Artistic restaurant & pottery studio in Antipolo: Crescent Moon Café

Crescent Moon Café is a long-running establishment in Antipolo. This artistic restaurant known for their Southeast Asian-inspired cuisine and pottery products from the studio of Lanelle Abueva-Fernando has been around since 1997. I’ve written about this place several times before, but with all the travel restrictions these days, there’s been renewed interest in accessible and open-air restaurants near Metro Manila, so I though I’d share more photos and details about the place from visits over the years, before and during the pandemic era.

Those based in Metro Manila looking for a charming and refreshing destination can enjoy dining-in at the cafe and shopping for ceramic products. The Antipolo establishment reopened last year following new IATF restaurant guidelines and is currently open from Wednesday to Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with prior reservations recommended to ensure tables are available.

The restaurant

The restaurant is not located along the main highway of Antipolo and requires a bit of hunting to find, which adds to the appeal. From the main Antipolo center, you can find this spot just a little off the main road going to the town of Teresa in Rizal.

Parking along the main ridge of Antipolo can be problematic during peak dining hours, but this space has enough shaded parking spaces under the trees for several cars and motorcycles. During my last visit in January 2021, I noticed they also have a bike rack right outside the main dining area, making it a bike-friendly destination.

The main dining area of Crescent Moon Cafe is a colorful, open-air structure, with screens on all sides instead of walls, allowing fresh air to enter, which feels much safer than dining in enclosed, indoor restaurants. The whole space is situated within landscaped gardens and koi ponds, adding to the refreshing natural appeal of the place.

Under current IATF guidelines, restaurants and cafes are allowed to operate with a limited capacity. At the time of our visit, the restaurant can only seat 35 people at a time in their main dining area and a maximum of 8 people outdoors. To ensure that social distancing guidelines are kept, it’s recommended that guests reserve tables before visiting by calling them or sending a message on Facebook.

Dine-in customers are also required to wear face masks to enter the main dining area. Each table contains small ceramic containers for masks to help keep tables clean. These containers are changed in between groups.

Their weekend buffet is currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and their a la carte menu has been scaled down to focus on bestsellers. Most of the dishes are Asian-inspired and they also have a few vegan-friendly dishes.

Their signature appetizer is the Alagao Salad (P300 good for 2-3 people), an adaptation of the Thai street food and snack miang kham. To eat this, you use the leaf as a wrap for bits of ingredients, like basil, green mango/kamias, ginger, onion, roasted coconut, dried small shrimps and peanut sauce.

Other dishes on the menu include Glass Noodles with stir-fried vegetables (P280), Beef Rendang (P380), Lemongrass Pork Belly (P370) and Fried Catfish with a choice of sambal or sweet and sour sauce (P270).

For dessert, try the classic Suman at Mangga or Suman Itim, sticky black mountain rice topped with coconut cream and roasted cashew for P90 each.

Craft beer from Antipolo

Crescent Moon Cafe also serves a few craft beers from Santiago Brewery, the only craft brewery in the country that produces their own malts in the mountains of Antipolo. The four unique variants (P150 per bottle) include Amihan Blonde Ale (a Belgian-style beer), Habagat Amber Ale (brewed with roasted malts and a hint of caramel), Ipu-Ipo India Pale Ale (bitter and hoppy flavors), and Buhawi Chocolate Cream Stout (which has intense chocolate and coffee notes).

Pottery studio

The Crescent Moon Cafe also houses the store for Lanelle Abueva-Fernando’s stoneware ceramics. Each piece is handmade in the studio of the well-known artist has been in the ceramic business since 1981.

Aside from dining, the place is worth visiting for those who want to shop for home items. The main dining area has shelves displaying an array of handmade stoneware ceramics including unique mugs, saucers, serving plates, bowls, cheese plates and other lovely home decor items.

Infuse your home with a more artistic vibe with the statement mugs, plates and other colorful pieces.

The Glass Bar

For those looking for a venue for an intimate wedding or celebrations, Crescent Moon Cafe is also open for private events, following the safety guidelines. The Glass Bar is the restaurant’s watering hole and creative space, normally a venue for guests to try their hand at different arts and crafts. The area seats 10-20 people and is available for booking as a venue for meetings, private events, and workshops.

The restaurant also has an outdoor space and screened cabanas ideal for small events like outdoor movie screenings and workshops. Aside from dine-in services, the restaurant also offers takeout and delivery including to areas in Metro Manila.

Just in case you happen to pass by and weren’t able to reserve tables for their dine-in service and they’re full during your visit, you can still take a look at their pottery products for sale (they have a warehouse in the back) and take home some unique pieces to brighten up your tables at home.

COVID Protocols

As of January 2021, the entire province of Rizal is under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ). Crescent Moon Cafe is complying with MECQ protocols with the following rules for guests:

Only guests ages 21 to 59 years old can dine in. As per MECQ guidelines, they cannot take guests below 21 years old and above 60 years old.
To minimize surface transmission, their staff cannot hold guests’ gadgets/ devices to take photos.
Please keep your mask and shield on while waiting for your food/drink order at your table and while roaming around the establishment.