La Cathedral Cafè, from its roof deck, has captured the scene of a romantic European vibe with the backdrop of the beautiful Neo-Romanesque church, The Manila Cathedral. This cafe has been gaining popularity on social media nowadays because of its Insta-worthy photos.
We visited the place after attending an afternoon Sunday Catholic mass at San Agustin Church for dinner. The cafe requires a reservation from 3 PM onwards. Otherwise, walk-in customers must wait in the lobby area until there’s an available seat. Our waiting time was more than an hour, and unfortunately, it was already past eight in the evening when we entered the roof deck. The lights from the cathedral that gives a romantic ambiance to the cafe were already switched off, which made the place gloomy and less attractive.
ABOUT THE FOOD: I am only expressing my opinion about the food we ordered.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Priced at 295 pesos. It is composed mainly of lettuce, a few pieces of grilled chicken breast, croutons, walnuts, a generous amount of parmesan cheese, and a little Ceasar salad dressing.
I was frustrated with this salad because It is way far from my expectation. The salad is dry and not appetizing. The lettuce is not crisp, while the grilled chicken is a bit dry. I will not recommend this dish.
BLT Sandwich
Priced at 195 pesos. Regular bread with a few slices of bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce. Served with sweet and salty potato chips, which, of course, my daughter liked a lot.
Seafood in Olive Oil Pasta
Priced at 250 pesos. The Seafood in Olive Oil Pasta is tasty and cooked just right. However, it was not served hot. I think the server was not able to serve it on time. From what I have seen in the social media uploads, the dish should have two slices of toasted bread.
Korean Barbeque
Priced at 225 pesos. I find the Korean BBQ too sweet for me, making it tastes like Pork Tocino. A Korean vegetable side dish will make this dish more appetizing and appealing as well.
Caffe Latte
Priced at 135 pesos. Perfectly brewed, but they again forgot to serve the sugar and the creamer, which should be done at once.
ABOUT THE PLACE: The roof deck is not spacious enough for a big crowd. The tables are too small for the sizes of the serving dish, making it overcrowded when the order arrives. Although it was lights out for the cathedral, we still enjoyed the ambiance of the place. It is warm and cozy with OPM background music.
Overall, It was not a very pleasant experience for us. The prices of the food do not value for money, and the customer service is not good. I noticed the toilet in the lobby area is not clean, the toilet flusher is not working, and no tissue paper was provided. On the contrary, the roof deck itself is undoubtedly photo-worthy and has a romantic and relaxing ambiance, especially with the cathedral’s light.
Tips before going to the La Cathedral Cafe:
- Make a reservation before going to the place because walk-in customers will wait for at least an hour to be seated.
- Make sure you are not hungry yet since waiting for your food will take time.
- If you plan to dine in the evening for a more romantic ambiance, make sure to get inside before eight, It will be lights out in the cathedral at exactly eight.
Address: La Cathedral Café is located at 398 Greenfield Bldg. on Beaterio Street corner Cabildo Street in Intramuros, Manila.
Operating hours: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/lacathedralcafe
Thank you for reading.
Till next time.
Related post: Casa Manila Museum Intramuros
We had a lovely few days in Manila about 18 months ago and enjoyed the city. We ate at Ilustrado and Singing Cooks and Waiters – that was an unusual, fun place. Would love to go back sometime soon.
Hi! Thank you for visiting our lovely country. Good to know that you enjoyed it here. Hoping for the pandemic to end soon so we can all travel again. Keep safe!