Comments on: Mano’s Greek Taverna, Tagaytay

By: Marketman

Marketman — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:14:25 +0000

If you want a gyro closer to the city, Cafe Mediterranean, in several malls like Rockwell or Greenbelt have a decent one.

By: terry simpson

terry simpson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:57:00 +0000

Hey sounds great im heading to manila end of july and will make sure this is on my list.love gyros and they are made with beef ,lamb, sometimes pork and yes its a sauce made of yogurt, cucumbers and garlic (add the tomatoes, onions on a freshly warmed pita ) wow .Will let you know how it was

By: ejoy

ejoy — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:22:10 +0000

i’ve been to this restaurant last october, since it was a part of our international cuisines exposure trip..

we loved the food, and how they prepared it with passion.

what i remembered about mr. mano (the owner), is that he is so proud of his culture, food and his country, that he wants everybody to learn about his home country.. and that is his secret to the success of his taverna.

By: gomz24

gomz24 — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:07:38 +0000

I like the grilled items especially the gyros and the pork chops. very good! not very tipid since what we got was 2 thick chops. very tasty and fresh right off the grill.

By: manilamom

manilamom — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:04:54 +0000

we must have gone there on a bad day because we didn’t like the food that much. first of all as soon as we entered the 3 waitresses gave us blank stares. guess we didn’t look like we were there to eat. had to ask for a table, we basically sat ourselves. the shawarma was good and my son said the grilled striploin was good too. we just couldn’t get over the moussaka and the baked macaroni (for my 5 & 6 year olds), they were obvioulsy reheated. the macaroni was overheated, as in some of the noodles were toasted while the moussaka was lukewarm.

how odd, not to be at their best on a saturday night, thought it would have been a peak day for diners.

By: Philippos Poulos

Philippos Poulos — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:47:12 +0000

Philippos and Sharon
Last summer we were in Manila,few days later we took a
trip to Tagaytay,what a suprise to see a sign,” Greek
Taverna”.
We stop to eat twouelve(12)of us,the food it may not was the
same as in New York,or Chicago but well done and with a
relative good service.
I will go again in Christmas when I will be in Manila.

By: Joseph Francis Armagh

Joseph Francis Armagh — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 13:15:35 +0000

Same experience here with the lamb when I took my family for the third time— the meat was tough. But I would always go back for the baklava and my daughter for the grilled pork chop.

Problem with Mano’s is the service. It really takes a long time to get your food served.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:56:39 +0000

I recently went and ate there. The owner was friendly and welcoming. I had lamb – one piece, not 3 as advertised – and it was not something I would order again. I suspect one of the problems with the lamb was that it is so hard to get in the Philippines – generally only expensive frozen Australian lamb, if you can find it at all. My wife ate Chicken. To be frank, I would describe ‘obvious honesty’ as ‘simple’. Overall, I would go back because I like Med. food. But if this taverna was in Greece, it would surely close – it would not withstand any competition.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 09:44:31 +0000

paragon, bummer things didn’t turn out too well for you guys… I actually haven’t been back since I wrote about it but it would be unfortunate if things have slid backwards…Mano’s wife was the one in the kitchen when we ate there…I wonder if there have been changes since.

By: paragon

paragon — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 09:37:20 +0000

Marketman.. after reading your review, my wife and I thought that we would check the place out.

We arrived around lunch time and was warmly greeted by Mano himself. A very nice gentleman who proudly showed us many of his food articles. We felt very comfortable with him that I asked him to order for us whatever he recommended. He recommended the tzatziki (dip), manos salad, saganaki, moussaka and grilled lamb, his specialty. In addition, my wife also wanted to try their lamb gyro (shawarma).

First came the tzatziki which was exactly as you described, very “fresh” tasting. Then came the salad which was also excellent! The feta cheese was so creamy and the tomatoes as red and juicy as a tomato can get. Unfortunately, this where it only got as good as it could get.

The saganaki would have been good if they used fresh shrimp. The thawed taste of the shrimp emanated on the tomato based sauce. The lamb gyro on the other hand was the biggest disappointment.. it was tough! It was so full of unchewable ligament “litid” that my wife only had 1 bite and gave up on it. I thought of biting the other end (to check if it was also tough), and yes it unfortunately was. We opend the gyro and the lamb portion used was full of litid! It will be safer for one to order the chicken instead. The moussaka likewise did not taste freshly made. It might have been part of the leftover in the pyrex and was just reheated. And finally, his specialty, the grilled lamb. Although it had a good taste of herbs and spices, it was really nothing special. It was in fact a little tough to chew. The menu said it would also have 3 pieces, but only one came with the plate.

I don’t know if their standards had deteriorated since your review, but the experience was disappointing and forgettable.