There is no place like home, don’t you agree? And this is why Roeder’s Al Fresco is one of the fastest popular favorite restaurants in General Santos City because of its homey vibes and cozy al fresco dining.

This cozy restaurant is located at Falgui Subdivsion, Lleon Lido Street, General Santos City. It provides a serene ambiance and has that familiar feeling as if you are at home and you invite family and friends over. Perhaps, this is why it has become a fan favorite because the place has been home to making beautiful memories. From birthdays to wedding anniversaries or just a simple catch up with beloved friends or a family night out, the restaurant is perfect.

Not only does the place provide a warm ambiance, the service is also superb. The moment you step into the garden you are welcomed with warm regards and smiles from the staff. Their food is also soulfully Filipino as they offer comfort food such as bulalo soup, sinigang, and the classic Filipino favorites like sisig, crispy pata, and liempo.

We went at Roeder’s Al Fresco because it was highly recommended by my mother. I was surprised that there was such a cozy garden restaurant nestled just within the city limits. The place was spacious, serene, and had a cool breeze. It gave me a familiar feeling of being at home. The restaurant is well-lit and clean which I appreciate. There are garden restaurants that lack lighting. It is quite difficult to eat with minimal lighting especially on the outdoors with insects flying here and there.

The staff were attentive of our needs. The owner, Roeder, was also very hands on and accommodating to the customers. I appreciate that they also re-fill the soup (we ordered bulalo) as soon as they noticed that the bowl is almost empty. They also offered to take pictures without us asking. I appreciate restaurants that are very attentive to their customers need.

We ordered the following – sotanghon, their liempo, chopsuey, bulalo, flavored chicken wings, sisig, and kinilaw.

Out of all the dishes we ordered – the ones I highly enjoyed were their chopsuey, sisig, sotanghon, and kinilaw. Their chopsuey is very flavorful and the veggies were fresh.

Their sisig had the right spice and texture. I am not a fan of very soft and soggy sisig. Their sisig had the right balance of chunkiness. Their sotanghon is flavorful as well, although, a little bit oily, it’s one that I have munched on. I like that they topped it with hard-boiled egg.

Their kinilaw provides a rich balance after eating all that greasy food we ordered. It’s tanginess is perfect for cleansing the palate but it also holds it’s own unique flavor. They had a great concoction of the vinegar mix.

Their bulalo is delicious, however, I am not a big fan of sweet things on savory food. I think at the time the corn used was on the sweeter side and it was boiled longer on the pot so the sweetness overpowered the soup’s flavor. Lastly, the parmesan chicken wings were not that great. It lacked flavor and the parmesan flavor wasn’t as strong. The serving size is enough for 2 pax but is worth the price.

I do wish they would expand and offer more vegetable selection or at least offer salad selections or some palate cleansers since Filipino dishes are known on the oily side.