Intramuros is a historic city that all visitors to the Philippines should not miss, even for those who are only in Manila for a day.
With its huge walls, cobblestone streets, and old stone houses, it is so different from the world outside that it’s easy to forget you’re in Asia when you’re inside it.
You can appreciate Philippine history better too, by visiting its numerous attractions like Fort Santiago, the baluartes, Bahay Tsinoy, and 16th-century churches like the Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church.
Aside from sightseeing though, there’s also another way to appreciate Philippine culture; and that’s to eat local food. A perfect place within the walls of Intramuros is Barbara’s, a restaurant that not only serves excellent Filipino food, but has nightly cultural presentations as well.
Beautiful Barbara’s in Intramuros.
I love old stone houses, and Barbara’s is very strategically located in front of San Agustin Church. Its outside facade gives the impression of an über-expensive restaurant where only gown-clad women and men in tux eat, but it turned out not to be the case!
The interior was cozy and warm, reminding me of old Spanish homes with its wooden floors and sliding capiz windows. There were a lot of customers too, ranging from prettily-dressed women to people in jeans like us.
Cozy interior of Barbara’s Restaurant.
As part of a group of bloggers who were invited to visit Barbara’s Restaurant, I was amazed to realize that there was a place within the walled city that could provide not only good food but an insight into the richness of Philippine culture in one go. They serve the buffet dinner at 6pm. At only P545 (net), it was a great meal indeed!
Yummy buffet at Barbara’s Restaurant.
They had soup, a salad, some pasta (Linguine Alessandro), roasted chicken, lumpia (spring roll), fish (baked red snapper), and a number of truly Filipino desserts like ginataang halu-halo, rice cakes, and gelatin, among others.
Before the buffet, a piano player provided the soft music, and during the meal, a quartet also played.
It was just too bad that the seafood was limited (just the fish), so I ended up with this very filling dinner of soup, pasta, fish, spring roll, and dessert. According to owner JC delos Reyes, the menu is changed every day, so even if you can afford to eat here nightly, you’ll never tire of the food.
A very filling dinner at Barbara’s Restaurant.
But what I really loved about eating at Barbara’s Restaurant was the cultural presentations that followed. There were folk dances one after another, ranging from the dances in the north to the Muslim dances in the south.
There was a tinikling (hopping and dancing over bamboo poles), a kuratsa (courtship dance), a cariñosa (flirtatious dance using handkerchiefs), among others.
The most exciting was the binasuan (see video below), where three women dancers showed off their balancing skills. They moved, gyrated and rolled around the floor with glasses on their heads and hands. The drinking glasses were half-filled with colored liquid, and none fell off during their number.
They immediately took it down after the dance, showing that it wasn’t in any way glued to their heads or hands. Originally from the Pangasinan province, the binasuan dance is said to be commonly done (at least before) during weddings and fiestas.
So if you’re looking for a place where you can take your family or your group of friends to an entertaining and educational night out, you can’t do better than to go to Barbara’s Restaurant where good food and good entertainment come hand in hand!
Barbara’s
Gen. Luna St. (across San Agustin Church)
Plaza San Luis Complex
Intramuros, Manila
Telephone number: (+632) 527-3893
Aleah Taboclaon is a location independent writer, editor, and the travel blogger behind Solitary Wanderer. She's partial to slow travel, and prefers extreme adventures like hiking and caving over sightseeing. She likes running (completed one marathon, training for the next!), diving (PADI open water diver), and traveling with her Kindle. Follow her on Instagram and Pinterest!
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11 Comments. Leave new
Unfortunately I haven’t made it away from the airport in Manila but man, that food and architecture is another reason I want to go back. That buffet looks so delicious, Aleah! I’ll definitely be passing this along to my friends who might get a chance to visit. Thanks for sharing!
I used to visit Intramuros for buffet dinner way back in 2006 before I left the country to work abroad. It’s been 9 years since then. There were many elegant restaurants that were offering buffet dinner near San Agustin church. White linen tables were set outside every restaurant and people could eat and talk under the beautiful starry sky. That location around San Agustin offered really good and romantic ambiance! My fiancee is visiting Manila this coming December 2015. I’ll have my brother contact Barbara’s Restaurant to know the latest price for buffet per person. THANKS a million Aleah! More blessings to you!
@ Mc Pol: Definitely go and visit. It’s well worth the price!
Wow! I have been studying in Mapua for almost 3 years and I haven’t visited Barbara’s Restaurant. Will visit this anytime soon! The food looks delish:)
@ Bon: You won’t regret eating there with your friends. It’s totally worth it.
This is located right at the back of our training center. Maybe this summer of 2012, I will try to visit this place.:-).
@ Nina: Thanks for dropping by, Nina. The buffet and cultural presentation is available daily except Sunday when the dancers rest 🙂
@ Mitch: Barbara’s Restaurant is best for family gatherings!
Something really unusual..This is very new to me but classic. I will bring my love ones here too especially my BF! The food looks yummy..
I love Barbaras! The food is good, ambiance is unparalled, and the cultural dances are fun to watch, specially if you have kids and tourists with you. Last time we ate there, the buffet and dances are only every Tuesdays through Saturday. Would you know if it’s available daily now?