We decided to check out what is the real buzz about Rodic’s Tapsilog. Being a green archer, I’m just starting to discover UP’s foodie delights. In fact, I was talking to Ivan Henares to give us a tour of U.P.’s legendary food places. Rodic’s tapsilog is quietly invading Legaspi Village with two branches — one in Salcedo Street and the other one in Adelantado Street near Makati Medical Plaza. A canteen in a Makati setting which it serves “Jollijeep” type of food in a nice quaint turo-turo setup. The Salcedo Street branch is owned by Ma. Socorro Tecson Mangahas, the daughter of the original owner of the Rodic’s in UP.
The Bestseller in the house is of course Rodic’s Tapsilog. All the silog meals comes with free ice tea and it would only costs P60 net. The Tapsilog is like a shredded bits of sweet beef that is similar to the fruity beef or pork my wife used to buy in Shin Tong Yong (I’m not sure if this is still alive). This is an interesting take on the Tapsilog and now I know why UP folks keep raving about Rodic’s. One of these days, I’ll try to visit the original store in UP. Have you tasted Rodic’s before?
Another UP popular food place I’ve been to is the Chocolate Kiss Cafe – The Good Stuff?
I decided to surprise Rache one Saturday morning. She likes to eat home-cooked Filipino food and I thought Rodic’s in Makati was the perfect lunch venue.
There are pre-cooked food served turo-turo style. Somehow you feel that the food is clean and safe to eat because of the restaurant setup.
We tried the Sisig but we did not like it because it is full of fat. I guess you get what you pay for.
They try to keep the canteen setup with plastic chairs and tables. What is interesting is the Spice of Life Mural inspired by Larry Alcala depicting the life in U.P.
This is one scene which I do not understand. What’s the significance of the nuns ringing the church bells?
This is an interesting take on the scenes in U.P. Oblation.
Rodic’s Diner since 1949:
Telephone #: 75-928-75
AHh Rodics. It brings memories for my husband and myself. We usually ate there during our college days. I think Rodics goes way back before the 70’s even during my mom’s time in the 50’s. Now my second daughter (the third generation UP student) is in UP and she loves eating at Rodics . I love their tapsilog, quite affordable for students.
btw those are not nuns. That’s a group of UP college women called “cadena de amor” I forgot the tradition but I’ve seen my mom dressed in white in one of their activities.
Sweet Jesus…Lasalista ka pala! No wonder you’re not too familiar with Rodics. Sabagay, ako din naman. I’ve eaten there several times but I wasn’t a regular. We had our own institution at my very own alma mater. It was called “The Country Club” which was located at the back of the Covered Courts at my school. They served the best porkchop. Well, yun ang favorite ko back then.
Nga pala, I’m a Bluey with a bit of green (care of my dearly departed dad). See you at the games. 🙂
quite interesting they have a couple of branches now. how i wish they’d setup another in Manila, but of course, nothing beats the original branch.
Food there is ok, a bit drenched in oil. it didn’t matter to me. it’s still masarap and food is definitely affordable. it’s quite fun to fill your hungry tummy there while you and your classmates cramp up in a small table during lunch hours.
Funny, I was just talking about rodic’s to my friends last weekend hehehe. you’re not a true blue Isko/Iska if you dont know rodic’s. hehehe Anton, you should go to UP and also try Chocolate Kiss (my fave in UP). 3 famous UP stops: Chocokiss @ bahay ng alumni, Rodic’s @ Shopping Center and Mang Jimmy’s near Balara.
