The original plan for our first night in Baguio City was to dine at Cafe by the Ruins, but our drizzly walk through the city’s inclined roads was for naught as the restaurant was closed. Time for plan B, the 50’s Diner.

A 10-minute Php35.00 cab ride later and we’re at the jam-packed retro-themed restaurant. We surely expected the place to be full after reading online reviews about it. Good food, huge servings, and affordable prices indeed equal to a crowded bistro.

The slight drizzle though had left the outside seats empty; perfect, no need to wait for an empty seat inside. A waitress in a school-girl uniform got our orders; I asked for their bestseller, which she said was Guys On The Hood (Php125.00), and L ordered the Famous 50’s Burger (Php80.00).

I took the chance to take a couple of photos of the interiors while waiting for our food. The diner’s floors were checkered black and whites; the seating booths, a cool light blue; the walls and ceiling, white accented by pink neon lights. Photos and posters of old Hollywood line the walls to complete the fifties diner look.

Now the food; my order consisted of fried chicken, pork chop, spaghetti, a slice of pizza, fries, garlic bread and a dash of veggies, (party food anyone?). It indeed taste like food served on a children’s party, which really was not bad in itself and I actually liked it a lot.

The chicken was crispy and flavored just right; it made me think of home-fried breaded chickens. It didn’t come with gravy though and I’ve had to ask a few times and wait for some bit before we were given some. The spaghetti was served Pinoy style, favoring sweetness over the traditional sour-tomato tasting ones. The pork chop was yummy too, its meat tender. The pizza was similar to the cheap ones being sold on streetcorners, which I patronize, so no problem there. 

The whole plate can get messy pretty fast with all the foods mixing with each other and I wish it was served on a bigger platter. This dish can easily be shared by two persons.

The burger, which L ordered, was huge. The buns looked like your regular bakery monays, but the beef patty was humongous for its price. The fries on the side were okay but we really didn’t like it that much.

True to the reviews we’ve read, we did have a hard time finishing everything off and was finally forced to bring home half of the burger. We were gut-bustingly full. A night at the 50’s Diner was a definitely good (and affordable) plan-B-way to cap off our first day in Baguio City.

50’s Diner
Address: 92 Upper General Luna Road Corner Brent Road, Baguio City
Contact Number: (0916) 659-5555
Open hours: