Bold, honest, and brazen: three words that would best describe the Café Juanita experience.

Helmed by visionary restaurateur Dr. Efren “Boy” Vasquez, the restaurant successfully creates a lasting impression on its guests.

We sat down with Dr. Vasquez at his restaurant’s new location in Pasig. The new branch, which opened last year, is still in Barrio Kapitolyo where the first Café Juanita opened around 15 years ago. With increasing guest covers and an ever growing collection of furniture, Dr. Vasquez decided to open up a second Café Juanita just across the old one. The newer one has a larger seating capacity, and has a second floor dining area that can be easily converted into a function room by way of sliding dividers. It has to be said that with the new location, none of the charms and wit of the old restaurant were lost. On the contrary, the bigger area has allowed for more interesting combinations and arrangements, something that Dr. Vasquez has managed to accomplish in his usual flair.

Upon entering the quaint and unassuming façade of this restaurant, one is unexpectedly taken to a strange world that is playful and whimsical. The main dining hall and the outdoor patio are decked with a number of lamps, statues and various other furniture and objets d’art that form a veritable hodgepodge of curios and collectibles.

“My father was an engineer, and so were my brothers,” said Dr. Vasquez, “I grew up in a house that had a similar look, except all I saw were machines and other spare parts. I wanted to replicate that image, to preserve that memory of my family and our old house.”

This desire for preservation has resulted in what we see in the restaurant today. “There is history in all of these items that you see here,” Dr. Vasquez said. All of the items in his collection were personally handpicked from flea markets here and abroad. “None of these items are empty. Each has its own story; each with its own reason.”