Kamayan - Tamerlane's Ihaws — Restaurant in San Roque

📍 Restaurant Review: Kamayan - Tamerlane’s Ihaws

📅 Visit Date & Time: Visited in the afternoon on a weekend with a group of friends for a casual get-together.

🎯 Purpose of Visit: Group dining / casual social gathering.

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📍 Location & Accessibility

Kamayan - Tamerlane’s Ihaws is a great spot for those seeking authentic Filipino grilled food. The restaurant is easy to locate and offers free parking, a big plus especially for group visits. Whether you’re coming by car or ride-share, it’s conveniently accessible.

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🚗 Parking & Exterior

There is ample free parking available near the restaurant, making it very convenient for guests arriving by car. The exterior is clean and welcoming, with a simple setup that lets you know you’re in for a no-fuss, hearty meal.

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🚪 Entrance & First Impression

The entrance is straightforward and accessible, and the interior opens into a bright, airy space with a rustic-meets-casual atmosphere. The long table setup is perfect for large groups. The use of banana leaves instead of plates gives it a traditional, cultural vibe right from the start — a true kamayan experience (eating with hands).

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🪑 Interior & Ambience • Restroom: Available and decently maintained. • Interior Style: Functional and relaxed, with woven chairs and clean wooden tables. • Noise Level: Moderate – perfect for chatting without being too loud. • Seating Arrangement: Long tables that can easily accommodate 10+ people; great for family-style dining. • Comfort: Air-conditioned, well-ventilated, and brightly lit.

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🤵 Staff & Service

The staff were friendly and helpful, especially when explaining how the kamayan-style meal works. Service was quick despite the volume of orders, and they made sure everyone was comfortable and well-informed about the dishes.

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📋 Menu Variety

Kamayan – Tamerlane’s Ihaws features a grill-and-choose style counter. Guests can pick from an array of meats, seafood, and vegetables to be freshly grilled. Highlights include: • Grilled eggplant with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) • Chicken wings, skewers, and sausages • Pork belly slabs • Freshwater fish on sticks • Crabsticks and fresh salads • Assorted vegetables with dips

The focus is on savory, umami-rich flavors perfect for pairing with steamed white rice.

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🍽️ Food Experience • Grilled Eggplant + Bagoong: Smoky, tender eggplant served with a rich, salty-sweet shrimp paste. Earthy and deeply satisfying. • Marinated Chicken Skewers: Juicy and flavorful with a hint of sweetness in the marinade. • Grilled Pork Belly: Nicely charred and savory with a slightly caramelized edge – a standout dish. • Sticky Rice (Puso-style): Firm, slightly chewy texture – ideal for grabbing and dipping with grilled meats and sauces. • Fresh Vegetables + Dip: A refreshing balance to all the grilled items. Served with a dark, tangy-sweet dip that elevates the taste.

The food is served on banana leaves, adding an earthy aroma and authenticity to the dining experience. Everything is meant to be eaten kamayan-style, and it’s surprisingly fun and engaging.

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💸 Price & Value • Average per person: Roughly affordable to mid-range depending on how much you grill. • Value: Excellent for the quality and quantity served. Portion sizes are generous, especially for meats. • No surprise charges or hidden fees.

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⭐ Overall Impression & Recommendation

Kamayan - Tamerlane’s Ihaws is a fantastic choice for groups, families, and anyone looking to enjoy traditional Filipino flavors in a fun and interactive way. The kamayan experience is both cultural and communal, making it especially memorable. • Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) • Would I return? Absolutely, especially with friends or family. • Who it’s for: Great for casual group outings, team lunches, family gatherings, or cultural food...

Food is okay. Decent for its price. But my main concern here is the staff.

I’m writing to share a serious concern regarding the way your staff handled our recent visit. If your establishment does not truly welcome pets, then it would be more honest to remove the “pet-friendly” area altogether. It’s misleading to advertise otherwise, only for customers to be treated unfairly once they arrive with their pets. Last weekend, my family stopped by Kamayan after picking up our 7-week-old puppy. We also had our 1-year-old dog with us. Since our pup is still too young for a proper diaper, we did our best to improvise — wrapping a lampin around his waist and placing him securely in a balabal tied over my husband’s shoulder. His head was the only part exposed for breathing. Meanwhile, our 1-year-old dog was on a leash, wearing a diaper, and is well-trained.

Upon arriving, we were greeted by the parking attendant who also seemed to be handling guest reception. He told us to sit in the pet-friendly area, but gave no direction. When I asked if we should head to the entrance, he responded curtly with “Hindi po dyan. Bawal kayo dyan", which felt unnecessarily rude. We stood awkwardly for a few moments until he (maybe)had a hint na he should (maybe)open the gate that he had been blocking since he is in front of the entrance. That interaction alone was disappointing, but we let it slide.

Then came the more upsetting part. A female staff member asked if our 7-week-old pup had a diaper. We answered yes, explaining he had a lampin and that we had no plans of putting him down. She replied, “Ah, di po ibababa? Sige po. Okay na yan.” We proceeded inside, settled at a table, and I walked over to check the menu. To my shock, that same staff member chased after me and said, “Ma’am, di po pala naka diaper. Bawal po talaga.” It was incredibly frustrating. She had just allowed us in after we explained everything AND only changed her mind after we were already seated. She had seen the pup’s lampin, understood that he was being carried, yet still made a scene.

This inconsistency in handling customers, especially pet owners, feels discriminatory. I’ve been dining at Kamayan since 2016, including visits to your new location. I’ve even seen other dogs EVEN SITTING ON THE TABLE without any staff intervention. So why the selective enforcement now? Is it based on a whim?

We made every effort to follow your rules, even improvising for our pup’s safety and hygiene. Yet we were made to feel unwelcome and judged. We care more for our pets' safety, far more than your establishment's rules. So it's a basic common sense for us to protect them especially outside. We simply wanted to eat before heading home.

To the management: please choose your staff more carefully. They represent your brand. Their poor judgment and inconsistent enforcement of rules may drive loyal customers away. Despite previous visits where we experienced long wait times and inconsistent service, we always came back. But this time was different. This was our last straw.

Your staff needs training. Not just in policy, but in common sense, consistency, and compassion. If you cannot ensure your team will apply your “pet-friendly” policy fairly, then please reconsider having one at all. Better to be honest than hypocritical.

We expected...

This place gave me diarrhea! We just ate here earlier and now I've been in and out of the toilet.

The "no spoon and fork" rule is stupid. Not everyone wants to eat with their bare hands. Give them the option to eat using spoon and fork! I know your place is called "kamayan" but forcing people to eat with their hands is pure stupid. I asked one of your staff if they can give us spoon and fork to use, but he simple said "Wala po eh".

If you really want people to eat with their hands, invest in anti bacterial soap, touch-free faucets/wash basins and paper napkins! I don't think the soap was anti-bacterial and you need to touch the water faucet after washing your hands, which defeats the purpose of cleaning your hands before eating since you need to touch the dirty faucet after. What I did was wash the handle of the faucet as well just so that I can be sure that my hands are clean. I also asked if they have paper napkins and the staff told me "Wala po eh" as well.

Waited for more than an hour for 1 liempo, 1 chicken, 1 hito and 1 Bahay Kubo (steamed veggies). The place was not even packed since we went here at 5pm on a Tuesday.

Change your kamayan policy. I either got my diarrhea by eating with my bare hands or the way you handled your food. The chicken tasted a bit off and it was too salty. The liempo was chewy. The only food you did right was the Bahay Kubo (steamed veggies).

Overall it was a bad experience. Food was meh and you have a stupid "kamayan" policy. The staff was...