Author: Maiko | Fact Checked by: Antares Magazine Team | Last Update: January 13, 2026

Gubat QC is one of the hottest restaurants in Maginhawa QC right now, and people are lining up to get a chance to eat at this kamayan restaurant. So, out of curiosity, my team and I decided to test if this Filipino kamayan restaurant deserves the hype it’s getting.

I’ll talk about the ambiance, the service, the quality of the food, and the value for money. Enough yapping, let’s get on with the review!

The Ambiance Looks Great… Until You’re Seated

When you hear a restaurant named “Gubat”, it’s easy to assume that you’d be surrounded by lush greenery and feel like you’re in the jungle. In this regard, Gubat QC didn’t disappoint, but it wasn’t exactly a great experience to be in, especially when you’re seated next to dirty, stagnant water that attracts loads of mosquitoes.

And beware of the comfort rooms too. They only have 1 for male and female, and it’s very unsanitary. Ladies, if you can stomach sitting on a dirty toilet, have at it. Gents, I’m sure we can pee anywhere as long as it’s a toilet or a urinal, so it shouldn’t bother us too much (except for the fastidious ones).

Lastly, there’s no parking. You’re gonna have to wing it with street parking, or you’d have to look for parking somewhere far.

If I’m going to rate it with just the overall vibe and design of the restaurant, I’d give it a 3 out of 5. It looks good but nothing too exceptional. Actually, after 1 beer, the place started to look a little better. But because of the unhygienic parts of the restaurant, it’s hard to give it a high grade.

For the overall ambiance, I’m giving it a score of 2 out of 5. The cleanliness and lack of hygiene in some areas of the restaurant is difficult to forgive.

The Lackluster Service of Gubat Ruined the Experience

Since Gubat QC isn’t a casual dining or fine dining restaurant, I’m not going to be too strict with the quality of service. However, for the prices they’re charging for smaller portions of food, you’d expect a little bit more order or even the bare minimum.

When the staff are actively avoiding you unless you get up from your table and approach one of them or the cashier for condiments or tissues, then the service is truly mediocre.

For the service, even grading on a curve, I’m giving it a 2.5 out of 5. The service wasn’t completely terrible, as one of the staff did try to stretch herself just to pay attention to everyone, but that’s one person out of a dozen waitstaff.

Gubat’s Menu, Pricing & Value for Money

Photo of the menu was taken from Gubat QC Fb Page. Credit for this menu goes to them.

Gubat QC’s Menu is fairly simple. It consists of classic Filipino comfort food, along with some Sausages. But at this point, I think Hungarian sausages are already part of the local food scene.

They’ve got lechon kawali priced at Php. 260, which is honestly highway robbery for the serving size. Their famous dinakdakan, priced at Php. 250. Surprisingly, the pricing on this was just right.

For a party of 2, you’d pay around Php. 600 – 800 if you want to have an entree, a drink, and dessert for both of you.

Me and the team? We spent Php. 1,350+ for 3 dishes, along with dinakdakan, 2 beers, a del monte juice, and a turon a la mode.

Listing it all down like that makes it seem like they offer a bang for your buck, right? Not really. The serving of each dish was measly and the quality is… disappointing. Well, except the dinakdakan.

Talking about the value of each dish makes me want to discuss why I don’t think most of them are worth it. However, you’ll have to read through that rant in the later sections.

In terms of the Menu, Pricing and Value for Money, I’m giving them a score of 3 out of 5.

Breaking Down the Mid Quality of Food in Gubat

Oh, boy… I don’t usually do this, but because of how aggressively mediocre the food is, I’m giving the Overall Food Quality a score of 2.75 out of 5. Only one dish stood out, and everything else sucked for their price.

I’ll break down the food quality of every dish we tried that night, so you’ll understand why I think Gubat’s food is mediocre.

Beef Tapa

Beef tapa is one of my favorite dishes, hands down. But I couldn’t bring myself to like the tapa at Gubat. For a price of Php. 190, the tiny servings and the average quality of the tapa just doesn’t meet the value for money that many people tend to look for.

The only reason the serving looks a lot was because they added half a salted egg and half a tomato, along with some pako salad as fillers. But really, what you paid for is just a tiny portion.

