In my province here in Bulacan, Cafe Nenzo is reigning the game at TripAdvisor. They are sitting on their throne for being the Top Restaurant and Cafe in Bulacan with over a hundred reviews and feedback from their customers; most are good and obsessing over their foods and cafes. They are on the top for Local Cuisines, Moderately Priced, and Delivery Available category of TripAdvisor. Even on their Facebook page, Food bloggers from different places visit their restaurants just to try their famous dishes. But the question remains, is Cafe Nenzo worth all of these praises? Well, join me in finding out what makes Cafe Nenzo stays on top and give out the most raw and truthful restaurant and food review experience!
On the way to Cafe Nenzo
Rainy Season is just started, which is the reason why the sky is a bit heavy when I decided to start my commute trip heading to Cafe Nenzo. The jeepney trip on the way was very smooth, with no heavy traffic at all. The transportation commute is to follow as well, especially when you are residing in Bulacan and even in nearby cities because it is located on McArthur Highway, rented a space in Esperanza Mall in Meycauayan. The location is very accessible and easy to find even on Google Maps.
If you’re from Manila,
- Ride a Jeepney from Monumento heading to Meycauyan, Bulacan (Drop Off: Esperanza Mall) – Not less than a hundred pesos per head
If you’re from Bulacan,
- Ride a Jeepney to Sta. Maria heading to Meycauayan (Drop Off: Esperanza Mall) – 24 pesos per head
It only cost me 208 pesos including the solo tricycle trip from my place to Sta. Maria, Bulacan, and would cost you a lot cheaper when you are just in the area near the jeepney terminal.
The Restaurant
When you reach Esperanza Mall, you will be welcomed by the big Cafe Nenzo Tarpaulin just in front of it. By that, you will eventually know that you are in the right place. They are located on the first floor of the complex, just beside the Salon where you can easily spot on.
The exterior design of the restaurant looks classy and modern with a black motif and a full-glass screen that gives you a full view of what’s inside. There’s also a big Cafe Nenzo logo just above the entrance. Judging by the exterior itself, I could say that this is a restaurant that serves not less than a hundred worth of meals.
After taking some videos and photos, I was about to enter the resto when suddenly one of the staff approached me and said that walk-in customers were in the other room. That I needed to enter the other entrance because unfortunately there was an event held in their main receiving area. I’m a bit sad because of that, I didn’t even know that there was an event on that day and upon checking their Facebook page, they didn’t post an announcement as well. But I just shrug it off and decided to continue my food review agenda.
They escorted me and lead me to a 4-chair table, the only vacant table at that time. Once I settled on my seats, the first thing that I did was to observe the area that I am in. Every time I do a food slash restaurant review, I keep it lowkey. I don’t want them to know that I was there for a reason. I don’t demand or command them to do more for me, I want to see how they treat their customers in the most raw and truthful way. The reason why when they put me on a wooden table with fake marble wallpaper that are a bit old with some ripped parts, I didn’t say anything.
It is far different from the main area. The room walls were painted white, flowers on the ceiling that serves as the chandelier and a big Cafe Nenzo backdrop for photo ops was there too. But this room seemed stressed out compared to their main dining spot. Chairs are not in their proper places. Children running around. A group of teachers wearing their university polo chitchatting and laughing all together. No chill music for the customers to be entertained. To be honest, this is not the service that I was expecting. My expectations were high because they are the “Top Restaurant and Cafe in Bulacan” so to say. But to be more rational, maybe that was not the right timing for me since the priority was the event. But on the other hand, if they decided to accept walk-in customers even though they have an event on that day, they should have still given a quality service because customers are still customers, regardless if they are walk-ins or event-goers.
Cafe Nenzo – Food Reviews
Minutes after, I called one of the staff to give my orders. She’s very friendly and approachable. She even suggested that I should try their new ice blend, a chocnut flavored. It reminded me of my childhood so I ordered one. Just 15 minutes later they put a glass, utensils, and cold water on the table. Then next minute followed the food I ordered.
Trio Cheese Pizza (Junior) – 325 pesos
This pizza is worth more than the price of it! That first bite is heaven for me. You can taste the creaminess and cheesiness of all the ingredients, true to its name, Trio Cheese. It’s not as crunchy as it looks like but it serves hot and newly baked. Most of the reviews that I’ve read said that this is one of their favorite pizza from Cafe Nenzo and now that I’ve tasted it on my own, let me join the Trio Cheese enthusiast!
Truffle Carbonara – 295 pesos
When it comes to Carbonara it really hard for me to be impressed because the standard of my mom’s carbonara is unbeatable. But to compare Cafe Nenzo and Kalye Mabini’s carbonara, I would say that I like Kalye Mabini’s carbonara more. They are both creamy and cheesy in their own right, but the consistency of the sauce is different. Cafe Nenzo’s carbonara sauce is more watery than Kalye Mabini’s. And I preferred my carbonara to be dry or not have too much sauce in it. When it comes to the bread, I said it to my Kalye Mabini Food Review as well, that I preferred garlic bread to be paired with my carbonara.
Meatless Sisig – 295 pesos
This is my first time eating vegan food because obviously, I’m not a vegan. But it surprisingly suits my taste preference! Mixing all the ingredients creates a deliciously made bowl of meatless sisig rice. Eating turmeric is not something that I would eat on a normal basis, but in this dish, I really love the combination of sweetness and coolness it brings. Overall, this is one of my favorites.
Nutty Chocnut – 165 pesos
This is the new ice-blended recipe on their menu, that is recommended by their staff.
Nothing much to say on this one aside from that it tasted chocnut, true to its flavor. For its price of 165 pesos per serving, I would say that this is a bit expensive knowing the fact how much cheaper the ingredients are, especially chocnut bar. Not worth it for me.
Recommendation and Rating
I love all of their foods. I would say that people obsessing about their Trio Cheese Pizza are not joking, it was really worthy of the obsession! I can also recommend their Meatless Sisig, especially for those who are vegetarian or have a vegan lifestyle. I think there are a lot of delicious dishes on their menu that are worth every penny. The price is just right for the quality and the taste of the food, but not something that I can recommend for those who are on a budget.
Overall the foods are excellent and the most commendable of all. The service is not that bad, not a perfect experience, and a bit disappointing but I do understand since there’s an event. May this food review serves as a lesson that they need to be consistent in terms of giving quality services because we are not only paying for the food but the overall experience of dining in. But I still hope that one day I could experience the full service and be able to seat in the main room while enjoying their delicious food. All in all, I’ll give them 3 stars.
Places that you can visit in Meycauayan, Bulacan!
Because of the rain, I haven’t gotten the chance to visit some of the tourist attractions in Meycauayan. Bulacan. I was planning to visit the some of churches like St. Francis of Assisi Church, Divine Mercy, and many others. There’s also a shrine in Meycauayan called the Shrine of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, a Korean saint, that I was eyeing to visit. Based on the photos online, they have a beautiful landscape and Instagram-worthy architecture. You can also pray for all of your wishes and ask for forgiveness. Truly, there are a lot of religious places around the area that you can pay a visit to when you are at Meycauayan, Bulacan! So don’t forget to drop by in one of these places when you visit the province!
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About the Author
Ihra
She loves traveling with her friends…and soon on her own. Coffee is her first love and dreams to taste every coffee in the world.
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