Not busy for a Saturday night.Didn't eat Filipino food this time.Had the chicken wings. $15.00 for a pound. Expensive, but ever where around the same price.Live band okay. Only saw one set.Service was good.
My wife wanted to go out for drinks with her sister so we chose a place that reminded her of nightlife in Philippines. This small indiscreet bar is located at the intersection of Brimley Rd and Sheppard Ave E. The operating hours for this restaurant are below:Tuesday 4pm-12amWednesday 4pm-12amThursday 4pm-12amFriday 4pm-2amSaturday 4pm-2amSunday 4pm-12amThere's a cover charge of $6 per person during live band nights. We arrived there around 10pm and the place was already packed. The atmosphere is happy and joyful. Everyone in a good mood. There's a live band Super Diego performing Filipino songs and cover songs as well. They also had open mic and amateur performances as well.The menu consists of pulutan (Filipino for bar food) to accompany your drinks. Or there's a large variety of Filipino dishes in their Bistro's All-time favourites list, Bistro rice combo plates, Pancit (Filipino noodles), Vegetables, and desserts.We ordered the fried calamari, 2 sizzling pork sisig and crispy pata. 1 bucket of 6 bottles of San Miguel Pale Pilsen beer.The crispy calamari $13.99 were as advertised and looked like giant onion rings with a light breading. Looks like ready made calamari rings but they were crispy and not too oily. Theres a sweet and spicy dipping sauce provided. Good to share amongst a small group.The sizzling pork sisig $16.99 was served on a hot sizzling plate with a cracked egg on top. The pork consists of crispy bits of pork skin, cheek, snout and other parts of the pig. There were sliced jalapeno peppers, green chilies and onions mixed into the meat. Some places use mayonnaise to season the meat but this dish seemed to be season with salt, pepper, and some Knorr seasoning. A lemon was provided to add more acidity to the dish. If there was one critique for this dish, it seemed the first order had more crispy pork bits and less chewy pork cheek and snout pieces. It would have been better if there was a better mix of different pieces of pork. I prefer to have some pieces from lechon kawali (crispy fried pork belly). The second order we got was much better and we enjoyed it much more!Crispy pata $17.99 is fried pork hock chopped into bite size pieces and served with a vinegar and soy sauce. There two 2 large pork hock (leg) and the meat was juicy and tender. Great pulutan or bar food while nursing your ice cold beers.Our bucket of 6 bottles of beer $39.99 was served with a small bowl of fried peanut and fried garlic. The San Miguel Pale Pilsen beer was nice compliment to the food. Please note Filipinos love to drink beer with ice. So this beer is a Filipino branded beer and is popular amongst Filipinos who want a beer from their homeland.Overall if you want a nice night out with family and/or friends then Bisto Manila would be a good spot. Just be prepared to spend because the drinks and food do add up. Our bill came up $265.00 which included 5 BJ shots at $8.99 a pop. There's an automatic 10% gratuity added to the bill as per the menu. Next time I will try their pancit, chicken innasal and baked mussels. Service was pretty good and they brought extra ice, napkins and sauce. I recommend trying this place if you want to try some Filipino food and enjoy some nightlife in a friendly environment.
I ordered for a take out and the lady that i spoke with give a pick up time.. when i came the food is unprepared and i wait another 40mins for my food.when they serve it they didn’t even put it in a bag ..Not thinking it’s very hot to carry. and what’s funny is they charge for a 10$ for a tip on a take out order..the worst filipino food and ruined our family dinner.
We paid for the whole group. Our server added tip to the bill without letting us know so we ended up tipping twice. We didn’t realize until we were home. Unfortunately we will not be returning. We’re more than happy to tip. There’s no need to be sneaky about it.- I think it would have been nice for the server to communicate that. Other restaurants either have it written on the menu or the servers simply state it before giving us our bill. As you can see on the bill we tipped more than the automatic gratuity that was put on the bill. We are more than happy to support servers. :)
Food was amazing here! Went here a couple of times with friends. The owners are great. family owned. [thank you for your kind hospitality!], one server can improve her serving skills. But overall, the food and ambiance were great! Worth the drive to Scarborough! Will definitely be back again. best thing on the menu is the sisig and the pancit. Salamat po! =)
Busy place, however, worth the wait for great authentic Filipino classics. The owners are well put together and have a dream to be the best restaurant in the area go bistro!! Live entertainment on weekends for adventurous groups. Love it
We were initially very dissappointed because we were overcharged $150 for bar rail tequila bottles but management reached out to us since and advised us an "honest mistake" was made and they will be crediting/refunding us the difference on our next visit next time. Also I would strongly advise not to flood your peanuts with salt. It eaa a disaster last time and absoly ridiculous and I could see someone having a stroke or heart attack from it if they have enough... Thanks!
Me and my husband are most likely present every Saturday here at Bistro Manila. Sometimes even Fridays too... Love their food thats for sure esp the sisig bangus and sisig pork... I am a food person that I make sure the food hits my picky tongue, and i should say the food they serve is a great food...Love the live music comeback!!! My husband will never let us leave the place without me jamming with the band...And most of all the servers are very friendly which I think is the most important part too with this kind of business, I was a server as well and seeing them like how I am before is such a bless...By the way, kuddos to the owners who are always on yhe floor and hands on with everything....Let's all go to Bistro and enjoy their great food and perfect ambiance...Not to forget, my husband was one of the original cast of Bistro's make over years ago, he always point on those things that were left untouch that he did....
Restaurant is located in a shopping centre. No stairs and lots of parking. Also close to a bus stop. I loved the food. My only real experience with Filipino food was Jollibee and this place blows it out of the water. Some of the food I had was Sisig, garlic rice, fried chicken with cheese, and oysters. Can't remember everything cause I went with a friend who grew up in the Philippines. You don't need such a friend, though, the servers are very helpful and will help you choose the right meal and drink. Price is great and they also have live bands some nights. It's a great place for groups, plenty of room. It's a great locally owned place to support.
I went to bistro manila Friday! I had there steak meal! It was really delicious. I went with my friends to do some karaoke! And man it was some great time!