You've got to try this new place if you're near the area. What I like here is the staff are…read moreaccommodating and friendly. The downside is the coffee is not worth its price. You can taste coffee in it but it lacks uniqueness in flavor vs Its competitors.

From the owner: The First Vietnamese Cafe in Rizal!…read more Drip Kofi's minimalist aesthetic complements its focus on quality coffee, creating a cozy and quiet environment for the customers to enjoy.

Believe me, this place is straight out of an interior design-slash-home living magazine. The minute…read moreI stepped inside the cafe, my first thought was if this was a house. But it really looked like a house. I kind of told myself that the owners who run this establishment converted this house into a cozy spot outside the metro. And it magically worked. I came in to grab some brunch. So I ordered their signature pancakes and their mashed potato salad. I was not disappointed. The pancakes were the best I had in years, and the mashed potato salad was wonderfully flavourful. It was the worth the wait: the food was done as beautifully as the cafe itself. So, if you and your friends are planning to go on a road trip, be sure to head to this place. You may never wanna leave afterwards!

I first learned about 14 Four Café when it was featured in one of the shows I used to produce for…read more I wasn't the one who discovered it first but after seeing the gorgeous shots of the place and our host devouring the food and giving their menu a solid two thumbs up, I figured I had to see the place for myself. I remember checking out the cafe with a few of my work friends. We were there for an ocular inspection of the place for another shoot. We were lucky enough to find out that the café was actually open (I believe 14 Four Café is closed from Monday to Thursday) so we didn't hesitate to order food. There wasn't anything special about their version of the Pinoy fave Tapsilog but their Aligue and Tuyo Pasta was worth a try. The pasta is very creamy so I suggest you share this someone. But a real hit for me was their Cinnamon Bun Pancakes. It was light and yummy, absolutely great to pair with an ice-cold glass of Calamansi juice. Another thing that's great about this place is how Instagram-able it is. Every nook has got a quirky feel to it so taking your selfies here should be real fun! It's colorful and vibrant - a perfect meeting hub for creative people! In the number of times I've been to 14 Four Café, I've seen different types of people hanging out in this place. From the artsy-fartsy kids to the hipster coffee-loving dudes, 14 Four Café is getting more and more popular with the young crowd.

I dropped in for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by this semi-hidden coffee shop with cute log…read morecabin-esque interiors. Who knew they had this in Marikina! The place was pretty bare that weekday but according to the server they would usually get a lot of patrons in the afternoons and on weekends. I then realized I've heard of this place. It's one of those "secret" Marikina cafes where people would just hang out and stay for hours to work or study. And I could actually see that happening because the place really seemed cozy and the waiter guy, who saw that I had a laptop, immediately offered the WiFi password and showed me to a table with a nearby socket. Nice. (I was later informed though that WiFi is given only if you have a minimum order of P250) As for the food, I had the house specialty- the beef salpicao- and it was good! The cut of the meat was a little weird but it was really tasty. They did a good job with the marinade, although it was very oily and I would have appreciated more quantity. Haha. It came with rice though and side veggies, all under P200. I had a raspberry iced tea on the side too. It was a pretty satisfying meal in any case and I would've loved to stay longer. I'm hoping to go back pretty soon to sample their desserts and coffee!

Literally a hole in the wall tucked inside a neighborhood in Antipolo. The restaurant is located…read moreunderneath with a setting that gives a close to nature experience. We walked-in without reservations but was able to get a great seat by the windows. There is a nearby stream and surrounded by trees. You can hear the birds chirping with the background of flowing water. Service is okay. Food is also good. The Calamansi Pie is a unique take on dessert and worth trying.

