This place is awesome - pay for the cultural show its buffet, it's worth it! It's located near Intramuros tourist areas and the ambiance is so pretty! Many tables of tour groups but the service is excellent and I absolutely loved the cultural show taking you through Philippine history. Very well executed!! The buffet is quite diverse and a great way to try Philippine cuisine en masse. Highly recommend! read more

See all

Barbara's is a solid choice for lunch if you are visiting Manila in the Philippines. We had a blast! What stood out about this restaurant was the exceptional customer service and the cultural dancing while you eat delicious traditional Filipino food buffet style. I don't know if it's because they cater to tourist that makes this place so special but I left here feeling very full and very happy from the cultural performances. What was also fun was after the performances they invite the visitors from different regions of the world up to the stage and taking a picture with the dance performers. It provided a great keepsake to take back home. They also perform different songs from around the Philippines and the different dialects they speak and where they are from providing an educational opportunity. One of the songs was from the region, where my mother's father is from which is why I took a trip to the Philippines to learn more about my grandfather's culture and homeland. This touched my soul deeply and will never forget my time at Barbara's. The food was outstanding and very tourist friendly. I went up two times to partake in the delicious offerings from the buffet. I think the best thing about this place too is to have experienced all of this in an air-conditioned building. It was a nice reprieve from the 90+ degrees Fahrenheit with humidity weather that I endured in Manila. I also attended another restaurant with the cultural performance, and it was outside, and the experience was not as special due to the weather. So that's why I can't say enough good things about how I was treated and the yummy food that I ate and the beautiful cultural performances I admired at Barbara's. Highly recommend Barbara's while visiting the Philippines . read more

See all

If you are from the area, visiting from out of country, or within; I believe Barbara's is a rite of passage to experience Filipino culture. Its all about having a good time with your family, with great choreographed entertainment that will enlighten you with generations of culture being presented to you while you stuff your face with high cholesterol. The food is served buffet style. You can get back up to get more but I suggest loading up initially so you don't have to deal with walk around tables and/or being trapped during a performance. Unless y'all don't give a darn then you chillin'. If you're Pilipino and think this is a tourist trap spot, it really isn't. Its good quality time with your pamilya stuffing your face like Lords while the bards and dancers prance. Oh god that got very hierarchal feudally real quick. I didn't mean it like the negative way at all. If you can imagine like a BIG AZN or LATINO PARTY where there's lots of chaos and loud noises. Y'all sensitive folks will be incredibly overstimulated lmaooo. I digress - COME HERE AND EXPERIENCE LIFE! read more

I stopped here for lunch while visiting Intramuros. I didn't have any reservations but was seated just in time for a show at 12:30. It's an all you can eat buffet with a cultural show. There's also a dinner show as well. I loved the show and there was a variety of food. My favorite was definitely all the veggies especially the okra. Lunch show was about 1.5hrs. Definitely a great place to visit if you're visiting Intramuros. Food was good. read more

See all

Well we were in Manila at Ft Santiago & Intromuros (?). We where in a horse Drawn carriage ( have no idea who got it) but he took us to Barbara's and it has a magnificent rooftop view. So we went up and no lie the view was amazing. You can see a large part of Manila and just about all of the Fort. Was truly one of the best views in all of Manila. Well worth the trip, I dont know if it cost any money but if it did it's worth your time & money. read more

What an extraordinary experience. The hospitality was off the charts. The food was authentic and delicious enough to satisfy our group of locals and out of towners. Highlights were the adobo, pancit with chicken liver, turon and other sweet treats. Appreciate that they had other options like seafood paella and rib eye steak and potatoes. The cultural performance was the true highlight with excellent performers and musicians. Lastly, the opportunity for your party to take a pic with the dancers and shout out to your group table make this a place I will always recommend. Especially since it is right across the street from San Agustin. Bravo to the whole Barbara's staff and thanks for making our lunch so special! read more

See all

First time here. Very authentic decoration and it's got that fusion Filipino food. Great service, and great presentation of the meals. I would come back here again. read more

