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Matt & co.
When I asked Bob Martin for suggestions on where to bring Matt Mullenweg, who is known to love sampling the different barbecue offerings of places he goes to all over the world, he didn’t hesitate to recommend Ranchero’s Grill. So Bob & I brought Matt there for dinner last 3 September 2008, along with a handful of other friends.
Baby Back Ribs
I don’t think a guest would ever say to a host’s face that he didn’t like the food that was served. But, I think Matt did get to enjoy the food that we had that night. Speaking for myself, though, I’d say my favorite was the Baby Back Ribs. It was very tender, not too salty, and tasted heavenly. Thing is, I don’t know why they serve it with the usual Dabawenyo sawsawan (soy sauce & calamansi); it’s good as is, trust me. And one order is huge! If you’re having other dishes, one order of the ribs could be good for 3 people.
Kaldereta
The restaurant itself is very homey, and the setting is certainly conducive for family gatherings and intimate parties with friends. The service is not bad either. It could use a little improvement here and there, but I thought the wait staff were trained well enough.
Another dish that we had was the Kalderetang Kambing, the sauce for which was clearly made from scratch (and not made from any ready-to-cook mix). But the order was disappointingly sparse — the whole time I was trying to get that hit-the-spot feeling while hunting for more meat… but I didn’t get there. Matt had some, too. It was very enjoyable seeing Matt, who comes from Texas and was in the Philippines (and Asia) for the very first time, try all the food laid out before him.
Here are more photos from our food trip with Matt, who took all the food shots here with his awesome Nikon D3 (he gave me permission to use the photos here). Too bad he wasn’t able to take a picture of the Sinubgang Panga (grilled jaw of tuna), which was a delightful treat.
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- Lumpia
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- Garlic rice
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- Calamares
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- Sinuglaw
Ranchero’s Grill and Steakhouse is an export of General Santos City. In Davao, it is located on Tionko Ave. corner Arellano St., very near the Bangko Sentral building. They’re open daily for lunch and dinner. Tel.: 225-1199, 226-8679.
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I went there once and I don’t like their food. There are also plenty of mosquitoes… Maybe I will give the place another chance if time permits…
@gorgeous — IMHO, once isn’t enough to really appreciate a restaurant. Do give Rachero a second try, you just might enjoy it the 2nd (or 3rd) time around.
Wasn’t too crazy about their food considering the price. Might give em another shot after reading your review
my favorite is their baby back ribs.
Next Kadayawan, I’m going to drag the travel whores there!!!
@Gail — And hopefully I’ll be in Davao then!
The Baby Back Ribs are the closest in the Philippines to what I am use to back in Texas. Every time I order I say the same thing, “Oh it is too much”, but I also seem to manage to eat it all by myself. I enjoy the atmosphere and maybe I am too sour or grumpy for the mosquitoes. If you could pick that restaurant up and move it to the Houston, Texas area you would be rich and franchised quickly.
Hello Tom! Glad to see you’re back commenting on my food blog. Any suggestion for my next resto feature?
I've been in Ranchero several times already and I agree with Tom, their Baby back ribs were great! Other entrees were also exceptional, their Brahman feast is a must try.
It was mosquito free when i was there though.
It's an open-air place, so when the weather's right for 'em buggers, there's likely going to be mosquitoes. Other than that, it's not such a big issue. Maybe they should install more bug zappers!
Ranchero has been a favorite of mine since I lived in the Philippines. We went there regularly when we lived in GenSan, and when we moved to Davao, they opened the branch here very shortly after we moved. My favorites also are the baby back ribs, and the lumpia is the best I’ve ever eaten.
There was a time a couple years ago when I felt that the quality of the food took a dive, and after that we didn’t go there for a while. However, I believe they are back on track now. I would guess that some of those who said that they didn’t like it much probably visited during that time when the quality took a dive.
And I’m sure glad they’re back on track!
Hey blogie, can post the prices of those foods taht you ordered? We (romantic-handsome-rare Men’s club of Davao) really checks your posts so we can decide where’s the best place to make our gf’s stick to us! LOLS thanks a lot
@Mike — Hahahaha!! You rascals!
Sige, I’ll try to look ‘em up for you guys.
For beef lovers, try their ranchero ribs….
I live in Gensan (working in Australia) but I keep visiting both their Gensan and Davao Resto, every time I got a chance.
My Aussie friends dont missed eating at Ranchero’s every time they visit Gensan.
My Aussie friends were Beef Producers/ Suppliers from Australia and always give 2 thumbs up on the Ranchero Ribs.
@kingbrown — Thanks for your comment!
We’ll give this a try when we do our weekend family gatherings. Thanks for the review.
charap dito ang food…
Ranchero Grills is one of my top favorite Restaurant here Gensan..
sarap dito ah.. sarap ng baby back ribs! promise!!! the best!