The Kapre isn’t just the name above our door. He’s the reason we’re here. Inspired by one of the Philippines’ great folklore legends and built around our haunted Balete tree, The Kapre RestoBar brings Filipino folklore to life through fire, food, cocktails and mischief.
Come for dinner beneath the branches. Stay for the smoke from the grill, the music, the cocktails and the stories. And if the leaves start moving when there’s no wind? Well… perhaps you’ve stayed for one drink too many. Or perhaps you haven’t.
In Filipino folklore, the Kapre is a mysterious giant said to live among the branches of great old trees — particularly Balete trees. Huge, hairy and usually accompanied by the smell of a very large cigar, he’s more mischievous than murderous, known for confusing travellers, playing tricks and occasionally making himself known to those brave enough to hang around.
We liked him immediately.
So rather than run away, we built him a restaurant.
At the heart of The Kapre is the Balete tree — a tree woven deeply into Filipino folklore and long associated with spirits, mystery and things that go bump in the tropical night. Rather than hiding it behind the restaurant, we made it part of the experience.
Eat beneath its branches, drink beside it, take a photograph with it and, if you’re feeling particularly brave, look up.
Because if you’re going to feed a mythical giant, a little kitchen stove isn’t going to cut it. Fire is at the heart of The Kapre kitchen — charcoal, smoke, open-flame cooking, whole beasts, monster skewers and food designed to arrive at the table looking every bit as good as it smells.
Filipino ingredients and flavours are our starting point. Japan, Korea, Spain and a few places the Kapre probably shouldn’t have visited provide some of the inspiration. The result is Filipino fusion with smoke on its clothes and absolutely no interest in behaving itself.
We didn’t build The Kapre to serve the same menu you can find everywhere else in Panglao. Our signature dishes take Filipino flavours, local ingredients and a healthy disregard for culinary borders and turn them into food that’s unmistakably ours. Big flavours, serious fire, generous sharing plates and dishes worth getting your phone out for, that you’ll remember long after the last San Miguel…
The Kapre has been hanging around this tree for a very long time, so naturally he’s developed quite a drinks cabinet. Our signature cocktails mix tropical Philippines with a little liquid mischief — local flavours, unexpected ingredients, frozen creations and dangerously drinkable Kapre originals.
Find the tree. Grab a glass. Stay for another.
Pulutan is the great Filipino tradition of eating something delicious while having a drink — although after several rounds it becomes increasingly difficult to remember which came first. At The Kapre, that means smoky skewers, crispy bites, sizzling plates and big Filipino flavours made for sharing around the table.
Cold beer. Hot food. Good mates. Questionable decisions.
Not every Kapre stays in his tree. Ours occasionally climbs into a Jeepney loaded with Filipino streetfood, frozen margaritas, ice-cold beers and questionable intentions. The Kapre Jeepney brings a little piece of the RestoBar to weddings, parties, festivals and private events across Bohol. Also look out for the Kapre and his Jeepney across the island, you can’t miss him…
The idea was simple: create the kind of restaurant we’d travel to find ourselves. Somewhere unmistakably Filipino but unlike anywhere else; where brilliant local ingredients could meet ideas collected from years of eating and travelling around Asia and beyond. Somewhere families could eat, friends could drink, music could play and nobody would need to whisper over a white tablecloth.
Then we found the tree.
The rest became folklore.
⥼ JOIN THE KAPRE ⥽
Good food, mystical storytelling, live music and a place where everyone feels at home. That’s The Kapre way. Just remember to keep an eye out for any mischievous giant who might be eyeing your food and margarita!
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