Now I miss going around the UP Campus.hehe
p.s. according to my sister, who is a Lasalista, may equivalent daw to dun sa La Salle, Kaibigan? =D
I love the fact that Rodic’s at Salcedo Street is just a few blocks away from my office — just so I wouldn’t miss UP too much. Still, it doesn’t beat eating at their small space in UP’s Shopping Center 🙂
yup i would strongly recommend chocolate kiss cafe at the bahay ng alumni too =)
Just let me know when you want to tour. Make sure you leave a lot of space in your stomach! 😛
I was looking at one of the cartoons above. Those aren’t nuns. The Cadena de Amor graduation ceremony was an old UP tradition where the senior colegialas would pass on the torch (symbolized by garlands) to the juniors. Most UP students today don’t know about it. But the cartoon made a spoof out of it with the girls carrying chains rather than garlands. Hehe!
I forgot about the other UP institution, Chateau Verde. I ate there last week after a meeting with some mining boys at the national engineering center. Had a great time counting how many indian mangoes were falling on the bubong na yero. Completely spooked out our canadian guest. They have this great salmon dish and their oysters rockefeller is to die for. And its really cheap.
Don’t know if it’s a tradition at UP, but I’ve had good bbq at that shack near the Oval. A full meal with a vegetable viand and rice is (or was at least a couple of years ago) around P60.
Yep. Rodics is the pennultimate rite of passage for every UPian. Grabe naaala ko pa yung presyo nung tapsi noon—40 bucks with drink na (during the 90’s)
Btw the cadena de amor ladies are carrying with them the “symbolic” cadena…seemingly connected to the UP carillion… look closely and you’ll spot the man ringing the damn contraption. Here’s Alcala’s way of highlighting the modern and the traditional. Proof of his timeless genius.
yes, i’ve been to rodics in makati. they have 2 branches sa makati. i always eat there. saraaaap. 🙂
Oh Rodics. Such great UP memories. Thanks, Anton.
bex: Yes, Kaibigan is likely the equivalent. But Sinangag Express (or SEx) recently opened a branch in front of DLSU and it is currently the place to have cheap tapsilog.
Anton! My children love Rodic’s tapsilog. Every time we go to UP for our weekend nature walk, they never fail to ask to go there and eat. Sometimes even if we don’t go there, they would ask if we could, just to go to Rodic’s. 🙂
Bex is right. Three foodie stops in U.P. are Choco Kiss, Rodic’s and my personal favorite, Mang Jimmy’s. At Mang Jimmy’s, you really get your money’s worth…just plain, no-nonsense GOOD food, dining al fresco style. Great for barkadas.
Though my alma mater is way over in Espana (hint, hint), when good food calls (even if it’s behind enemy lines, hahaha!) I’m there!
I love your blog because I get a lot of ideas on what to try lalo na yung mga foods…=)…I love Rodics tapsilog in UP too…I’ve been able to eat there just twice in my life ….I lived in the south area most of my life and I just couldn’t forget it. Oh yea, we have our own version of Rodic’s too – it’s called Sinangag Express in BF Paranaque.
I LOVE RODICS TAPSILOG!!!!! It doesn’t come with free iced though, in UP! It’s like corned beef textured tapa…no need for much mastication! hahaha This is one of the reasons I visit my alma mater =) The turo turo food is great there too…like the fishballs, quekiams….isaw….you just have to pick the right food cart location! The “hot monay with cheese is great also! Well, these goodies are worth visiting UP for eating, apart from the favorite Chocolate Kiss Cafe, Chateau Verde, Mang Jimmy’s and Beach House BBQ (locaated beside the UP Main Library)!!!!! =) The UP Coop (where Rodic’s is located) is loaded with yummy and chep treats….like dirty ice cream, turon, boiled corn, kakanins, ilocos empanadas, banana cues, camote cues, muruya, karyoka, limpia etc….
Even if you have just mere couple of bucks in your pocket, you will never go hungry in UP!!! =)
Mukhang masarap! Great find!
Masarap nga sa Rodics… good thing we work near UP Diliman.
Funny this is, their tapsilog looks like corned beef, haha.
WOOT! As an ’06 UP Manila graduate, I am a Rodic’s fan 🙂 Even if my parents are pretty health conscious and we pretty much have health food during the week, Rodic’s is a fave pig-out place of mine!