Delicious food! Excellent service! I had the kare-kare, tulong, garlic fried rice, and paellya. The oxtail kare-kare was very good with the bagoong. Tulong was on point. The garlic fried rice was good. Although the paellya was good, I've had better. I also had leche flan & halo-halo. This place presents an exceptional eating experience with a band playing music for you and attentive servers. Highly recommended! read more

If you're a tourist in Intramuros, you're very likely to end up at Barbara's Heritage Restaurant. It's a popular spot, centrally located in the Plaza San Luis Complex, with a daily cultural show and a large menu full of Filipino offerings. The people are nice, the atmosphere colorful and welcoming. It is also the most classic tourist trap I've ever walked into. I went with a large party, and we had a 12:30 reservation after a long, busy morning, during which I'd come down with a mild but pervasive headache. The restaurant seemed promising enough. I liked the kitschy vibe and banquet hall decor, which felt pleasingly different from restaurants I see in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the cultural show began almost as soon as we sat down. The actual show was probably great and interesting, and I did appreciate the enthusiastic, talented dancers. The acoustics, though, were absolutely atrocious. My headache didn't help, of course, but our whole party was pretty horrified by the incredible volume of the music and narration screeching from the yard sale-quality sound system. The show went on for almost the entirety of our meal, ending only in time for our table to sign the guestbook on our way out. The oppressive noise made it impossible to talk to each other and did nothing to soften the blow of the food, which was, if not uniformly awful, bad to mid almost entirely across the board. The menu was wide-ranging, with both Mexican taquitos and a full pasta section, but did highlight several Filipino specialties, some of which I was trying for the first time. We got lumpia, pork sisig, tiger prawn sinigang, and pancit canton, and I found most of them barely worth eating. The lumpia fresca ubod were heart of coconut spring rolls with pork and shrimp, served with peanut sauce. Inoffensive but just not good. The pork sisig was a skillet of chopped up pork jowl, onion, and chili pepper that was honestly kind of gross. Maybe that was on me and my American palate, but I am not opposed to eating the scrappy bits of pigs. The pancit canton was an unappetizing dish of limp egg noodles sautéed with pork, chicken liver, shrimp, and vegetables. The sinigang was at least interesting, a tangy, tamarind-based soup with vegetables and prawns. It had a weird funk to it, though, kind of like the inside of a shrimp's head (a taste I usually enjoy) but taken to a musty extreme. I did like my sweet, juicy mango shake and the butterfly pla-pla, a crispy fried St. Peter's fish served with a soy-based dipping sauce and pickled papaya. The fish was affirmatively tasty, and I'd recommend it if you're going to eat here. The gambas al ajillo were also fine, a Spanish appetizer of shrimp with pepper and garlic. Barbara's is popular, and plenty of people go and enjoy the food and the cultural show. It was a miss for me, but you can blame my headache, or my American sensibilities. Check it out if you so desire and experience it yourself. read more

We had a sudden vacation to the Philippines for business and pleasure and since the event is going to be at the Manila Cathedral, we stayed at the Manila Hotel. Of course, we had a few days to explore the area, Intramuros and Luneta Park was nearby so we took time to visit these widely renowned destinations, too. Much of the folks we spoke about fine dining pointed us to Barbara's Restaurant so off we go! We were welcomed by a group playing and singing Filipino and English songs. Wow, I requested some and they belted it out like a 45 playing on my old turn table. We ordered sisig, fish soup (milkfish), veggies (pinakbet) and a large fried pork leg (Crispy Pata). These came with dipping sauces and steamed rice. The milkfish soup was sour and fishy but blended in with my steamed rice, the sisig was tender pieces of meat and was crunchy and very tender while the pork leg was just about right. All these blended like a collaboration of tastes, bringing me back to the old days, in my 20's earning my first scholarship to study in the U.S., real very memorable. We also had a rare view of a Flamenco dance and a personal welcome by Barbara herself! My visit to Barbara's featuring a welcome by Barbara was more than just food but also a memory lane walk to the time of Spain's colonial rule of the Philippines. So, if you happen to be in the Philippines as a visitor or just coming back, dine at Barbara's and enjoy what you've missed or smell the real aroma of fine dining. read more

