La Taguara

La Taguara in Madison, Wisconsin, is an absolute gem that truly deserves a five-star rating! I was initially hoping to try the passion fruit, but since it wasn't available, I opted for the sugarcane lemonade, and I'm so glad I did! It was incredibly refreshing and perfectly balanced, a delightful surprise. For our meal, we enjoyed the delicious empanadas—two savory chicken and one perfectly seasoned ground beef. I also ordered the Pabellón a Caballo, which was fantastic. The tender shredded beef, black beans, and plantains topped with an egg were all incredibly flavorful. My partner raved about their Cubano sandwich, which was also fantastic. Every dish was prepared with care and bursting with authentic flavor. The atmosphere was wonderful, and the service was excellent. We had a truly memorable dining experience and can't wait to go back! Highly, highly recommend La Taguara for anyone looking for authentic and delicious Latin cuisine.

Delicious food that was freshly made. Everyone enjoyed their dishes and the portions justified price. Absolutely worth it and we're excited to go again. Yum 😋

This self-service Venezuelan place packs ton of flavor in their dishes. Pabellón a caballo is particularly impressive with perfectly shredded beef, plantain and sunny side up fried egg. Strongly suggest skipping kids menu if possible. Otherwise, great choice on the east side despite higher prices for a casual dining.

I'm no expert but seemed authentic! Delicious food. Friendly and helpful service. Food was hot and fresh to order. My lunch special was 12.99 plus tax. Arepa, empanada and salad or soup. Choice of filling. Salad had passionfruit dressing on side. Great lunch and you can even watch food being cooked!

We were on vacation in the Madison area and happened to find this restaurant. It was one of the highlights of our trip. The food was simple but had amazing flavor. It was fun to try new food. It’s by far the BEST food I’ve had at any restaurant in a long time. We shared the Pabellón and arepas with shredded chicken and avocado so we could try two different dishes. I couldn’t stop saying how good the food was! The arepas were my favorite. I eat gluten free and dairy free and the guy at the counter was super helpful giving me multiple options and suggestions. They have a dedicated gluten free fryer so I felt very safe eating here. We can’t wait until we’re back in Madison so we can eat here again!

The empanadas are pretty alright. The guy at the counter was really nice. I really have nothing bad to say really, which is a first for this neighborhood. Edit: I've had some post-nut clarity about the empanadas I got. They were mid at best and very overpriced... Three and a half stars.

Very flavorful food with a huge portion size! Enough to take some home for leftovers

La Taguara delivers beyond expectations! The food is simply amazing, with every bite bursting in vibrant Venezuelan flavor. Their Green Sauce deserves a special mention—it’s perfectly creamy, refreshingly tangy, and just the right level of zing to elevate every dish. Whether you're digging into arepas or sampling a hearty platter, that green sauce transforms the experience into something unforgettable. Friendly service, a warm atmosphere, and authentic Latin American cuisine make this place a must-visit. Highly recommended!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

Amazingly delicious food! Friendly service. Very popular place on Saturday night. Give it a try!

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.

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!

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

Awesome authentic Venezuelan food. The Arepas were perfect stuffed full. The Reina pepiada was delicious

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.

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

One of my favorite restaurants I've EVER had. I have fallen in love with Venezuelan food because of this place. Every time I visit my friends in Madison, I beg them to go to La Taguara. My two favorite dishes are the cachapa con queso and the arepa with plátanos and queso blanco. The cachapa is made from sweet corn and filled with a massive amount of queso and its so SO good. I am obsessed with plátanos and love that Venezuela takes advantage of putting them in arepas because it's the perfect savory and sweet combo! During the winter they serve FREE passion fruit cider and it's amazing. It includes cinammon, cloves, and other wonderful ingredients and the fact that it's free is just awesome! I've tried other dishes and desserts as as well that I cannot recall and it's all impressive. The fact that this place doesn't have five stars is a shame!

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, pretty good service. Took a bit before I could place my order but clearly they were really busy with a big order, and the wait wasn't bad. Lots of options- mostly making a review so I can remember this place to try more later. Good vibe, will be coming back.

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.

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.

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.

Tried this place on Sunday for the first time. Loved it. The couple at the counter were extremely nice and helpful. The cachapa con queso was delightful. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Worth seeking out.

A small authentic Venezuelan restaurant with delicious food. It wasn't over complicated but had great flavor and was cooked well. My guy and I will be back the next time in the area! Thank you for the amazing food!

This place is an amazing hidden gem. The food is absolutely fantastic, AND they have a dedicated gluten free fryer with a massive array of gluten free options. If you get nothing else, get the Columbian empenadas that are made with a perfect crispy corn exterior and a beatiful beef and potato interior that is complimented by an amazing green dipping sauce. It is one of my favorite things I have ever eaten. My wife and I literally have driven an hour and a half now multiple times just to get food here, and will be back again and again because the food is just that good.

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.

One of the best restaurants in Madison hands down. The staff have done an amazing job of transcribing traditional and authentic flavors into their cuisine. The cubano was the best I have ever had, mainly due to the tenderness and flavor of the pernil, which is not something I have encountered anywhere else in the states. This holds true for the pabellón as well, and I recommend trying both if possible.

This place is above and beyond. The staff are friendly and so helpful. The minute we walked we were greeted and led through the entire menu to help us make a decision. We chose the arepa lunch special, Mofongo with pork and the house speciality. Each dish was an explosion of flavor and delivered from the heart. They take great pride in their food and deliver it with love, passion and beauty. What a great find and when I'm back in town I'll be here. Thank you for all the love, smiles and sharing the gifts of your culture.

I've been eating Colombian food for the last 35 years. This is not the place for that. First at all, when you walk in you will need to order your food at the counter. They will not come to the table to take the order. Empanadas of ground beef were greasy but decent. Arepas with shredded beef was extremely salty. La Bandeja Paisa came with a chorizo of weird taste definitely not Colombian, rice was really dried, red beans tasted liked past their time. Mozzarella sticks were good. Arepas were of good size and flavor. Price was ok. Not a place to visit a second time.

Always so good! We've never had anything bad here and are having so much fun eating through the menu. The mofongo con carne frito was so good, especially the meat on it and arepas are tasty too. The beef pastelito was so good! Every sauce is delicious. Love this place

Seriously incredible. I got the pabellon and the yuca fries topped w pork belly and picadillo. The sauce that came w the yuca fries was amazing and the picadillo was super fresh. The fries themselves were cooked perfectly and were the best yucca fries I've ever had. The pabellon is the signature Venezuelan dish and was profoundly good. Beans were filled with flavor, the meat was delicious and juicy. The arepa was awesome and even the rice was delicious. The plantain was the best I've ever had too. Lastly, the food was hot!!! I mean....wow, talk about a true Madison gem. Staff was friendly too and my food was ready when I got there. I think I may have to come here every time I'm in Madison.

We stopped here for lunch on our way to the Dells and it was a nice little shop with delicious Venezuelan food! My husband got the Cubano sandwich which he really enjoyed. I had a taste of the pork from his sandwich and it was really delicious! My mom and I shared the tilapia fish in coconut curry sauce and that was good too. We finished it all off with the rice pudding which was sweet and cool.

It doesn't look like much from the outside but the food and the service were both outstanding! We had not had Venezuelan food before and the cooks and cashier were all very friendly and helpful! We loved our food and talked about using them to cater a future BBQ as the meat was awesome! We will be back!

Great food! Service is excellent! Lovely ambience! We have been there several times and always had a great experience!

Delicious food! The arepas were super tasty and service was great. I had them with shredded beef and avocado. Friendly people!