Brings back “road trips” to UP Diliman and meeting with good friends. Also eating there after performing Vagina Monologues! Nothing satisfies hunger like a good, greasy, fatty tapsilog!
wow!! wer exactly in salcedo street is this, anton? 🙂 thanks for the heads up!
The Rodics in UP Diliman is under renovation, I guess already due since the place is a bit run down. Masarap pa din and mura yung food, you should also try the P5 turon at the back entrance, it’s good and always fresh.
Another UP favorite is Persia House (now known as Mr. Kebab along Quezon Ave). Back in the early 90’s it was just a small place where we’ld hang out after climbs now it has grown and is a favorite food stop along that stretch. You should check it out!
The BBQ place near the main library and sunken garden called BeachHouse serves great BBQ and other home-cooked meals. i personally love their red egg/grilled eggplant/alamang combo and misua with patola. 🙂 The place is nestled under huge acacia trees. It’s a really great place to eat. 🙂 If I remember it right, BBQ costs around P20-25 each. Check it out but make sure it’s not raining..or else you’d be dining wet. 🙂
Yes. Shin Tong Yong tapa is still very much alive. You can get some from Shin Tong Yong store itself in Binondo. It’s on a small street off Ongpin Street (near President’s Restaurant). Ask anybody when you get to Ongpin for further directions.
It’s UP Oblation with a “t” not a “c”. =)
I miss UP Diliman! Have you tried eating at the fishball stalls? There’s this stall in Fine Arts which also sells yummy lumpia shanghai. And yes, I miss Chocolate Kiss. Can’t say the same for Rodic’s though. Always cramped. Mang Jimmy’s is great for barkadas. Cheap food.
There’s also a Sinangag Express in front of UP Manila, along Pedro Gil. Sarap ng daing na bangus 😀
i agree with korina…’manong fishball’s’ (that’s what we called him back then..haha) stall in UP College of Fine Arts sells really cheap and delicious streetfood and non-streetfood like the lumpia. my personal favorite is the 3-peso per piece siomai with chili oil, soymansi and uber yummy fried garlic. i pass by fine arts everytime i’m in UP just for the siomai. =)
UP life won’t be complete without TheRODIC’S experience, MangJIMMY’s Sisig, Beach houseBBQ, FISH BALLS wd yummy sauce, Chocolate Kiss, Casaa’s Palabok, chicken curry near d pool area and Isawü
rees is right, the 3-peso siomai is fantastic. we used to buy about 10 pieces, have 5 deep-fried and the rest steamed. fantastic! 🙂
When I was in UP, we used to call Rodic’s “blinender na tapa” – it was more like ground beef as compared to the usual kind . But it was really good. Now my kids, who are now 16 and 14, enjoy it as well. As for the other culinary delights, well, there’s always the lumpia brigade – those ambulant vendors selling lumpiang togue, turon, banana que and carioca.
i’ve always been a reg at Rodics although always cramped. hmmm try isaw ni Zardo near Nawasa-Tumana gate. really good isaw and gulaman.
It’s actually the nostalgia & the memories of UP grads that gives the menu an extra flavor.
I went to Rodics recently and I noticed that the price is slightly higher than other restos in SC. The food is really very ordinary. Typical home – made.
It’s actually the nostalgia & the memories of UP grads that gives the menu an extra flavor.
I went to Rodics recently and I noticed that the price is slightly higher than other restos in SC. The food is really very ordinary. Typical home – made.
I just wanted to say I found this funny. My last name is Rodic. Does Rodic mean anything in tagalog? What’s the history of this diner?
You should try eating at the original Rodic’s at UP shopping center. Cramp, crowded, and you leave “amoy tapsilog” but it’s never the same. Dining there is the authentic rodic’s experience other branches, no matter how many they end up to be, would find difficult to franchise
Kumi
by any chance, do you have the new number of Rodic’s? i can’t seem to contact the number given at this page… thanks!
Beach House 🙂