As we rambled down the streets of Baguio, one of the places that was highly recommended was Café by…read morethe Ruins. The eclectic menu was highly satisfying and we gorged on so many dishes. It is an iconic café, restaurant and bakery in Baguio that's long been beloved by both locals and visitors. The ambience has a rustic, artsy vibe and has played an important role in the city's cultural and culinary scene. It's called Café by the Ruins quite literally because it was built beside, and partly within, the ruins of a war-damaged building in downtown Baguio. After World War II, much of Baguio was destroyed during the battle to retake the city. This is why the café became a natural home for artists, writers, activists and thinkers, the space itself tells a story of survival and reinvention.

I thought that I wrote a review for this place years ago. I have been going here for about 30…read moreyears. It is an amazing restaurant with a historical location. All this time I thought the restaurant was located on Chuntug. During my younger days, Baguio was known for the clubs and casinos at a couple of the hotels. Things changed after a major earthquake, and I guess the name of the street for the Cafe By The Ruins also changed to Shuntug. I love all the architectural changes that the restaurant has made after the horrible fire they had. Of course the restaurant would have a wonderful ambiance, since the co-founders were artists and creative minded individuals. This is a location where memories are created with an unforgettable dining experience. They proudly served farm-to-table food before the social movement of using local ingredients in food preparation. In fact, the menu changes due to the seasonal fruits and vegetables. I encourage you to ask your server for their recommendations. They will know what's currently popular, and it is a great way to discover new items you might not have considered otherwise. I say that only because I would not have tried the duck pinikpikan, since I remembered how chicken pinikpikan was made. I'm glad we ordered it, because it was the perfect match with the rice that was served with it. The black ink pasta with fish rose cream sauce and crispy tapa are dishes that I'll be ordering again. I also asked what the server recommended for a dessert, and I'm hoping that they'll always have the strawberry pavlova on their menu. I also enjoyed Christine's Crepe. The Ice Ruins Coffee was a wonderful beverage with my desserts. This is a restaurant that I always go to whenever I go to Baguio.

Great baked goods and service! Cakes are always fresh and delicious. Perfect for any occasion!!read more

Goldilocks is a very well known bakery based in the Philippines and is pretty much a cultural fact…read moreof life for Filipinos. Their story is nothing short of a fairy tale (like their namesake) and have shops all over the world. This particular Goldilocks location is located in Stern Mall next to CSI Supermarket. It's just a little store, but stocked with all the basics: polvoron, cakes, pastries, & some drinks. It was my son's birthday and I needed a cake. We quickly browsed through their display case of already made cakes and ended up getting 2! They can customize cakes as well, but we didn't have time for that. So, we settled on an 8" round tres leches cake and 18" (or so) ube roll cake. They couldn't write on the tres leches cake due to the decoration, but for an extra 10 pesos (or something ridiculously cheap), they could do a custom message on the ube roll cake. "Happy birthday Ethan" it was. The writing was so nostalgic for me. They've been doing this "style" since I was little. It's like nothing has changed. Haha. The workers had me check if everything was to my liking before quickly packing it up in these nice boxes. Super quick and easy. Best of all, it was cheap (~$15). They kept pretty well on our drive home despite the hot weather and it was just the right amount for everyone at the party. As far as taste goes... the tres leches cake wasn't true tres leches and was missing the topping. It was still delicious, but a little dry. Definitely needed the cream and it would've been perfect! I just added a condensed milk cream to it and I was golden. The ube roll was tasty as well! My kiddo enjoyed it. Overall, 4 stars and a solid choice for all your cake needs.

Came here for breakfast while we were staying in the city of Baguio. They have 2 floors, the first…read morefloor is more for their baked goods and a cup of coffee. Upstairs is a large room for more of a sit down type of breakfast. So the 9 of us ordered a lot of different foods. The main waitress was really patient with us as we tried to figure out what we wanted individually and as a group, explaining to us the best options, which was nice of her. 1 of the other servers wasent very nice but the other gentleman was. There was a tv there that they put on the basketball game, and they seemed to be more interested in watching the game then attending to our needs. To refil your water you need to walk to where the 5 gallon container of water was and get your own water which is ok since there is no service charge included in the pricing. We ordered a lot of food from garlic fried rice to fried chicken to their fish and other dishes. It took approximately 20 min for the food to come out which isnt bad. The food wasent bad. Its so so, not the greatest but not the worst, what you would expect in a small time city with small time capabilities. Price-wise it wasent too expensive. Overall i wouldnt mind trying the pastries they offered, but i would like to try the other restaurants available in the area

Small bakery with beautiful cakes and cupcakes to go with the usual bread-based offerings…read more Variety is good, prices are reasonable, and there's a sitting area so you can lounge as you munch. Definitely try the kiwi cupcake if you want something interesting and new!

