Reviews Cafe Ilang-ilang

Loved the selection of food. Didn't like the set up though. Went with our visitors and we all had difficulty in finding the Japanese section. There was no ample space between the tables and the buffet counters.  Still giving it 5 stars as the food was exceptional from steak, seafood and sushi

For the price you pay on a promo, cafe ilang ilang is hard to beat. Specially in thursday when they have foie gras.

The spread is wide and the quality is much higher then the price you pay during promotion which is below 2000 pesos.

Loved it so so so much ♥️ i used a voucher, but it would have been totally worth the original price.

Their seafood night is so lit. 👌 I also love their japanese section. Good food and Great staff will definitely go back with my family and friends.

Everything superb. I love the coffee section, each latte I ordered came out so beautiful and tasty. The ice cream had a surprising amount of delicious flavors. The Japanese section was extensive. This may very well be my favorite restaurant in all of the Philippines.

We expected the place would be really crowded judging from the reviews i’ve seen online and knowing it’s in Manila Hotel. My whole family stayed here for 3 days and had our breakfast in Cafe Ilang-ilang. Must say that they have wide varities just for breakfast. Looking around my eyes are already feasting with all the foods. Love the place, staff are very accommodating, and the food. ❤️❤️

This buffet restaurant inside Manila hotel is a good start to define your cravings. Know why? Simply because this foods are definitely satisfy all your cravings. Thanks to BDO mastercard for the 40% Discount and I experienced this opportunity to satisfy my cravings.

Great food and service. Good Ambiance and highly recommended buffet dining especially during the Seafood Friday night! Special maki is to die for!

Came here on super crowded Holy Week. The place was absolutely packed, despite that the staff did a good job in keeping all the dishes flowing and attending to our needs.

The buffet spread was extensive. Special mention to the Corned Beef, Chole and Masala Fish from the Indian section and the range of yogurt on offer.

I love the Breakfast Buffet here. That's why I always look forward to eating my breakfast whenever I I stay for the night in Manila Hotel.

Funny thing is, I always get the same food: at least four servings of yogurt, smoked salmon, macaroni salad, two and three danish, a few slices of ham, cheese bread with soft white cheese, hot chocolate and orange juice. This morning, I added to my usual favorites: siomai and fillet of bangus which were fried perfectly.

Equally praiseworthy is the service. Every member of the staff is polite and yes, extra alert to the needs of every senior citizen and of the differently-abled. I should know, I'm one of those who enjoyed the "extra attention" from the service people.

My Cafe Ilang Ilang experience is something I always look forward to. And probably, do a revisit for lunch or dinner, perhaps?

I've eaten here over 10 times and its hands down my favorite buffet in Manila. It has the best selection and I love the Japanese room and desserts. 

Why 4 stars?

I went there during chinese new year and its was suuuuuuper packed which is understandable. But the team seemed to be super overworked and the food wasn't as great as it usually is. For the price, my expectations are a little higher.

My rating today is a 2.

My usual rating is 5.

I'm understanding and they're usually consistent so I'll give them an overall 4

We tried their dinner buffet and we were pleased with all the different cuisines. Their food were presented really nice and the service crew were very attentive to the customers. Used plates were dished out immediately and utensils were even offered to be replaced as needed. My personal favorite was their dessert section! It was not just about sweetness. The flavors of the fruits, nuts, and other ingredients also stood out.

I had a stay @ The Manila Hotel & I had my breakfast at the Cafe Ilang Ilang throughout the stay. Loved their food & the service., even their dinner was good.

Kumain kami dito kagabi kasi birthday ng misis ko at kasama yung 2 kapatid nya (tsaka 40% off pag gagamit ka ng BDO Credit/Debit card hanggang January 31, 2019). Nakulangan lang ako sa selections kasi naging benchmark ko yung Spiral e though masasarap naman lalo na yung Prime Rib, Tempura at halos lahat ng desserts at special mention pa yung Gelato (Hmmm.. Gelato..) Plus points din na mababait at attentive yung mga staff.. Buti na nga lang discounted kasi hindi ko yata nasulit.. yung desserts lang.

The breakfast buffet was pretty good. You get the standard breakfast food that you would typically crave, as well as those that you won't really find in breakfast buffets such as taho or balut.

The restaurant itself is really beautiful. You can choose a table on the side of the restaurant overlooking the garden/pool for a very relaxed breakfast experience.

Can't think of any unpleasant experience here. I always enjoy dining at this place. Maybe the only downside is the price, but you get what you pay for.

