Café Juanita Pasig Buffet: Café Juanita is probably one of the most iconic and popular restaurants in Kapitolyo, yet it was only recently that I actually visited the restaurant. I’ve already heard a lot of good reviews about Café Juanita, and when I finally got a taste of their dishes one Sunday morning, I understood why people rave about it.
I went to Café Juanita together with my siblings and availed their breakfast buffet, which interestingly is scheduled per seating. The first seating for example, is from 10:30am until 12nn. This means that regardless if you start past 10:30am, you can only avail of the buffet until lunchtime. Otherwise, you’ll have to extend and pay for the next seating, which happens from 12nn onwards. I suggest that you go there earlier so you can maximize your buffet, as extensions most likely won’t be an option, since other people would have reserved those as well, not to mention that you’ll have to pay for twice the price of one seating.
Café Juanita Buffet Price Range
- Php 625.00 per head without leftovers
- Php 745.00 per head with Leftovers
*Sharing not allowed*
The moment you enter, it may give you an impression that this is one of those family heirloom restaurants, given how the interiors seem to replicate somebody’s quirky home. Decorative cups and plates are on display on one side of the walls, like how it is in old houses in the province. A closer look at the interiors would make you realize that Café Juanita isn’t just a Filipino restaurant like I thought it was. The inspiration behind the set-up and design was a mash-up of different Asian elements, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and what I believe to be Vietnamese and Korean decorations. It was bit reminiscent of Mary Grace, only more cluttered and eccentric. It’s like somebody collected too much souvenirs from their travels, so they dumped everything in Cafe Juanita to save space.
The buffet area seems underwhelming at first. It’s in a small, cramped space where you’ll have to adjust most of the time to make room for other diners. The moment you see the food though, you won’t mind the limited space. Just like the interior design, Café Juanita’s buffet is made up of different Asian dishes. Naturally, I gravitated towards the Filipino section.
The food was so good, just thinking about them right now makes me hungry. I had crunchy danggit, fried eggplant (with bagoong, tomatoes and salted egg), scrambled eggs (so fluffy and flavorful), Lechon kawali, longganisa, and beef tapa so sweet and oily, I dare say it’s one of the best I’ve tried. The sinigang was also good and you can also have fresh lumpia on the side. The desserts were simple yet tasty, made mostly of Pinoy rice cakes and fruits.
Café Juanita’s breakfast buffet though, does not include drinks, so you’ll have to order your coffee or juices separately.
In terms of service, the staff was friendly, and you can tell that they are well-trained to serve customers politely. Just rightly so, since it seems that many of the customers are older people, or those belonging to the upper brackets.
The food was undeniably good, yet I still think the buffet was a bit overpriced, given the very limited choices. But still, this is one of the places that I’d be happy to recommend to a visiting relative or friend.
Café Juanita Kapitolyo Pasig
9 W Capitol Dr, Kapitolyo, Pasig City, 1603 Metro Manila
(02) 632 0357