It’s Chinese New Year! It’s a special non-working holiday last Friday; nevertheless, we still had to go to work. No worries, I still had after-work hours to celebrate CNY with my family. We had dinner at Burgoo, SM Mall of Asia. This restaurant is not Chinese—and in fact, far from it. We exchanged the traditional Chinese cuisine for CNY with all-American food fare for a difference. And just maybe, we can get to earn US dollars all year round. 😆
You may have passed by and/or dined in at Burgoo too many times, but did you know that Burgoo American Bar and Restaurant is named after “Burgoo,” a 17th century Kentucky stew that consists of goat meat, squirrel and deer mixed with vegetables, herbs and spices? I bet not. 😛 Anyway, Burgoo does not serve that same stew anymore but rather another version of stew officially called Burgoo Stew (PHp 145) that’s made with chicken, beef and pork with carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and herbs. I wanted to try it but as my mom’s eyes were fixated on the food posted by the entrance, we just ordered what supposedly had caught her fancy: Supreme Sampler and Pizza Sampler!
Review of Burgoo American Bar and Restaurant (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City)
Ambiance: ★★★★☆
Featuring an intimate dining experience with a modern and contemporary environment, Burgoo’s dining room in SM Mall of Asia branch is very spacious. The outside looked just as promising as the inside. Seats gave comfort and the dim lights provided a great, fit-for-occasion yet laid-back atmosphere. Background music was soothing to the ears; without it, the place was a bit too quiet as it was not busy. In any case, reservations are still recommended in order to confirm a spot especially for dinner.
Service: ★★★★★
Upon our entrance, the staff acknowledged the reservation I made, and she escorted us to our table without a problem. Once inside, kind service was rewarded to us. The smiles of waitresses and the quick delivery of food made us feel like we should leave a tip before even eating. Efficient and commendable, Burgoo’s customer service was well worth the 10% charge on the bill.
Food: ★★★☆☆
The Supreme Sampler (PHp 425, Regular) consisted of a combination of spicy buffalo wings (three pieces), cheddar cheese fries, mozzarella sticks and onion rings. All the fried stuff here were golden. They had this magical crunch, one that only a true lover of fried food enveloped with bread crumbs understands. This platter, according to the wait staff, is good for two to three people to share. We were four and still we could not finish everything. (Maybe we’re considered part of the minority.)
Three accompanying dips were provided: tomato basil, ranch and blue cheese. I liked the ranch most and so did my sister. It was made with buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, herbs (chives, parsley, and dill) and spices. The blue cheese came second to our order of preference. It was warm, slightly salty and downright creamy. Hinting basil and tomato paste combined, the tomato basil sauce tasted just odd.
Burgoo offers stone-baked pizza and allows customers to customize a pizza with these toppings: pepperoni, sausage, tomatoes, anchovy, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, black olives, grilled chicken, mushrooms, onions, extra mozzarella cheese and pineapples. I thought this is very much like that of Project Pie. However, unlike Project Pie, Burgoo charges PHp 75 for every additional topping. Basic ingredients have to be present in all: the pie (of course), sauce and cheese. This personalized pizza costs PHp 325 (Regular) and PHp 375 (Large).
We ended up going with Pizza Sampler (PHp 475 for Regular and PHp 575 for Large) with four existing flavors on the menu, trusting that these would taste better than our own concoction. The pizza (large size) had eight slices with two slices per flavor.
We devoured the visually promising Frutte de Mare made with mild barbecue sauce with shrimps, calamaris and mussels. Loaded with seafood, this pie tasted even better than it looked on picture. The cheese melted imperceptibly into the sauce in a 1:2 ratio and the barbecue sauce imparted a slightly sweet-and-sour tang.
To cater to Dad’s vegetarian palate, Margherita consisting of tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan and fresh basil leaves and Garden Fresh consisting of spinach, green peas, onions, peppers, tomatoes, black olives and mushrooms were served. The fresh tomatoes in Margherita exploded in my mouth with a bright punch. The fresh spinach in Garden Fresh, on the other hand, acted both as a flavor amplifier that further pushed the fruity notes and as a unifying element that tied everything into a pizza heaven. 🙂 Both pizzas were punctuated by a “burst of herbaceousness” and a well-balanced taste.
