Talavera tiles at Mooon Cafe Cebu
in ,

Mooon Cafe: Cebu’s Favorite Mexican Cantina

Mooon Cafe Cebu Review

Want to eat at an affordable Mexican-inspired restaurant in Cebu? Check out a Mooon Café nearest you.

To be honest, there are a number of restaurants that I frequent but fail to write about, and one of which is Mooon Cafe.

Cantina-inspired furniture at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Cantina-inspired furniture at Mooon Cafe Cebu

I guess it was just good timing that I brought my camera with me during my niece’s christening and I kind of insisted as well for the after party to be at this specific branch in Shopwise Mambaling.

Although there are other options here like Da Vinci’s, Mang Inasal, McDonalds and Jollibee, Mooon has always been our family’s go-to restaurant during special occasions, or when my mother doesn’t feel like cooking at home after getting our weekly groceries every Sunday.

Decorative lamps at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Decorative lamps at Mooon Cafe Cebu

I guess it’s safe to say that I’ve probably dined here more than I could count so technically I’m a fan.

If I’m not mistaken, Mooon has been in the industry for about a decade now and it has spread like wildfire in Visayas and Mindanao. That would not surprise me knowing that it is owned by the same brilliant minds behind Lantaw, Shaka, Café Racer and Thirsty which capitalize on value-for-money themed restaurants.

First Impressions

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word mooon is a wolf howling in the night. I don’t know how it relates to tacos and quesadillas but I guess the moon bears great significance in Mexican culture.

Talavera tiles at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Talavera tiles at Mooon Cafe Cebu

Every inch of the place is playing on a mix of red, green, blue and yellow hues and the wall is decorated with intricately designed pots and talavera tiles. The ceiling fan even looks like an iron flower in full bloom.

Basically, the restaurant looks like a Mexican cantina that can accommodate about fifty people in one setting who are most likely craving for a good mix of American, Mexican, Italian and Filipino fusion cuisine.

Dining Experience

As you know with Filipino families, we may order separately but it’s already implied that everything on the table is free for all which made my job in writing this restaurant review a whole lot easier.

However on this visit, we failed to order Mexican favorites probably because we were not in the mood. But what I would definitely recommend is their chimichangas and nacho supreme.

Grilled Chicken Salad at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Grilled Chicken Salad at Mooon Cafe Cebu

Because my mom is a salad lover, she ordered the Grilled Chicken Salad at PHP140 which according to the menu was composed of mixed greens, mandarin oranges, toasted cashew nuts, tomatoes, raisins and honey mustard dressing.


Although the ingredients were fresh and complete, I later realized that it was drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette instead which was fine as long as we were informed beforehand which sadly didn’t happen.

Pumpkin Soup at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Pumpkin Soup at Mooon Cafe Cebu

To warm up his empty stomach, my uncle ordered their Pumpkin Soup at PHP80 which tasted alright however it sure needed a little improvement in the looks department.

Blue Marlin at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Blue Marlin at Mooon Cafe Cebu

For his entrée, he chose the healthy option which was the Blue Marlin at PHP270. It was fresh and juicy but I guess they lacked onion rings and replaced it with papaya salad instead. I guess it would have also looked better on a sizzling plate as illustrated on their menu.

11 Pieces Chicken at Mooon Cafe Cebu
11 Pieces Chicken at Mooon Cafe Cebu

Since we had a kid with us who thinks that the only acceptable food in the world is fried chicken, we had no choice but to order the 11 Pieces Chicken at PHP250 which actually was crispy and spiced just right that the kid only got one out of the eleven.

Decorative lamps at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Decorative lamps at Mooon Cafe Cebu

My sister’s ultimate favorite was their Gambas Ala Luna at PHP230 and it was composed of shrimps, butter, garlic, bread crumbs, paprika and parsley. It was truly flavorful but the serving size was just depressing which resulted to her giving us the look that we should stop the free tasting.

Mooonte Cristo at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Mooonte Cristo at Mooon Cafe Cebu

I on the other hand wanted to try something I’ve never eaten before so I ordered their Mooonte Cristo at PHP180 made up of bread toast in shredded cheese and egg, chicken filling, bacon, spam and melted cheese. Though it had a burst of cheesy meaty flavors, it sure looked nothing like a real Monte Cristo.

Pork Belly at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Pork Belly at Mooon Cafe Cebu

Since my dad hates bones, his automatic choice would be Mooon’s Grilled Pork Belly at PHP220 and no I didn’t get a taste of it on that day specifically but I just presumed it was good because of the shiny plate.

Mexican Baby Back Ribs at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Mexican Baby Back Ribs at Mooon Cafe Cebu

The last dish we ordered for everybody was their Mexican Baby Back Ribs at PHP270 and it was fall off the bone good and the sauce was to die for. Although on the menu it says that it includes buttered vegetables but what we had on the side were only corn and carrots.

Sun Cooler at at Mooon Cafe Cebu
Sun Cooler at at Mooon Cafe Cebu

Instead of ordering a different drink for each, we opted for two practical Sun Cooler Pitchers at PHP220 each which was good for five people. It was orange juice with calamansi, orange and watermelon bits but it was just too sweet for me, well at least there were ice cubes to balance out the sweetness.

Final Thoughts

Although there was just too much inconsistencies on this particular visit, it still won’t stop me from being a return customer. Hopefully the management would do something to address this problem.

I guess now you have a better idea on what to expect when you choose to dine at Mooon Café in Cebu.

What are you waiting for? Call the gang and search Mooon’s branch nearest you.

Mooon Cafe
Address: The Walk, Cebu Asiatown IT Park, Apas Lahug, Cebu City
Telephone: (032) 5054239

Also Read:

Written by Karlo Pacana

Experiences in a minute, more or less.

What do you think?

Comments

Paris Le Bourget

This is How Great the 2017 Paris Air Show Was

One Direction at Madame Tussaud's Bangkok

Bangkok: Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Experience