Finally, after a long wait, another popular restaurant chain in the Philippines opened its doors to Filipinos and other expat communities in Qatar for a taste of “Authentic Filipino Cuisine”.
I remembered posting on facebook a similarly looking restaurant which was supposed to open at Bin Mahmoud area where a popular Filipino fast food brand and Cargo & courier services are presently located. However, it didn’t pushed through for unknown reasons and we haven’t confirmed either if this has relation to the newly opened branch.
We still even have to confirm (staffs are mum on giving further details), although from the looks of it, it seems to be associated with the Ongpauco-owned Barrio Fiesta in the Philippines.
As if poised to maintain its brand, their Qatar-branch was located in a prime commercial building in Doha along side other famous establishments like Sushiminto and Starbucks in a popular hangout area near Ramada signal.
But while many are not happy with their initial price offering, we can still check out what makes paying a visit worthwhile.
The restaurant will greet you with this massive wall art giving all its visitors a glimpse of their humble beginnings.
The dining area at the ground floor are divided into two sections while the second floor are almost ready to accommodate more customers once they become fully operational.
It’s also quite a treat to see an actual jeepney and tricyle on display at the restaurant. A great opportunity to introduce the Filipino lifestyle to our non-Filipino friends.
But a number of excited customers were surprised when it soft-opened last weekend (February 9, 2017). Aside from closing as early as 8pm on its opening day to a buffet-only weekend offering which left many kabayans sad and displeased.
However, these pre-opening bloopers are quite expected. The staff may get overwhelmed with influx of excited patrons. Some foods on the menu may not be available during the pre-operation stage. And our orders may take longer than the usual. However, all these things happen even on other restaurants during their first few days.
But on the lighter side, i felt that there are still reasons to overlook these things. The location is good, the ambiance is nice and the space is really big (although maybe they have to work on their exhaust).
I’m pretty sure that the management will take all initial comments and reactions in consideration if they want to do well in Qatar. I still think this is a great addition to many popular Filipino chains who are already here in Qatar (the likes of Jollibee, Chowking, and Inasal) along with other well-loved Filipino restaurants around the country. And this just goes to show that we are one big food loving culture and that our great dishes can also go international.
We are not commissioned by Barrio Fiesta to do this blog, as always, the opinions stated here are my own. We were also there on the second day and were surprised that they only serve buffets on weekends (not specified on their fb page) at a surprising price of QR99/head. Knowing that I am the only heavy diner in the family, paying for a buffet for three may not be worth it. But we still do plan to come back to try out their al carte menu soon.
By the way, they also have the popular sorbetero cart on display. Could have been better if used to serve ice cream for added authenticity. But for now, it’s part of their display and is really good for kids who are growing here in Qatar to see.
If you have experienced their food, please feel free to comment below.
Good day
Ask ko lang po pg stamp ng visa sa qatar need po ng invitation letter but ung nakalagay po sa letter ko is un brother ko which is siya po un sponsor ko then dun sa visa ko nklagay na name of sponsor is
Ung agency na ng process..
Accepted po ba un or kung ndi ano pede kong gwen??
Hello mam… nasa BARRIO FIESTA po ang question nyo po pero dahil malakas kau sakin hehehe. Usually po ang invitation letter ay dapat po galing dun sa sponsor ng visa. While brother nyo po ang pupuntahan nyo dito ung sponsor po is ung nagapply ng visa nyo po papuntang qatar for example. So kung sino po ung agency na nagapply ng visa nyo magrequest nalang po kau sa kanila ng invitation letter. Most likely pp familiar na sila sa format. Hope this helps po. Thank you!
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Thanks… appreciate your help. Email me at bestlifeqatar@gmail.com and lets see how it can be improved.
BAD EXPERIENCE…
Let me be as civilised as i could possibly be and just put the list of complaints and concerns that my family have experienced with this restaurant.
1. Foods are pricey
2. Pancit noodles are not well cooked and very dry.
3. WAITING TIME IS 30-45 MINIUTES. And they will serve your food one by one until food is already cold once the last menu is served.
4. After Waiting for 45 minutes they will tell you that some of the foods on the Menu cannot be served. They will tell you that ingredients are not available…. After Waiting for 45 minutes….
5. No proper coordination with staff and customers.
6. You can hear the manager and Kitchen staff shouting at the background because of un-organized system.
As a Filipino I do not recommend anyone to eat in this restaurant to avoid the same experience that we have. It was not the first time we ate in this restaurant and still they are not upgrading their system to suite customers satisfaction.
Barrio Fiesta represents one of the Filipino food cultures here in Qatar and we expect you to maintain integrity and respect to your customers as a way to protect our Filipino culture.
I hope the management can read this comment for them to find a solution to solve customer related complaints. Let us give full service satisfaction to all not only to Filipinos but to all nationalities.
#GiveRespecttoberespected#
Thanks Mr/Ms Curaza for your comment. It is well appreciated. Usually what i do if i experience bad services, I immediately talk to the manager on duty. If not, then i message them so they will also know the complaint directly. And i do that not only for Filipino restaurants but to others too. But we will forward your message to Barrio Fiesta so they will be able to assess and address your concerns (could have been better if you have the time so they can check the duty personnel, that’s why its best to point it out right there and then). I also always encourage my dear readers to use our experiences (good or bad) to help brands improve their services. Thank you Mam/Sir… i know this will be helpful to them too. Hope they will also reply to you/us soon. 🙂