October 8, 2013: ANTONIO’S TAGAYTAY: Celebrating Your Best Moments in the Best Restaurant in the Philippines 🙂
UPDATE Feb. 8, 2006: Finally I was able to complete this Antonio’s article in time for Valentines. Although, if you are just reserving just now, forget about it because the valentines day and valentines weekend is fully booked!
Almost every year, I have the privilege of having dinner at Antonio’s @ Brgy Neogan, Tagaytay by renowned Chef Antonio Escalante. It continues to be the best special dinner you could ever have in Manila. This is the food paradise place where you won’t complain about how expensive it is (P2,000+/person) because you are paying for the dining experience with perfect food, perfect ambiance, and perfect service from Antonio’s and his staff. You would even appreciate how slow they would serve the food because they make sure that they it is cooked fresh when you order it. For those who have not been to this place or planning to go on any season, here is a guide on how to have the best Antonio’s experience.
Spanferckel Boneless — The house specialty! 
Stuffed suckling pig with herbs, fennel and potato served with Sauerkraut, Home made Apple Sauce, Horseradish cream and German mustard. 10 persons minimum @ 800/person served as set menu. Order this specially if you decided to eat here as a big group. Imagine we started our meal with this lechon — so yummy delicious!
Antonio’s Set Menu
Take your time while you choose what to eat in Antonio’s and I’ll give you tips on how to navigate the Set Menu choices. Antonio’s set menu includes House Salad, a Maincourse (which determines the overall price of the set menu), Dessert and Coffee or Tea.
1. Let’s start with the Salad. The house salad included in the set menu is simply described as:
Fresh Salad Greens from My Garden, Homemade Herb Cheeze, Parmessan Shavings, Glazed Wallnets, Jullienne of Granny Smith Apples and Pepper Croustini with Raspberry Vinaigrette or Kiwi Vinaigrette. (sorry for the lighting of the photo 🙂
Antonio’s was introduced me to the world of Foie Gras last 2003 so its worth it to order their Foie Gras salads — it’s the best. Here are your additional choices of Salads with additional fee:
— Foie Gras Three Way Fresh Mesclun Salad (P550)
— Pan Seared Duck Liver Glazed with Honey and Peppercorn, Mesclun Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette (P450)
— Garlic Scallops or Prawns Fresh Mesclun Salad with Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette (P350)
— Tempura Oyster with Wasabi and Coriander Mayonnaise, Mesclun Salad Drizzled with Rocket Oil (P250)
2. Soups. There are decent choices of soup, but considering the food that you would eat, you may want to skip this.
— Oyster Creamed Soup (P150)
— Onion Soup Gratinee (P150)
— Green Mango Sorbet (P55)
— Soup of the day
3. Main Course! You cannot go wrong with any of the choices here so I would suggest depending on your diet, preference, mood and budget — pick the dish that most appeals to you. For us we choose:
Grilled Chillean Sea Bass on Linguine with Truffle Clam Sauce (P1,100). Superb! and Healthy!
Antonio’s Trio Sampler (P1,600). If you cannot decide, try these samplers of Tenderloin Medallion with Gratin of Assorted Mushrooms on Lyonnaise Potato (P1,400 on its own), Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Truffle Clam Sauce (P1,100), and Lamb Cutlets with Cardamon Buerre Blanc with Gnocchi (P2,100 for two persons)
Here are the other main menu choices:
— Oven Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom, Potato, and Goose Liver Foam (P1,450)
— Grilled Peppered Sirloin Steak with Maitre’ D’ Hotel served with Onion Rings & Fries (P1,600)
— Grilled Certified Angus Beef Prime Ribeye Steak (P3,000 good for 2 persons) with sidings of Mashed Potato, Garlic Risoni, Gnocchi Potato, Rock Salt Garlic Fries
— Roasted Duck Breast infused with truffle, Seared Foie Gras on Braised Red Cabbage, Juniperberry Ju (P1,400)
— Grand Marnier Glazed Duck Leg Confit on Garlic Gratin Potato and Pigeonpeas (P1,100)
— Slipper Lobster Tail with Spicy Creole on Risoni (P1,200)
— Sole A’la Meuniere with Fried Gnocchi (P900)
— Pan Fried Snapper on Crispy Pancheta on creamed Savory Cabbage (P900)
— Seafood Risotto or Pasta with Tomato Basil and Crab Fat (Scallops, Prawns, Mussels) (P1,100)
— Grilled Braised Baby Backribs with Garlic Risoni (P900)
— Swhwein Haxen (Roast Pork Knuckle) Sauerkraut, Mashed Potato (P900)
4. Dessert! (Never to be missed and arguably should come first 🙂
The Souffles are really good so if this is your first time order the:
— Dark Chocolate Souffles with Cardamom Creme Anglaise (included in the set menu)
Other choices would be:
— Antonio’s Chocolate Cake with Orange Caramel Sauce
— Tartufo Nero with Grand Marnier
— Dark & Milk Chocolate Mousse
— Linzer Torte with Green Mango Sorbet
— Panna Cotta with Oven Dried Fruits and Fruit Coulis
— Profiteroles Vanilla ice cream with Chocolate Sauce
By this time, you must be satisfied with the food and not to mention the house dalandan Juice refillable for P100. This is the only restaurant that I keep coming back for me specially for a great occasion with friends and family.
