Borro — Restaurant in Quezon City

We've been meaning to try out Borro at Scout Borromeo QC, and we finally had time this weekend before going to the movies. It was overall a great dining experience!

Pros and cons: Really nice place! Great interior designs for all 3 floors. The 1st and 2nd floor had open-air lanai seating areas in addition to air-conditioned mirror-walled main dining areas. The 1st floor has a darker vibe despite the mirror walls, while the 2nd floor has a lighter vibe. The 3rd floor, I think, is meant for events. Most dishes are for sharing. And if you follow us, you would know my family eats a lot. But somehow, we we're not able to finish all our orders. It might mean their portions are really big. They have great food presentations. Everything looks eye-catching, instagram worthy and huge, and just a feast to the eyes. We ordered mango-shrimp salad, creamy truffle pasta, boneless chicken, and dulce leche cheesecake. The pasta is really creamy and tasty. We requested extra parmesan cheese, and they provided. The chickens are huge with a big bowl of gravy, bread, and coleslaw. We took home 1 and a half chicken because we were so full. The salad is on the sweet side, though, and might turn off some. After a while, it grew on us. They did not skimp on the ingredients with lots of fresh green and clean lettuce, crab meat, shrimp, sweet fresh mangoes, and caramelized walnuts. I suggest they don't caramelize the walnuts anymore because the sweet mangoes and sweet mango sauce plus the caramelized walnuts are just sweet over sweet over sweet. They give tasty bread and butter for an appetizer while waiting for our orders. But the orders did not really take long. Maybe 15 minutes in and everything were served. So many staff who can attend to your needs. They are very accommodating to our every request, including warm water, parmesan cheese for the pasta, and a different dressing for our salad. They gave us free vinegarette. Accept senior and PWD cards. We stayed on the 2nd floor, and their bathroom are small but clean. Separate stalls for men and women and a separate washing area. Very nice interior, they uses high end hand soap and tissues even for the bathroom, and they clean it almost every time someone uses the toilet. Limited parking space in front of the restaurant, but they do offer valet parking. I just didn't inquire if it will cost anything. I saw a lot of parking attendants so I'm sure they could accommodate.

Tips: We went around 2 pm, so there were unoccupied parking slots.

We will definitely come back. I'd love to try the Thai salad or Caesar Salad as well as the seafood marinara and baby back ribs.

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Celebrating a special occasion with Gela led us to Borro Manila, a spot she had previously enjoyed with friends. The overall aesthetic was warm, homey, and serene, making it perfect for individuals or groups to relax and enjoy.

While waiting for our dishes, we were served warm, airy, and flaky bread paired with salted butter. The combination was delightful, providing a tasty prelude to the main courses.

We ordered the following:

1. Cheese Steak Fries (₱410) The potato wedges were perfectly cooked and satisfyingly filling. The cheese sauce struck a great balance between sweetness and saltiness. Thinly sliced beef offered refreshing umami, and the addition of Jalapeno and Bell peppers provided a good kick to the overall taste.

2. Lengua (₱560) The highlight of our order, the lengua truly melted in our mouths with its creamy sauce and mushrooms. Personally, I would come back specifically for this dish.

3. Bagnet Kare-Kare (₱580) The bagnet was crispy, juicy, and fatty — eat to your heart's content. Accompanied by bagoong, it perfectly complemented the strong peanut flavor and cut into the richness of the bagnet. / Gela, not a Kare-Kare fan, appreciated the nuts used in the thick sauce for the punch it added.

4. Boneless Fried Chicken (₱630) Juicy, crispy, and large chunks of fried chicken served with gravy, toasted bread, and coleslaw. While I didn't try the bread, the coleslaw was a good way to balance the greasiness of other dishes. However, the crispy batter was a bit bland; it could've used more spice to flavor up the chicken.

5. Tamarind Iced Tea (₱90) Similar to lemon iced tea, but with a heavier tamarind flavor — a good balance between sweetness and sourness.

6. Mango Shake (₱140) A tall, ice-free glass filled with sweet mango goodness.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Borro Manila. With generous portions, flavorful dishes, and warm accommodation, it's a place where anyone can savor their meal to the fullest. While a more peaceful experience would have been appreciated, Borro Manila is undeniably a spot worth revisiting.

Room for improvement: / For groups seeking a quieter environment, an option for more secluded tables would be beneficial. / The valet system could use a bit more organization, and hopefully not having our dials and controls adjusted upon usage, while I do understand it was quite a bit hot that...

Walk - in Dine-in date: May 17, 2025, Saturday

Price (3/5) - Don’t be fooled by the price—yes, it’s a bit expensive, but the portions are seriously good for sharing. I thought the pasta was just good for two, but it could actually feed 3 to 4 people. We also ordered the chicken teriyaki, which was good for two. The baked bangus? Good for 3 to 4 as well. In the end, we had a lot of leftovers because we assumed the servings would be small. 😅 I’m only giving it 3 stars though, because even if the portions were big, some of the dishes lacked flavor.

Food overall: 3.5/5

Baked bangus (4.5/5) - Recommended! It was really good—super cheesy! I’m just taking off 0.5 because I felt like there was a bit too much cheese, and it overpowered the taste of the bangus.😅

Creamy Truffle Pasta (1.5/5) - Just go for the carbonara instead—it’s pretty much the same thing.😭 It barely had any truffle flavor; we could hardly taste it at all. It was literally just creamy. Not worth it.🥲

Truffle Fries (3/5) - Same issue with the “truffle” pasta—there didn’t seem to be any truffle at all. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even realized these were truffle fries if my friend didn’t tell me. But overall, I’d still give it 3 stars since they were well-seasoned with salt, the fries were thick, and you could already get full just from the appetizer.

Chicken Teriyaki (4.5/5) - Recommended! The veggie sides were really tasty with a nice buttery flavor, and the chicken was super tender. It’s also good for sharing since the bowl of herb rice that comes with it is really packed. Minor issue though—some parts of the chicken skin were burnt, so a few bites were a bit bitter.

Service (5/5) - The servers were hardworking and took initiative. They didn’t avoid eye contact either. Atmosphere (5/5) - Very aesthetic and chill vibes🫶🏻

Recommend? Y/N? Yes! The place has a great ambiance. You just have to get lucky with the food—make sure to check the reviews so you order the tasty ones. Even though we just walked in, we got seated quickly...