Been there multiple times. The service has been outstanding. The food is exceptional. We consider this a go to restaurant.

Fresh delicious, authentic food. Order at counter. Takes credit cards. Food is flavorful, not spicy. Sweet plaintains are great.

Outstanding dinner here! Free parking for customers in their lot, it's a cozy cafe diner, walk up to order, seat yourself, then they bring it out when it's ready. Staff was kind and service was quick - esp. for a Friday night. We went with Venezuela's National Dish - the Pabellón Criollo and added a fried egg - and it was sooo good! So much food, it was the perfect amount for two! The plantains were some of the best I've ever had! read more

La Taguara - Pabellón criollo - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Everything I ate was incredible (especially the Colombian empanadas). However, the sauce with the alitas de pollo was a little spicy for me. Granted, I don't have a high tolerance for spice. My partner loves spicy food and thought the sauce was like a 4/10 in terms of heat. Service was super quick, but don't expect a lot of chitchat with staff. La Taguara is a tiny hole-in-the-wall establishment, but definitely worth a stop. The private parking lot is a huge plus. I would 100000% recommend this place to anyone. I will be returning! read more

La Taguara - Alitas de Pollo (left), Queso Frito (top right), Colombian Empanadas (bottom right) - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Was in town for a conference at the university. Stopped by for some takeout for dinner. Was not disappointed! Great food and fast service. Great stop on the east side of Madison! read more

We were seated right away. The restaurant had a nice variety of booths and tables. The lunch menu had some great options that made it hard to choose however I ended up going with the Pabellon Wrap. You get a soup or salad. I chose a ceasar salad which could've been a meal itself!! The wrap was a great size for lunch and was PACKED with flavor. I'm not a fan of spicy and was expecting the green sauce to be spicy but it wasn't and just added an extra layer to the dish. Cannot wait to come back and try some other lunch menu items! This is a great lunch option for people who work in the area! read more

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I stoped by yesterday for lunch. I had the Pabellon Arepa, so good! A beautiful Arepe filled with delicious shredded beef, cheese, sweet plantains, and black beans. It came with a house salad topped with pepper/passion fruit dressing. There are so many other tasty choices on the menu as well. I am always welcome with a friendly greeting and a smile. read more

Steve was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food. Food was delicious. Would definitely come back when I'm in town again 10/10

I love this place because the food is very authentic and not some americanized gunk. it did take a while for the food to arrive, but the delicious taste was worth it. even the junk food was not as bad as I expected and tasted amazing. overall, if you want to go to an authentic restaurant owned by a minority business, shop here. it is a great place to eat and really gives you a taste of true latin america cuisine. read more

After visiting Olbrich garden, I decided to have a lunch from this place. I took out a couple of items. The place was smaller than I thought. It was a friday, and very few people were dining in. Patacon pisao was my favorite item here. Essentially green plantains were mashed and fried to replace sandwich bread. I took with sweet plantain filling, and it was delicious. Pabello, which is the Venezualan national dish, was also excellent. Ingredients could have been better. But food had good flavor and seems like make by someone who knows cooking. read more

La Taguara - Patacon pisao with sweet plantain filling - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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At the beginning it was excellent. He quality of food now is really mediocre and the price are too high. We are dissapointed and we decided not to come back there. read more

So, so good! Service was brief but polite (you order at the counter), very casual eating experience. Would definitely come back here, one of the best options for latin food in Madison Queso Frito (8/10): wow so crunchy and savory, loved this appetizer, although it was a bit heavy, would've like a sour salsa-like sauce to dip these in but the pico that did come with it helped Bistec Encebollado (7/10): pretty solid if you like steak, but it could use a tad more seasoning, nothing crazy Pabellon (10/10): SO GOOD this was definitely the star of the meal, everything was seasoned phenomenally, really enjoyed the plantains read more

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Now, I mostly go to the smaller location they have on East Washington as it is closer to where I live but, I have been to both locations. If you want to sit down and enjoy watching some sports and listening to some music, I highly suggest going to their larger location. But if you just care about food, then either place will get you right! Everytime without fail I get the same thing: the Pabellon. That comes with black beans, white cheese, shredded beef, rice, sweet plaintain, and an arepita. AMAZING! read more

