Illo's Home Buffet Greenhills — Restaurant in San Juan

We ate here for Father's Day.

SERVICE: 7/10 - They are understaffed. Majority of the waiters are directed to bring in the food which kept running out. They were unable to clear the tables which is essential for a buffet. It's not their fault, but I think management should consider assigning specific people to focus on clearing plates, refilling water, etc. The hostess was very attentive and since we could not reach the waiters, she was the one we kept calling since there were no waiters available. She got us a new chair since one of ours was broken and water. We would not resort to calling the hostess if there was someone else available.

ATMOSPHERE: 4/10 - First, some of the furniture was broken, peeling, and/or town and the main gold plate that you see in most of the photos was dirty. It's a red flag if you dine somewhere, wipe their dishes, and find gunk. It was not clean. Second, we kept running out of food which I never thought could happen in a buffet. You would have to wait in 15 minute increments to wait for the food to be replenished. Again, this may be linked to the fact they are understaffed. You cannot really call the decor elegant if it's destroyed or fraying at the ends...

FOOD: 1/10 Food was cold. - I understand that in some places you are expected to wait for buffets to prepare the food that is to be served. That is okay. However, if you waited 30 minutes and then get food that is COLD, then why? I was shocked because the containers were clearly steaming, but all the food I got (i.e., paella, chicken salpicao, pasta, lengua, and kare-kare) was cold. Drinks served in vending machines. - You have to walk to the vending machines which are situated near a large column, so the tendency is that it creates a bottleneck of traffic. Also, the coffee was a selection of 3-in-1, mocha, and another flat white type of drink. They are all water. Pork - My aunty got crispy pata and it was undercooked. I don't know how you can undercook that. Brownies and pastries - The brownies are the Ghirardelli mix. I know because I ate this excessively during the pandemic. Cakes are drier than the Sahara. Icecream - This was the only redeeming quality of the buffet.

Overall, I would highly suggest that you spend your money on Mary Grace or MESA because the food here is really bad. If you want better quality buffet food, then just go to Grand Hyatt or Shangri-La. Maybe they had their peak moments and just dipped, but their food is basically something your Mom can probably make, but you are at least guaranteed that the food is good and it's going to be...

TL;DR : Cancelled my best friend’s birthday reservation onsite to give way for celebrities.

This was supposed to be my best friend’s 40th birthday. He made a reservation for 20 heads more than a week prior. He indicated it was for a birthday, and even paid the reservation fee. He arrived before 5pm and saw his name at the top of their list, I arrived just past 5pm, but somehow, they kept on letting other people come in before our group. We were confused as to why they’re making us wait, until they finally said our party will be put on the 2nd floor. Sure, that would have been okay, BUT the other party on the 2/F was a reception for a FUNERAL (you could guess for who) and with all due respect for her, My best friend didn’t want to celebrate his birthday in the presence of celebrities who are MOURNING. They asked if we could wait, since the other party also overbooked their reservation and there wasn’t room for us. We didn’t want to transfer, so we just said yes.

Time passed, my best friend’s guests are arriving one by one, still no-go. Then he saw the manager in the front desk so he approached to ask what the plan was. She said sorry but they other party will be extending, and the restaurant can no longer accommodate us.

What. The. F.

Nearly ruined my best friend’s birthday. So sorry, super hassle rin kasi, but would NOT recommend Illo’s to anyone. If anyone asks why, ikkwento ko itong ginawa nila sa best friend ko, at sasabihin mag buffet na lang sa iba. Para que pang detalyado sya na nagpa-reserve at nag-down, kung ipa-prio rin ang iba, tas pipilitin kang makisama nalang, at sa huli, ka-cancel lang rin nila?

Lastly amoy wiwi yung lobby ng hotel. Di sa kanila yun pero better...

TL;DR : CANCELLED MY RESERVATION ONSITE.

This was for my 40th birthday. Made a reservation for 20 heads more than a week prior. I indicated it was for a birthday, and I even paid their reservation fee. Arrived before 5pm and saw my name at the top of their list, but somehow, they kept on letting other people come in before us. I was confused as to why they’re making us wait, until they finally said my party will be put on the 2nd floor. Sure, that would have been okay, BUT the other party on the 2/F was a reception for a FUNERAL (you could guess for who) and with all due respect for her, I didn’t want na mag-birthday in the presence of celebrities who are MOURNING. They asked if we could wait, since the other party also overbooked their reservation and there wasn’t room for us. We didn’t want to transfer, so we just said yes.

Time passed, my guests are arriving one by one, still no-go. Then I saw the manager in the front desk so I approached to ask what the plan was. She said sorry but the other party will be extending, and the restaurant can no longer accommodate us.

What. The. F.

Nearly ruined my birthday. So sorry, super hassle rin kasi, but would NOT recommend Illo’s to anyone. If anyone asks why, ikkwento ko itong ginawa nila samin, at sasabihin i-try nalang sa iba. Para que pang detalyado kang nagpa-reserve at nag-down, kung ipa-prio rin ang iba, tas pipilitin kang makisama nalang, at sa huli, ka-cancel lang rin nila?

Lastly amoy wiwi yung lobby ng hotel. Di sa kanila yun pero better...