Café Ysabel isn’t saying goodbye—it’s simply moving to a new home

Loyal patrons will have to wait a little longer.

Reports that one of Metro Manila’s most beloved heritage restaurants is permanently closing have caused concern among longtime diners, but Café Ysabel has clarified that it is not shutting down for good.

In an announcement posted after serving its final guests at its San Juan branch on July 23, the restaurant stressed that the closure marks the end of one location—not the end of the institution itself.

“We invite you to dine with us one last time before we close this chapter and move to our new home,” Café Ysabel said in its advisory, adding that the move is part of a new chapter for the restaurant.

The restaurant has yet to reveal the exact address or opening date of its new location.

Founded in 1982 by renowned chef Gene Gonzalez, Café Ysabel is one of Metro Manila’s oldest heritage restaurants. It first operated for 35 years inside a historic 1912 plantation-style ancestral home on P. Guevarra Street before transferring to its M. Paterno Street location in 2018.

Over the decades, it earned a loyal following for its refined European and Filipino-Kapampangan cuisine, with signature dishes such as Lengua Sulipeña, Oyster Sisig, and its well-loved Strawberry Shortcake becoming favorites across generations.

The restaurant also recently gained renewed popularity after its elegant 1930s-era San Juan home served as a primary filming location for the hit Netflix Filipino series “Replacing Chef Chico.”

News of Café Ysabel’s San Juan closure initially led many social media users to believe the heritage restaurant was closing permanently. However, the management emphasized that the move is “not goodbye, but the beginning of a new chapter.”

For now, loyal patrons will have to wait a little longer before once again dining under Café Ysabel’s signature heritage ambiance, as the restaurant prepares to open the doors to its new home.

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