Loading ...A number of coffee shops have opened in Davao this year, but none that have truly caught my attention as Fagioli Coffee Club has. On the way to the Waterfront Insular Hotel one night, I noticed the new, big yellow sign along J.P. Laurel avenue, and the huge glass panels of the café. Good, I thought, another place to check out! And that’s what I did tonight.
They opened last 8 December, and is a branch of their original coffee club in General Santos City. “Fagioli” means “beans” in Italian. Here’s a photo of me in front of the establishment, taken by my friend Alex.
They don’t really have full meals at Fagioli, but they have pasti and panini. I had the Pasta Arabbiata (₱140) and Iced Green Tea (₱60), and Alex had the Aglio e Olio (₱140). Let me say that I was entirely satisfied with my dinner. The arabbiata was tasty and spicy — the staff actually asked me how hot I wanted it — with the flavors of chili, garlic, black olives and other spices mixing well with each other. Even the garlic bread was good: crunchy and yet easy to bite.
The green tea was a wonderful surprise! It had a hint of coconut in its flavor, but I could be mistaken. It’s difficult to describe it, so I’ll just say it was delicious and very refreshing. It’s a perfect drink to have with pasta.
Oh and I love the way they present the food. Classy. You see a lot of little touches that make dining at Fagioli enjoyable.
Alex’s spaghetti was a tad salty for me, though. And I couldn’t quite tell whether they used olive oil or not… But considering that the place looks well thought out and carefully put together, I suppose they do use the virgin stuff.
After eating, we moved to the al fresco area out front. For dessert, I tried their Carrot Cashew Loaf (₱40), which was deceivingly small. It’s actually good for two people because it’s so heavy. It might be good with coffee or tea, but I found it rather oily.
Since I heard that Fagioli is known for their teas, I had their Pink Rose Tea (₱65). The verdict: I’m happy that finally there’s an honest-to-goodness tea house in Davao! They have plenty of flavors to choose from. On the photo is shown the pink rose buds (at right), from which they steep the tea.
Alex had the Fagioli Caffé (₱45), their house blend. It was rich but not too strong, and I daresay I enjoyed the little sip I had. But it will have to pass through more critical taste tests before I will say whether I’d recommend the brew or not. In the meantime, do try their freshly brewed teas.
I love the way the Fagioli proprietors, the Rebosura sisters-in-law from GenSan, assembled the whole place. It has a rustic feel to it, with plenty of wood accents. But it also has a very modern ambience, because of the expansive glass panels, which I really like. The furniture’s easy on the bottom, and encourages much lounging around. Seeing the place tonight made me miss my favorite café in Makati: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Aside from the al fresco area, they also have a smoking room with two tables. Oh and I should mention the bathroom. Now that’s something that many establishments in Davao neglect. At Fagioli’s, it’s apparent that they’ve gone the extra mile for the pleasure of their patrons. We have an expression to mean how clean and well-appointed a bathroom can be: ‘good enough even to eat in.’
Of course, free Wi-Fi is available, and plugging in for power is free of charge.
Fagioli Coffee Club is on J.P. Laurel Ave., Lanang, Davao City. It’s right across the street from the Concentrix call center, and right beside Kia Motors. They’re open all week: Monday to Thursday – 8 AM to 12 midnight; Friday & Saturday – 8 AM to 1 AM; Sunday – 3 PM to 12 MN.
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its just near our place… and ive been bugging my ‘rents to drop by. hehe.
nice review.
Yay! That’s something I have to check out when I’m back in Davao, Blogie.
Thanks for the good review.
nadadaanan ko yan pag nasa city ako… its near damosa.. =>
Dyan tayo mag get-together minsan..
I pass by at Fagioli every day in going to my office but i haven’t really checked the place. Now that i’ve read something interesting about it, maybe i’ll try to give it a visit. (–,)
I checked it out last night after reading your review… like late last night. That place has good ambiance and it’s so zen. and I especially enjoy the fact that they didn’t cut of that huge tree at the smoking area. That was probably older than the city itself.
Thanks for the nice blog about Fagioli— we were there last Dec. 20 together with some travel agents after our dinner at Swiss Deli. We met Joyce Rebosura— very friendly and accommodating. We will be booking for a private meeting with the travel agents…Btw- continue on exploring new places to hang out in Davao…Rest assured you can be of great help for us-travel agents in recommending nice places to eat/hang-out for our clients.
More power!
yes you’re right! my friend gave a treat last December at Fagioli and I did enjoy the tea , panini and the salad. Sarap balik-balikan.
Never been to this place! Hope I can visit soon! Thanks for the info!
Of course! I do see you guys around town while I do my stalking. Hehe! Haven’t got the time yet but I am intrigued by their restroom which my sister swears by!
Hi..i had fun visiting your blog..I was surfing the net for new places to check out in Davao. You see im going home for the summer and its been 1year since ive been away. Your blog really helped.
thanx
wow! I’ve been reading your blogs, all night Blogie. hmmm.. When I went to Fagioli’s, I was really craving for a good dessert. I was really disappointed when I tried out their CAPPUCINNO PANNACOTA (tama ba spelling?!). It tasted sour and overly eggy. My friend tried their cheesecake but she was disappointed too–It was too dry. (Lachi’s is still the best when it comes to cheesecakes.) The good thing about this place is their pasta. I tried POMODORO, its a pasta dish with tomatoes, cheese, and olive oil(?). It was really really good. The pasta was al dente, the sauce was sour which was good, since only a few places offer “italian style” pasta.. Plus, you can have extra parmesan cheese which would make it extra tasty. The interior was zen-like, and the restroom was AMAZING! I even had my picture taken inside the restroom. haha.
oh i forgot to mention, the garlic bread served with the pasta was really good. It’s one of the best. Blogie, do you happen to know what that green stuff is? My friend said its celery, but I doubted her since I don’t know what celery tastes like.
I totally agree! I’m not a big hot chocolate fan but everytime i go to Fagioli’s i order it and every sip is really comforting! And the comfort room! I could stay there forever!
i had Aglio e Olio and i love it. try their Fagiomalt coffee too, it’s great! and i love the restroom too! you can take a hammock or even a mat to sleep on. hehe
@bEb — Thanks for your comments! And I’m sorry that I haven’t been updating this blog lately. Been rather busy with lots of other stuff, you see. But don’t worry, I’m not going to let this blog go stale.
i really do hope… love your blogs! keep updating. you are a great blogger and an inspiration to neophytes, like me! tnx!
Iie, iie… Kochira koso (^^)
totemo hoshii…..