Taaleña

Zonia Hizon

3.0

Taaleña commands one of the best views of Taal Lake without obstructing the view from Tagaytay Ridge. In addition, it is a two-level restaurant; the lower level has its own deck and playground area, which Taaleña doesn't charge to access, so you can stay the whole afternoon and let the kids play.It offers classic Filipino and Batangas specialties - from Ensaladang Talong, to Filipino style fried chicken, crispy pata, tortang talong, and kare-kare. What I recommend you try are their more unique Batangas dishes, like adobong dilaw, made yellow with turmeric, cooked the way they make it in Taal Town, the owners say; their crunchy, tasty crispy crablets, done just right; and authentic tawilis sardines that only come from Taal Lake. In doubt that they're the original? The owners say they'd never waste money on regular sardines, since they order in the hundreds of kilos, and I believe them. The fried tawilis, taste light, with the right amount of saltiness, and their skin doesn't puff up the same way tuyo (also made with sardines) will do. Of the other dishes, I liked the bulalo, and the kare-kare; play a little with the flavors of regular bagoong and Bagoong Balayan, which they also serve. There is a squid and garlic rice that is a meal in itself. Buko fried rice is conceptually interesting, but I didn't find it tasted of buko or coconut. Desserts are more of the classics, like leche flan, ube halaya, their breaded suman rice pops, and their Suman Batangas, which is cooked in a mix of both salt and sugar. And just like the other restaurants on the ridge, they have a combanchero band who plays at each table.  It's sort of touristy, but hey, I love it anyway. They know current pop songs, they know the 60s and 70s standards, and they sure sing the Beatles well. Don't forget to bring a shawl or a sweater to keep you cool on windy, rainy days, as they get a fair amount of breeze. The food's not bad - get the crablets and the tawilis. The view's spectacular. To my friends at website - and I now find I have many - again thanks for the cordial invitation.The Food Crawlers | TFC Dennis Carlson Lim | TFC What The F | TFC Richard Allan Co | TFC Nicole Faller Iza Gram EATer.PH Empress Lai Kudarat Neri Ann Sand Under My Feet Trisha Garcia

Archie Lopez

3.0

Taaleña has one of the best sweeping views of Taal Lake from its garden and balcony seating.Tucked away from the main highway, Taaleña feels like a rundown "barrio fiesta" type of a restaurant which might be appealing for people looking for an unpretentious place to just chill and enjoy what Tagaytay has to offer.Get their crispy fried tawilis which I like with some calamansi rather than the vinegar dip. The sisig is nice and meaty. And also try the crispy Crablets too.

Ferdinand C Estrella

3.0

It was my first time at Taaleña this month and I didn't know this beautiful place exists in Tagaytay. The place has a spacious area which can accommodate a lot of guests and it's absolutely ideal venue for big events. Not to mention, it has a good view of Taal. I was able to try three of their dishes. Check out the photos! I was so hooked up with the crabs! It's sooooo crunchy and good! Plus the Tawilis is okay too. The Sisig for me is ordinary as it has nothing that makes it special, though it was just fine. The Crabs and Tawilis absolutely stole the scene! 😍