First time here and it's not bad. It is a place for studying. It has desks, booths with bean bags…read moreand pillows and low tables as well as big tables for groups. I went here with friends and we got a booth upstairs. It wasn't too loud so I was able to get some studying done. I ordered an iced hazelnut latte and it was good! Maybe kind of pricey it was 160P. Didn't try the food but the cakes are 100 plus for a slice. Come here for the studying environment. It is very cute. I was here on a Friday night and it wasn't completely packed. Hopefully I can go here earlier in the day so I can really study all day here. It is open until 3am! My issue is that there is no wifi...only good thing is that less distractions but sometimes you just need some good wifi while studying. Excited to come back here and study even more :)

Cafe I'm Here has a really big space considering that it is a cafe. I find their coffee okay, not…read morebad but nothing out of the ordinary as well. But what I love about this cafe is their booths for seating. If you are fond of sitting in the floor or lying down, then this place is for you! It's a great place to hang out with your friends, chill and it is also a great place for study. They have ample electric outlets which make them also a great place to work or charge your gadgets. One downside is that they don't have wifi, which is one of the things I consider for a perfect hangout place. But if you do want to really talk and hangout with your friends, this will be a good place for you.

A lot of students with medical books stay here and study but it's not always students who enjoys…read morethe coffee here. This is the most decent cafe near me so I go here for a sip from time to time. They have free wifi so that's very useful for me since I stay here (for hours) doing my work (my work doesn't require a laptop anyway) but some use their electric outlets to charge their gadgets in there. I order coffee and food when I stay long there in return for the many hours I stay. They have a very relaxing ambience, inducive to studying or working. They have a second floor and there's also another counter/bar there where the baristas and chef do their work. They also have polite staff. I usually order the cappucino or the mocha but I dislike the brewed coffee. Their brewed coffee is just really so bad! They offer some teas too. They have a quite expensive food menu but they offer some rice meals too. I usually order the combo meal that already has a meat (fish/chicken), salad, and pasta. They're pretty good. This comes with an 8 oz iced tea. For frappe lovers, they also have that here and it's perfect on a really hot day. I go here when I need some alone time and a decent workplace but other than that, I wouldn't really go here because they have expensive stuff and only two size choices (8oz and 16oz for coffees). Thus I'd only give this 3 stars for the great place and wifi and the food.

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.

Been here once, great place to hang out but it's in accurate to say this is a 24bour place. It…read moreactually opens at. 10am.

Cool vibe in here. It's quite a big place, with seating in the front and back, plus an area for…read moreppl to surf the internet. Bright lights, and parking is available directly across the street. Came here one morning for take-out; just coffee. I ordered an iced white chocolate mint soy latte. Really good. *thumbs up* and we saw that they also had a good variety of cheesecakes and desserts. And upon a quick scan of their menu, turns out they have plenty of food options as well. So we came back in the evening around 7pm on a Tuesday. Not crowded but definitely not empty; we easily got a seat in the back area. Ordered a pistachio milk shake (*thumbs up again*) and shared a Four Mushroom pizza with my niece. We weren't expecting it to be black and we were curious if it was a special dough or something. But we were told it was food coloring that made it that way for aesthetic purposes. Tasted really good. I liked the added bonito flakes. Service was good. Didn't wait too long for the food. Only the bill out took longer than expected. Overall a good experience and a great coffee shop and hang out in the area

I was out on an errand in Caloocan, and I had no idea where to sit down for a while to send my…read moreemails and enjoy a cup of coffee. Luckily, I saw a bright sign when I was in the jeep, and decided to go down and check out City Cakes Coffee and Pastries. It was a chance encounter: one of those serendipitous moments where you enter a shop or a restaurant that you have never been to before, and instantaneously like it. City Cakes is probably the only decent coffee shop within several blocks, and it has become one of the more popular places to hang out if you are tired of chain restaurants. There are no big-name coffee shops in the area yet, but this is a good enough second option. I love that it is cozy, and the trendy murals on walls depict scenes from cities such as Paris, Milan and New York. They have tables and chairs where students or professionals can work, study or meet with colleagues. I like how the cafe has light lunch options such as sandwiches and pasta. They also have pastries, cakes and cookies on their display shelves. The coffee is quite okay, and so are the blended beverages.

I stumbled upon this place as I was walking by. I thought this was a small place, for like 10 pax…read morebut to my surprise, it can accommodate 45 to 60 people. I like that they have fancy different chairs, lights. It can be too crowded and space is limited tho. They offer teas, fruit shakes, coffee and various options for food including sandwiches, pasta, rice meals, sizzling platters, and light snacks and limited desserts. I tried their sizzling chicken fillet and thought it needed more salt and pepper. It was kind of bland and dry for me. Their Yellow Summer Fruit shake (banana and strawberry) was good although they don't serve them in glass mugs (which was on their menu). I'd say it's more for working or studying since it's not so noisy. I just didn't like their playlist, poor choice of music. The service is fine. They give the wifi password along with the receipt. I think their prices are just right for the quality of food they serve. I'm not overly pleased with their food so I might not go back for this. But I might go back cause it's a good place to study and some drinks maybe.

