There’s something about discovering a restaurant before everyone starts talking about it. You know the feeling. Someone tells you about a place, you look it up, and suddenly you’re trying to figure out when you can go.
Except, in Kalayo’s case, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I just knew that it was doing something a little different from the usual dining experience in Davao.
Located along Lacson Street in Obrero, Kalayo is a new restaurant offering two ways to dine: a changing tasting menu or an à la carte selection from its blackboard menu. The dishes evolve with ingredient availability, seasonal changes, and whatever the kitchen feels inspired to create.
And here’s the part that caught my attention: the six-course tasting menu costs ₱1,150 per person, excluding an 8% service charge.
Six courses. ₱1,150.
Naturally, I had questions.
I visited recently, just days after Kalayo began welcoming dine-in guests, and got to experience the tasting menu while the restaurant was still finding its footing in Davao’s dining scene. What I found was an evening that reminded me that a memorable meal doesn’t necessarily have to come with a staggering bill.
Sometimes, it just needs people who care about what they’re putting on the table.
A different kind of dining experience in Davao
Kalayo is the kind of restaurant that makes you curious before you’ve even ordered.
Rather than sticking to a fixed menu, the kitchen works around what’s available, what’s in season, and what the kitchen wants to explore. Guests can opt for the tasting menu or order à la carte from the blackboard, making the experience a little different depending on what you choose and when you visit.
It’s an interesting approach, especially in a city where dining out can mean anything from a quick comfort-food fix to a long dinner with friends.
There’s room for both familiarity and discovery at Kalayo and I’m for sure here for it.
Owner Donnie Capili wanted to create a restaurant that serves bold flavors without making the food and experience feel avant-garde. The intention, as I understood it, is to make the experience interesting without making it intimidating. I like that distinction.
There’s a difference between food that challenges you for the sake of being different and food that gives you something new to enjoy. You don’t need every dish to be a puzzle. You just want to feel that somebody thought carefully about what you’re eating.
That’s what I was looking forward to discovering at Kalayo. I’m not entirely sure but the regular tasting menu concept sounds fairly new to the Davao dining scene.
Six courses, one evening at Kalayo
For ₱1,150 per person, the tasting menu gave us six courses, moving from a small starter to dessert.
The menu we tried included:
- Chicken Croquetas
- Caprese
- Smoked Malasugi with Squash and Coconut Milk Risotto
- Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Mash
- Seared Tuna with Seafood Meloso
- Brownie à la Mode with Vanilla and Dark Chocolate
The restaurant’s menu can change, so consider this a look at what was served during our visit rather than a promise of what will be available on your next one.
What stood out to me was the overall experience. We were pleasantly surprised by how flavorful the dishes were, and the presentation felt considered without being unnecessarily fussy.
You aren’t simply ordering a main course and calling it a night. You’re giving yourself time to experience a sequence of dishes, see how the kitchen approaches different ingredients, and enjoy a meal that unfolds course by course.
It’s also a chance to try things you might not necessarily order if you were choosing from a menu on your own. And at this price point, I found the experience honestly worth it.
I’ve been to omakase-style restaurants before, and those experiences can get expensive quickly. Now, I’m not saying Kalayo is the same as an omakase restaurant, because they’re different dining formats. But that sense of anticipation, of letting the kitchen take the lead for the evening, is part of what made this experience enjoyable.
For me, the appeal wasn’t just the number of courses. It was getting to sit down, let the evening unfold, and enjoy food that felt like it had been approached with care.
The little things that make a difference
If there’s anything I really look at when I dine at a restaurant, is it’s the service. A restaurant can serve amazing food but service can ruin an experience in a single snap.
For Kalayo, it was exceptional. And this is the service we got fresh from training because they only recently opened when we dined. The staff were attentive without hovering. They noticed when our water needed refilling, when plates needed clearing, and when our utensils needed changing.
These things might sound small, but they make a difference.
There’s a certain comfort in being able to enjoy a meal without having to flag someone down every time you need something. At the same time, nobody wants to feel watched while they’re trying to have a conversation.
Kalayo struck a balance that I appreciated. The service felt attentive without being overbearing, allowing us to settle into the experience instead of thinking about what needed to happen next.
And when you’re sitting through six courses, that consistency matters. The experience isn’t just about what arrives on the plate. It’s about everything that happens between one course and the next.
An old house, a new dining experience
Kalayo’s interiors also definitely contribute to the overall experience.
