There’s a New Reason To Visit Santo Domingo Church And it’s Called Café Inggo 1587
It’s the Lenten season and Holy Week will soon be upon us, when families flock to churches around the country. So there’s no better time to discover a quaint café nestled in a quiet corner of the vast Santo Domingo Parish in Quezon City. Named Café Inggo 1587, this café marks the arrival of the Dominican friars in the Philippines in 1587. They soon began establishing missions all around the country, eventually building the present-day Santo Domingo Church, also known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila.
According to café owner Vic Alcuaz, “Inggo” happens to be a nickname of Santo Domingo himself, a mark of Alcuaz’s close connection to the Dominicans. It turns out this much-respected hospitality consultant was once a Dominican seminarian, then later on studied at the University of Santo Tomas. As such, when Fr. Rolando Mactal O.P., Prior of Santo Domingo Convent, asked Alcuaz to take charge of the café, he couldn’t say no.
With its high ceilings and large windows, Café Inggo 1587 exudes warmth and cheer, a welcome stop after hearing mass, or if one is in the neighborhood, for a quiet meal (with ample free parking to boot). The café proudly displays its Catholic connection with the walls filled with Alcuaz’s collection of 27 beautiful pen-and-ink sketches of Philippine church façades by Alex Uy; as well as a portrait of Santo Domingo and a white bust of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary donated by the Dominican priests. The café also channels its Filipino-Spanish heritage, with a shelf full of antique Spanish books from Alcuaz’s family, and of course, with its Filipino-Spanish menu developed by chef-consultant Willie Domingo.
According to café owner Vic Alcuaz, “Inggo” happens to be a nickname of Santo Domingo himself, a mark of Alcuaz’s close connection to the Dominicans. It turns out this much-respected hospitality consultant was once a Dominican seminarian, then later on studied at the University of Santo Tomas. As such, when Fr. Rolando Mactal O.P., Prior of Santo Domingo Convent, asked Alcuaz to take charge of the café, he couldn’t say no.
With its high ceilings and large windows, Café Inggo 1587 exudes warmth and cheer, a welcome stop after hearing mass, or if one is in the neighborhood, for a quiet meal (with ample free parking to boot). The café proudly displays its Catholic connection with the walls filled with Alcuaz’s collection of 27 beautiful pen-and-ink sketches of Philippine church façades by Alex Uy; as well as a portrait of Santo Domingo and a white bust of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary donated by the Dominican priests. The café also channels its Filipino-Spanish heritage, with a shelf full of antique Spanish books from Alcuaz’s family, and of course, with its Filipino-Spanish menu developed by chef-consultant Willie Domingo.
