Agico Cafe

Margaret Mijares Banaria

4.0

I don't know of many vegetarian restaurants so this was a pleasant surprise. Food was generally good! Even my companion who's not a vegetarian enjoyed the food. The Kare-Kare was very interesting since it had meat and bagoong alternatives! The Quinoa burger was also quite good. The Takoyaki was a bit so-so. Service was pretty good. Our server was very attentive and polite.Price-wise, it's decent though some items can be a bit expensive. But given the novelty of vegetarian restos, I really wish the best to Agico! Guilt-free eating at its finest.The ambience of the place was also quite chill and quiet.Only downside is that their takeout packaging is literally just plastic bags. Kind of wish they had more environmentally-friendly and presentable take out packaging.

Wilson Angelo Limen

4.0

As one of the few vegan places I've been, Agico clearly doesn't disappoint. I have actually been to this restaurant twice already and I still find their food pretty delicious. They might not be the most tasty but I'd like to think that they're pretty consistent. It feels like their food is low on sodium which is good for those health conscious foodies out there. The tofu steak is probably one of the underrated things on their menu. It's light and packed with flavors. I'd probably say that their takoyaki is also a good food to order despite having a different taste than the normal takoyaki since it's full of veggies inside.If you're one of those people that likes to try new food once in a while, make sure to drop by Agico.

Julian Syachputra

4.0

I spontaneously tripped upon this Vegetarian Cafe the night we were deciding where to celebrate my simple dinner with the fambam. Thanks to Happy Cow app, for some cosmic reason it led us to this place.  Loved that I was able to cap my special day off with a vegan Japanese dinner. I’ve been dangerously craving for Japanese cuisine for weeks now and I almost shat my white pants when I discovered in the Happy Cow app Agico Vegetarian Cafe. It's hard to find vegan options in Japanese restos so I end up just salivating when I go pass by them.The ambiance was very cozy because of the lighting, furniture, and the big-ass Himalayan Salt Lamp. I felt like upon entering the resto my aura was already cleansed hehe.. The building it is located on sucks though. It looks modern-nice, but then the entry and exit point is just one and the same!!! Talk about improper cost cutting, and poor commercial building designing! You have to make sure your vehicle is small-medium sized because I don't think the big vehicles will fit the basement parking. Plus, parking looks unfinished (or either gunning for the industrial look) and there's a perpetual "pond" present. Hope it doesn't breed mosquitoes or something. Anyhoo, on to the food. So I ordered everything I missed in my past omnivore life when it comes to Japanese eats.... the whole 9 Japanese feast yards and all! We really enjoyed the appetizers particularly the: Takoyaki; Radish Cake - just ask them to toast it evenly so it tastes like hash browns (hope they can offer hoisin dip for this next time); Fish Balls -don't get surprised for it is really dull in color and just fluffy-airy—especially when you dig your fork into it. Just don't judge it at once for it's amazing how they got the taste almost the same. Texture is curious and acceptable. The pressed DETOX juice is truly a winner! You can feel the works especially when you get home. Just don't forget to say "No straw please!"We got the Spicy Enoki Maki and requested for it to be mild since my Mom and daughter have low tolerance when it comes to spicy stuff. The Katsudon was passable as a meat! My niece thought it was real pork! It's thin though; nevertheless, it hit the right crispiness and seasoning. My only contention with the Katsudon dish was the sauce, hoping they could sweeten it up. It tasted like bland garlic-oyster sauce that Manong Fishballs sometimes offer. Ebi Tempura was a thumbs-up for us esp. the sauce. Amazing mock shrimp meat: they got the orange striations, the curve shape and all. Texture is almost there. Some of my family members said "parang shrimp" although I used to be a big seafood eater-lover before that I can detect even the slightest difference in texture.My beek Yakiniku was just alright. Hope they made it into strips instead of cubes. I felt the sauce could be ante-ed up and have some liquid smoke in it. My daughter's Gyoza Ramen, I felt just neutral about it. Don't love it, don't hate it either. The Gyoza was good, just needed a tiny bit of salty-ing up. Noodles were al dente and just how I like it; right proportions of veggies...I felt it would be improved if the veggie stock was made flavorful or more savory-oily, and that they lessen the soup. There was way too much liquid in the bowl. My Mom's Crispy Mushroom Burger (Yes, I tasted all dishes lol), I will give it 4/5. Crispiness and the breading was divine. Although I'd like a little bit more of Himalayan Salt (since they got a big lamp hehe) and pepper. Wheat bun and fried potato wedges were perfection! The only thing I would've wanted there was more burger sauce (it was scant); presence of tomatoes & onions; and probably some dill flecks which I feel suited their sauce. The Fish Tausi and Kare-Kare, I'd give 3/5. Fish Tausi really looked and felt like real fish! The Tanigue type pa. It's cut into small pieces with kuno skin borders then breaded. I felt again they failed on the sauce. They skimped on it and the black beans in the bowl can be counted with my fingers!! That one was a fail. Loved that there were green and red bell peppers though—it livened up the dry looking Tausi. Sorry, I just like my tausi sauce-y too. Kare-Kare was just ayt. The peanut taste was imperceptible. I can't decide yet whether the veggies overload was a good thing or not. PRO, you have lots of take home along with the sauce, CON, it was just too many and mostly sitaw. I'd like to see more talong, pechay, and esp. banana heart in there. The "pork cutlets" in the Kare2 looks like the Katsudon chopped into pieces although they were different. This one was fried breaded bean curd. Hope they can get their hands in vegchon kawali and put it in there. I think I'd be excited about that. Spaghetti and meatballs, I did not enjoy it much. Hope they can change the meatballs recipe. It lacked the look and taste of meatballs, and clearly was in dire need of seasoning. Sauce was unimaginative for my liking.DESSERTS: They just have a conservative number in the menu: Home made Ice-Cream Choco or Vanilla); Mango Sago (which was NA in our 2nd visit--boo!); and Cupcakes--2 kinds: Chocolate and Carrot Raisin (again both NA in our 2nd visit). Vanilla Ice Cream tasted like whipped cream, so for me it was yummy and enjoyable. There is just the matter of a little bit of waxy feeling stuck to the roof of the mouth after. Chocolate Ice-Cream was leaning more on the dark side, it was ok for me since I am a dark chocolate lover. For others, they would like to have a lil' touch of creamy in there. Chocolate Cupcake was boring yet tolerable. I wanted more pizzaz there and moister. Taste-wise, it's there. I hope they widen their dessert selection and make sure they are always available. God forbid the hormonal dessert lovers!I'd love to go back again and again in Agico until I've tasted all their offerings. One thing we most specially enjoyed in this resto is the staff! They are all so warm, friendly, and knowledgeable (again perhaps because of the salt lamp! :D ) They seem to love what they are doing even if orders started filling in; and you wouldn't hesitate giving them a generous tip. My strict suggestion would be: invest in moving towards the vegan direction and seek alternative for their few eggs and cheese-required items. So that I can have the Okonomiyaki and Curry Omurice already! LOL Also, that they would follow others in the "no 2 single-use plastics" suit. We don't need the straw, plastic bags, and utensils anymore! :) It'll be a good CSR for them as well. Agico, you go gurl!