I celebrated my birthday by eating dinner here and it was the perfect meal. There are so many stations but my favorite has to be the Japanese station. The seared salmon sushi is the best I’ve tasted and the salmon sashimi is so fresh. The seafood and dessert selection are great too. I’ll surely come back. 😊

We had an overnight stay with my family in Manila Hotel. The buffet breakfast in cafe ilang ilang was great! 😊 We will definitely come back for another staycation. 😊💕

August 11, 2018 11:30am LWF - We originally scheduled to eat here yesterday but something came up and we rescheduled for today. Thankfully the flooding in Roxas Boulevard was not so bad. We have eaten at Cafe Ilang-Ilang a few times before and we always enjoyed eating here.

Quantity : Eat all you can buffet

Quality & Taste : The shrimp pomelo salad on a cocktail glass was no longer available. The watermelon was already pass its prime. My decision to vary my usual routine when eating here was not a good idea. I normally start with Japanese - salmon sashimi, etc. and food I have eaten before and liked. Having eaten in Korean restaurants and liked most of what I have tasted, I decided to experiment on my second plate and got mostly from korean plus some dimsum. The dimsum was ok at best. I didn't like any of the koreans ones I got. They were too bland for me. The 3 meats/steaks available though not bad was not very good either. The salmon & tuna sashimi were still fresh & good. The quality of the pine nuts seemed lower but was still ok. The lechon was tender and did not have any unpleasant aftertaste. The sautéed shrimps were tender and tasted good. I liked the noodles with taco like flavor. Kani salad was good too. The mussels I tried were good and no unpleasant aftertaste. The melon was sweet. I liked the 4 gelato flavors I tried. The cappuccino & latte was good.

Price & Overall : Price per person is on the high side. Service was quite good. Water is refilled without needing to ask for it. Aside from the missing shrimp cocktail, not so good watermelon & the "failed experiment", everything else was at the very least ok. Cafe Ilang-Ilang still belongs to my list of favorite buffet restaurants. Overall rating is above average and recommended (stick to your favorites first before trying new dishes)

I must say as this was my first time dining there, I was impressed.. I liked all the variety of their buffet. All meals from starters/salad to main dishes to desserts were good especially their meat(steak, baby back ribs).. I wasn’t even able to take pictures of all the food since I was busy food hunting..
I will definitely go back there.

You won't go wrong with Cafe Ilang Ilang. A nice place to celebrate with loved ones. Been here for 3-4 times for birthdays, graduation, and get together with family members. The ambiance plus selection of food is great. Sulit!

Of course who wouldn’t give a 5 star here. Always craving their choco tarttt! Omgggg! It’s the bomb! Would recommend this for any special event.

Tried the lunch buffet here and overall it was ok. There were different types of cuisine that were cooked well, just what you'd expect in a buffet.

One thing I noted was that the tables were a little crammed together. The area is not very spaceous especially when you're at the buffet table. There were some items that I wasn't able to try since the dishes weren't refilled immediately.

Overall the food where presented aesthetically pleasing, some dishes weren't up to par in my opinion (baked clams, baked tahong, some shrimp dishes).

I celebrated my birthday in Manila Hotel and had a chance to try their buffet breakfast during our stay. They serve delicious food and I love that there's a huge array of dishes to choose from. Although quite expensive, I can say that it's worth every penny.

I love this buffet place! I especially love their steak station where they carve a piece of steak from a huge slab of meat and cook it to your liking! They also have good deals in partnership with BDO. Will definitely go back!

I think its our 3rd or 4th time to dine here at cafe ilang ilang its my top choice for hotel buffet. Not so many choices compare to other buffet but food choices is all great from the grilling to chinese section to.japanese all are tasted great dessert area and salad are also great. They have.promo for bdo i think its less 40% off great value. Place is great and service is awesome. Will back be again....

Third Review: July 2018 - 4/5

The Manila Hotel has been our top of mind choice in celebrating special occasions, since my sister's father-in-law works there. (Support your own!) For my sister's 31st birthday, her in-laws decided to treat us to a Sunday lunch buffet a day before her actual day. 💖

When we got there, the entire Café Ilang Ilang was jampacked! It so happened that they had an ongoing promo for BDO credit card holders, which gives the diners around 40% off the per head price. Worth it, if you ask me! 👌

As always, I headed straight for their Japanese food area, and hoarded their Salmon Sashimi! They also have a variety of other sushi rolls, plus tempura and other fried Japanese favorites. I'm delighted that their sashimi are all super fresh! ✨ The Japanese corner is my favorite buffet restaurant corner of all time.

