Rustica Tarlac City — Restaurant in Tarlac City

I really wanted to give it 5 stars, because the food and ambience may well be the best Tarlac has to offer --- even our mother is impressed 👍( and she used to own a restaurant herself ! ). What could elevate Rustica from a good restaurant to a great dining experience, is more engagement from the wait staff and the female hosts. I think that they need to be less shy to talk to guests and show that the place is special not just because of the food but also because patrons are in for a great time. Smile more 😆. ( mask or no mask, I can tell if a person is smiling ). Ask us how we are and try to make polite small talk. ( say something like how hot it is outside ☀️, and you've got the AC on full blast just for us! ) Make suggestions on what you think is a good fit for our dinner 🍽 . These gestures cost nothing on operations but increases the overall positive experience and the likelihood for better tips! They have such young, and good-looking male and female staff --- and it's a shame we can't be friendly, even just for the the short time we are there. Another suggestion: be confident enough to speak in English whenever appropriate --- even to the locals. It'll elevate your game and give the place an international feel 😎. Lastly, don't appear rushed. If a person just want to fill their belly fast, then there are a hundred fast food places in the city that can cater to that. Look more relaxed and show that you enjoy serving as much as we enjoy the dining experience. 🥘 To be fair, the staff are nice and efficient to begin with, and food is superb... But with just a tiny tweak here and there, I could see Rustica to be potentially, one of the best in the...

Always went to rustica conception for special events. So normally, yesterday was my birthday and we went to the newly opened Rustica San Rafael. The food was great as usual, i loved the mushroom soup. When the time comes that we needed to pay, our bill is somewhat 2,600ish (i forgot) so my mom put 3,000php down. We kept waiting for the bill for almost 7 mins until one of the waitress asked my mon if she accidentally put more bills as intended, (mind you she’s holding 1,000php like she was about to return it) but when my mom said she didn’t know and looked confused, the waitress went back and gave us nothing. Of course, when you got asked something like that your first instinct is to check your bills. I’m the one who gave my mom the cash that day because we normally dont carry cash and just carry credit cards, so i know how much cash we have. When she checked it and saw that she did indeed put 1,000 more on the check, the waitress kept pushing that she’ll just call us eventually if they somewhat fix this anomaly. So we waited for almost 10 mins for our bill, get asked by a waitress if we accidentally put more money, and somehow they think we won’t catch on? My mom kept arguing but did not persist anymore because it was my birthday. But if it was to me i’d rather talk to someone else. They know what they did wrong and as much as we love the food and the other service from other branches, we won’t be returning to any of the branches of this...

Excellent food. As a foreigner, I'm new to Filipino cuisine but I found that the foods prepared in this establishment to be better representative of the same samples offered in other local eateries. Tried the local favorite sinigang and I found it much better here. As I'm trying out Filipino cuisine for the first time, I could only analyze from taste perspective rather than knowing what it really should be like. Nonetheless, I have a feeling the foods here genuinely represent local cuisines.

A recurring thing I found in many menus here is the lack of translation and decription into English. For first timers, this will help those who are unfamiliar with the colloquial language. I can see this is probably more common in locations where tourists make tracks.

Lastly, one thing this restaurant could improve on is the service delivered by the staff. It seems majority of the servers appear to be unenthusiastic. I'm thinking possibilities for their reticence rooted in salary, working condition, etc. But seeing that they want to pursue careers in hospitality, it would help to hone their human skills. Smiling is a good start. Speaking up and suggesting items when asked makes customers feel more welcoming. I'm certain there are underlying reasons for the lack of motivation to interact.

Overall, kudos to the quality of food prepared here. The kitchen staff should be proud of their efforts in presenting their delectable versions of...