Café by the Ruins, Baguio City

A trip to Baguio City always requires a visit to Café by the Ruins since the home opened for restaurant business in the early 1990s (or was it late 1980s?). It’s a quaint little place that used to be a theater before World War II brought it to the ground. What remained was turned into a home by Phelps Whitmarsh, Benguet province’s first Civil Governnor.

I wasn’t able to take a lot of photos of the fantastic interior and garden. I was too tired when we arrived and I also didn’t want to disturb the quiet customers enjoying their breakfast.

C and I wanted the same dish when we first went through the menu so I decided to change mine. The server, however, placed C’s order in front of me and I didn’t argue. We ended up halving our viands so each can try both.

This is how bacon should be!

Look at how huge the serving is!

Browsing through Café by the Ruins’ menu, you might be turned off by the prices. It’s not irrationally expensive, but these aren’t budget-friendly rates for the everyday customer. Since we’re on vacation, I guess we were prepared to spend.

Don’t think twice about it though. The food is definitely worth every peso. You can even share the meal if you don’t want to eat a lot.

And if you’re looking for real bacon in generous proportions, get Farmer's Morning Feast (Php 245). You will not be disappointed. The slices are huge and thick with just the right crisp.

C was happy with the daing as well. It was flavorful and crispy. But then I’m not a vinegar person and I love meat so I was more drawn to the bacon.

Of course we had coffee with our breakfast. We even burned 30 minutes to an hour connected on Café by the Ruins’ free WiFi. Just ask the server for the password. As I have mentionedin my Coffee & free WiFi in Baguio City blog post, the connection is very stable and fast. We browsed, took photos and uploaded them. We didn’t hit a snag at all.

More goodies to take home.

Before leaving, I had to order a bottle of tapuy or rice wine, which I forgot to take a picture of. We just drank the bottle several nights ago and totally forgot about it.

Anyway, I’m a tapuy person and Café by the Ruins is one of the best places to get it. Although the mix isn’t as sweet as I would want it to be, it’s still authentic and strong. They repackage it in a kwatro kantos bottle. Be careful when transporting though because the bottle cannot be tightly sealed. They wrap it well in thick brown paper, which helps a lot. Try it. It’s happiness in a Php 160 bottle.

Outside at the parking lot, there is a small stall selling organic vegetables. I wasn’t able to ask the prices because when we left, they had packed due to the rain. Maybe next time.

I may be biased but everything’s perfect in Café by the Ruins, from the interiors down to the food service. And did I mention how quiet the place was even with the other customers there? The guy at the table near us was even on his phone, but I didn’t mind. The place was simply peaceful and relaxing.

Antique steel stove. I want an operational one at home!

Again, no spot in Manila compares.

Café by the Ruins is located on Chuntug Street near Baguio City Hall. You can walk to it from Burnham Park. You can call them at (074) 4424010 or visit Café by the Ruins Facebook page.