This restaurant has a lunch counter format meaning you order your food and then seat yourself. Not bad at all. The food arrived quickly and was freshly prepared. I ordered a Cuban sandwich and sweet plantains. Both were good. The Cuban sandwich had a good amount of meat and the bread was appropriately toasts. Juicy and cheese - both good traits in a Cuban sandwich. The sweet plantains could have been sweeter, but were sweet. The service was very nice. We were pleasantly greeted with the menu being gleefully explained. All in all a good experience. Will definitely return. read more

La Taguara - Menu images on wall - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Came here with my Venezuelan coworker and this was my 1st time thing Venezuelan food. He ordered a cáchapa con queso and he was not impressed. However, he did enjoy the dishes that I had. My favorite was really those delicious mini fried Arepitas con nada. They were freshly made. Rompe colchón is literally a ceviche instead of tostada they had plantains. Very very lemony for my taste buds but it was worth trying it. Of course the typical dish Pabellon, was very filling but did it make me love Venezuelan food? Not so much! Shredded beef, beans & plantains. I'll try and find a place in my hometown of L.A. to see how that food compares. read more

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Hole in the wall spot with very authentic Latin food (Venezuelan influenced). Had the pabellon which was awesome. The mofongo here is also very good. Food is great, but very little "atmosphere". Go for the authentic food. read more

La Taguara - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I was not very familiar with Venezuelan food but my goodness! Wow! If this is what is typically taste like, I'm in! This place has excellent atmosphere, wonderful service and the fit is out of this world. I highly recommend. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants- the food is SO good! The portions are generous, the staff is really friendly, and the prices are great. read more

One of the best little gems in Madison that you cannot miss! I've been here quite a few times and it never fails. My first time having Venezuelan cuisine. You order at the counter and then are able to take a seat (or easily get take out). We ordered 2 entree plates which were very filling. Bandejita Paisa - essentially a mixed meat plate with ground beef, pork belly, and chorizo served with a sunny-side egg, rice, pinto beans, cheese and an arepa. 3 very different types of meat and all with distinct flavors. Thr ground beef was super juicy with another realm of spices. Great with the white rice. The pork belly was so crispy, almost like a chicharron but the meat on there was still on the soft side. Lastly the chorizo sausage was small but mighty in flavor. Overall, a really stellar dish. Pabellón - the "Venezuelan National Dish" which contains black beans, white cheese, shredded beef, rice, sweet plantain and an arepita. The shredded beef is definitely not your typical pulled meat (I also think of pulled pork). i am always in wonder how different cultures mix seasonings to create completely different flavors from one other. Arepas were shaped in a heart! A sweet little bonus touch for Valentine's day. So cute. They also have passion fruit juice which was my partner's favorite. Its sweet but has this tangy sour mix to it as well. Staff was super nice, answering any and all questions! read more

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They're implementing limiting seating. When we arrived, there was about 1 hour wait to sit down and eat. By the time we left and came back, there was plenty of seating post-lunch rush. We went a little overboard on lunch as two of the three haven't had Venezuelan food. I HAVE To rave about the yucca and crispy pork belly. So flavorful and it's no joke about how crispy that pork belly is-they hit the spot on this one. This might be one of two places in the Madison area that do pork belly right. I wasn't the biggest fan of the cachapa but I'm a savory person! The cachapa has a sweet component to it. The pabellon was good even as leftovers. I can't remember the other dish we ordered. If you get the churros, opt for the dulce de leche sauce over the chocolate. Staff was kind enough to give us both. The entrees are huge so definitely worth the money! read more

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Food here was lovely and full of flavor. The portions were nice and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Just walk up to the counter and pick what you want and get ready to enjoy. read more

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Excelente food, a menu with great selections and good service. Definitely will recommend La Taguara.

