Taguan Cafe

very humble facade yet warm and inviting given the ready smile from the kind looking barista. oh so good coffee served in cheeky mugs. food smelled so amazing when served. Tatay's pork adobo brought me back home. the achara is as it should be: very fine taste and texture. my dessert: the perfect egg pie - thin crust, citrusy, not too eggy , not too sweet - just divine! this place is worth hunting down. will surely come back, soon! thank you for starting my day!

The reviews made me have higher expectations, ube grilled cheese was a little disappointing, adobo was yummy and decent beef pares nice flavors. Over all 4.5

In Filipino Culture, food is exorcised as a love letter to the guests, the consumers—the hungry mouths that the cook should have such the pleasure of serving their food to. It is the nature of this culture’s cuisine that restaurants within Sydney’s fabric have been, historically, few and far across the dine-out diaspora. If you ever asked a Pinoy over the past twenty years, where the best place to eat “Filo Food” out is, they’d likely reply “my place”. Secondary to this is a suburban supermarket specialising in Pinoy imported groceries and a selection of Bain Marie dishes. In the last 8 odd years, Filipino flavours have risen to promjnence within Sydney’s street food and particularly Western Sydney vendor scene. Analogues of famous fast foods, such as Jolibee have been translated into food trucks and pop ups. And the juggernaut of various sweet makers—Ube merchants—combined with bakeries and even brunch fusion offerings. Taguan is the newest opening, tackling cafe fare with a combo of mod and tradition. The menu is a lot simpler than their contemporaries – toasties using classic sourdough but with Pinoy flavours, bakes in a similar fashion, but with main dish options that pull straight from home cooking. We went in for lunch and ordered the Adobos (choice of either pork or chicken) and the Beef Pares. Adobo is one of the most iconic marinades of stewed protein dishes worldwide. A simmered and stewed meat dish steeped in a little oil, a lot of soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. All that soaks into the fibers of the meat breaking it down to tender and gives an extremely deep and aromatic flavour that’s not too heavy as it’s cut by the vinegar inclusion. When paired especially with atchara (Pinoy pickled veg), it’s a tummy and soul pleasing combination of salt, sour and fatty umami. The beef pares is a soupier offering of a similar flavour profile, touched with more herbaciousness (star anise) and makes sense with a wet egg over a hard boiled one. Sitting on the side of the street amongst the commotion of Redfern, Sydney’s Main Street makes eating real Filo home cooking feel correct… like you’re the guest at the Taguan (translates to “hideaway” in Tagalog).

Such a tiny yet cute space with the most unique mugs to serve coffee! Dog friendly and interior is decorated to give a cosy vibe. Service and team is exceptionally nice, perfect place for a quick coffee or snacks. They have specialty drinks too that goes up to 8 bucks and a mocha is 6 and 6.5 for large. The regular take away cup is quite small so if you can sit and have it there in the cute mugs, def do that!

Friendly customer service. I just wanted to note that when I put my order for my drink, it was very difficult for me to hear the options, so I just kind of gauged and said what I wanted, and hoped for the best. The waiter behind the counter today needs to speak a little louder. I ordered the TATAY'S ADOBO - PORK and the UBE LATTE (iced). I would highly recommend the UBE LATTE (iced). You could really taste the ube flavour and smell it too. It was so delicious. It does come in a hot version as well. The TATAY'S ADOBO - PORK, on the other hand, was alright. The flavours were a little more on the saltier side for me. I would've enjoyed it more, in particular, the rice, if the pork was on the side. The pork sauces were soaking the rice, making it a lot more drenched, and I wasn't really fussed. The café operates on a first in best dressed. 1.5% surcharge on EFTPOS payments.

I had Tatay's Pork Adobo—super generous portion of pork, really tasty and juicy! Only wish there was more rice and atchara to go with it. Also tried the famous Ube Grilled Cheese Toasties, and wow, it did not disappoint. Sweet, savory, cheesy goodness all in one bite!

I came across this cafe through social media and totally no regrets trying this place out. Went on a Sunday and no regrets. Highlights and tips: - Taguan is located within a short walking distance between Waterloo Metro station and Redfern train station. - There is limited seating for both inside and outside of the cafe. During peak meal times, it can get quite busy. At certain times of the day, the sun shining can be quite intense. - There was live music by a local musician. Totally added to the atmosphere! - Food tasted amazing. The flavours had depth and loved every bite. My only complaint was the portion size is too small for me and the beef pares was rather oily. The staff was really nice to remove as much of the oil. Other than that, I would rate it still as one of my personal faves for Filipino food. - The ube latte was totally amazing. The richness in the flavours is like no other that I have tried. The staff shared with me that they make the ube base from scratch. I highly recommend trying this. - Staff were very friendly and loved that I was asked whether I enjoyed my meal. Kudos for asking and also sharing too that your recipes were family recipes. - Although small in space, the place was still tastefully decorated with beautiful colours that were complimentary. It was very welcoming. All in all, I enjoy my dining experience here. I think it is a place worth checking out for good ube drinks and pretty authentic Filipino food.

The Chicken Adobo was cooked well (juicy!!) and paired nicely with the atchara. The adobo taste wasn't overpowering, a great introduction for whoever is curious to try adobo for the first time! The Lumpia rice bowl was golden and crunchy! Not at all oily. The stars for me were the drinks. We had the Ube Latte (warm) and the Choc-Nut Latte (iced). The staff were very friendly, the place was clean, and the vibe of the whole place was good. Will head over again