Galli Village Cafe

Putariani

3.0

Unexpectedly disappointing. Good thing they have a great all-around cheerful cook/server who'd try to satisfy your requests if possible and keeps on saying "Pasensiya na po..." with every thing that lacks in the resto.I've won a Galli Village Cafe Voucher from website, and since it was going to expire I have to use it. My girlfriend and I went there last Sunday (July 28) and yet to our dismay, the place was closed. We went back today (July 30) and as we entered the place, nobody greeted us coz' there's no people around except for the two customers who were eating their meal. On our own initiative, we get the menu, seated ourselves, and waited for someone who'll attend to us. After a few minutes we saw the server-cum-cook.So we ordered... Of course! Having read about their famed-Paella Valenciana I believe that we ought to try it! But then again, my disappointments seems to be piling up. No more Paella at past 2 in the afternoon!! What can we do but to choose another one from their menu... The server suggested Beef Salpicao and Gambas but since I am allergic to shrimp, we opted for the Beef Salpicao and Angus Beef Tapa. We had an extra order of Carbonara - but, No Carbonara as well! For our drinks, my girlfriend chose the Four Season while I picked the Lemonade - which happened to be unavailable, too! They're even out of Leche Flan!! But at least they have coffee when we ordered one. :)After having been denied of the foods we love to try, our orders came fast. Even though the only staff is like a one-man band, she served us well to the best of her ability.My Verdict:Both the two meals seemed a bit pricey adding into consideration that VAT was not even included in it. Serving size was small, especially, the Beef Salpicao. But taste-wise... I can say that they nailed it! The Beef Salpicao has a certain spice, that gives a wonderful flavor to the tastebuds, complemented with the tenderness of its meat. The Angus Beef Tapa was undeniably gratifying! The Four Season was equally good. Not too sweet and a real thirst-quenching drink! The coffee was just so-so.Though series of unfortunate events happened... I would still say that it wasn't a bad experience after all -- and all because of the very competent, attentive, and apologetic server! Kudos to her!

Miya Kusuma

3.0

First, a little back story: I too was given a gift voucher by website for Write for a Bite, but I was given one for the Makati branch, since I'm from the South. The voucher was expiring, so I called on the last Sunday before expiration to book for lunch at the Makati branch, only to be told that Sunday lunches were always booked by a prayer group, for seven years now. Sunday lunch was the only chance my family and I could go out. I was told to come back later in the afternoon or in the few days before the voucher's expiry, but I didn't have the time, so I let it slide. Beggars can't be choosers after all.Oddly enough, I did end up trying Galli Village Café at the farther branch, in Quezon City, when I found myself in the neighborhood. My dad was looking through a list of Maginhawa restaurants online, saw a picture of paella, and decided it was worth trying. The first thing we noticed on the menu was that all the meals were served with rice We just wanted a little appetizer before our paella, which would take 30-45 minutes.. My dad asked for bread to be served instead, since it's his habit with gambas and salpicao, and delightfully, our friendly server obliged.The gambas and salpicao came about 20 minutes later, and...honestly, it wasn't bad. I'd even actually say it was good, for the price of 195 each. It's just that the servings were so small, about half the amount of how much protein I would usually eat. I understood that it was a way to keep the price down and to cater to the Maginhawa market of students and Teacher's Village residents. The gambas were flavorful though not spicy, while the special spice in the beef salpicao was yellow mustard.The paella arrived about another 15 minutes later, and we knew it was coming when we could smell the "soccarat", the burnt rice at the bottom of the pan, which we loved. Of course, what arrived to our table had some significant differences from the appetizing PR feature shot. There was about 50% less protein. The shrimp, chicken, and chorizo bits were small and few and far in between. Scratch that, the chorizo was actually sweet longganisa. Of course, I wasn't expecting much, recognizing logistical moves to bring the meal's price down to only 495 for a paella big enough to feed 4-5. It was just OK, a tummy filler but not a palate pleaser, something typical of restaurants in a location mostly populated by students on a budget.I guess it just boils down to a matter of preference. I'm not a fan of any "Filipinized" cuisine, specially not the Filipino-Spanish at Galli. If I'm craving for paella, I'd rather go to a straight up Spanish place, even at double the price. If I'm a very hungry student and want cheap eats, then I'd come here. My starving Katipunan dormer years are long behind me though. It's a passable option if you're from Sikatuna/Teacher's Village; but next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'd skip Maginhawa all together and head to Katipunan or Libis instead.

