Takam

15/20Critics' Pick

Updated October 26, 2026,first published November 11, 2024

15/20Critics' Pick

Takam

Filipino$$

This venue is included in Good Food’s 100 Essential Restaurants list.

Who would have thought that one of the best martinis of the year would be at a small Filipino restaurant a few doors up from Una’s? Dry gin, served many degrees below zero, with bay-leaf oil and a kick of brine from atchara (pickled green papaya). Thrilling stuff.

Takam is full of smart twists like this, and after three years and a direction change or two, the menu feels right where it needs to be: satisfying Filipino community cravings while showing the rest of Sydney that food from The Philippines has endless potential for innovation and deliciousness.

Inihaw na tenga (soy- and calamansi-glazed grilled pig’s ear) skewers are a riot of smoke, char and chew; deftly grilled bream punches with well-seasoned, garlic-forward tausi sauce; and a sweet-salty-sharp balikutsa dressing enhances pork belly with a crackling that would be the centrepiece of any Christmas Day lunch. Staff are very happy to help guests navigate the menu too, if you don’t know your palabok from pimiento.

Must-order: Coal-roasted chicken inasal marinated in lemongrass and hit with spiced vinegar and calamansi. (Also: rice. Lots of rice.)

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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Last visited: August 2026

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