Goodness gracious. We were kicking off the start of a seventeen day road trip and this business was our first dinner on the journey. Weeks later and I'm still thinking about how delicious it was and that it was truly one of the tastiest meals of our two weeks across the country. We ordered carry out over the phone as we were approaching Madison and were able to promptly pick up the eats upon arrival. They currently have very limited seating inside. We ordered the chicken arepa, chicharrones, and a beef platter with beans, plantains, etc. everything was so incredibly flavorful. The next time I am in Madison, this will be at the top of my revisit list. I think the chicken arepa was probably my favorite (super juicy!) but it was all five stars to me. Bravo! read more

La Taguara - Paballon with added avocado - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

A clean, bright, homey and authentic restaurant. Lots of yummy food options. A spacious parking lot in the front yard. Very friendly people. What else do you ask for during the pandemic time for a restaurant? Hubby and I were excited to try Venezuelan food. We called and ordered the Pabellón and the Sweet Corn Pancake with Pork after seeing all the good reviews. The restaurant didn't disappoint us except for the portion size - something that seemed to be huge enough for 2 meals for an adult based on the reviews lol. But that's okay - we understand it's hard to keep things the same in a curbside/ to go way. Everything else was great. I highly recommend the sweet corn pancake. I am a cheese and pancake fan so this dish is perfect for me. The pancake was soft and sweet but not over sweet. The thick cheese layer in between was creamy but not too heavy. The fried pork belly was crispy and so flavorful, although it got a bit hard after cooling down. So eat them when they are still warm! The Pabellon has been reviewed by many people. We liked the combo of a bit of everything. It feels like a Mexican shredded beef & black beans rice bowl with sweet plantain and arepa rather than pico de gallo and tortilla, if you really really need some guidance on how it tastes for a quick decision during your first-time visit. What a gem! read more

La Taguara - Pabellon Cachapa Con Queso y Cochino Frito - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Delicious food in a friendly atmosphere. Wonderful Latin music playing in the dining room (at a reasonable volume). Parent's night off from cooking leads us to La Taguara every week. Reasonable prices and great food. No where but La Taguara can you get these Venezuelan dishes; arepas (corn bread shaped like a pita), fried yucca (like French fries, but better) and plantains, to name a few favorites. Gluten free diet? Many options, like an arepa sandwich with your choice of fillings. Restaurants like this are why we love the Madison food scene so much. read more

We decided to go here since it's Venezuelan food and we had to Columbia and enjoyed that similar food - it was authentic, and delicious ! The sauce served with the arepas was flavorful and we ordered rice and beans - great. The waitstaff was quick and attentive. Food portions and price also fine. It happened to be located a block from our Fairfield Marriott hotel - a plus! read more

If you're looking for some good Latin American food, La Taguara has got to be one of the best in Madison. The food is consistent and always delicious with some of my favorites being the Bandejita Paisa, Empanaditas Colombianas, and the Cachapa con Queso. All the food I've tried is extremely flavorful with large portions! The restaurant itself is quaint and welcoming. There may be a wait but it's 100% worth it. Takeout is also amazing! La Taguara is definitely a must try when living or visiting Madison! read more

La Taguara - Empanaditas Colombianas - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Absolutely delicious!!! ROBUST flavors!!!! Two thumbs up!!!! Five stars!!!!! A must try!!!

Le mencioné al mesero mientras ordenaba mi almuerzo que hacía una semana fui a recoger mi comida y se les olvidó colocar mi bebida y el mesero llamó a dueño del restaurante quien salió a preguntar que había sucedido le expliqué y me dijo que no me daría una bebida porque la gente hace "scam" que inglés significa fraude. Me lo dijo en la cara... creo que tal vez porque era latina no creo que le llame estafador a una persona blanca. Decidí tomarme un tiempo para escribir esto porque no sabía si sentir lástima o enojarme obviamente no me molestó creo que me asombró y también si me da lastima que hayan perdido un cliente frecuente como yo que a parte recomendaba el restaurante. Ahora claro que no lo haré. Si el dueño trata a sus clientes así ofendiéndolos no me interesa apoyar a este local. read more

