Review—Second Bites

The first time we visited Cafe Gervacios was on May 5, 2024. They were newly opened by then. Perhaps, only a month wherein they were catching their groove.

I originally mentioned that their service needed some refinement. The service was slow, and their crews’ response time needed improvement. They didn’t have a proper system in place, or perhaps the execution needed some thorough supervision. It was one of the most nerve-wracking reviews I’ve ever written because I had to offer criticism that might not be taken well. However, unlike other restaurants, someone from their team (either a staff member or the owner) responded in the Facebook comments of my post and assured me they would take the feedback seriously. I was glad they did.

A couple of months later, we decided to come back, and we’ve been regular customers ever since. Friends coming from Gensan who ask for a place to eat often try this restaurant based on my recommendation, and they always thank me afterward because they had a great time and would always highlight their pastries. It makes me happy when restaurants truly listen to their customers and take action, instead of placing blame on their customers.

On our first-ever visit, we ordered the following:

• Homemade Corned Beef
• Homemade Skinless Chorizo
• Caesar Salad
• Sweet Nostalgia Latte
• Salted Caramel Latte
• Coffee Kouign-amman
• Pain Au Chocolat
• Le Succès
• Brown Cheesecake

Their all-day breakfast was not at the top of our picks on our first try. We rated it at 5.5/10.
However, we’ve tried their corned beef once again, and it has significantly improved! The meat was more vibrant than the last time, when it was pale. It now has more color. It’s also much more flavorful than the last time. It also had the right amount of garlic flavor. The portion size was much bigger as well.
So, my second bite rating:
Homemade Corned Beef – from 5.5 to 7.5/10

Skinless Chorizo – unchanged 5.5

Caesar Salad – 7/10
Their Caesar salad has a zesty sauce. The flavor is nice, but the lemon or orange zest used was overpowering the sauce and made the dressing too sour. I do like that it had a generous amount of croutons, and they used fresh lettuce that has a crunchy texture. Though for its price, I find the portion small.

Sweet Nostalgia Latte – 9.5/10 (Consistently good)
Salted Caramel Latte – 7/10

They do mean business with their bread and coffee. Their sweet nostalgia latte is like a soothing embrace. It smells so heavenly. The fragrant smell of butter and caramel is a concoction that reminds you of sneaking out from an afternoon siesta and coming home to hot, warm bread for meryenda while your grandpa makes coffee. It is true to its name, sweet nostalgia. I give it a 9.5/10 only because the espresso they used seems to be on the citrusy side and had a sour aftertaste, which I personally don’t like. Their salted caramel latte is just the typical salted caramel. Perfect balance of caramel and espresso, though. A 7/10.

Coffee Kouign-Amman – 8/10
Their coffee kouign-amman garnered a really high score as it has a great crunch, the bread size is good for its price, and it retains a good crisp and does not deflate like other laminated pastries from other brands. The toffee-flavored filling is also delicious, but it lacked the coffee notes and was not too generous.

Pain Au Chocolat – 8.5/10
Their pain au chocolat is an 8.5/10 as well. Its inside is beautiful, and you can see that it has a beautiful layer. It has a great texture. It does not easily deflate and retains its crisp outside, but is soft and buttery inside. It’s the right consistency of flaky pastry I enjoy, and so far, theirs is my favorite as to the bread texture. It doesn’t deflate too easily and is nice to dunk over coffee. The only downside to it is that it has too little a portion of chocolate filling inside.

Le Succès – 7.5/10

We end it off with Le Succès, which oddly reminds me of a KitKat bar. It’s a cake covered with a generous and thick amount of chocolate fudge and has a vanilla filling. It’s too sweet, and the base is too crumbly and soaked for my liking. However, if you like sweet chocolate fudges, then you would surely enjoy this.

Brownie Cheesecake – 6.5/10
We also tried their brownie cheesecake. The brownie overpowers the cheesecake to the point that you really don’t taste the cheesecake at all. Though it does give some saltiness to the brownie. The walnuts are also throwing off the flavor balance. The chocolate brownie was not able to highlight itself, as the flavor comes off as too nutty. I can imagine how delicious it is if the flavors are in harmony. The brownie texture is really great, though—soft but not crumbly.

Here are more dishes we’ve tried since then:

• Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Aglio Olio
• Hot Chocolate (during the Tsokolate Crawl 2025)
• Torta Caprese (during the Tsokolate Crawl 2025)
• Puto Bumbong Latte

Buffalo Chicken Wing – 10/10

This has been my favorite Buffalo chicken wing version in all the restaurants I’ve tried in Davao. And because of that, it’s my go-to order every time we visit Cafe Gervacios. The flavors are consistent. What they did right, at least for my liking, is that they kept it traditional. It didn’t have any unnecessary flavors added (bombarding it with sesame oil and sweeteners). The classic buffalo wing sauce that I expect—tangy and spicy. The wings also aren’t overloaded with batter, just a light coating, so the flavor goes all the way to the bone.

Aglio Olio – 9/10

Similar to my experience with the Buffalo Chicken Wings, I love their Aglio Olio because they generally kept the traditional way of making it. Despite its simplicity, this classic dish is hard to enjoy, as many restaurants I’ve tried botch their versions. However, with Cafe Gervacios, they kept the basics with olive oil, red pepper flakes for the spice, and garlic, and just added some shrimp. It would have made it a 10/10; however, in some visits, I kept tasting some hints of lemon or an ingredient that provides some zest. Sometimes, it overpowers the beauty of the dish. I like my aglio olio simple and traditional but very warm and with a kick to it.

Puto Bumbong Latte – 10/10

I am a big fan of ube. I’ve had an ube-infused coffee before from another restaurant, but that was not it. Cafe Gervacios did it right! The ube flavors were present yet blended well with the coffee. There was a well-balanced taste, and the cheese added some richness and provided a salty contrast to the drink. Definitely reminds you of the holiday.

Gervacios Hot Chocolate – 8.2/10

During the Tsokolate Crawl 2025, Cafe Gervacios was one of the restaurants and cafes that participated. We tried their hot chocolate, and it is one of the best-tasting hot chocolates on the list. It had a hint of salt that wakes up the dark chocolate flavor. It highlights the flavor more. You can appreciate it without any sweeteners. It’s as good as a plain black coffee.

Torta Caprese – 8.8/10

Torta Caprese is their own version of flourless chocolate almond cake. I am not sure if it was a limited edition cake for the Tsokolate Crawl 2025 event, but it was a beautiful and delicious cake. The cake was sweet but not saccharine. You can appreciate the texture—light and crumbly like a brownie. The drizzled strawberry syrup adds sweetness and fruitiness to the dish. It’s not overpowering and provides a nice balance.

And now, having watched them grow from their early days to where they are today, I can say with certainty that Café Gervacios has truly found its rhythm. The improvements in their service, consistency, and overall dining experience are impossible to miss. Every visit to their store, their tables are almost always filled with happy diners. So, this is how I rate their restaurant in an overall perspective.

Restaurant Rating

What was once a promising new spot has steadily evolved into a place people return to, not just for the food but for the feeling of being taken care of. If this is how far they’ve come in such a short time, I’m excited to see just how much further they’ll go.

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