See all

There's something so special about dining in a restored Spanish-era mansion like Casa Manila. It's like stepping back in time! read more

See all

With relatives and friends during a trip to the PI and we decided to get out of the hear and have lunch. When entering, I observed the Spanish decor. Food was great! The most memorable moment was when the 3 man band approached the tables singing songs by request. They did awesome playing songs on the spot! Good times! read more

See all

This is a great place to bring visitors new to the Philippines. The price was reasonable for a buffet of tasty traditional dishes, music, and an engaging cultural dance show. Reserve in advance for the dinner show. The restaurant is on the second floor of a reproduced Spanish colonial building, so there is a long stairway (no elevator for those needing accessibility). read more

See all

You are visiting this place because they have a cultural show. Book a reservation early and try to get a nice table where you can see the stage clearly. Food is ok, but there are better restaurants in the area. Very friendly staff. Highly recommended. Please tip generously. read more

Amazing food and service. The sweet tea was very tasty as well. We had the bolognese and Caesar salad that were prepared to perfection. We highly recommend this place. read more

Love the food! Love the ambiance! Love the staff! Love everything! Will definitely come back!!!

Barbara's was one of my most favorite moments during my entire vacay in the Philippines! Here's why! I had no idea what Barbara's was prior to my visit. My family was touring around Intramuros and we stopped at San Agustin Church where my parents got married. I was getting cranky at this point in the day and I didn't want to go down to visit the church LOL anyway, I had to use the bathroom so I went across the street to Barbara's. Right when I walked in the place looked so familiar... I realized this is the restaurant where the movie "Last Night" with Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga was filmed! I literally screamed and started fangirling once I figured it out! "Last Night" is one of my favorite Filipino movies so if you haven't seen it, make sure to check it out. I love Piolo! I think he's one of the handsomest Filipino men out there! HA HA I also really like Toni! I thought Barbara's was a fake restaurant that they made up for the movie, so imagine my surprise when I found out it was real! Also, I had no idea it's an iconic restaurant in the Philippines! It's a heritage restaurant and even the employees are dressed up in traditional costume. Well I'll be damned! I made my family get a quick meryenda here! Barbara's has a restaurant, a patio cafe, and a small store. I opted to sit in their patio since that's where the movie was filmed hehe. I ordered Mais Con Hielo which was good and refreshing! This place put me in such a good mood! I would love to come back here in the future and go on a romantic date on the patio :D Please do yourself a favor and put Barbara's at the top of your Philippines Itinerary! read more

See all

Excellent food! Try the chicken with gata, bistec tagalog, veggies and don't forget saba with sesame seed! Service was excellent! We'll definitely go back to try other food in the menu and maybe for dinner to enjoy Intramuros at night! read more

The food at Barbara's is simple, but it's just the thing if you want to grab a quick and tasty bite for lunch. Historic tours around Manila's Old Quarter pass right by the venue; the prices here are very reasonable, and the level of service is exceptional! Should you find yourself in this part of Manila, it's totally worth dropping in her for a bite to eat and/or a drink - highly recommended! read more

Barbara's was one of the hightlights of my Philippine vacation. My husband and I vacationed with my sister, brother-in-law (BIL), and my parents during the Christmas holidays. Fortunately, we were recommended to come here for lunch after our Intramuros sightseeing. We sure are glad that we did because we couldn't stop talking about our experience here for a couple of weeks afterwards! When you first walk in Barbara's, you notice the traditional Filipino atmosphere. You climb up antique-looking stairs to this beautiful restaurant set-up. Fortunately, there are options to eat the buffet or a la carte. Considering that my family and I were all hungry, we opted for the buffet. I am sure glad we did. I was someone skeptical that the quality was going to be good due to it being part of a buffet, but I was sure wrong! Everything was home-cooked, so the ingredients were fresh. I especially liked the kare-kare and lechon. The desserts were fantastic as well. In addition to the food, the service was wonderful, and there were three gentlemen going around playing music and singing to songs requested by the customers (of course, tip required). I would wholeheartedly recommend Barbara's. It was both a cultural and food experience. If I am ever back in Manila again, I would definitely return here. read more