I can totally understand the one-star review during the 2020 opening, however, they've come a long…read moreway now and let me review my trip just this lunch time.   Please do make reservations as they do get booked very well.  People from all over the city seems to want an experience in this place.  Be on time as you would want a very relaxing and not so crowded experience.  It is in a burrow, quite some steps going up and down the entry way.  Slippery when wet, you are among nature, trees and a creek nearby.  Very refreshing.  The ambience of the restaurant is a creative one, paintings along the walls. For a party of five people, we were given the picnic table type.  We started off with salad which had tomatoes, 'pinipig' (oats), and white cheese (quesong puti - a local favorite.) ; watermelon and mangoes for your fruit intake.  A girlfriend ordered fresh mint tea, and cafe latte while waiting for our main course.  We had the (1). wine braised beef cheeks, squash orzo,  (2). shrimp, salmon, crabfat adlai risotto, (3). Lechon & gising gising bowl (4). black pansit, freshwater shrimps, tinapa crumbs.  For dessert, we had the calamansi pie and crunchy suman alamode with mango topping.  Everything was superb, other than I felt over-cheesed on the beef and that was just me.  The desserts were very creative, didn't think suman (rice) would go well with ice cream.  That was a first for me.  All entrees were one-of-a-kind and meant to be experienced heartily. The staff were nice, from the moment we got there to check-in to the actual servers.  Although service can still be improved, such as providing serving spoons with the food, as everything we ordered was for sharing.  Need not be asked. Tea were a little late, slow and our cups were in the installment service, one-by-one provided.  Just an observation for improvement.   Street parking and expect to pay 20pesos (38 cents) at the community gate.  Worth coming back... :)

I first learned about DITO: Bahay ng Sining when I was helping out one of my best friends for her…read moreband's second music video. They were doing a cover of an OPM classic and we used DITO as one of our major locations. Upon seeing DITO, I was certainly impressed by its set-up. Half of it was a mini-theatre, complete with stage and built-in spotlights. They had monoblocks chairs, benches, beanbags and an audio mixer for the plays that were staged here. Apparently, the owner of DITO is an award-winning playwright from Ateneo. He wanted a place to stage his own plays so he decided to build one with the help of his parents. A lot of other plays have been staged here and SPIT has also done a show here. Right beside the theatre is the café part of DITO. They don't have an extensive menu but they have a couple of rice meals, pastas and sandwiches. The café also serves coffee and I have to say its one of the best I've had. It wasn't a latte or a frappucino - it was just straight up Kapeng Barako, and it was delicious. They also serve local beers and other cocktails, which comes in handy right after the play. At the back end of the café, you will see couches and a huge shelf full of books and a ton of board games. This gives customers a chance to just really hang out at DITO with their friends, even if they're not into theatre arts. That doesn't stop there. DITO's walls are furnished with some up-and-coming local artists' works. All those that are displayed are being sold so feel free to look around and check out what you like enough to purchase. If nothing urges you to buy, then just take a hipster photo with those pieces as background. DITO: Bahay ng Sining is a pretty cool place to hang out. If I lived near Marikina or easily had access to this place, I'd probably become a regular. I can just sit back, read and have a cup of coffee, and burn the hours away. It's definitely one hipster spot you "non-hipsters" will absolutely enjoy.

As a southerner, I was a bit uncomfortable going into the bowels of Marikina for an impromptu…read moreperformance, which a friend invited me to. But after actually visiting the place, I wouldn't mind going again! Dito is found on the second floor of a two-storey building. The stairway going up is decorated with artworks, including the chandelier and a huge mural on the wall. There were no windows at all, so I was surprised when I saw the interior: a large dining area with enough room for a tech booth, a small stage with basic lighting. There are artworks for sale on the walls and there were shelves with ample reading material. My favorite part of the restaurant: a part of the large bookshelf at the back of the restaurant with books and boardgames slides backward to reveal another room! Well, actually, it's the dressing room for the performers, but still! Secret doors are awesome! :D The dressing room - which is complete with a mirror with stage lights, chairs, and just enough space to warm up a bit - also comes with its own storage area (for costumes, props, etc.) and its own private bathroom. As a performer, I'm soooo thankful for this! Their menu isn't large, just some basic pasta, sandwiches, and appetizers, and beers. I ordered their bacon, egg and mozzarella tarts. Yum. It's got bacon, I don't need to explain anything. Dito has regular events and seems to be a good venue for young, aspiring artists and avant-garde performances. A couple of friends and I did contemporary dance improvisation here, followed by some spoken word, folk dance, and a Japanese koto accompanied by acoustic guitar. I haven't heard of any other place that does events like these, so it's definitely worth more visits!