Next, I had some East Meets West favorites like a USDA Steak (look at those sexy grill marks! Hngggh), soft shelled crab that is super tasty, an eggs benedict (wished it was still warm, but the flowy yolk of the poached egg made me fall head over heels for this!), some HUGE baked mussels, and a comforting chopsuey to make up for all the oily food I got. 😁 Their Roast Beef carving station is a must visit too!

I really am not a big fan of buffets, as I feel like I cannot eat that much to match the price of the meal. 😅 On my third round, I goy some Korean food like kimchi, kimbap, and other veggies. I also dropped by the dimsum station for some dumplings. Of course, I couldn't resist and got more salmon sashimi. 😁💖

For dessert, they have a whole range of fruits, from the usual fruits like watermelon and honeydew, to more special fruits like dragonfruit and grapefruit. Name it, and they've got it! 😉 They also have lots of pastries to choose from, and I especially liked the chocolate mousse thingy, which had three different layers, and was super rich and yummy! 😋 I also loved the pralines, so much so that I had 5 pieces. HAHAHA. They also take pride on their ice cream station, where I got myself two scoops of creamy goodness -- in green tea and strawberry! 🍧

For a buffet restaurant, I can say that Cafe Ilang Ilang does not compromise the quality of their food, and ensures that all your food cravings are taken care of. Which is why I'll leave you with this: the food coma was sooo worth it! 😁

#EatDrinkSplurge

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Second Review: April 2018 - 3/5

Since we stayed for two nights at The Manila Hotel when my sister got married, I also got to eat at their breakfast buffet twice. Each room reservation typically has breakfast buffet for two already, and when you need the breakfast for more people, it will be for an additional fee of Php 1500 nett.

Both days had similar breakfast spreads: with the usual American and Filipino breakfast favorites, lots of breads and pastries, milk and cereals, some Chinese dimsum items, a couple of Halal dishes, and some other cuisines. Honestly, I found the dishes from the two mornings to be just okay. 😐 There was actually nothing special with the food, and the selection was not that much as well. To be honest, I wasn't able to eat that much too, as I am not much of a morning person. If there is something I loved about their breakfast buffet though, it's their yogurt!!!!! They had these 3 Cows (where can I buy this???) Flavored Yogurt cups in different flavors -- and each spoonful was heavenly! 💕💕💕 I had Blueberry Cheesecake (?) on the first day, and Mango Sago on the second. Both were really good! I wish I can buy them elsewhere. 😊

The service was not as good as I have experienced on lunch / dinner buffets, especially on the second day when we weren't served water or coffee. 😣 They weren't as courteous, too.

Ambiance was more chill during breakfast time, with the people moving about but not as fast paced as when it's lunch or dinner time. The general feel of the dining hall is quite relaxing, too. 😊

I'd probably skip paying Php 1500 a meal next time for their breakfast buffet, and will just order from their in-room dining menu instead, where you can already get heavy breakfast platter for less than Php 1,000. 😉

#EatDrinkSplurge

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First Review: December 2017 - 5/5

Our family and my sister's fiancée's family had our Christmas Eve dinner at Cafe Ilang Ilang this year. To be honest, I am not really a big fan of buffet restaurants, as I feel like it doesn't really have good value for money... But I was wiling to give this a try as my sister had been raving about Manila Hotel's buffet restaurant for quite a while.

It was not a surprise when we walked into a restaurant full of hungry people celebrating with their families and friends, enjoying the bountiful food choices in the hall. As I went around, I easily understood why people kept coming back to this place.

FOOD ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
There is indeed a wide selection of food here. The stations are scattered around the area, which makes first timers like me confused and lost... However, once you get to taste the food, it's all worth it! 😍 Unlike most commercial buffet restaurants in the Metro, the quality of the food is top-notch. I loved their Japanese station, which features a lot of different rolls, sashimi, and other Japanese favorites. 🍣🍤 I also enjoyed the Chinese station, because come on, who doesn't love Chinese food? These dishes probably came from Red Jade (formerly Mabuhay Palace). The carving station had a couple of options to choose from too, including lamb chops -- I am not a fan though! 😣 There is also a seafood station where you can have your prawns, crabs, and other seafoods cooked. Other stations consist of Italian, Korean, Filipino, among others. I also admired this restaurant's inclusiveness, as it has an area for Halal food. Awesome, right? And of course, as there is always room for dessert, the have this huge area for desserts! It houses various sweet treats, such as: fresh fruits, mousses and tarts, cakes, Filipino favorites like halo-halo and kakanin, and their gelato station! 😍 I had Biscotini and Strawberry Yogurt. YUMMY!