Gino Callejo Chua

3.0

After weeks of procrastination I finally set a date to use my website gift card and went over to Galli Village Cafe, QC branch. Before anything else, I would like to advice anyone trying the place the CALL IN ADVANCE. Seriously. It's not just because of the wait time. It's awesome that they prepare the food as you order. Unfortunately when we went there, we only thought of calling in advance to order the paella. When we got there, the paella was good and ready so we dove right in. Later on we decided to try a few more things out only to find that half the menu was unavailable. :(So, when you're ready to try the place, pick what you want from the menu and call to ask if it's available. Otherwise, the trip is gonna end in a lot of disappointments. Moving on to my review.. Ambience : 4.0 It's a small, intimate place. Perfect for getting together with close friends or even a relaxed date. I don't think you'll be worrying about a rowdy party on the next table. Service : 4.0Superb. We were cheerfully greeted and we never had to wait to be attended. One of the benefits of a small venue is the waiter will never miss you. Food: 3.0We tried four things : Paella Valencia, Angus Beef Tapa, Shrimp Gambas and Almondigas Soup. All of these had stars on them in the menu. And they were all OK. The gambas was the best in my opinion. The paella was good but did not rock my world (there may be bias here as my grandma makes the best paella). The angus beef tapa was a surprise, the beef looked like sukiyaki beef was used to make tapa. It was good, just peculiar. Almondigas isn't even worth reviewing. If you just want something to warm your tummy, it's fine. Overall: 3.5Maybe I'm still unhappy that so many items were unavailable during my visit. Maybe I was expecting too much after reading so much about the place. Overall it was a good experience, it just fell a bit sort of what i was hoping it would be.

Hipolito Ligon Lorenzo

5.0

Galli Village Cafe seems to be set up for success as it possesses the crucial combination of Spanish and Filipino-inspired cuisines with the theme of the Mediterranean, ready to pique the taste buds of patrons.This cafe posits itself as a "refreshing dining place from the hustle and bustle of Makati and Quezon City." At least in its QC branch, I totally vouch for that. Galli is a rustic and cozy restaurant where everyone feels relaxed. The area may be small when compared to regular dine-in restaurants, as it can accommodate only about 25 people. This can be a plus for dining customers who value intimacy and privacy.Galli Village Cafe is not what you can call a "fast food" restaurant because admittedly, waiting time is quite long. To give consideration, this is understandable as they make food upon order and not just heat them few seconds before serving. For cooking their specialty paella, for example, customers must be willing to wait 40 minutes for the food to arrive.It's recommended to call first and order in advance to save time.We had a great lineup of food that consisted of their specialties and wholesome dishes: Beef Salpicao (PHp 195), Paella Valenciana (good for 4-5; PHp 495), Angus Beef Tapa (PHp 170) and Shrimp Gambas (PHp 195).The paella was especially sumptuous, with a very good selection of toppings: chicken, pork, eggs, chorizo and some vegetables. I have the habit of smelling food first before eating every spoonful of it. This one smelled really delicious. :D I would raise my two thumbs up also for their shrimp gambas.Christine was kind to offer tuna salpicao when she learned two of us bloggers are pescetarians. Tuna Salpicao is not even existing on the menu yet, and together with Grilled Tuna Belly, it will probably be released in the next two months. In addition, she asked the cook staff to bring us Chorizo Rice that complemented the taste of the salpicaos.For the drinks, I had Hot Chocolate (PHp 35) which tasted like pure chocolate with a tinge of sweetness, to wash out the astonishingly strong flavors swimming in my buds. Two other bloggers had the Sparkling Lemonade (PHp 39) and Four Seasons (PHp 39). For our desserts, we had Leche Flan that was creamy but not too sweet.Food prices are accessible, considering that the quality is high. Budget per person is less than PHp 300 and you can get fulfillment from this restaurant that not only gives customers a taste of what they can get but is as well given enough of a local touch that people in the city can recognize in terms of taste. For more info, please visit http://rochkirstin.com/review-of-galli-village-cafe-maginhawa-street-quezon-city/

