QC eats: Find peace and coffee in this cafe at Santo Domingo Church
MANILA -- Nestled in a corner of the Santo Domingo Church compound in is Café Inggo 1587, a nice homey restaurant where the food is hearty, the coffee is strong, and the blessings are for free.
Ther cafe is a serene place to get some peace and quiet in the middle of the chaos that is Quezon City. It’s uncommon to find a coffee shop where one’s usual seatmates are men of God.
“Inggo” was derived from the Filipinized nickname of the church’s patron saint, Santo Domingo, while 1587 is the year the first Dominicans landed in the Philippines.
The Dominican friars first asked F&B veteran Vic Alcuaz to find partners to make use of the space. Eventually, the friars insisted that Alcuaz personally take the reins of this project due to his experience in the industry.
The space is bright, airy, and unpretentious. Alcuaz and the Dominicans brought several items from his collection to adorn the space. The center portion proudly displays a portrait and a bust of Santo Domingo, and a book shelf containing 50 old books from Alcuaz’s collection. These bric-a-brac together with the sketches of churches by artist Alex Uy contribute to this café’s erudite aura.
Ther cafe is a serene place to get some peace and quiet in the middle of the chaos that is Quezon City. It’s uncommon to find a coffee shop where one’s usual seatmates are men of God.
“Inggo” was derived from the Filipinized nickname of the church’s patron saint, Santo Domingo, while 1587 is the year the first Dominicans landed in the Philippines.
The Dominican friars first asked F&B veteran Vic Alcuaz to find partners to make use of the space. Eventually, the friars insisted that Alcuaz personally take the reins of this project due to his experience in the industry.
The space is bright, airy, and unpretentious. Alcuaz and the Dominicans brought several items from his collection to adorn the space. The center portion proudly displays a portrait and a bust of Santo Domingo, and a book shelf containing 50 old books from Alcuaz’s collection. These bric-a-brac together with the sketches of churches by artist Alex Uy contribute to this café’s erudite aura.
