Hey Foodies! How's your day going? Hope you've having an amazing one as I am. If you're in Cebu and on the lookout for a fantastic restaurant, I've got just the spot for you.

Introducing Café Laguna!

Café Laguna serves up a diverse menu featuring your favorite Filipino dishes. The restaurant's story is quite fascinating and it all started from humble beginnings. It all began in the 1970s when a simple housewife named Julita Urbina opened a small eatery using her mother's cherished Filipino recipes and due to there exceptional and delicious home cooked dishes, she was noticed by executives from San Miguel Corporation’s plant in Cebu where she was invited to run the companies two canteens, serving thousands of employees daily, while operating 24/7. Now fast forward to today, and Café Laguna proudly boasts 11 branches across Visayas and Mindanao. What an inspiring journey, right?

Their newest branch is at THE MALL AT NUSTAR, and that's where our recent lunch with the Service Desk Management Team took place.

Newly opened Cafe Laguna at NUSTAR

We dived into a variety of dishes, and some standouts for me were the Rellenong Manok – the chicken was tender, and the stuffing was delicious. Another winner was the Fried Kangkong with garlic mayo dip; the crispy kangkong paired perfectly with the tasty dip. And of course, we couldn't miss the Sinigang na Hipon and my personal favorite, the Fresh Lumpia.

Of course, we also ordered the Filipino favorite - Crispy Pata

As for the veggies, we had Lumpiang Sariwa (Fresh Lumpia) which is made with stir-fried vegetables, mostly cabbage, wrapped in a lumpia wrapper and topped with peanut sauce. It is mostly sweet in taste and we also had another one of my favorites - Chopsuey.

The spare ribs was also very tender and almost melts in the mouth. I personally loved this.

For dessert, I tried something new – the Langkabkab. It's essentially Langka Ice cream, cabcab (cassava wafer), cashew, topped off with latik. A sweet sensation that definitely satisfied my sweet tooth.

The cassava wafer was actually placed on top of the plate then the waiter will knock it down with a mini mallet, the presentation was actually beautiful, I just forgot to take a video of it.

Here are the other desserts that we ordered,

The famous Halo-Halo and Leche Flan will never go missing when it comes to the list of Pinoy Desserts, wont you agree?

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Being away from home and family, what resonates most for me at Cafe Laguna is the wave of nostalgia it brings—almost like Mom's cooking back home. These are the dishes I grew up with. Those classic Filipino meals just hit differently, wrapping me in a warm, comforting embrace, almost like a stroll down memory lane.

Café Laguna sure is a go-to for casual dining. The interior exudes Filipino charm with a modern twist, striking a balance between classy and elegant, yet homey. While the prices may be slightly above average, trust me, the taste is worth every penny. If you plan to swing by Café Laguna at The Mall in Nu Star, find them on Level 2.

Operating Hours:

11:00 am – 10:00 pm (Mon-Thurs)
11:00 am – 11:00 pm (Fri-Sun)

For reservations, especially for larger groups like ours, give them a ring at 0960 825 7855.

Have you experienced Café Laguna? Share your thoughts below. Or perhaps you have another favorite Pinoy restaurant? Drop your foodie favorites in the comments – can't wait to hear from you!

Ma. Morena is a nature enthusiast, an optimist and outgoing person who loves turning her adventure and thoughts into writing.

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