Aristocrat Tagaytay: Filipino Comfort Food in the Highlands

Aristocrat Restaurant has cultivated a Filipino dining tradition for nearly a century. What began by Lola Asiang (Engracia Cruz Reyes) as a small eatery in her humble home in 1928 that nourished their family and visitors turned out to be a heritage restaurant and a must-dine Filipino restaurant up to this day.

The secret of Aristocrat’s long-lasting success lies in their pork and chicken barbecues, marinated in a concoction of sweet and salty, then slowly roasted to retain the tenderness of the meat, ultimately satisfying the traditional taste buds of Filipinos. 

Now with Aristocrat’s presence in Tagaytay, diners can take comfort in their favorite Filipino food whenever they drive from Manila to view the Taal Volcano. While this newly opened restaurant hides from the view of the infamous volcanic lake, it is nonetheless just across the ridge, yet quite pleasurable to dine in, with lots of spaces to park the car in.

In fact, Aristocrat in Tagaytay emanates as a traditional restaurant in the provinces, which is typified by immense dining areas, both indoors and outdoors, affixed with wooden flooring, glass louvred windows, high ceilings and lush potted plants, and furnished with cushy seats and long tables, allowing ample space, fresh air, natural lighting, privacy and comfort. 

With regard to Aristocrat’s menu, one could count on the quality of their food to be consistent, as with the rest of their branches nationwide. One has to sample their famous Chicken and Pork Barbecue, which is served with java rice and a sweet and sour atchara salad, as well as their Sinigang, be it with Pork, Miso or Bangus Belly.

For a more varied mix of flavors, any of Lola Asiang’s Big 4 would be satisfying. These are: Lumpiang Ubod Sariwa - fresh vegetable wrap matched with sweet peanut sauce; Beef Dinuguan at Puto - beef stew and rice cupcake; Arroz Caldo - rice porridge with chicken; and Pancit Luglog - noodles topped with deep-fried pork rind, boiled egg, shrimps, and salted fish.

In the end, a meal at Aristocrat in Tagaytay deserves to be thoroughly enjoyed with traditional desserts, such as Leche Flan and their best-selling Halu-Halo, a mix of rice crispies, coconut shaving, macapuno, and jackfruit. beans, leche flan, and ube ice cream over crushed ice.

Following this traditional meal, one may share the Aristocrat experience to friends and relatives back home by buying pasalubong or presents through the decadent selection of cakes, pastries, cookies and jams inside the bakery, where the Sans rival cake is a must-try.

Overall, Aristicrat’s continued excellence in food quality and selection, in ambience and service is commendable, and actually, well deserving of a historical marker that is only given by the National Historic Commission of the Philippines, thus adding another great reason to go to Tagaytay.