Antonio’s Restaurant
For directions and reservations: Call +63918-899-2866
Hello,
I’m from Los Angeles. How can I get in touch with Anton. The articles are very exciting and honest.
Please let me know how I can get hold of Anton
Many Thanks
Danney League
Hi! Ur right, Antonio’s in Tagaytay is one of the best restos in the Philippines. Been there with the family (it was early January and the weather was christmasy). The place is so beautiful, the ambience cozy and the food excellent.
yeah this is the best, I just realized, I have not finished this article because I lost the copy of my menu… Oh well, I got to finish this soon…
hey guess what, somebody’s finally taking me to antonio’s later! so your post is so timely 🙂 hmm i’m already thinking about what to order 🙂
Antonio’s one of the best restaurant I’ve ever dine in… the ambience was great… I’ve been to Antonio’s before I was able to read Anton’s blog… and the food! OMG!!!!! it’s worth every cents!!!!! I had a chance to get a reservation in 1 wk notice! Lucky me ayt!!! For you guys, who want to try Antonio’s call or text them right now to reserve a seat!!! ^_^
An awesome post, Anton. Thanks for putting up the menu. I haven’t been back since 2003, so it really is time for another visit.
Hi Anton!
I’ve been checking your website almost everyday for my upcoming trip back home after 12 years! Very excited!
My friends and I are going for a weekend to Nasugbu. How long is the distance between Nasugbu to where Anton’s is? Heard really great stories about this place. I’m a biggie on restaurants myself coming from NYC! This sounds like I’ll have a very pleasant experience here. Thanks! Joan
im eating this sunday, and although i think its a little expensive for a meal, you article made me feel excited for the experience.
I just LOVE Antonio’s!!
The place and ambiance is great – and the food? WONDERFUL!! I love their steaks!! Quite pricey but worth it, once or twice a year?!
Give your tummy sometime to miss the gourmet food at Antonio’s
Excellent selection of wines to match with his food! Must try to pair with your chosen dishes.
If you have been craving for any seafood soup;
Antonio’s has the best.. best with an S.. Prawn Bisque!
Hi! I’m a new reader of your blog. I love reading your posts about food and great restaurants.
I agree, Antonio’s is one of the best fine dining restaurants in the country. The first time I ate there, I was around seven months pregnant. It was my husband’s surprise for me. Then the second time was on our anniversary. We simply love Antonio’s Angus ribeye steak. I hope we could go there again before the year ends.
I definitely would put this on a place to go when I visit the Philippines!
Hey Anton, thanks for the info.
I’ve been to good high end resto’s in Europe, South America, NYC and San Francisco and Antonio’s is up there. Not on the average price because it’s not an average place. My mahal and I were there few weeks ago (Nov. ’06)
I mean the food, the service, the ambience, the ambience, the ambience! It’s an amazing place, well worth the money.
One of the restaurants in the Philippines that you should not miss =)
I visited this place 4-5 times already. Great food, service & ambiance. Great restaurant. =)
it was initiated at antonio’s only recently and i was short of swooning!
i am in the middle if writing my own blog entry, and was about to ask you HOW do you manage to be so detailed? i didn’t swipe the menu 😉 did you? 🙂
We tried to reserve at Antonio’s but the mobile number 09178992866 is not in service. We also tried the mobile number 09178191022 but I was told that the number has changed. Is there an alternate contact number from which we can reserve? Thanks!
hi! can u accomodate 150guests for my wedding?
i’ve been to antonio’s twice! the second one was during my birthday… i have to say, i didn’t mind spending that much (10,000 pesos) for dinner for 5… coz it was absolutely worth it! it’s definitely food paradise!
Hi, I agree that antonio’s is one of the best fine dining places. Just wondering if anyone knows how much would a buffet reception for 150 people cost?