It's been a long time since I was last in the Philippines, some 16 years ago, and I was excited to come back as part of a tour group, which allowed me to learn more about my heritage. Riding on a coach (which, by the way, I was mystified when the driver maneuvered a huge bus around the tight streets of Manila!), I was mesmerized by the sights of Intramuros, the oldest district in Manila at the time of the Spanish Colonial Period. Barbara's is located near San Agustin Church, in fact, right across from it, and up a flight of stairs. On the day we visited, lunch was buffet and featured Filipino food - rice, pancit, adobo, lechon, chicken, vegetables, and dessert. For me, in addition to the food, the highlight was the music - three guys walking around the dining room serenading guests with Filipino classics as well as other popular songs. read more

Barbara's - Lunchtime Serenade - Spanish Near Me - Manila, NCR

See all

Tip: If you plan to date me, this is the perfect place. LOL If you have been to Barbara's, you would know why this place excites me and makes me feel like I'm dining with the elite class from way back when. Situated inside the walls of my favorite place in Intramuros, Casa Manila, Barbara's offer a wide slection of traditional Filipino foods that comes with a cultural show that will surely ignite your Filipino spirit. If you're not there for dinner though, you could drop by Barbara's Café for a quick snack (I love their fresh watermelons, a good way to rehydrate from all the walking), or order the rice meals. Though the food tastes so so, you can never go wrong with the way Barbara's will make you feel like time travelling to the past. read more

Barbara's - Spanish Near Me - Manila, NCR

See all

Excellent food! Try the chicken with gata, bistec tagalog, veggies and don't forget saba with sesame seed! read more

We would like to change the date and time. We are open every day and we open at 11:30am to 9:00 pm. Thankyou read more

Barbara's - Entrance - Spanish Near Me - Manila, NCR

See all

When I'm in Intramuros, I always find myself ending up in Barbara's. Have you seen this place? The architecture is exquisite. It's situated in its own little plaza with a fountain in the middle. I'm pretty sure the outdoor seating area used to be a carriage house, and when you go inside, it's like time-travelling to Maria Clara's dinner party, or to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera. The food is delicious too. Classic Filipino dishes served Filipino style (read: generously, in overflowing bowls). You can also arrange cultural entertainment, if you're a large enough group, but I think they also have scheduled shows some nights that you can enjoy along with your sumptuous dinner. read more

See all

Howard and I spent our afternoon in Intramurous, and Barbara's was recommended both on Yelp and on a travel guide we were following. We opted to eat from the regular menu. I was actually looking for breakfast food (it was brunch time), but unfortunately they were done serving breakfast by the time we got there. We ordered chicken adobo and kare-kare - two staple dishes. Howard was really happy with the chicken adobo, and I enjoyed the kare-kare. I did wish that the kare-kare had more meat than tripe, but what can ya do. I was happy with the amount of vegetables in it as well. Although I'm a bit sad we didn't opt for the buffet and we missed the entertainment at dinner, it was a good start to our first full day in Manila. The location is beautiful and Barbara's is located right next to Casa de Manila (where we went next) and San Augustin Church. read more

This place is horrible. Chicken ice cold, no lime for my corona when they told me they had. Nobody knows what is going on. Also I have attached a picture of multiple ants our table. This one was on the wine glass read more

Barbara's - Spanish Near Me - Manila, NCR

If you are looking for a place to have dinner while watching a folkloric dance presentation, then Barbara's is the right place. I ended up there after strolling through Intramuros, Manila's historic walled place. The restaurant is set in the heart of it, exactly at Plaza San Luis, just across San Agustin Church. My husband and I enjoyed a traditional Filipino dinner there. We hadn't planned that before, actually. It was like: "oh, this place seems to be nice, let's check it!". I remember it was hard to have a sit because we didn't have a reservation. The hostess, however, was very efficient and promptly found us a table. The highlight for me was really the dance presentation. The show gives a sample of different cultural traditions and the dancers explain the origin of each kind of dance. I had a great time trying the tinikling (Filipino bamboo dance) with them. Just loved it! The buffet menu was nice also, with typical Filipino dishes, like beef caldereta, pancit and lumpias. We paid a fix amount and could eat as much as we wanted. I must add that the complex where Barbara's is located has an antique charm that is worth the visit. There's a courtyard with a fountain, surrounded by paving stones. I highly recommend dropping by after a Intramuros walking tour. read more

