La Cosina Antonio

The live entertainment/drinking area isn't air conditioned so it feels damp and hot there which is a bummer if you want to drink, smoke and watch the live band entertainment. The staff is okay but I think they're not too happy doing their job. I like the antique feel of the restaurant and I'm guessing it's one of the preserved heritage houses of Pila turned into a business establishment so it was a great experience dining there.

Place is cozy and dark. The food is great and the staffs are courteous and helpful.

Great place, the stir-fry chicken was very tender and juicy.

My family decided to take an unplanned trip to Pila and we ended up here. I didn't have high expectations because the place looks cozy but unimposing.... But I think I just had my best Filipino meal in recent memory- and I don't even usually enjoy native restaurants. We ordered the crispy pork karekare, dinakdakan, and coconut curry chicken. The karekare was very sweet, very thick roux, with slightly crunchy skin-on cuts of pork belly, quite tender, and thin slices of eggplant and lots of beans and pechay greens. I don't usually like sweet flavors that should be savoury, but this karekare works. I think the sweetness is adequately balanced by the umami of the pork and veggies and of course, the bagoong- which is also on the mildly sweet side. If there’s anything that could be improved, it could be the addition of a saltier bagoong to counter the sweetness. The greens were fresh and still retained their crunch. Dinakdakan was perfect for my palate- a rich, creamy dish of cubed pork, also very tender and glistening with just the right amount of fat, with the sour bite of a ceviche, plus just a slight kiss of sweetness, and sprinkled with slivered green onions that add a satisfying herbal crunch. The staff said they use vinegar to bring out the sourness, but it’s also quite citrusy, so maybe there’s lime or calamansi in there somewhere...? The coconut chicken curry was almost too salty, but it was also spicy and full of coconut flavour, very tropical and an interesting mix of flavors that you don’t normally find in Filipino restaurants. Reminiscent of Thai cuisine, actually. The chicken itself was a little on the soggy side, but still tender and moist. It could have been a little crunchier or crisper, but I’m not complaining-- much. Maybe they should serve the sauce and chicken separately? They were out of all but two desserts, so we ordered the halo halo. It was on the light side, nothing extraordinary, just perfect proportions of beans, milk, jelly, and ice cream to cap a very rich, very flavorful saucy meal. It won’t weigh you down like other versions that are entire meals unto themselves. I also ordered a Long Island, which was the only disappointment- very light on the alcohol, heavy on the soda. For those commuting by car, there’s lots of parking in the back (it doubles as a bed and breakfast). The staff are attentive and courteous, but maybe the restaurant could use a different music playlist because I can only stomach so many Air Supply ballads. Anyway it was all delicious, be prepared to eat loads of rice because the flavor of everything we ordered was very strong and a little viand goes a long way. The flavors are unexpected in a good way. If this restaurant were closer to Metro Manila I would probably return and try several more dishes because this cook just GETS my taste buds.

Superb Boodle Feast and Great Staff... Kudos to La Cosina

We had our son's 1st birthday here and it was awesome!

Great place to hangout, diferrent band plays daily and allows guest to jam and sing along with the band. Authentic Filipino Chinese and Spanish cuisines. Sweet Potato Fries is a must try. Offers Seafood kilawing tanigue with pork belly as pulutan.

Good food. Nice room. With live band that ypu can chill every night. You can hear the band playing even in your room, whixh is not bad for. Check it out guys.