Lastly, Taco Mexicano was topped with ground beef, sausages, cheddar, mozzarella and tomatoes. The meaty ingredients used here were most prominent and pronounced. They were combined so well with the other elements, bringing the pie to a higher level of goodness.
Overall, I sensed the presence of high-gluten flour in the dough. While the crust was not perfectly charred and lacked in crisp, the unity of the flavors making the pie was okay. The pizza flavors, when ordered individually, cost PHp 395 (Regular) and PHp 495 (Large), except for the Margherita which costs PHp 20 less respectively.
Price for Value: ★★★☆☆
Burgoo American Bar and Restaurant’s pizzas and supreme sampler are not those that would definitely make me come back, but maybe their known specialties and best-sellers such as seafood jambalaya, fajitas and steaks are enough reason for now for us to check this place out next time and track it for years to come. Considering that this restaurant’s prices range from PHp 395 to PHp 995 for a decent order of large portions of food, it offers quite a reasonable value for money.
Other Branches:
- 310 Tomas Morato Ext. Q.C Philippines | (02) 927.73.96, (02) 927.73.84, (02)927.74.24
- 3/L Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center Makati City Philippines | (02) 898.1815 to 17
- 2/L The Podium, ADB Ave. Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City | (02) 687.55.65, (02) 633.67.62, (02) 687.5254
- 2/L Promenade, Greenhills San Juan Metro Manila Philippines | (02) 726.46.63, (02) 726.32.43
- 2/L Gateway Mall Araneta Center, Cubao, Q.C. | (02) 913.61.12, (02) 913.72.34, (02) 912.79.39
- 4/L Robinsons Galleria, Q.C. | (02) 633.62.56, (02) 633.95.65
- 3/L The Block SM City North Edsa Q.C. | (02) 442.01.15, (02) 422.01.04
- Grnd Flr. SM City Marikina, Marikina City | (02) 477.19.34, (02) 477.19.32
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
I loved American foods and Burgoo have much to offer for its guests. I patronized Burgoo because of its food, ambiance and the business system.
With that said, I’m guessing you’re into venues where the atmosphere is chilled out with a healthy dose of background jazz music – not too intrusive and just loud enough to be enjoyable. That’s what Burgoo’s ambiance feels like exactly.
Burgoo is one of our favorite restaurants in the Metro and there is no other restaurant that comes to mind whenever we crave for good ol’ American food. Thanks for the list of branches and contact numbers. This will surely come in handy.
You’re welcome. This was our third dining experience at Burgoo and we always leave feeling pleased and satisfied. So I agree with you. Burgoo can be an ultimate and top-notch restaurant when it comes to American food.
first of all, i love mall of asia! lol i miss it already!
but wow the restaurant looks good and so does the food! 😀 thanks for sharing! love it!
You’re welcome. Mall of Asia is my favorite mall in the Philippines. Nothing else comes close. Haha.
will have a look here in your blog once im back in Philippines and looking for good restaurants and good foods! looks like you’ve been to most of them!
Thanks, Jane. I hope to be able to hop into more restaurants in the months to come. Stay tuned. 🙂
I like the food in Burgoo and the serving size is great for a large group and it also has a nice ambiance.
Same here. I like that the atmosphere is rustic and cozy and the service is warm and friendly yet extremely professional and efficient. We are looking forward to our next visit!
I like the food at Burgoo a little. I also like how you can draw on their place mats while waiting for the food.
Oh yeah, I was surprised that the waitress wrote on our place mats the first time. She asked for my sister’s name and wrote it in big letters. My sister also scribbled in Chinese and we actually created written conversations while waiting for our food. 🙂
I also like the setup of Burgoo because it is so relaxing.
Somehow that’s one reason why Burgoo is an ideal place to conduct business meetings and first dates.
Like the place and foods both of them.
Have you tried to dine in at Burgoo yet? I know this review does not encompass every food item they have so it can’t be a fair representation of Burgoo has to offer. But I can tell you that their food is rustic and unpretentious with healthy sized portions overall.
It has been quite a while since I have last eaten in Burgoo, will refer to this review when I get the chance to.
