Savoring Pinoy Food at the Newly Opened "Luto ni Juan"

I think it was two weeks ago when Theresa reminded me that Luto ni Mang Juan was formally opened so we decided to check it if we have free time. When we informed Leah about the plan, she agreed to join us so we planned to meet Wednesday morning because their team (Team Semantics) had a scheduled breakfast at Le Monet Hotel after Monday shift. Unfortunately, their breakfast didn't push through so we ended up visiting Luto ni Juan here in Baguio early in the morning today. (By the way, we like to say "thank you" to the crew member who opened the second floor exclusively for us.)

Now open: Luto ni Juan. Luto ni Juan is located at Calderon Street corner T. Claudio Street (beside Jollibee and Prime Hotel).

The food hunters! L-R: Leah, Blair, Theresa, Marie and Yours Truly. We all had fun at Luto ni Juan. We  enjoyed  affordable yet yummy Pinoy food. Big thanks Theresa for the photos!

The interior of Luto ni Juan, second floor. Definitely Filipino for Filipino customers like us.

Theresa, Blair and I had Kanin ni Juan for breakfast while Leah and Marie had Arroz Caldo. We also had Pancit ni Juan sold for Php115.00 which is good for five persons. So far, I enjoyed the food and I think of visiting the place again, probably if I have extra budget. I want to try Banok or, perhaps, Banokis. When I had a short talk with one of the crew members, I learned from him that these are their “best sellers.” Banok includes inihaw na baboy and manok (grilled pork and chicken), vegetable and unlimited rice while Banokis includes grilled pork, chicken and fish, vegetable and unlimited rice. Banok and Banokis look pretty good in photos so I’m sure they also taste good. Imagine the unlimited rice if you want carbs in your body!

Served hot! Arroz Caldo for Php55.00. Arroz Caldo is a healthy breakfast. Warm meals in the morning stimulate and ignite our digestive tract and prepare it for the later meals. At any rate the ingredients of Arroz Caldo suggest everything invigorating in nature as well as represents presence of nutrients in the dish.

Leche Flan (Php60.00) courtesy of Blair. Thanks Blair for the "free taste." :)

Kanin ni Juan for Php89.00 with unlimited rice and red egg. 

Pancit ni Juan for Php115.00 - good for five persons. 

When it comes to customer service, I can say that we were “served well.” The two crew members at the counter were friendly and they’re very accommodating. Additionally, our “orders” arrived sooner than we expected so we didn’t wait for, say, fifteen to twenty minutes before we ate. Well, I think this is given because they have just opened and there are only few customers when we checked the place. I wish they will still have this kind of service even though they’re queued or, let’s say, it’s twelve noon and everyone’s rushing for lunch.

Definitely Filipino. Native water jars at Luto ni Juan's sink. 

We stayed at the second floor and it looked entirely new. The tables and chairs are new as well and they’re fully furnished and comfortable which made our stay a memorable one. It’s not spacious at the second floor – even at the first floor- so we’re fortunate that we came early. Needless to say, the overall ambience of the place was fine and it definitely set our mood for a delightful Pinoy breakfast.

I learned from Tess, the cashier, that Luto ni Juan opened June 8th of this year and it’s managed and operated by an Ilokano businessman. Luto ni juan is located at Calderon Street corner T. Claudio Street (beside Jollibe and Prime Hotel).