Took a trip down South over the Holy Week to visit my boyfriend and to explore the area with my family. We overheard that there was a new restaurant that had opened a couple of months ago and we were eager to try it out since we were already in the area and had ticked off most of the things we intended to do during our visit.

Paolo, who was our tour guide for the day, did not really know much about the newly opened restaurant so we put on our adventure boots and headed out to find 1878 Restaurant. 

Considering the Car- car is a small place which means that word travels around fast, it was not long til we found ourselves standing in front of a green gate along San Jose St., Poblacion 1 (one of the back roads from the City Hall/ church)

We were greeted by a quiet, peaceful and homey backyard- turned- restaurant that was surrounded by lots of plants and hanging lights. Surprised and delighted were the first emotions that overcame us because for a very long time, we had the impression that Cafe Terraza was one of the very few restaurants located in the area.

We eagerly found the closest seat to the counter and braced ourselves for our brand new gastronomical adventure.

1878 Restaurant has a lot of food offerings that are both interesting and intriguing like their ever famous steamed rice which was the main reason that led us there. A lot of the food on their menu seemed to be Chinese influenced which we discovered was because the head chef spent many years working for Ding Qua Qua before moving back to his hometown where he now works.

We opted for the steam rice, quail egg siomai and lumpia shanghai.

Steam rice – P 35.00

I wouldn’t say that it tastes exactly like our good ol’ Dimsum Break but you know what, it’s still pretty good. If I were to compare it to anything, I would say that it is closely similar to Braddex and for the price and location, it’s a very good deal.

Quail egg siomai (7 pieces) – P 80.00

We really enjoyed this dish and the fact that it cost only P 80.00 for 7 pieces! It is very unlikely to find anything as affordable as this and flavor wise, we were not disappointed.

Lumpia Shanghai – P 100.00

The last dish we had on our short trip was this lumpia shanghai. It was definitely flavorful and fried exactly to my liking. It wasn’t my favorite but I still enjoyed it anyways.

About a month after our first experience, Paolo has shared with me his frequent trips and discovery of their handful of dishes. I trust his judgement in food and so, I am confident to share with you his recommendations which are: the fried rice (P 80.00), chicken cordon bleu (P160.00) and calamares (P 200.00).

1878 Restaurant is a good place to visit especially for my Car- caranion readers who are looking for a new place to spend their meals with friends and family.

Their servings are generous, the food is good and the ambiance is definitely a good break from the hectic city life.

For inquiries and reservations:

032 487 7145

0977 839 4488

Burp,