📍 La Salle, Taft Avenue Food Strip (last updated: January 9, 2025)
La Salle Taft has become a hub for innovative food concepts, appealing to a young, discerning market eager to explore fresh, youthful dining experiences that align with an upscale, student-friendly budget and college humor.
Recommendations:
- Beef Pho at Pho Mahal, featuring sliced beef, Vietnamese Ham, Hue noodles, and all the essential Vietnamese condiments.
- Tartufo Formaggio at Piccolino, a creamy, cheesy pasta sautéed in butter, garlic, and truffle oil.
- Quesabirria Tacos at La Toca, slow-cooked beef Birria with mozzarella cheese, onion, cilantro, and corn tortillas, served with Birria consommé.
- Birria Nachos and Horchata for merienda at El Poco Cantina.
- Pork Barbecue and Pork Samgyupsal on Stick at Tinuhog ni Benny Barbecue
Mexican Tripecta
@LaTocaMNL
La Toca is a popular Mexican taqueria on the Agno back roads, just off-campus with easy parking. Enjoy Quesabirria, Carnitas, and more in tacos, rice bowls, quesadillas, or burritos, with a tequila bar on the mezzanine during happy hour for a lively college night out.
@ElPocoCantina
El Poco is a casual Mexican cantina known for Quesabirria tacos, Birria Nachos, and the best Horchata in the area, located on Estrada St., perfect for De La Salle, St. Scho, and St. Benilde foodies.
@La_ElotesPH
Completing the Mexican triangle is La Elotes, near the Saint Benilde Design and Arts Campus, famous for its shredded grilled corn elote, birria tacos, and mulitas.
#Lamondays
@PhoMahal.resto
Pho Mahal, co-owned by Ngo Thao Thi (Sophia) and Tran Thi My Chi (Bella), serves fast, fresh, and authentic Vietnamese street food favorites like Beef Pho, Spring Rolls, and Vietnamese coffee.
@PiccolinoPH
Piccolino Restaurant by Mira Obalan offers authentic Italian pasta at One Archer’s Place, celebrating her family’s food heritage with Café Maestro’s Italian cult-following and Gelatone during Manila’s early food scene.
@BarnMNL
The Barn Manila is a college hangout favorite, known for comfort food by Borro, affordable drinks, and a lively college inuman vibe that anyone with an ID under 100 will envy.
@DapitHaponCafe
Dapit-Hapon Cafe & Bistro is the go-to spot for creative souls, offering a relaxed space to study, unwind, and meet friends.
@ProjuiceMNL
The Projuice Juice Bar is the perfect healthy spot for non-coffee drinkers, with a spacious and relaxing ambiance.
@FoundersDonutsPH
Founders Donut, with its flagship store at Zobel Roxas, offers innovative donut flavor combinations to fuel your startup dreams and creative passion.
Incubated in Taft.
This vibrant area became the birthplace of several food concepts that resonated with the college crowd. Ate Rica’s Bacsilog (bac-on, si-nangag, it-log) was born and popularized within college campuses, while Zark’s Burgers introduced its crazy burger offerings, perfectly catering to the hungry student at an affordable price. Angry Adobo, by actress Judy Ann Santos, marked the beginning of her food entrepreneur journey near De La Salle’s main campus, reimagining the classic Filipino adobo with bold, elevated flavors infused with an edge and heartfelt hugot. Becky’s Kitchen is our all-time favorite bakery, famous for their crinkles and delicious pastries, all beautifully packaged in their signature red box.
@TinuhogniBennyOfficial
Tinuhog ni Benny Barbecue House is the original samgyupsal on a stick barbecue concept, delivering a delicious Filipino fix with classics like inasal, inihaw, kinilaw, sinigang, and grilled sausages.
@DoonThaiCuisine
Doon Thai is a ThaiNoy (Thai x Pinoy food fusion) gem, serving your favorite Thai dishes with a sweet Pinoy twist. Tucked in a cozy spot, it offers a charming atmosphere, perfect for a budget-friendly college date.
About Third Culture Places Series:
We’re excited to launch a new series on Our Awesome Planet featuring Third Culture Places in Metro Manila! This project began in partnership with Dir. Sharlene Batin of DOT-NCR, who collaborated with us to curate the city’s top food strips for a free Food Strip Map aimed at promoting small and medium food businesses. Through our visits, we discovered that the most memorable spots go beyond great food—they serve as community hubs, bringing people together and creating a distinct sense of place.
In The Great Good Place (1989), Ray Oldenburg defines first places as homes, where personal life happens, and second places as workplaces or, for students, schools where learning takes place. He introduces third places as informal social hubs, such as cafés, pubs, and community centers, where people gather to build relationships and foster a sense of belonging. Unlike public spaces that serve practical functions, third places prioritize social interaction, offering a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere that strengthens community connections and its own food culture.
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: This article was written entirely by 100% human, with my own biases, opinions, and insights. This series is in partnership with Department of Tourism – National Capital Region.
P.S. Let me know if you have more cool spots to recommend around the La Salle Taft area.