Josephine Restaurant

Here in Tagaytay City Philippines, there are so many restaurants and options to choose from. All the popular restaurants are facing the iconic Taal Volcano which creates a relaxing, romantic and exciting ambiance. On our first evening here we decided to eat at Josephine Restaurant. A restaurant that has been established since 1966. Come with us today as I share with you our dinner experience.

If you would like to know more about our accommodation here, you could check our previous posts here in Tagaytay.

SMDC Wind Residences
A View From the Balcony

This restaurant has been established in Kawit Cavite, Philippines. Their first branch was close to where we lived and I recall my grandparents taking us there for lunch. Today the original branch has already closed down and only this branch in Tagaytay remains open.

The restaurant is just around 10 minutes' walk away from where we stayed. At the entrance, it seems so quiet and there are not a lot of customers yet when we arrived at 5 pm.

We were greeted at the entrance and were asked where we would like to sit. We wanted the best spot which was outside overlooking the volcano.

Inside there are tables to accommodate a lot of customers as this place gets very busy during lunchtime.

There is also a bar area in the middle if you would like to have a few drinks or cocktails.

Outside is the best spot and we sat at the best table facing the volcano. There were already a few customers out here and more are coming in. It seems like we just got here in time.

The restaurant is known for Philippine cuisine and their signature dish called "Mutya ng Cavite". I recall how delicious the food is in this restaurant and how the place looks very classy when I was young. Josephine also won the best restaurant in the Philippines for a couple of years.

There were only four of us I decided to just order two types of dishes. I was also surprised how the prices went up since we last visited years ago.

One of the dishes that we ordered was the crispy pata. A popular pork dish in the Philippines made by deep-frying pork leg that includes the trotters. This is chopped and best dipped in vinegar and soy sauce while eating.

Cost:

1,180 pesos or $22.52 USD

Crispy pata should have crispy skin and very tender meat. The best ones you could even cut with a popsicle stick. The skin was crispy but the meat was not too tender. The taste of the meat was also very bland and my kids did not enjoy it. We have tasted more flavorful crispy pata for half of the cost.

It was disappointing and vowed never to order it again here.

Next was their signature dish called "Mutya ng Cavite". It is a dish that showcases the seafood bounty of the region.

Cost:

780 pesos or $14.89 USD

A creamy soup dish that includes crab, mussels, shrimp and tuna. My parents always ordered this whenever we visited the restaurant and I recall how creamy and delicious it was. Back then they even served this in a clay pot. Today they just serve it in a regular bowl which took away that nostalgic appeal to it. It also seems that there is a missing ingredient. I recall there were slices of squid before.

I felt that somehow the taste now is different and doesn't seem special anymore. I am not sure if the recipe has changed throughout the years.

We finished our dinner and felt unsatisfied. Have you ever experienced the feeling of not being happy after eating at a restaurant? You feel that you did not get your money's worth. Sad to say the food was very expensive and I don't think we'll be eating again here soon.

After dinner, we stayed for a few more minutes to enjoy the view and take some photos.

It was very calm and relaxing here making us forget about our unsatisfying dinner. I just hope they clean up a few of the trash in the area which I just noticed now.

If you are looking for a good view with a relaxing ambiance you would love this place. As for the food you could give it a try just stay away from the Crispy Pata. We haven't tried all the food here and there could be some other good food here that they offer.

Thanks for joining us today and hope to see you again at our next stop here at Tagaytay City.

All photos are original and taken with

Lumix GX85 and Olympus 45mm f1.8