Hi, early this year a friend of mine recommended Antonio’s.Im so glad i followed her advice. Antonio’s is so refine, the ambience is just amazing and elegant, the food is heavenly delight and the service is excellent.
If you were to define “Fine Dining” at its very best in one word,that would be “Antonio’s”.
Thank you very much! (:o)
Hi, I finally had the chance to try Antonio’s with my whole family last week. I was totally amazed by the ambiance, I can say that it is definitely by far the restaurant with the best ambiance. For the drinks we had the very refreshing dalandan juice with mint which was sooo good that I wish I can have it at home all the time. The bread served with black olive tapenade was superb, crunchy and soft at the same time. The basic salads were very fresh and the dressing was also quite good. The upgraded warm salad to my surprise was only mediocre. The scallop tasting was just ok, the pan fried with black olive was good, the scallop wrapped with ham was my least favorite, and the sesame coated scallop was so so either. The soup was definitely the best tomato capsicum soup I’ve ever had, it was so creamy and neither too sour nor salty, Uhmmm! For the Mains, we had the duck confit with grand marinier beurre blanc which was the best among the rest and definitely the best in town! The angus beef with mushroom sauce was tender and just simply yummy. The braised korubota pork was very soft that it melts in your mouth but with being too fatty or oily. The grilled angus rib eye for two was quite good though nothing special about it. The seabass with salad relish was the least favorite because it was quite nakakaumay. The rack of lamb with cardamom beurre blanc was good but not on par with the superb duck or beef. The trio of Antonio’s was quite good, which includes the beef and the seabass, but the best part was the lamb coated with mojito which was tender and gamey at all. For the dessert, we tried everything, the flourless chocolate was very moist and good. The mint chocolate parfait was rich and creamy. The dark chocolate souffle was the best among the desserts, while the panna cotta was quite impressive as well! For me, this is on top of my best restaurant list for the moment, even better than Lolo Dad’s and I will surely look forward to visit the restaurant again!!
hi anton.
you have a very interesting blog site. I came across it when we dined at Antonio’s last weekend and posted a review on my multiply. It is definitely one of the best place in the Philippines. I personally loved the Gratinated Portobello Mushrooms with Foie Gras, even when I found out how they make that delicacy I would definitely come back there for more. Everything in that place is amazing from the moment you enter their huge wooden gate, to the waiting room down to the lush garden. Their service is wonderful, and the ambiance made all the difference with all other restaurants. I’m looking forward to more of your reviews. A friend of mine recommended Sala but after I read your blog about it, I’m even more excied to see it for myself.
Jo-G
hi anton! i couldn’t get thru to the 09178992866 line of antonio’s — it’s eternally busy! 🙁 do you have other contact info? thanks!
This is the best restaurant that i ever worked before i had the chance to work in America.The ambience is so great and the food is so nice,not to mention the staff which is so amazing!!!
We’ve heard so much about Antonio’s we’ve been wanting to have dinner there. Last year, the day we were there in Tagaytay, it was fully booked when we called to make a reservation. Hopefully, this time there will be a slot for us. So, I was wondering if we can make a reservation for 6 people on Jan. 28 at 7 PM through this web site. Please confirm by email. Presently, we live in Berlin, Germany and we will be on vacation in PI next week for a couple of weeks.
hi anton! i’m bringing some (expat) colleagues to Tagaytay next weekend and here’s my itinerary:
1. Tour of Tagaytay Highlands
2. Brunch – “Kainan sa Dalampasigan” or Breakfast @ Antonio’s
3. Punta Fuego
4. Afternoon Tea – Sonya’s Garden
5. Buy goodies/pasalubongs (Optional/If time allows it) – Gourmet’s Cafe and Farm and Bag of Beans
6. Dinner at Antonio’s Tagaytay
Questions:
1. Is Breakfast @ Antonio’s open for brunch?
2. Coming from Punta Fuego, would you know which we’ll pass by first: Sonya’s, Gourmet’s, or Bag of Beans?
3. Anything we shouldn’t miss from the above listed establishments?
Thanks for your help!
I never been here coz they said we need reservation & their is specific time. Kindly email to me the time for breakfast, lunch & dinner.. for dinner i would like to reserve on feb 17. under my name cristine reyes
I ate lunch there today! It was awesome! Great Food! Top Five Philippines Fine Dining Experiences.
Yum!
exact location?
can you provide us with a road map?
been surfing and can’t find it nowhere 🙁
Anton,
I’ve never experience eating at a fine dining restaurant, to tell you the truth I dont know how to order in that kind of a restaurant. Can you help me????
