Café Ysabel — Restaurant in San Juan

I reserved this place March 5, 2022 for my daughter's Holy Confirmation. I know this one of the oldest and best culinary food class in San Juan City. I was born in this town and heard so much good reviews regarding food and ambiance.

I settled advance payment (P2k) and reserved food that is good for 8-10 people --- 1week ahead before the event. I made advance order Ceasar Salad, Cafe Ysabel Bread, Pasta Ysabel, Chicken Fritta, Lengua Sulipena, Paella Sulipena and strawberry shortcake. Then I also messaged the day before and 2hrs before the reservation time.

The food was really amazing but I have to say I was truly disappointed with the service. Not only it's my daughter's Holy confirmation which was postponed for 2yrs because of pandemic but it is also a gathering for my long-time close friends who I haven't seen since pandemic began.

Whoever managed onsite thought we were booked in Lanuza room. We were instructed to sit there as there was miscommunication on their side. But then we were transferred again to the original table I booked as they said there is P12k consummable at the function room (which I already knew) and that is the reason I changed my table reservation as I cant consume P12k with less 10 guests.

The food arrival was late and not in order. I said my expected arrival was in between 11-11:30am. We arrived 11:05. But then we still have to wait past 11:30am for food serving. The bread was served after the paella. I have to stand up more than 6x as I have to remind for the drinks and even water refill and additional orders (I added 1 more pasta and chicken). There were 3 attendants/waiters available and we were the only customer when we arrived.

It was a total disruption to our conversations. I heard so much about this place and truly disappointed of the very poor service. Again the food was great as cooked by a legit chef but I will never come back again nor recommend for huge events as my gathering of less than 10 people was not fully accomodated even with reservation and advance orders. My total bill is around P8k+ but my point is regardless if it's a small or huge event, if they can't attend to a small gathering, how can you trust with a large gathering? Is it the same for all?

I hope they can still fix this as Cafe Ysabel has such a good reputation and I understand the pandemic really affected their business. But the experience was just truly terrible for me...

This has been my longtime and nostalgic favourite since childhood. Am sad to have to give it three stars when it was always five stars in my previous experiences.

While I will always miss the old location and the ghost in the women’s washroom + the ones who hung out in the ballroom, the new location was doing fine in the last few years. But a recent visit informs me that while Chef Gene seems to have VIP access to the fountain of youth (seriously, dude looks amazing!) - his cafe has lost some of its lustre.

The food is still okay but it can be hard to compete with so many new restaurants popping up all the time. The Ceasar salad is still good but we miss the tableside prep. Also their malunggay bread and special dip is no longer complimentary, you have to order it. Our tablecloth was dirty (found a few hairs on there). I think a combination of all these things falling short of the little touches that I associate and appreciate about Cafe Ysabel is what made it feel lacklustre for me.

We also dined on an evening that there was a reception in one of the private rooms. We asked if we could still dine in the main room but they wouldn’t open it up. We were sat near the entrance, by the kitchen. I didn’t mind this, I like having a view into how kitchens work + bonus free entertainment hearing the cooks sing. But might not be for everyone so call ahead if you can. Service was prompt and responsive.

At this point, it may be more realistic to see Cafe Ysabel as a platform for the school’s students to sharpen their skills and in this regard I appreciate that it’s still around. I may have gone on an off day but I don’t think the elements of what made it a special dining experience in the past have remained consistent. So I recommend to still go for the food you’re nostalgic for + to support a new generation of chef’s and the legacy of Chef Gene’s amazing work. But the dining experience itself may not be...

Went there last Wednesday April 19 for dinner with my family as it has good reviews and all. First of, while you approach the entrance to the restaurant, you will be greeted by a family of stray cats loitering their property (that should be a sign). Brushed it off and moved on. Business was slow as it was the middle of the week and there was only 3 groups of seated diners ahead of us. While my siblings get to order our food, I took the opportunity to freshen up in the men's room. After seeing the unsanitary/neglected restroom, I proceeded to wash my hands. No paper towels, no hand dryer, no toilet paper!! I don't even remember if there was soap. Not to mention the water issues! The management forgot to include their care for washroom facilities for their guests' dining experience while we pay top $$$ for it. On the culinary side, I say it's a hit and miss. Portions were bad. We even joked it's a limited edition just to ease our frustrations. I had better restaurant food before and wonder where this overrated reviews came from. Very disappointed.

My reviews (at best) Food - 2.5 Service - 2.5 Sanitation - 1 Ambience - 4 Overall...