Long live Café Adriatico!

For a place to be recognized as a landmark, it has to evoke a sense of familiarity, belonging and timelessness. Malate’s Café Adriatico is one such place not only because it quickly comes to mind as a great food destination, but it has always been strongly entwined with the fame of Manila City’s most happening district.

So when the café—located at Remedios Circle and Adriatico Street in Malate—caught fire on December 13, 2010, its owners and patrons alike were deeply saddened at the closure that followed shortly.

But after five long months of waiting, the Malate tradition finally reopened on May 17 still with the same goal: To be the dining destination it has always been known for. Café Adriatico brings back the good food, warm service and its signature old-world ambience to its devoted patrons.

30 successful years

Café Adriatico is the first café and restaurant of late restaurateur, journalist and bistro king Larry Cruz. The bistro first served the Malate folk on New Year’s Eve of 1980.

At press lunch to announce the reopening, Cruz’s daughter, Lorna Cruz-Ambas, who now serves as the chief executive officer of LJC Group of Restaurants, fondly recalled how the café came to life. She started by talking about how his father always liked to say that his being a restaurateur happened by pure accident.

Cruz, a journalist by profession owned an antiques shop called Koleksyon Antique Store where Café Adriatico is located today. His friend, David Sharuff, son of a Syrian who owns a restaurant in Ermita, convinced him to be partners and convert the place into a restaurant.

However, Ambas remembered that Sharuff bailed out on her father even before they actually started the business. Still, Cruz surged forward and was rewarded with a legendary café.

The bistro was patterned from those on the streets Paris and decorated with Cruz’s personal favorite pieces of antique dining tables, Ilocos chairs, the art collections of his father artist E. Aguilar Cruz, and of course, jazz music drifting from the speakers.

To put it more accurately, Café Adriactico became the first concept restaurant in the country that reshaped the whole dining scene. From then on, it became famous for its “tasteful and warm ambiance.”

Overcoming tragedy

When Café Adtriatico’s closed in December because of the fire that took out the second floor, many patrons felt a great sense of loss.

Ambas shared that as she was watching the fire consume her father’s beloved café, she knew that whether it was damaged slightly or severely, LJC would be determined to revive it again.

Lucky enough, Ambas said, the fire only destroyed the kitchen area of the second floor. Restoration included refurbishing the old moldings, details and furniture. They also repainted the café to be little brighter and made sure that the electrical system is properly installed.

As a whole, Café Adriatico looks the same as the original. LJC decided to do this in order to keep its famed old-world ambiance.

Unfortunately, the water that put the fire out damaged three of her grandfather’s paintings.  “Those were what we couldn’t replace.”


Good food

Artists, fashion designers, government officials, famous actors did not only love Café Adriatico for its ambience; they also flocked to the restaurant because of its delicious menu.

At the prelaunch, the all-time favorites were served to let everyone know that Café Adriatico’s taste lives on. Among them are the Lengua Estofada and Lola Ising’s Adobo Rice dishes, Claude’s Dream dessert, a cold confection of pandan jelly and young coconut milk on buffalo milk ice cream, and the classic Chocolate Eh! hot drink.

To offer old patrons and new diners alike with more delicious tastes, Café Adriatico’s executive chef Ninoy Aquino and corporate executive chef George Lizares are also in the process of creating a new menu that merges the classic favorites and new culinary creations. “Something for the patrons to watch out for,” said Ambas.


The legacy continues

Café Adriatico is the flagship restaurant of the LJC Group of Restaurants which include Bistro Remedios, Café Havana, Larry’s Café and Bar, Abé, Fely J’s Kitchen, Lorenzo’s Way, Abé’s Farm and La Mer Catering. And all these names carry Larry Cruz’s signature old-world ambience.

Every restaurant also carries the dining business formula that Cruz taught his daughter. “He always like to say that a dining experience is being able to have good food with great service in a tasteful ambience with reasonable pricing.”

She added it is her mission to stay true to this formula and keep his father’s legacy alive.  After all, the famous and beloved Larry Cruz worked so hard to make LJC grow. 

Café Adriatico is open everyday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. except Sundays. For inquiries and reservations call LJC Marketing Office at 522-0403.


*first published for The Manila Times. Read here.