SERVICE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The service was great! Despite the influx of people, and their busyness due to the season, they were all smiles as they served food, bussed out plates, refilled our water, and assist the guests in any way they can. Two thumbs up for the staff of Cafe Ilang Ilang! 👍👍

AMBIANCE ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cafe Ilang Ilang is fully carpeted, and has a homey feel to it. The scattered stations make it less overwhelming for the diners, as they can visit one station at a time. There are plenty of long tables, perfect for big gatherings.

What a great way to celebrate Christmas Eve! Now I understand why people love to visit this buffet restaurant for all types of occasions. The vast selection of food from all over the world, warm and genuine smiles from the staff, and the warm ambiance makes it one of the best hotel buffets I've visited to date. 💜

#EatDrinkSplurge

Awesome place and lots of food choices on diffrent cuisines. :) Servers are accomodating and friendly. I recommend eating here from time to time.

Great service! The food was great, as usual. 

It was my first time at the renovated Cafe Ilang-Ilang; the space suffered compared to the old layout. I wish I'd known this beforehand. There are small pockets within the restaurant where you can have more space, a little more secluded than the crowded dining hall, so if you want that especially for a group, do an ocular and choose your table before you make your reservation. It's starting to feel as impersonal as your typical buffet places like Vikings.

If you're celebrating a birthday (as most tables were during Sunday brunch) reserve and have them note this in advance so they can prepare a birthday cake for the celebrant. The reservation process was seamless (thanks, Patricia!) 

The Italian chef was quite surprised that I requested for a LEGIT carbonara, not the cream based pastas (he asked where I've tried it before!) and I'm very happy I tried it there. He made it from scratch, and it turned out so well. Thank you, chef!

Great ambience, super delicious steak and has an oh so heavenly desserts section.

I'm a huge fan of desserts and rarely does it happen that a buffet offers great tasting desserts too. Good thing Cafe Ilang Ilang serves super delicious desserts. Will definitely come back for that chocolate fondue and yogurt ice cream!!

Crews' attentiveness could be improved though...

food choices ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (glad they have a few cheeses available... but wish they have more)

food quality ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (big slices of prime ribs and lamb chops are being offered... yes im happy... and they are tender too. fried pigeon is tough to chew though)

ambiance⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 (superb as always)

value for money⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (a bit expensive for the spread)

service staff⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 (servers are not acknowledging guests calls most of the time, but they are fast in clearing out the tables. they also seem unwilling and unhappy to serve. Supervisors and managers however are always offering their service with a smile... and asks if we need anything when passing thru)

cleanliness⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 (still have some leftover trash under the table where we sat and table was not clean either)

Cafe Ylang Ylang has a wide selection of different kind of food hands up to the foods that they serves and also they have a very friendly staff who accommodate us!

My friends and I decided to celebrate the "Despedida" of our friend @ Manila Hotel. And at the same time, this would be our first time to spend staycation here.

Manila Hotel is one of the oldest house ins in the Philippines. It concretize a fancy tradition of lifestyle, costly fine dining with great customer service. The hotel was really enticing. Aside from that, the place is really rich with the Filipino concepts. The chandeliers are huge and mesmerizing. How I wish to go back to the old style. What I do really love the place is the people inside are very warm welcome. They guide us on what to do. 👍🏻

We went to Cafe Ilang Ilang to have our breakky. I just checked first the cafe, it's nice and very awe-inspiring. Super cold 'cause it's fully air-conditioned (Centralized)
They offer breakfast buffet. First thing that I looked for is their bacon. It's thick, delicious and inviting! Very jaw-dropping! 🥓 It's really my fave and I had that like about 2-3 plates. They offer as well coffee, chocolate and milk. But if you are a fruit lover, you are free to get as many as you want on the fruit section. They have pizzas, soya, yogurt, and etc. It will never waste your money. Definitely worth the price! 👌🏻

I will surely go back here and try their other dishes! The place is not only for staycations, family days, events, and etc. You can spend your cheat day here! LOL 🤣

Thumbs Up! ✨ 5/5

One of my regular go-to places and staycation-- the Manila Hotel and its Cafe Ilang Ilang will not disappoint. A place of history which had its facelift over the years, it continues to serve great food choices and drinks. It relatively offers less choices for breakfast or dinner than nearby Sofitel or Hyatt or the new hotels by the Manila Aseana or Entertainment City, but certainly no one can fault whatever is on their menu.