Hi Anton,
I’ve been in Antonio’s twice and i really really love d place and d food!Perfect! Actually i was there last night with my bf celebrating his bday..And it was raining but still d place was perfect romantic! we wer not planning to get married yet but i dont know last night it just came to us to talk about it and suddenly we agreed to have it in Antonio’s since we want an intimate wedding with our families and close friends only… No dates yet but i certainly have it done in Antonio’s..i think there’s a “MAGIC” in that place!
sir, Spanferckel should be Spanferkel.
****Spanferkel is a term for roasted suckling pig in a german cuisine.
Antonio’s still the best place for dinner with our loved ones.
No doubt.I think most of the staff there came from a five star hotel in Manila…so there should be no doubt about the service. This place is really AWEEEEEEESOME!!! Perfect if you are proposing to someone hehe.
Hi! I have to take exception to the raves about the service at Antonio’s. I LOVE the place and the food. But the service is not good for the price you are paying. First, the service is just so slow. It takes forever for the waiters to give the menu, to take your order. We received our first order more than thirty minutes after we had ordered. The entire lunch took 3 hours – just about as long as a degustation meal with 9 courses, and we just had 4. The worst part is, the waiter spilled hot oil (from the steak) on my sister’s designer bag. He apologized profusely. The manager apologized too. But in cases like these (when the restaurant damages property of the customer) a “sorry” just does not cut it. They did not offer to have the bag cleaned or repaired. They did not give us any complimentary dessert or course. NOTHING! I am not a freeloader and I expect to be charged for my meal, but the point it, Antonio’s did not attempt to do something to remedy the situation.
Hi Anton, your blog is such a great read. Just wanna help out those who might want to contact the mobile number of Antonio’s Restaurant. It’s 0918-899-2866. This was the number I called when we reserved a table there just this 22nd of November.
Are you sure its really good??
coz with what im seeing in the pictures up there is not that really great..
Thanks.. sorry for what im saying im just not sure if its worth a try to go there..
Yes, you got to try Antonio’s in Tagaytay. It is voted as the top 10 resto
in Asia by the Miele Guide.
Anton
Hi Anton! How much is the set menu? I understand that the main course determines the price so there really is No specific price for the set menu? is it around 2000php++ per set?
You need to budget P2,000 for your set menu meal. The lowest set menu price
is P1,750 nett with dalandan juice.
A very good friend of mine (Josie) just fowarded me your website. We frequent the Philippines every month. I plan to take the wife and kids there for some fine dining. Looking forward to it.
Thanks Jos.
Thanks Jos. Just let me know if you need help…
To whom it may concern:
We heard a lot of good things about Antonios here in US. We’ll be on vacation from California and we’ll be in Tagaytay area 16-17 October 2010. I’m not sure if reservations could be done this way but I would like to make a dinner reservation for 6 people
preparably on Saturday, 16 Oct.
Thank you very much. Romy
Hi Romy,
I'm not sure if they take in super advanced reservations. You can call
them up directly via their number to reserve.
Anton
my wife and i went there last weekend to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. i was blown away by the place… and the food, 2 thumbs up! i’m craving for more!
cheers 😀
Hi, on our way back from Batangas, my sister, my wife, and I decided to stop over at Antonio’s. This place came highly recommended by a friend. To our surprise, the road going into the establishment was extremely narrow and we weren’t sure if we’d ever reach this place. As we got there, we were greeted by a guard at the gate and the appearance seemed all too familiar. Very rich and exclusive looking. Oh boy were we in for a shocker. As we were seated, the waiters could not get down their communication down and kept returning to our table to ask if we had ordered. Another waiter would return asking us what we wanted to drink when our drink orders had been placed 10 minutes prior. Another waiter returned to ask my sister what she would like to order and she had already ordered way in advance before my wife and I did. My sister’s order never came. My crepe was so under cooked and my wife’s french toast….well let’s just say she would’ve been better off eating the batter of the french toast mix. Talk about disappointing! I have no idea what the ranting and raving is about this joint, but we have been to far better places with far better service. The manager only apologized but never offered any type of compensation….Seems they only want to get your money at the end of the day but are too cheap to make things right. I also called the restaurant and spoke to a woman by the name of Lizelle who told me she would make sure my complaint was addressed. Up to this point, still no call from either the owner or the manager. For anyone wanting to go to Tagaytay and wanting good food, look elsewhere. This place doesn’t even have a view of Taal Volcano….Just a joint in the middle of the boondocks…..