We had cupcakes and a chocolate cake from here. The kiwi cupcakes are so unique - never tasted…read moreanything like them. The red velvet cupcakes were LIFE! They are so tasty. So packed and dense. Delicious. The chocolate cake we ordered for my Dad's birthday and the cake was good. A little dry but it had nice layers of filling. The chocolate frosting was super tasty. Gold bits of candy were crunchy to taste. The message was spot on. Cash only. Awesome shop.

Always a known stopover for travelers to the north. Sweet local indulgence, they're known for their…read morechewy Bibingka. They also have some few things on the side like the calamansi- Philippine lemon and super garlic, best garlic in the world.

Bibingka was ok... Cassava tasted like the bibingka. Malunggay cupcakes weren't appetizing at all…read more There are better bakeries when you get to vigan. If I were you, I would wait until I get to vigan for better bibingka. The lady behind counter was very rude also... Did not even greet nor smile and told my cousin in Ilocano to tell me to buy everything. Non Ilocanos beware of this place.

Five star service. All the bibinka was delicious, we ate a box in a flash. The ambiance is…read morewelcoming and open, but all the girls were on their phones. But I understand young girls.

Royal Bibingka!! This is one of the food items that we wished to try on our trip to Vigan City in…read morethe Philippines. So when we arrived in Vigan, we immediately asked the locals where we should purchase this item. Everybody said to go to Tongson's so that is exactly what we did. The shop was easy to find as it is located in the heart of the city on Ilocos Sur Crisologo Street. Their sign says that they are "The Home of Original Royal Bibingka". I guess that this is the place that this delicious snack originated from. What is Royal Bibingka? Is it some dessert made for only Royalty? No, it is actually a kind of Filipino Rice Cake made of glutinous rice flour, eggs. and milk for the most part. It has a chewy and sticky texture. The version that Tongson's makes is good. Wifey and I finished our box of eight of them before the day even ended. Tongson's Royal Bibingka sells some other snacks. I was not interested in anything else though. Biggest decision was deciding how many Royal Bibingkas to purchase. Service was quick. There were no seats or tables at Tongson's so we ate ours on the go. Royal Bibingka is something that should be eaten in Vigan City, and Tongson's is the place you should try it first. Bon Appetit!

A bit pricey and the food is sorta fancy but I prefer food from the cantinas. It seems much more…read moreauthentic and better for your wallet.

I made clear to fam that I didn't wanna eat at ANY franchise eateries during my last visit. I much…read moreprefer local mom-and-pop spots. That said, cousin-in-law, Idol (not his real name, that's just what we call him) suggested we try this place. "You gotta try their apple salad, it's soooo good!" No doubt we're gonna get that, "so let's go!" Party of 4, we walked in and Idol immediately asked if we could be seated upstairs. "It's nice up there." Luckily, a big party (who occupied the entire floor) just got done, so we were seated right away. The apple salad was a must, but after looking through their menu, I had my eye on some other stuff I've never had before. We put in our orders and waited patiently for grub. It's a really beautifully laid out place. The decor wasn't overwhelming, just right for the space. Then the food started rolling over. CALAMANSI JUICE: Sweet and sour tang - more sweet than sour - and it was refreshing especially on a hot, humid (albeit rainy) day. Good start. SIDE SOUP: Also a good starter to get the appetite going. Man, how did they make this?! It had some depth and flavor, the bowl was still warm by the time I got through it! I wanted to ask for more, but kept in mind to keep room for grub! APPLE CHICKEN WALDORF SALAD: The same Idol recommended. Apple was crispy fresh, the walnuts added texture, and the romaine lettuce was a good cleanse to the semi-sweet dressing. We were a party of 4, but I think I ate more than my share. He's right: it's really good! Get this! SIZZLING BULALO: Okay, I ordered this because I was curious. I really just wanted to see what this looks like since I've only had it as a soup. Instead of broth, they doused it with with bulalo flavored gravy with a side of veggies. The meat was cooked tender and flavored so perfectly. The entire dish maintained its "bulalo" profile. Delish! Curious no more: I loved it! GUISADONG KANGKONG: It came with seafood?!? Even better! Veggies were so fresh, it tasted like it just got plucked minutes before cooking. Then mixing it with the well-prepped and cooked seafood! Wow! Two thumbs up for sure! PASTA BOLOGNESE: Idol's main dish. Of course he let me try it. So... most pastas in the Philippines are prepped with some level of sweetness to it. This was done RIGHT. There was only a teenee hint of sweet to this one, otherwise, nearly perfect. And the garlic bread was done right, a good cleanser, if need be. My nephew and niece ordered bento boxes I didn't get to try, but their empty plates says a lot. FOOD: 5. There was nothing I tried and didn't like. SERVICE: 5. Our server was attentive and friendly. Service with a smile is always a plus. VALUE: 4.5. I felt it was more than fair, but might be a bit pricey for locals. PARKING: Challenging in this area. No private lots and street parking is packed. Plan accordingly. OVERALL: 4.75. And that's rounding down. Nearly perfect. So many other things I wanna try on their menu. I shall return - even just to have that salad again!