The space has a warm, intimate atmosphere, with wood finishes, dark accents, carefully placed lighting, and artwork that gives the room character. There were so many pieces that simply didn’t decorate the space but gave it character and breathed life into it.
I found myself staring at different pieces during our visit. One piece that really stood out is located in the toilet and it’s so compelling that I had to take a couple of clips of it.
Kalayo seems like the kind of place I can see working for a dinner date, a small celebration, or one of those evenings when you want to make a little more of going out.
You know, when dinner is the plan rather than something squeezed between errands.
What I appreciated was that the setting complemented the meal instead of competing with it. The restaurant felt special enough for an occasion, but the overall approach to the food wasn’t trying to make you feel like you needed to know a secret language to enjoy it.
Is Kalayo’s ₱1,150 tasting menu worth it?
Value is personal. It depends on what you enjoy, what you’re willing to spend on a meal, and what you want from the experience. If your priority is getting the largest possible serving for your money, a tasting menu might not be what you’re looking for.
But if you enjoy trying different dishes, appreciate thoughtful presentation, and want a meal that feels like an occasion and experience, Kalayo is worth looking into.
What made the experience worthwhile to me was the combination of flavorful food, the pacing of the tasting menu, attentive service, and a space that feels thoughtfully put together.
There’s also something refreshing about finding this kind of experience at a price that doesn’t immediately put it out of reach.
Let’s be honest: dining out has become something people think about a little more carefully. You want to enjoy yourself, but you also want to feel good about what you’re spending, especially in this economy.
For ₱1,150 before the service charge, Kalayo gave me a reason to consider a tasting menu in Davao without treating it as an extravagance reserved for a very special occasion.
Would I go back? I’d be interested in seeing how the menu evolves, especially since the restaurant changes its offerings based on ingredients, seasonality, and the kitchen’s creativity.
That’s part of the appeal of a restaurant like this. What you try today might not be exactly what someone else experiences a few weeks from now.
And I think that’s good enough reason to keep an eye on it.
Not in the mood for six courses?
Not everyone wants a multi-course meal, and that’s where Kalayo’s blackboard menu comes in.
During our visit, the à la carte menu included starters such as chicken croquetas, arancini, and caprese. For mains, there were braised short ribs with sweet potato mash, smoked malasugi with squash and coconut milk risotto, and seared tuna with seafood meloso. Brownie à la mode rounded out the dessert selection.
Prices on the menu we saw included:
| Dish | Price |
|---|---|
| Chicken Croquetas | ₱225 |
| Arancini | ₱250 |
| Caprese | ₱375 |
| Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Potato Mash | ₱950 |
| Smoked Malasugi with Squash and Coconut Milk Risotto | ₱565 |
| Seared Tuna with Seafood Meloso | ₱675 |
| Brownie à la Mode | ₱295 |
Please note: These are the prices shown on the menu during our visit. Menu items and prices may change, and the restaurant states that prices exclude an 8% service charge.
The à la carte option gives you more flexibility, whether you’re stopping by for a particular dish or would rather build your own meal instead of committing to the tasting menu.
I’d recommend checking Kalayo’s latest updates before visiting to see what’s currently available.
One to keep on your radar
Kalayo is still very new to Davao’s dining scene. When we visited, it had only recently begun accepting dine-in guests, and the tasting menu itself had just been introduced.
That made the experience feel particularly exciting because we’ve been seeing the renovated old house in Lacson street for a bit now and we didn’t really know what it was going to be until we visited.
Of course, being new doesn’t automatically make a restaurant worth visiting. What matters is whether the experience gives you a reason to return.
For me, Kalayo gave me plenty.
I went in curious about the tasting menu’s price and left thinking about the overall experience: the food, the service, the atmosphere, and the thought behind the concept.
I also liked that the restaurant wasn’t trying to make dining feel complicated. The food could be bold without being overly avant-garde, and the experience could feel special without asking you to spend a fortune.
If you’re looking for new restaurants in Davao City, particularly somewhere for a dinner date, a small celebration, or simply a meal that feels a little different from your usual routine, I’d put Kalayo on your list.
Kalayo
📍 Lacson Street, Obrero, Davao City
🕔 Tuesdays-Sundays, generally around 5 PM onward. Please check its official social media pages for current operating hours and updates.
This article is based on my personal dining experience at Kalayo. The tasting menu, à la carte offerings, and prices may change. I have an ongoing Gaelle Goes Festive series on Tiktok and Instagram, showcasing different restaurants and experiences around Davao City for the holiday season.
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