These days, it takes more than just delicious food to make a restaurant visit-worthy. Restaurateurs now also have to think about unique visual concepts to entice snapshot-loving Filipinos to eat at their restaurant.
Ortigas restaurants have it particularly difficult as unique food ideas keep popping left and right.
Feast your eyes. If you’re up for a visual and delicious experience, here are some of the most Instagrammable restaurants in Ortigas!
Cafe Madrid
Lower Ground Floor, North Wing
A gastronomic trip to Spain is now just a car ride away! Bask in the warm, kitschy interiors and delight in the legit Spanish cuisine Cafe Madrid has to offer. Owner Chef Juan Carlos “JC” de Terry wants to teach Filipinos the diversity of the Spanish regions through the restaurant; it’s more than just churros, chorizos, and paellas.
Inside the restaurant is Terry’s Selection, a deli promoting French, German, Italian, and other European cuisines and you may purchase wine, cheese, and cured meats. Meanwhile, its decorative and dining elements, from furniture to decor were all flown in from Spain.
The Gran Paella is a hearty dish that’s enough to fill three to four people. Enjoy an abundance of Bahia rice cooked in saffron stock broth, topped with an assortment of vegetables, locally sourced seafood, and handmade chorizo.
Order Terry’s Butifarra Sausage if you want to up your ‘gram game. The savoury sausages are all stacked on a skewer that’s hanging above a bowl of potatoes. It’s definitely a play with your food sitch – you’ll have to use the mini tongs provided to pull them out one-by-one. It perfectly pairs with the garlicky and juicy tomatoes.
Cafe Mediterranean
Lower Ground Floor, South Wing
Cafe Mediterranean, or Cafe Med, as lovingly abbreviated by frequent diners, was established in 1994 by siblings Gonzalo and Giovanna Mabanta, along with Ganzalo’s then sister-in-law Marla Moran. Their first ever branch opened in Greenbelt Mall, which became an instant hit for its flavorful mediterranean dishes – something the corporate crowd of Makati has never heard of before.
Be immersed in its quaint, eye-catching, and colorful interiors. The place, like any Mediterranean-style location, is littered with paintings, light fixtures, patterned tiles, and natural elements like wood and ceramics. Truly a visual delight!
The menu offerings at Cafe Med is unified by keeping certain key ingredients: olive oil, garlic, and tomato. Favorites include the classic Greek Moussaka, an eggplant dish layered with ground beef and bechamel sauce served with pita, and the Döner Kebab, a Turkish dish made by slow- roasting slices of lamb, chicken, or beef, served in a pita wrap, similar to a shawarma.
Florabel
Ground Floor, North Wing
Florabel is birthed by multi-awarded Filipino chef and renowned restaurateur, Chef Florabel Yatco. She once pictured fine dining to be a non-intimidating and pleasurable experience, hence the creation of various restaurant concepts and innovative dishes that local foodies will surely enjoy.
And that’s exactly what you’d expect at Florabel.
Unlike most fine dining restaurants, Florabel excels in giving off an unpretentious vibe that instantly draws you in. Upon entry, you’ll be greeted by its refreshingly elegant and glitzy art nouveau interiors combined with earth elements like foliage and wood details that encourages a laid-back setting.
The menu is as breathtaking as the interiors too. The Mixed Greens with Parmesan Crisp, Tropical Fruits, and Parma Ham salad is a total stunner, almost too pretty to eat. First-timers are often recommended Chef Florabel’s award-winning adobo: a gastronomic combination of tender chicken and pork stewed slowly with tomatoes and topped with melted cheese, served with fried lumpia and garlic rice on the side. If you’re craving for something sweet, go for the creamy Queso de Bola cheesecake that comes with a queso de bola crisp for a decadent salty and sweet combo.
Estancia is part of Ortigas & Company, one of the pioneers in the Philippine real estate landscape. To learn more about restaurants in Ortigas and other attractions that Estancia has to offer, feel free to read more at the Ortigas Malls website.
