Casa Luisa San Pedro Laguna — Restaurant in San Pedro

Recently, we celebrated my mother's birthday at this restaurant. I would like to share our dining experience here. And, spoiler alert it wasn't pleasant. If you are planning to dine here I would advise you to think again. Here are my thoughts:

They have the most expensive karekare in the entire universe (3k). Not only that, it seems there is no inhouse chef as the waiter only heated what appears to be a pre-cooked karekare and heated it at the side of our table using a conduction oven.

The waiters were unattentive, like they don't know what they were doing, or like it's their first day on the job. I ordered a drink and even though the place wasn't busy the waiter forgot or it simply register. Same thing happened to my brother, but worse. He ordered a drink and asked for the wifi password but he had to remind the waiter four times and iwasted half an hour before finally getting what he wanted. Really terrible.

The food wasn't great, it was just ordinary. The empanada, palabok, sisig, the lamb. And, the rice was strange. Like someone had an idea of putting some kind of seeds on it, for some strange reason. The carbonara tasted like smoke or burnt. It was served in a bowl and the portion was small. The steak was like rubber.

The menu was in these small-sized pieces of paper that you can hardly read. Looking back, this was probably the first sign of an impending catastrophic dining experience.

There was no regular coca cola. This was really frustrating. I never had this experience before in any other restaurants. They only have sprite, fanta(or royal) and diet coke.

They used doilies as the placemat, neatly placed under the dinner plates. It was immediately ruined after I placed my cold drink on top of it.

They don't have a children menu. There were 3 kids with us but sad to say they didn't have a wonderful dining experience as well. No burgers, no sandwiches. I would strongly recommend not to bring kids with you, especially if they're hungry.

This restaurant did not appear to have any manager or supervisor onsite. It is a restaurant that doesn't know how a restaurant works. Whoever owns this place should not be running a restaurant business because he doesn't seem to know a lot in the food and beverage industry. Lastly, I could not get over how overpriced their karekare was. It was the most expensive karekare in the universe at 3 thousand pesos.

The only time I felt really happy was when we...

Went to Casa Luisa for their Father’s Day brunch and the team bit more than what they can chew.

Some needed improvements here:

1. Table seating management: I placed a reservation and made 50% dp for 8pax and even requested for a table where senior citizens can be more mobile. When we got there, they led us upstairs when the buffet spread was on the ground floor. Then they led us back to the ground floor for a 6seater table and squeezed in 2 additional chairs. Since we got there, I’ve been overhearing that they made mistakes in the table seating. I asked what happened. It would have been cool if the manager just admitted it but he pretended that our table was really for 8 pax when clearly it was too small. The owner apologized instead.

2. Food quantity and quality: The team was not able to feed all the guests with all the food advertised to be served. They had 2 seatings - 9am - 1130am and 12pm - 230pm. We got the 12pm slot and arrived at 1210pm. When we were at the buffet queue, there were some food, like tortang talong, etc., not available and were still not available until we left at 130pm. And I heard some guests complaining that the buffet was already half empty at 115pm! The supposedly highlight was the empanada and all were understuffed. The crust was good but had too little filling that you had to guess the flavor. Towards 130pm, the lechon de leche already had big flies.

3. Service: The team was clearly hardworking and were trying to be all smiles but they were not ready for that big of a service. Some were moving without finesse, especially the ones setting the tables, that they would accidentally bump into people while at work. The worst part for me was when we were billing out. We were surprised that they did not accept senior citizen discount since they said the buffet spread which was P2500 was already “discounted.” The pricing was just too much for that spread and service. And most importantly, they should have included that part in their ads. In the end, they applied the discount. The team was not attentive enough to replenish water, take away used plates from tables, etc.

4. Ambience: The house was beautiful but it was overcrowded. The place was not cool enough and had to request several times to lower the AC temp which would always reset to 26C.

Even so, kudos to the team for their teamwork and trying...

Casa Luisa offers a dining experience that feels both indulgent and deeply comforting. The Garlic Butter Crab Palabok impresses with its generous, rich sauce, beautifully presented, making every bite a delight. The Sisigsilog stands out as one of the best sisig dishes I’ve ever had—perfectly balanced between crispy bits and tender pig ears, well-seasoned, and served in its classic form without mayo. The Dayap Napoleones hits the right note, delivering just the right amount of sweetness, with a crisp outer crust and soft, delicate layers within. Meanwhile, the Chorizo Fundido Empanada shines with its lovely flaky crust, complemented by the saltiness of the chorizo and a subtle creaminess from the cheese.

Among the beverages, the Hibiscus Tea was wonderfully refreshing, though the Auro Hot Chocolate missed expectations, being thinner and far sweeter than anticipated.

The service had moments of inconsistency and lack of foresight & courtesy (they wanted to get a couple of plates that still had food) but was elevated by Ms. Marisa, the gracious hostess who went above and beyond to ensure a welcoming experience. Her attentiveness—offering complimentary iced tea and ensuring we had ice-cold water on a warm day—was truly appreciated.

What makes Casa Luisa unforgettable is its ambiance- it doesn’t just feel like a restaurant, but a home. The nostalgic touches, vintage décor, and family portraits transport you to a warm, familiar space, reminiscent of a grandparent’s home, making the experience all the more special. If you’re looking for hearty flavors paired with a setting that feels personal and inviting, Casa Luisa is...