When my college barkada and I went to Intramuros for a spontaneous field trip, we ended up going to San Agustin Church. 100+ pictures later, my friend, who already visited the walled-city several times, decided to bring us to one of her favorite restaurants. She brought us to this restaurant called Barbara's which looks just like an old stone house from the Spanish era. The first time I saw the place, it reminded me of my lola's ancestral home in Ilocos. The floor was made out of wood, while the walls were decorated by widely-opened "lampirong" windows. For the buffet, Barbara's serves authentic Filipino food. For the hot meals, they had grilled prawns, paella, pandan rice, roast beef, and many more. For desert, they serve chocolate eclairs, blueberry cheesecake, and chocolate cake among others. According to the chef, they change the menu everyday so that the customers would always come back for more food surprises. Besides serving food, Barbara's is also known for their cultural presentations. Native folk dances such as Tinikling and Carinosa are shown here almost every night. read more

Barbara's - The Old Manila setting of Barbara's - Spanish Near Me - Manila, NCR

This definitely a place for tourists, not for locals. However, if you want to taste authentic food and all the best classic cultural dishes from the Philippines, and the best of cultural dances by professional dancers, you're in the right place. If you're not that familiar with Filipino culture, this is a great place to start in Manila. Plus you get the added bonus of being in Intramuros, which has a lot of great things to see and do. Every tourist should add this to their list when they are in Manila for the first time. read more

Go for the entertainment only, it was nice to experience local dance and culture. Service was excellent as well however the food...very disappointed. We read on yelp that it was authentic Filipino food, big portions that you would find in a traditional cooked home. Sadly we found it was a buffet of ALL western food. Spaghetti, chicken, sliced deli pork (not slow roasted pulled pork) with rice. We were hoping for pancit, lumpia, adobo... We asked if there was a menu and were told only the buffet. read more

We showed up too late for the dinner show . . But they allowed us to get a drink and see the last few moments. As an international traveler i don't understand some of the complaints . . this is a great value with a lovely show and ample buffet in a beautiful setting... all for about US$15. read more

I've been seeing Barbara's every time I go to the San Agustin Church area - it's just across, and they have the very visible guards in guardia civil uniform. I know they have a restaurant or cafe, but I didn't know that they have cultural performances. It was only when I saw Barbara's offering of a buffet meal and cultural show in a discount coupon site that I found out about their performances. I availed of the discounted rate for a late birthday celebration with my family, and we loved it! Even then, the regular rate is already good value for money given the richness of the experience, as I would find out later. Imagine eating Pinoy food in an Old Manila setting like you would see in Noli Me Tangere perhaps, and watching Pinoys in native costume dancing the Tinikling, Cariñosa, among other numbers. After that evening, both our stomachs and our hearts were full. read more

Barbara's is one of the places I recommend when Manila tourists asks me for a good place to have lunch or dinner. It's one of those fine dining restaurants in Manila, themed after an old rich's bahay na bato (stone house) with Spanish-Filipino cuisine. Situated beside the oldest church in the Philippines (San Agustin Church) inside the restored Intramuros, Barbara's dining experience recreates a feeling of the past, much like of how Illustrados (Elite Filipinos during the Spanish era in the Philippines) were like. Aside from the classy menu and dining sets, it also showcases Filipino culture through performances of Filipino traditional songs and dances. (You can check out Barbara's website for their schedule of cultural shows.) On an ordinary day for lunch or dinner, a Rondalla trio with stand-up bass usually goes around tables and entertains diners with serenading music usually of Kundiman songs or renditions of Manila Sounds. If you have a song in mind, you can also try requesting it to them. Their live music will surely complete your whole dining experience! Barbara's also have a coffee shop just below which offers various kinds of brewed coffee, fruit shakes and cakes and pastries. This is also a spot ideal for a morning or an afternoon 'muni-muni' over coffee. It's a good place to think, write and plan a good day or night ahead. read more