to beg for water after waiting 16 minutes at our table.

Automatic 10% service charge. For what? We were not served properly initially and had to bog down several waiters to get our attention. Only then did service improve, but it already ruined our excitement for this place.

Service charge should be earned. I have no problem compensating someone 20% or more if they earned it. But it should not be standardized as it creates lazy employees.

Food portions were on the small side, but I have to admit, they were delicious. We did go to Starbucks afterward to get full.

Your order will be served separately. There will be in between times between different food items. Imagine being served a miniscule baby octopus and four people looking at it? It's a JOKE !! You always and must serve food all together at the same time. This is what separates you from low class to high-class establishment.

We had the squid grill, baby octopus, Kang Kong leaves, fried tofu, chicken ihaw, half fried chicken with chicharon, and...

We were looking for a good place to dine for lunch when we saw its signage. My husband has tried once in another branch and it was a first time for me. CRISOSTOMO didn't disappoint. We ordered the Adobo Damaso, Pilosopong Pinakbet and Tinapa ni Tiburcio plus their Pandan Rice. Perfect! Notice the diah names? They're Filipino characters' names from the popukar novel of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere." Pretty historic, huh! The pork and chickeb adobo is flavorful, just the way we wantwd it to be - a little sauce and with a twist to it, with white cheese and camote bits. The small lumpia with tinapa and salted egg was good, too. The pinakbet was equally tasty. We had halo-halo and creamy buko pandan for desserts. Good stuff to down what we've eaten. Waiting time for the food is manageable. Waitstaff are friendly and accommodating. All in all, a pleasant dining experience. Highly recommended if you happen to be at the Newport Mall inside Resorts World Manila....