Chaya Baguio: Finding a Taste of Japan in the Highlands

Chaya Baguio is a restaurant offering authentic Japanese cuisine in the City of Pines. Dearly recommended by many locals for its good food and service, I decided to check out the place for myself.

Chaya Baguio Location

Chaya Baguio restaurant is located at 72 Legarda Road. My friend suggested that I make a reservation since it’s always packed but luckily on that day, there were seats ready like it was meant to be for us! The building itself was similar to a huge cottage which felt very homey and cozy right when we walked in. There is outdoor dining available as well.

They sat us in a private room with a great view of the hills and buildings. The server gave us a pitcher of water and complimentary appetizers such as cooked tuna and salmon.

The great thing about the menu is that it lets you know which dish is the best seller, vegetarian and vegan by having an icon beside it so it has a vast number of food selections for everyone.

Temaki Sushi

An exciting dish the menu has is the make-your-own-sushi concept called Temaki Sushi along with others but this one consists of a variety of different toppings such as sashimi, crab sticks, tamago, cucumber, and shiitake. This was the first thing we ordered that was good enough for the 4 of us. The toppings were very flavorful and the sweetness of the tamago, realizing it was an egg omelet, tasted divine! The Temaki Sushi was my favorite dish simply because you can construct your own sushi and this is why it is one of their best-sellers. Also, the assortment choices went perfectly with my cravings and I never got tired of it.

Vegetable Tempura

We also ordered the vegetable tempura which includes an array of squash flowers, okra, sweet potato, camote tops, eggplant, and okra tempura. The amount of batter used was good enough to hear that crunch in every bite, which made it satisfying to eat.

Japanese and Tofu Hotpot

The last dishes we had were the Tofu Hotpot as well as the Japanese Hotpot which are stews perfect for the cold weather. Each hotpot was more than enough for one person. The Tofu Hotpot consists of tofu and vegetables in kelp broth. The Japanese Hotpot is quite the same but consists of more ingredients such as seafood, tofu, mushrooms and vegetables. Both are served with ponzu sauce separately so you can mix it into the soup according to your taste preference.

Bonus Dessert: Aisukurimu!

In the end, we were served with complimentary vanilla ice cream. It was not too sweet as most ice creams are, which was just right for my taste buds.
My overall experience in Chaya Baguio was great! The service and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. Looking at the price of how much we spent, which was around PHP 2,000, I think it’s good for a group but it’s not exactly a place I would go to on a regular basis.

Chaya is great for special occasions or once-a-month visits. It’s the first thing that will pop into your mind the next time you or someone you know is craving fresh sushi and Japanese cuisine. There are limited tables so it’s best to reserve seats ahead of time if you are going in with a group of people.

Contact Info

Address: 72 Legarda Road, Baguio City
Facebook: @ChayaBaguio
Telephone: +63 744244726
Email: [email protected]
Operating Hours: 11.00 am – 9.00 pm, daily