Backyard Kitchen & Brew first opened in UP Town Center back in December 2014, with a focus on serving scrumptious comfort food and building a casual and chill atmosphere for its customers. A group of 15 friends had the idea to merge their respective expertise to create what we now know as Backyard. 

Backyard Kitchen & Brew, Uptown Place Mall

In September 2015, they opened two other branches around the Metro. One in Grove, Rockwell and another in Circuit, Makati. Still sticking with their goal to offer good food with a relaxed ambiance, Backyard’s slowly putting their name on the map of go-to restaurants for loyal patrons. Last Wednesday, we had a chance to speak with one of the 15 people who started the restaurant. Sam Gogna, more popularly known as Sam YG, is a celebrity host and radio DJ who’s now venturing into other businesses outside his stint as an entertainer.

Sam YG, one of the owners.

Sam was gracious enough to let us know how they started the business. A number of items on Backyard’s menu follow the farm-to-table concept to help out local farmers as well as keeping their food fresh and authentic. He also makes sure they train their staff in such a way that they would not only give excellent service, but also build a relationship with their customers to keep them coming back.┬á

Now that their newest branch in Uptown Place Mall just opened last October, Sam said that even though it gets tricky at times, he manages his time well and makes sure he also manages his energy levels. Because for him, having time does not equate to having energy to do everything a person needs to do. 

Bonifacio Global City, according to Sam, is a melting pot of different kinds of people that they want to cater to. They chose to put up their fourth branch here because he believes that one can never run out of new customers, especially with all the current developments and future ones happening around The Fort. 

Waffle Breaded Fried Chicken

During lunch, we had the Waffle Breaded Fried Chicken first. It’s definitely something different. It was sweet and savory at the same time, which is how most Filipinos like their food. And for Php 435, the serving could be shared, which is perfect for groups, families, and even dates to bond over.

Kitayama Beef Cheek & Brisket served with rice

Next dish that we tried is the Kitayama Beef Cheek and Brisket. It’s Php 475 per order and was also a big portion for just one person. We’re getting the impression that Backyard does make sure to serve their food in bigger portions to help entice people to share.┬á

Fried Chicken Sandwich, served with chips
We were served their Fried Chicken Sandwich that also had bacon on it. It’s not the usual chicken sandwich you normally would think of. It costs Php 345 with a side of cheesy chips. They have their own way of making it, and you’d definitely know it’s Backyard’s creation. Which in essence, makes it all the more interesting and appetizing.
Salted Egg Chicken Skin and Butterbeer
As if those weren’t enough, we had the opportunity to taste one of their bestsellers which is their Salted Egg Chicken Skin, one order of it would cost you Php 225. It really is best paired with beer, that’s why we also tried Backyard’s signature Butterbeer, which is Php 165 per order to go with it.┬á
For a relatively new restaurant, Backyard has been the pioneer for bringing butterbeer into the market, which we can now see in a lot of establishments. They now offer lunch sets that sell for around Php 250 per order, which is very reasonable considering the quality and quantity of food, plus the comfortable ambience. They also have  #BackyardToGo which are take-out servings big enough to feed 10 people up to 25 people.
Another thing to look forward to is the Open Mic event in Backyard BGC just like how they do it in their other branches. Expect to see up and coming local artists perform their songs and maybe even get to perform with them when you sing your heart out in exchange for a free drink to go with your preferred Backyard dish. 
And to cap off this article, here’s Mr. Sam YG.

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