I don’t think they have a lot of new offerings on their menu. Burgoo sticks to their classic food as they have been proven to suit customer tastes and demand through the years.
Out of all your orders, the one that was new to me (from the menu) was the stone-baked pizza. I didn’t know that Burgoo offered something that customers can create on their own. Also, I haven’t tried Project Pie yet. So this makes me all the more excited for both restaurants. There’s something new to look forward to.
Giving customers the freedom to choose the toppings they want to add on the pie comes with a cost, but it’s a good experience. If I were to compare the pizzas by Project Pie and Burgoo though, I say that Burgoo’s pizza are baked more excellently.
I’ve never really tried Burgoo but it’s on my list.. the Supreme Sampler looks so mouthwatering though quite pricey..
Yeah. The best strategy is to invite many friends over so you can also share the bill. 😛 Burgoo’s menu is extensive and there is something for everyone.
I love their pizza sampler because you get several flavors immediately.
Right. I hope this becomes a trend in every restaurant that serves pizza. I suppose most customers would want to try different flavors and not be stuffed eating several pieces of one and the same thing.
I’ve known Burgoo for the longest time now but haven’t been there. My friend works there and swears by the food that they serve specially the burgers and desserts
Next time I’d like to try the soup of course and more desserts. I gotta remember to save room for desserts whaha I tend to always become full as early as appetizer is done.
I already ate at Burgoo and I like the place but not really love it. It’s okay for me, but a bit expensive
There are a lot of other restaurants better than Burgoo so your point is totally acceptable. Their food are not the best but certainly not the worst you can find.
I haven’t tried eating at Burgoo yet. Maybe I’d try some of the food you have reviewed here if I get to try eating there.
So far I have only been to two of their branches: MOA (twice) and Promenade, Greenhills (once). We had good experiences in both locations, so I’m trusting that you can have the same regardless of the branch you visit. If you want to try Burgoo’s food, go to the branch nearest you for convenience. 😉
I ate here before and Im satisfied with the food and the service. The branch in The Block is not that spacious though
Thanks for the tip! Readers can be advised to book a reservation before going to the SM North EDSA branch of Burgoo.
I keep on reading this on my news feed. Gonna try Burgoo soon!
Burgoo is THE place for comfort food. If you want something warm, gooey, satiating, home-style or soupy, you must come and try Burgoo. 😀
It is quite expensive if ever I’m gonna eat alone but it’s best spent with the family.. 🙂
Yes, their prices are high-priced for just a stop in. I used a MetroDeal voucher to get PHp 1000 worth of food for only PHp 599. It was a good deal.
Love the ambiance, so relaxing. And the food made me starve to death. I am super hungry now.
Yup, I love its vintage/cottage feel. The ambiance is cool and you can even access their wi-fi here for free. The food makes for a good causal meal with friends and family. You’ll never go wrong choosing Burgoo anytime.
I think they also have a branch in Southmall? BF’s mom told me na super sarap nga daw diyan and she asks us out for a treat. Now I’m even more excited to go here and try their food! 🙂
Oh I have never been to Southmall because it’s too far from my place. You can go to any branch of Burgoo and I bet all of them serve food in consistent taste and quality. This restaurant has long been established in years.
For me, Burgoo is a yummy place especially when you are with a bunch of friends! Perfect for family too!
I agree. It’s an ideal restaurant to go to when you are accompanied by a group of friends or your family because the food portions are rather large. Allow yourself to chomp on fine comfort food once in a while. 🙂
I’ve tried Burgoo also in MOA once only (coz’ it’s pricey) with colleagues way back when I was working with a wedding planning company. I love their pasta dishes and desserts.
I agree with the expensiveness of the food and this is also one reason why most customers take too long a time to decide which to order. Ultimately the best way is to follow the nose—if that neighbor’s dish makes your head swivel, chances are you should get it, too. But yeah, pastas and desserts are fine. 😀
[…] Burgoo American Bar and Restaurant, which is also owned by Specialty Restaurant, Inc., Gumbo gives customers the liberty to choose up […]
Good one. Do it effects our health if we take it as our regular diet.
These food are not the healthiest and ideal ones to take for regular intake haha.