Filipinos, especially, hate the feeling of being cheated with their money. That’s how I felt after eating the Beef Tapa. It was salty, a little too sweet, and didn’t taste smoky at all. I’m giving it a score of 2 out of 5.

There’s a local diner at Cainta that serves the same quality of tapa for only 70 pesos. That’s already 1/3 of the price of Gubat, and you won’t have to deal with mosquitoes.

Hungarian Sausage

A member of the team ate the Hungarian sausage and his comment was “Hungarian sausage out of 5”. This is part of our inside joke whenever we want to say that the food tastes exactly what you’d think it would be.

The sausage was a decent size and it was cheaper than the tapa (Php. 175). Still, it was nothing to write home about. I’d rather eat at Cow Wow and pay for a bigger sausage (no, this isn’t an innuendo), for a more affordable price.

I’m giving it a score of 2.5 out of 5. Like I said, the food was aggressively mediocre.

Lechon Kawali

Boy… where to start? Our videographer said that the lechon kawali tasted like carinderia food. I tried it myself, and I didn’t have another bite because it only raised my cholesterol and hurt my wallet.

Honestly, for a menu item that’s the most expensive in the restaurant, you’d expect a lot more. It wasn’t awful, but if the food quality is the same as a local eatery and charging 4 times more than them, it’s only right to give this a score of 2 out of 5.

Dinakdakan

Ah, yes, the only decent part of the night. No, really. This was the only thing that I liked in the restaurant. For a price of Php. 250, it’s enough to be shared between 2-3 people (or 1 very hungry person), and for the quality of this dish, I can easily say that Gubat QC’s dinakdakan is worth every peso.

The balance of the dish and the texture was surprisingly decent. The skin parts were crispy, and the meat was juicy. The addition of calamansi brings an acidity that equalizes the saltiness of this dish just right.

Gubat QC’s Dinakdakan deserves a score of 3.5 out of 5. Would I eat this again? Definitely.

Turon A La Mode

Jesus… this was the most mediocre thing of the night, and the serving of both the ice cream and the turon was as disappointing as the day I learned that reality TV shows were still scripted.

The turon a la mode was priced at Php. 160 pesos, but it tasted the same as any turon you can buy along the street. Hell, I actually prefer turon that was sold by street vendors or peddlers, given that they only cost Php. 15-25 pesos, with a bigger serving and with a side of smile from the vendors.

The ice cream serving was so tiny, and I can tell it was store bought. For the quality and price, I’m giving this a score of 0 out of 5. It was dreadful, and I’d like to forget that I thought it was a good idea to try it.

Do yourselves a favor, have dessert somewhere else. You’re already by Maginhawa, so have fun and explore! That’s actually what led us to Mr. Jeepney, which saved our night of disappointment.

Gubat QC Does Not Deserve the Hype

Because of the mediocre experience we had, and the feeling of disappointment we left with after eating at Gubat QC, it’s easy to say that it doesn’t deserve the hype that it’s getting.

From the ambiance and lack of cleanliness, down to the lackluster quality of service and the food, it’s fair to claim that I wouldn’t eat here again until they make adjustments to the overall quality of the restaurant.

If you really want to try Gubat QC, it’s good enough to try just to sate your curiosity, but it’s not worth a revisit. Truly great restaurants inspire people to think of the next time they’ll visit it and want to try other dishes they didn’t get to have during their first visit.

Sadly, Gubat QC only inspired me to look for another restaurant to save my night. If you truly want to try it, then you can visit them at 43 Mayaman St, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

FAQs

Where is Gubat QC located?

It’s located in 43 Mayaman St, Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila, near Maginhawa street.

How much should I prepare when I want to eat at Gubat QC?

For a party of 2, Php. 600-1,000 is enough. For 3-4 people, get ready to pay Php. 1,200 – 2,000.

Is there parking at Gubat QC?

No. There’s street parking, but it’s very limited. You’d have find parking somewhere else or go there early.

Are there comfort rooms in Gubat QC?

There are, but there’s only 2, 1 for male and female. There’s no gender neutral restroom, if you’re looking for one.

What’s the best dish in Gubat QC?

I’d say that out of everything we tried, the dinakdakan was the only decent dish of the night. It’s Php. 250 and it did not disappoint.