We got takeouts from here. I would say they were very good at cooking the meats. The meats were very tenders. Most of the stuff we got were in the salty side. The empanadas shells were too wet and not crunchy. The filling was okay. One thing I would say their chorizo was the bomb, very tasty. Maybe takeouts is not the way to go with this place. We will try to come here and eat again to see how their stuff actually taste read more

La Taguara has been in my Madison collection for awhile and I finally made it here. I should have visited much sooner. This place is tiny and it gets pretty busy, but so worth it! You order at the counter and then they bring your food out to you. First time here and don't know what to order; no problem, they will walk you through the menu and will give good suggestions on what to order. We got the Pabellon (which is known as the Venezuelan National Dish), specialty Arepas with the Pabellon stuffing (shredded beef, black beans, plantain and white cheese) and the Camarones al Ajillo (garlic shrimp). The food was delicious, loved the crispy outer edges on the arepas, and my favorite was the tostones that came with the shrimp dish; I could make a meal of just those. Portions are pretty big, but that is ok because then I have leftovers. read more

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My first Venezuelan restaurant and I absolutely loved it! My sister and I shared several apps snd fishes, they are all delicious. She must eat gluten free due to an allergy, and this place had a ton of GF options. You gotta try their house made passion fruit juice. We will definitely be back soon. read more

La Taguara - Passion Fruit Juice, house made - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Cute restaurant with great service. Loved their Cachapa con queso and their empanadas. Definitely planning on coming back to try their food again. read more

La Taguara - Cachapa Con Queso y Cochino Frito - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Authentic simple and great. Have had lunch and dinner and wasn't disappointed. Decent selection of beer too

La Taguara has delicious food! Everything I've had from here is bursting with flavor! The staff are all friendly too. Definitely recommend!

Great food served by friendly people. Alot of pan-Caribbean favorites (mofongo, ropa vieja) in addition to the Venezuelan choices. The original location can be a bit busy but their second location on High Crossing just a few miles away has alot more space. read more

We only looked at their website, which didn't have pictures of the restaurant. It said "wine available by the glass or bottle", so we assumed they had a selection. Only wine was Sutter Home, white or red. All of the food we had contained cilantro, which neither of us like. Aside from that, the flavors were just OK. We ate at plastic tables and chairs in a deli. This is not what the website suggested. We were very disappointed. 2 entrees, 1 appetizer, 1 glass wine, 1 beer for over $100. read more

3.5 stars. This place has raving reviews online and I'm glad I gave it a try, but not sure if I'll be back. This is an authentic Latin American and Venezuelan restaurant. You walk in and order up at the front and seat yourselves afterwards. Tried the passion fruit juice and Bandejita Paisa. It is a lot of food (but then again, it is $14!) It had ground beef, crispy pork belly, chorizo, a sunny side up egg, fried plantains, rice, beans, and an arepita. It was very filling and technically well-done, but I felt as if we just had a big plate of food (maybe I shouldn't have ordered this dish for lunch). I felt that the rice, beans, and arepita together made up the vast majority of the plate and was very heavy. The chorizo was delicious and the fried plantains were tasty. I would say the star of the dish was the crispy pork belly - it was extremely crispy and I wish I had more. Overall, it was tasty, but I felt that I mostly was consuming rice and beans, which by themselves didn't have too much flavor and felt really heavy to me. The passion fruit juice was tasty and I do recommend giving that a try. I feel pretty bad not giving this place more than 3.5 stars, since it may be just the dish I ordered or personal preference, but I was slightly disappointed. read more

La Taguara - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Our food was AMAZING. I do feel bad for Justin- they gave us his empanadas and we didn't notice until after the drive home. Hopefully they remade some for him! The arepas are so good, the cheese is the star. We also got the cheese curds and they were different from traditional cheese curds but absolutely amazing and squeaky as can be. read more

La Taguara - Empanadas - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I found this place on yelp prior to visiting Madison. A quaint little place with super friendly staff and the meal did not disappoint. I can't wait to return to try the garlic shrimp. Nice portion sizes and very moderately priced. Lots of food for your money. And it's delicious! Highly recommend and will definitely be back when I return to Madison. read more

La Taguara - Venezuelan Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin