It was past eight in the evening as we rolled along the Zobel Roxas street somewhere in Makati City and stopped at a talyer where sleek sports cars were being serviced.

I thought we were going to a batchoy house? I asked my companions.

Yup, we are, this is it.

Welcome to Antonio’s LaPaz Batchoy House. Located at a barangay aptly named La Paz, it is somewhere between the boundaries of Makati and Manila. It looks like any ordinary eatery except it’s not. Here, they serve two of Iloilo’s specialty noodle dishes, batchoy and molo, plus a few more.

This batchoy house is owned in part by car enthusiasts, hence the custom car shop just beside it. It is open-aired, but is well-ventilated enough to be comfortable. The interior is quite straightforward; plastic Orocan chairs, wooden foldable tables and a counter, similar to your local corner-street lugawan.

Antonio’s LaPaz Batchoy House has another branch located in Mandaluyong City, this is their second one.

My curiosity was piqued at seeing a batchoy house outside a mall. I’ve always been seeing them inside, especially the popular Ted’s and Deco’s which has its roots in Iloilo City, but I was wont to try them, feeling them to be too commercialized.

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While waiting for our main orders, we asked for a serving of their cheese sticks (₱70.00) so we can nibble on something. We haven’t had anything since lunch and it was already pretty late.

It was quite okay, not bad, but nothing to really write home momma about.

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After a few minutes, the noodles arrived. Antonio’s servings were huge, especially for its ₱65.00 price tag. Steaming bowls of La Paz batchoy, molo, and lomi soon landed on our table. We were all flabbergasted at how enormous each serving was—a bowl was actually good enough for two persons.

To give a background, I have been to Netong’s Batchoy, one of the pioneers of La Paz Batchoy in Iloilo. From the looks of Antonio’s version of it, I can see that it has the usual ingredients that make up this Ilonggo soup, but doesn’t look as hardcore as those found in La Paz market. I don’t think you’d get a heart attack from this.

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On first taste though, I have to say that their batchoy does capture the essence of an authentic Ilonggo batchoy. Definitely a two thumbs up. For the molo and the lomi, they also pass with flying colors. I don’t usually like lomi noodles, finding the consistency of its soup quite icky, but Antonio’s version of it is definitely good.

Besides noodles, Antonio’s LaPaz Batchoy House also offers the usual Filipino eatery fares of pancit, rice meals, and silogs. We were curious to see if they’re at par with their southern soups, so we ordered a few; sisig (₱120.00), chili chicken wings (₱150.00), and tocilog (₱65.00).

The tocilog was normal, it’s okay but there’s nothing special about it. I just like the fact that they’re really giving out fried rice with bits of eggs and veggies instead of the usual steamed rice that most tapsi houses do nowadays.

The chili chicken wings were very flavorful and saucy. If you’re into sweet and sour kind of thing, this might be for you, but unfortunately it’s not for me.

The sisig, on the other hand, was the bomb. I usually abhor (that’s a strong word, but yeah) sisig dishes that aren’t crispy or not served on grilled platters but Antonio’s is definitely an exception. It wasn’t icky at all and is superbly flavored. I absolutely loved it. The only thing missing with this, really, is a cold bottle of beer—which unfortunately they don’t serve.

The round up. The strong point of Antonio’s LaPaz Batchoy House are obviously their noodles—which is why they named it such. Their other dishes were hits and misses, which I guess depends mostly on the preference of the diner. My recommendation, get their batchoy, lomi, and molo noodle soups. In that particular order. You’d definitely never go wrong.

Antonio's LaPaz Batchoy House
Address: Zobel Roxas st., cor. Esmeralda st., La Paz, Makati City
Contact Number: (0925) 877-2277 | (0918) 927-7494
Opening Hours: 24 Hours, Daily
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GPS Coordinates Map: 14.569862, 121.036089

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