This is a very nice and cozy cafe! :D I immediately liked the place when I entered. They have very…read morecute cloud-looking wooden tables! The staff were very nice too. I asked what their bestseller was and they recommended the Irish Coffee Latte. I'm very happy I listened to them. It was delicious!!! I've had the opportunity to try their Latte and Choco Peppermint. Both pretty good too. The latte normal but good. The iced version can be filling. The Choco Peppermimt was not too sweet with the right hint of mint. I was also very surprised with how much my coffee was! In general, their prices are very affordable! I hope it stays that way.

Have you ever tried an Irish cream coffee? No? Me neither... at least until I discovered the Urban…read moreGrind café. I was successfully persuaded by the friendly barista to give that drink a shot. She even suggested I try it with a shot of vodka - a usual thing done to Irish cream coffees. I was feeling particularly bold that morning so I said obliged. And boy was it a real picker-upper! Needless to say, you should definitely try it out. Other than that drink, another reason I appreciated Urban Grind is because of its chill but modern ambience. There were a good number of couches - perfect for a chill hangout session with your friends. They also had work station-worthy tables, with accessible plugs to booth! It was great that I stopped by a couple of hours before lunchtime so I got to enjoy the place with just a couple of customers. I got to drink good coffee and work at the same time. I also liked this café's staff. They were all very helpful and accommodating, a specific trait I always look for in restaurants and coffee shops. At one point, I couldn't seem to get through their Internet connection; one of their waitresses walked up to me and helped me out, without me even asking her to! Really, truly appreciate such helpful service.

Really great diverse selection of food from a wide variety of cuisines. The pesto salmon pasta was…read moreespecially good.

From the owner: World's well-loved dishes such as Indian Beef Biryani,…read moreIndonesian Beef Rendang, Portuguese Chicken, Vietnamese Fried Rice with Grilled Porkchop, Cuban Lechon Asado, Russian Baked Salmon and a lot more

The Hideout Café. You could take its name seriously and let it be your little nook right in the…read moremiddle of the Maginhawa - Malingap food crowd, away from its hustle and bustle. It's quiet and reserved and has the coffee shop vibe without the elitism (char). Hideout serves coffee, deserts, sandwiches, pasta, and breakfast food. Apparently, they got the shop's name from a bible verse. And they play Christian rock songs inside. Do what you will with that information. PROS: Interiors are well-lit and nicely furnished. The wall graffiti is an interesting, intricate piece to look at while you wait for your food; The food is made with effort and presentation. It tastes fresh and well-cooked; Their bread is crisp outside and soft inside; As per my friend's input, Mr. Owner is not too bad on the eyes as well (yeah, I'm putting that on PROS). CONS: Your food takes a while to be served; Not the place to go all-out busog; Not as spacious as I expected from the outside. TL;DR: Regardless of religious affiliation, The Hideout Café is a good relaxing spot to rest your soul with good food.

I've read some bad reviews about this place on Zomato, but I don't understand why. We drove an hour…read moreand a half from QC just to get here and it was definitely worth it. The parking was easy to find, we just parked on the side of the street next to the restaurant. The main area of the restaurant was small but they also have another area upstairs and downstairs, I think those are mostly for coffee orders. The bathroom was a bit small and the sink is outside. Service was accommodating but it was slow at times. The food was really good and the price was very reasonable. We ordered the: 1. Crispy Okoy (Php 155) - Crispy and came with vinegar. 2. Gising-Gising (Php 135) - Flavorful but oily and lacked vegetables or meat. 3. Baby Back Ribs (Php 415) - Very tender, it falls right off the bone. 4. Garlic Rice (Php 40) - Not too oily. 5. Binagoongang Baboy (Php ~200) - Tender pork with eggplants. 6. Sinampalukang Manok (Php 330) - Not too sour and the chicken was nicely cooked. 7. Sans Rival (dessert) (Php ?) - Perfect with black coffee, a bit sweet just by itself. The texture was creamy and crunchy. 8. Macadamia x Hazelnut (coffee) (Php 145) - Coffee with a hint of hazelnut, I couldn't really taste the macadamia, but it was still really good. 9. Green Apple (soda) (Php 95) - It was on the sweeter side. So total was around Php 1800 + tax, which is $33.76. There were 4 of us, so it was about $9/ person! Best part was that my dad got a free cup of coffee or latte for fathers day!

Don't come here if you're really hungry, very slow service. Food is okay and the atmosphere was…read moregreat.