Baguio has been home to me since 2005 when I first stepped foot on its cold mountains and took a whiff of its foggy air--I've been enamored and in love since. I spent my formative years aka College lol roaming the city, enjoying the view and always wanting to just live there. At this point, I still haven't made that goal materialize but I'm getting there. Hopefully when I look back at this blog in 10yrs time, I'll be doing so while hanging out in my cold, foggy patio in Baguio.
Anyway, I was recently in Baguio and had the chance to visit some of my old favorite while all the while discovering new ones. First up on our list is an all-time favorite of, well, almost everyone. My sister, who's based in Baguio recommended the place since she's quite fond of it.
THE PLACE
Grumpy Joe used to be located in Leonard Wood in a small but quaint space. It was easy to spot because there would almost, always be a queue outside. That's why I never really took interest in the place before because I hate spending my time queueing given that I only have a few days whenever I visit Baguio. But just last year, they transferred to a new location along Gibraltar. The new location is a rustic dream with a lot of open spaces to move around and a lot of light that comes in--complete opposite of their old location but an awesome upgrade if I do say so myself.
During our visit, we came around lunch time which I think is a bad idea because we ended up waiting for about an hour or so lol. If you're dining in, make sure you come in early because they don't take reservations. The place also has ample parking compared to their previous location.
THE FOOD
Where do I even begin? I'm not even putting the prices up because everything was budget-friendly with humungous serving sizes to boot! You can check their menu and see the prices there, but for today I'll be focusing more on my personal recommendations. First up, the Seafood Marinara--while there are a lot of dishes worth mentioning, this was the one that my sister kept mentioning and building up and I told her not to do so because more often than not, I'm always let down if I have high expectations. But I wasn't disappointed at all! The pasta tasted so fresh (if that makes sense) and the seafood was very tasty and flavorful!
Another favorite was their Garden Salad. I hate most of the salads I get in restaurants because salads are supposed to be teeming with fresh vegetables, not dressing! And Grumpy Joe's Garden Salad was a refreshing treat with their wooden salad bowl filled with fresh and yes, crunchy vegetables and their homemade poppy seed dressing! And since almost all my family members are carnivores, we ordered almost all types of their chicken lol. We got their Teriyaki Chicken, Buffalo Chicken, Chicken with rice and chicken fingers with fries and baked parmesan wings with aioli dip--all of which were fantastic. I loved the parmesan wings the best and the aioli dip was just the icing on top.
Aside from the things I mentioned, I also enjoyed our sides and additional orders--yes we ate a lot because my family loves food lol. We got the Garlic Shrimp Pizza and this was SO DAMN GOOD. Please get this if you ever visit the place, they use real shrimp, not the tiny frozen ones you get from the supermarket--they use really big shrimps I tell ya! I also enjoyed the mozzarella sticks and bacon fries! Oh and pro tip: ask the waiter for Toxic Waste. It's an extremely spicy hot sauce and you know they're not kidding when they say it's hot because you actually have to sign a waiver releasing them of any accountability should anything happen to me--that serious! But it's worth a try, you only live once lol.
Aside from all the things I mentioned, the place really is a treat and a nice breathr from all the hustle and bustle of the metro. The place is spacious with light shining through as you dine in, coupled with an awesome view of the pine tress with just the cold breeze as your companion. Grmpy Joe really live up to its name of being one of Baguio's go-to restaurants, not just for tourists but for locals alike,