Dining outdoors in breezy weather is always a treat, so if you’re looking for a spot to chill over food and drinks while in Tagaytay, there’s Ridge Park Kainan sa Kubo.

Located along the main highway, just across the road from Robinson’s Tagaytay, this establishment offers gorgeous panoramas of Taal Volcano and Taal Lake during the day, and doubles as a cool hangout spot at night, with the entire garden lit up by sparkling fairy lights. Since our visit was over Christmas, they even had a capiz parols as decorative features (which N says is one of the pricier-to-make forms of parol).

As the name suggests, the establishment features dozens of kubo (nipah huts), where patrons can dine in comfort while enjoying the sights during the day. Since we visited at night, we couldn’t see the lake and volcano, but it’s still a great place to enjoy the cool weather in a green and open setting.

An artist on site doing live portraits.

We settled into one of the kubos. The roof is made from nipa (from the nipa palm), while the body of the hut is constructed mainly from bamboo, with seats around the edges and a table in the centre. There is also a fan on top for ventilation.

We shared a plate of tawilis, which are freshwater sardines endemic to Taal Lake. Their populations have actually declined drastically over the years due to overfishing, which is why the Philippine government has implemented a ‘closed season’ to preserve populations.

Honest opinion – I didn’t enjoy it very much. Never been a big fan of bony fish as I’m terrible with removing bones and I’ve developed a phobia of choking on fish bones over the years – and these are extremely boney. I also wasn’t sure if the restaurant prepared it well or not, but it had an overwhelmingly ‘fishy’ taste, with the vinegar only able to mask some of it. Still, I understand many Filipinos enjoy this fish, so if you’re looking to snack on some tawilis, then this might be a good place.

Aside from tawilis, the restaurant’s menu spans Filipino dishes like Tagaytay’s famous bulalo, fried chicken, pinakbet (mixed vegetables in shrimp sauce), fried tilapia, and crispy pata, so large plates that are ideal for sharing.

RIDGE PARK KAINAN SA KUBO

3WXW+X75, Tagaytay, Cavite, Philippines

Phone:+63464233765

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PS2:  All food reviews are at own expense unless otherwise stated. Views here are my own and are based on my personal experience. They are not meant to endorse or disparage businesses in any way.