Casa San Pablo
Casa San Pablo is a cozy country inn that features an eclectic mix of art and nature. With its sprawling garden, flowers, pine trees, and native hammocks, you’ll just want to relax the whole weekend. This quaint B&B, which was founded in 1997 by innkeepers Boots and An Mercado-Alcantara, is sought out by travellers and artists looking for a rustic environment where you can relax away from city living. No two rooms here are decorated alike, and some even display the quirky collections of the owners including matchbox cars, birdcages, museum posters, and paintings by specific artists.
While Casa San Pablo’s cafe caters mostly to stay-in guests, day trippers can also stop by for all-day breakfast or a lunch of home-cooked Laguna specialties. They even hold native cooking classes here! Casa San Pablo is also great as an events venue for weddings, pre-nuptial pictorials, and team-building sessions.
Address: Barrio San Roque, San Pablo City, Laguna
Patis Tito Garden Cafe
Formerly known as Kusina Salud, this Bohemian cafe serves slow-cooked Filipino favorites using fresh and locally sourced ingredients within a secluded garden hideaway. The cafe was established in April 2011 by renowned designer Patis Pamintuan Tesoro and businessman Tito Tesoro, as a place for people to get reacquainted with Philippine heritage through food, nature, art, and architecture. Materials in the restaurant are all made from reclaimed and recycled materials, giving a twist to the typical Filipino home.
For those who like to take road trips with their dogs, the cafe is dog-friendly (as long as they are leashed). In fact, Patis has 14 dogs to date, some of whom will cozy up and keep you company during lunch. The cafe recently opened a charming bed and breakfast in a structure decked out in machuca tiles, so guests can enjoy a relaxing overnight stay in the countryside.
Address: 285 Brgy. Sta Cruz (Putol), San Pablo City, Laguna. Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays to Sundays. Walk-ins are welcome.
Cafe Lago
Cafe Lago is a restaurant located along the shores of Sampaloc Lake, the largest of San Pablo’s Seven Lakes. Owned by environmentalist and San Pablo local Mandy Marino, this childhood home was transformed into the charming garden restaurant.
Guests can enjoy their meals under a trellis of vines in the cafe’s refreshing outdoor courtyard. For a more scenic view, the cafe’s staff can even bring the tables out for a lakeside lunch or snack, where you can get a view of Mt. Cristobal while you dine.
Address: Dagatan Boulevard, Barangay V-A, San Pablo City, Laguna
Sulyap Gallery Cafe & Restaurant
Named after the Filpino term for “peek,” Sulyap offers a glimpse of the past through history, culture and art. This al fresco cafe, bed and breakfast and museum follows the architectural style of colonial era Philippines and serves hearty Filipino food. Be sure to try the kulawo, a Southern Tagalog specialty made of grilled and smoked talong (eggplant) with coconut milk.
Located in the former ancestral home of the Reyeses, this was transformed into a cultural tourism site. Structures are built in the tradition of circa 1800s Spanish-Philippine history, with plenty of wooden furniture, antiques on display and lovely details around the restaurant.
Address: Brgy. Del Remedio, Cocoland Compound, San Pablo City, Laguna. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Sunday.
Ugu Bigyan’s Pottery Garden and Restaurant
This beautifully landscaped pottery garden and restaurant is a hidden gem in Tiaong, Quezon. Renowned pottery artist Augusto “Ugu” Bigyan opened up his home and garden to the public as an art gallery, workshop studio, and reservations-only restaurant.
Here, guests can enjoy Asian fusion cuisine in the garden restaurant. All meals come as a surprise because there’s no fixed menu and meals are prepared based on whatever is available in the market that day using only the freshest ingredients. While you’re there, check out or buy a few of the unique hand-crafted pottery pieces in Ugus’ gallery and shop. A little tip: Every year, on August 6, all the ceramic collections are on sale with discounts based on the artist’s age!
Address: 490 Alvarez Village. Brgy Lusacan, Tiaong, Quezon. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Sundays. Reservations recommended.
