Eat with Sharon

If there’s one new restaurant I’d recommend right now, it would have to be Barako Bistro.

This Filipino-inspired café and bistro in St. Albert focuses on quality local ingredients and house-made dishes. In fact, nearly everything on the menu is made in-house, with the exception of their sourdough bread, which is sourced locally from Lovebread Bakery.

Before you visit, it’s important to know that Barako Bistro isn’t your typical Filipino restaurant with an extensive menu of traditional dishes served family-style. Instead, you’ll find a modern and refined bistro concept where Filipino flavours and influences are thoughtfully incorporated into approachable, contemporary dishes.

I was genuinely impressed by how vibrant and flavourful everything was. From the first bite, it was clear that the team behind Barako Bistro has a deep understanding of ingredients and technique. Every dish feels intentional and well executed! Here are some first impression thoughts and recommendations on what you should try, if you check them out.

The Atmosphere

The space itself is warm, welcoming, and intimate, with only about ten tables throughout the restaurant. While their operating hours are currently focused on daytime service, this is absolutely the kind of restaurant worth planning a visit around.

Despite being nearly a 40-minute drive from my side of Edmonton, I’d happily make the trip again.

As a café-bistro concept, guests order at the counter upon arrival, where you’ll also find their beverage menu featuring coffee, specialty drinks, and seasonal offerings.

Drinks

The drink that immediately caught my attention was the Dirty Buko Pandan ($11).

For those unfamiliar, buko pandan is a popular Filipino dessert made with coconut and pandan jelly. Barako Bistro’s version combines those flavours with espresso, creating something similar to a coconut-pandan coffee.

At $11, it’s not an everyday coffee order, but research had to be done! While I enjoyed the drink overall, I found myself wishing it had been served colder. The coconut flavour came through beautifully, though I was hoping for a more pronounced pandan flavour and visual presentation. My friend’s Kalamansi Mojito, meanwhile, was refreshing and tart.

Fun fact: the restaurant’s name is inspired by Kapeng Barako, a bold and aromatic Liberica coffee that’s grown in Batangas, Philippines.

I didn’t end up ordering a coffee during this visit, but after learning that they source premium roasted beans directly from the Philippines, it’s something I’d be curious to come back and try. If you’re a coffee lover, this might be your sign to add one to your order.

What to try at Barako Bistro

It’s rare to say but there wasn’t a single dish that we didn’t enjoy here. There were some dishes that were more standout but we found something to like about each dish.

Starters

To start our meal, we were able to try both the Kale Salad ($12) and an off-menu fried bean dish. The kale salad consisted of curly kale with calamansi vinaigrette, asian pear, radish, and grana padano. At first glance, the grana padano towers the salad but once mixed, everything worked really well together. The asian pear really complimented the calamansi vinaigrette and gave the salad a refreshing and sweet bite.

The fried beans are not a permanent menu item yet but a current seasonal creation based on the chef’s market finds. I do hope that this is an item that makes it’s way to stay though cause it was quite enjoyable.

Barako Bistro Sandwiches

The standout dish of the meal was easily the Bistek Beef Dip ($22).

Featuring slow-braised beef, smoked cheddar, pickled red onions, horseradish aioli, and a rich soy sauce bistek jus served alongside locally sourced sourdough. I thought this sandwich delivered on every level.

The sourdough was perfectly crisp without being overly hard, maintaining a light and airy texture. The beef was incredibly tender and generously portioned, while the soy-based jus added the perfect amount of savoury umami flavour.

I am not normally a big sandwich person but this one really hit. If you’re only ordering one thing from Barako Bistro, I would recommend this.

We also ordered the Pork Breakfast Sandwich ($14), which features longanisa (sweet pork sausage patty), egg, and atchara (house pickled green papaya) served on a house-made pandesal bun.

This was a hearty and satisfying sandwich packed with flavour. Personally, I found it a little heavy for breakfast, but I could easily see it being a great brunch or lunch option. The sandwich is also available as a rice bowl if that’s more your style.

Between the two sandwiches, however, I’d order the Bistek Beef Dip again in a heartbeat.

Pasta at Barako Bistro

Barako Bistro makes all of their pasta in-house, which immediately earns bonus points from me. Knowing this, we decided to try a few pasta dishes.

The standout for me here was the House Lasagna Verde ($22).

The presentation is unique, resembling a deconstructed or open-faced lasagna rather than the traditional layered format. What truly made this dish memorable was the combination of pecorino crema and Eden cheese béchamel sauce.

The sauce was rich yet delicate, creating an indulgent dish that never felt overwhelming. Combined with fresh tomato sauce and a rich bolognese comprised of wagyu beef and pork, every bite was delicious and well balanced.

We also tried both the pasta features ($20): a Filipino Carbonara and the Ragu Tagliatelle at the time.

When asked about what made the carbonara Filipino-inspired, the chef explained that evaporated milk was incorporated into the sauce as a nod to a staple ingredient commonly found in Filipino households. The result was a pasta that felt lighter than a traditional carbonara while still delivering plenty of creaminess and flavour.

The Ragu Tagliatelle was loaded with braised beef that was so tender and carried some nostalgic comfort flavours while still feeling modern and refined.

Don’t skip dessert at Barako

And finally… whatever you do, save room for dessert.

The chef kindly gifted us a selection of desserts to try, and they ended up being some of the most memorable bites of the entire meal.

As someone who has tried many Filipino desserts over the years thanks to my husband, I can confidently say these were among the tastiest versions I’ve had.

The Leche Flan Cake ($10) was exceptionally rich, silky, and creamy. If you haven’t tried Leche Flan before, it’s a popular Fillipino egg custard served with a caramel sauce, and Barako Bistro would be a good spot to have your first one. In fact, my Filipino husband declared this one “one of the best flan cakes” he’s ever had – a bold compliment!

My personal favourite, however, was the Cassava Cake ($8). Served warm and fresh, it had an incredibly soft, almost mochi-like texture that kept me coming back for another bite.

I’d recommend both of these desserts. We also tried their cinnamon bun and Sylvanas ($10), a Filipino cookie. It has a layer of buttercream sandwiched between meringue wafers and is typically coated with cookie crumbs. These were not bad but the leche flan and cassava cake definitely took the cake for me.

Final thoughts

Barako Bistro offers something unique within the Edmonton-area dining scene. Rather than focusing solely on traditional Filipino cuisine, it showcases Filipino flavours and influences through a modern bistro lens.

The quality of the ingredients, attention to detail, and consistency across every dish made this one of the most enjoyable restaurant experiences I’ve had recently. I would definitely return and can confidently recommend this spot.

Whether you’re already familiar with Filipino cuisine and wanting to branch out, or simply looking for a new restaurant that is worth trying, Barako Bistro deserves a spot on your list.

Barako Bistro
#310 1115 St Albert Trail, St. Albert