Packo's Restaurant and Bar

Packo's Restaurant & Bar (aka Packo's Grill) is a restaurant/gimik place in Quezon City. Due to its proximity to several business establishments, it is a popular choice for office workers who want to unwind during the weekends. This resto is accessible via private vehicles and tricycles.

The resto offers a wide range of food -- they have appetizers; soups; pork, beef, chicken, vegetable, and seafood dishes; salads; noodles; rice; and desserts.

Taste

Our group ordered the following: Mixed Vegetables in Garlic Sauce, Nachos with Beef, Pork Sisig, Boneless Crispy Pata, Sago't Gulaman, Four Seasons, Bottomless Iced Tea, and bottles of beer.

Mixed Vegetables in Garlic Sauce at Packo's Grill

Mixed Vegetables in Garlic Sauce - P198

Boneless Crispy Pata - P458

The boneless crispy pata was served already sliced and on a long, rectangular plate, very convenient especially for a big group. The meat was tender and juicy. The skin was not as crispy as I expected but I got one of the middle slices that did not have much skin compared to the ends. The crispy pata was served with only a small amount of sauce which was enough for only one or two people. I don't know if you can ask for more sauce (we did not try) but Packo's should have provided a lot more sauce.

Nachos with Beef - P238

Nachos with beef. Now this one I really liked. I don't usually order nachos since many places serve thick, stiff nachos with very little meat and cheese on top, so it was a pleasant surprise that Packo's nachos were different. The chips were soft and thin, the meat tender and flavorful, and, as you can see in the picture above, there were lots of ground beef and cheese. Like the crispy pata, the nachos were also served on a long plate, making it easier for everyone in the group to get some.

Pork Sisig - P288

The pork sisig was also satisfying. It was cruncy and seasoned just right.

Plain rice - P25/cup

The rice was priced per cup but was not served individually. Instead, several cups of rice were placed in a bigger dish like in the image above, meant to be shared.

Sago Gulaman and Four Seasons at Packo's Grill

Sago't Gulaman - P45 || Four Seasons - P45

Affordability

When we were browsing the menu, the prices seemed high. But considering the big servings (barkada sizes), the prices were actually affordable. There were 8 of us in the group and the bill amounted to P1974 (about P250/pax). San Miguel Beer was priced at P36 per bottle.

Interiors

Packo's has indoor and outdoor seats. Near the entrance is a big menu board.

The restaurant is well-lit and spacious. Temperature is just right, not too hot nor too cold. At the farther end is an elevated platform where several chairs and tables are also located.

On one side of this area is a private function room.

Unlike other restaurants (especially gimik places) where the owners try to cram as many seats as they can inside the resto, at Packo's, there is more than adequate space between tables so there is enough privacy and less distraction from other customers. Staff members and diners can walk around freely. Modern music plays in the background but the volume is not loud enough to interfere with conversations. At the time of our visit, the restaurant was almost full and there were also a lot of people inside the function room, but we could talk to each other normally, without having to raise our voices just to be heard.

Cleanliness

The whole place was clean and orderly. I did not notice anything amiss.

Service

There were some minor misses. The server took away the food that one of my friends was still eating To be fair, there was only about a spoonful of rice and maybe half a spoonful of viand so it was an understandable mistake and the waitress was apologetic when my friend told her that he was not yet through eating. We laughed about it, but the server needs to be careful since some customers will take such a mistake in a totally wrong way. Also, at the end of the meal, I was feeling full so I just asked for a half-refill of iced tea but the server gave me a full glass. Same thing happened when bf later on also asked for a half-refill.

Nevertheless, the service was good overall. Our server was patient and courteous. The food arrived quickly. We had no problems calling the server's attention when we had additional orders or needed other stuff. Iced tea refills were always cold (a common problem I encounter in other restaurants whenever I order iced tea is that refills are room temperature and they don't give me ice unless I specifically request for some).