Robin Mailoa

4.0

Thanks to a certain site, I was able to discover that there are more restaurants along Maginhawa Street (or the Eat Street) that I wasn't able to try yet. The other day, I was able to visit a place called The Sweet Spot and enjoyed my food. Now, my friend and I will try Galli Village Cafe.The restaurant was small and it probably can accommodate 10 or less customers. I think this place is still new because there weren't any other customers there except us and one diner. I cannot decipher yet the theme of their decor but it looked okay.Most of their dishes are Filipino food. I ordered their Angus Beef Tapa (P190) because as what I have read, this dish is a must-try.The meal comes with soup and iced tea. When my food was served, it lacked presentation. I expected more because the price is not the same with the "tapsihan" you see on the street. I think they should have made an effort to be creative with the food because the price that you pay in this type of establishment is not just for the ingredients of the dish but you also pay for the ambiance and the service.The Angus Beef Tapa was delicious. It was tender and flavorful. However, I think it will taste even more better if they added "atsara" on the side and used garlic/fried rice instead of plain.I'll go back here because they have other dishes that I want to try like their Bistek Tagalog, Tocino, and Chicken and Pork Adobo. Their sandwiches looked delectable too.

Paskalis Paskal

2.0

Been here a while ago. It was a bad experience because we waited for almost an hour for our food. My friend ordered pork steak and it tasted so bad. Even the paella. :( Poor service though.

Wilhelmus Marvin

1.0

My galli!....It was really a sad experience eating here!The overall food quality and appearance is very basic. Noting extra ordinary than what they've shown on their menu and yet it costs a lot!...Super not worth it! 😐👎🏻

Erdem Yavrutürk

1.0

It was empty when we went here, there were no customers eating compared to Gerry's Jeepney which is just right next to them. So we were kinda hesitant yet why not give it a try since we were craving for something Spanish dishes and I've read good reviews about Galli.Unfortunately, it was really devastating and worse experience ever. They only have few choices to choose from their menu. We ordered their Shrimp Gambas and Fish Salpicao but neither of them were available. So, my boyfriend and I ordered Beef Salpicao and Paella. They asked us if it was okay to serve the Beef Salpicao for like 30 mins. We agreed because we thought it would be good and they have to cook it well. When they served it to us, it was totally ripped off because it was freakin' disappointed. The food was cold even the rice. It has really small servings and has like 5 small pcs. of beef which was too hard to chew and salty.Suddenly, the waitress asked us again if it was okay to wait for an hour for our Paella. So we just decided to cancel our Paella and just leave the place and eat again somewhere else. Who the hell will wait for an hour? I don't know if the Paella is really available, and they even have the guts to tell us to wait again for an hour after we waited for 30 mins. which was really waste of time and not worth it. In fact, nothin' special in their foods even their iced tea was so basic. I prefer to eat in Tapsilogan which is 1000000 times better.It was totally ripped off. Their price is really expensive and it didn't give justification for their servings and quality of foods. Their staff also were so rude and stupid. Why don't they say the truth that almost all of their foods were not available and just closed the resto instead. They were also kinda confused and it was like they didn't know what they were doing. They keep on chatting and having this hand signals. Now I know why there are no customers eating there. I've been eating in different places and tasted different kinds of food but this one was the worse one. Why don't they just shut down their resto instead of fooling other people. Pissed.

Evy Nurvitasari

1.0

Rude employee. Costs in general does not live up to its value. Extremely long waiting time.. Sorry. Never again. Never be coming back again.. Period.

Nofri Azis

4.0

The place was empty when my mom and i dined in this place. We were initially hesitant because there were even no staff who greeted us. But moments later a staff who i thought was the cashier and waiter at the same time went out to take our order. We had Beef Salpicao and Shrimp Gambas which were both very satisfying. I liked that their food were very flavorful although the portions are small for the price. They also have Paella that we took home. I read that their it was good in one site, but kinda did not enjoy it that much. It was not as tasty as their Gambas and Salpicao. But nonetheless the restaurant is highly recommendable for me.