I was on an assignment to look for places to eat in Valenzuela, and when I almost gave up my search…read more(I didn't know where to go, and the online guides weren't so helpful in that respect), I chanced upon this cool little coffee and tea place near the Fatima School. One look and I found something of note for my article assignment. It was full on a Saturday afternoon, which tells you that people flock to this place to get their coffee or tea fix. Sure enough, I went in and there was a bunch of students plopped down and studying their notes and their books. A number of patrons were also on their computers, and some are having a chat with friends. It had that college-y feel that was inviting, and the mismatched chairs and tables were cute and very inviting. I also love the artwork that they have in the al fresco area, and I have a feeling that this would be the kind of place I would hang out in a lot if it were a bit closer to my house. I got a coffee, which was so-so, but what's great about the place is that it's conducive to whatever productive activity you might want to do.

When I went to Malabon for a writing assignment for a food blog that I wrote for, I didn't expect…read moreto find any exciting places to review. I haven't even been to Malabon prior to the trip, that's why I didn't know what to expect. I was walking along General Luna and I was quite shocked to find an Illy sign. Illy Coffee is really good, and it is only usually found in most high-end places like malls and posh office buildings. You can also find them in airport lounges. I thought it was just a spoof of Illy's logo but when I came closer, it really was Illy Coffee. Prejudice aside, I didn't expect to find good places, but I was surprised to find an Illy cafe in this busy street. Cups & Cones, as it turns out, is owned by the architect and interior designer that designs coffee shops for Illy in the Philippines, that's why they were able to get a franchise. The coffee shop and restaurant has a high-end feel and I bet it wouldn't look out of place in really posh community centers. It definitely changed the way I think about Malabon, and I realized that places like Cups & Cones set the bar high for other new businesses in the area. What I love about this coffee shop aside from the coffee is their selection of mouthwatering cakes and pastries. I was able to try their homemade blueberry cheesecake, which was rich and creamy. I was also intrigued to try their horse tapa, but I was already full from the sandwhiches that I ate earlier that day. I found out that horse meat is really popular in this part of the Metro. Anyway, I would recommend Cups & Cones if you are in the area. It is located in the same street as most of the newer establishments that have made Malabon into a culinary desitnation to rival Maginhawa and Kapitolyo.

This bakery became my go to place for sweets. The ensaymada and cheese rolls were my late mom's…read morefavorite and mine as well. i recently tried cinnamon rolls it was good as well. The sourdough bread was light and great for sandwiches. I have yet to try the brownies and lemon bars. I will though the next time i am home. i highly recommend.

Love this bakery and for the quality you get, it's completely worth the price. Nothing tastes like…read morethey skimped on ingredients or used any substitutes for the real thing. This branch is in a really convenient location and is maintained well. The people who work here are also super nice! I bought my birthday cake (the Purple Carousel chocolate cake) here, and they gave me an extra bag of sweets! My favorites are their: *Lemon bars - really great lemon flavor and have a tart, refreshing sweetness *Chocolate revel bars - probably the best I've had *Chocolate Campfire cake - very rich, but in this amazing way where you don't get tired of eating it! I've also had their: *Purple Carousel chocolate cake - classic chocolate cake with these chocolate wafers on top *Mini Pecan Pie - not the consistency I prefer in a pecan pie but the flavor was still very good *Mini Chocnut Pie - light, could use a stronger chocnut flavor, I really liked the crust though *Cookies - I love cookies so I usually get 1 or 2 with whatever else I'm buying that day, theirs are crispy on the edges and chewy on the inside *Quiche Tinapa - Liked this a lot and just ate mine chilled, but I think it would be better to warm it a little at home

Backyard Coffee is a treat for coffee lovers like me. They offer single origin coffee beans and I…read morelove them! After eating out with my friends, we tried different drinks that they offer. My friends ordered Iced Mocha, Iced Black, Cold Brew, Strawberry Frappe and Ube cake. As for me and my posh friend, I ordered Sumatra while he ordered Civet coffee. Love the beans that they are using even for their regular coffee drinks. But let me describe my order. I love Sumatra because it is not that bold and not that bitter. It's a little sweet, a bit acidic and fruity in flavor. So if you are in San Juan area and looking for a different cafe or different drink of coffee, checkout Backyard Coffee and try their single origin coffee beans.

On my seemingly endless conquest of Metro Manila coffeeshops, I blindly followed my friend to this…read morecoffeeshop in San Juan the day before our exam week starts. I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. Located above the Rustan's Supermarket on P. Guevarra, the café is quiet compared to the busy street below and gets tons of natural light from the building's all-glass facade. Great plus for me as it made the place have a very airy feel which went great with the painted concrete floors and industrial seating. The coffee was great too! I got their cold-brew coffee and it was a solid cup of cold-brew. Nothing out of the ordinary but it wasn't offensive. The price was great though! At least 30 pesos less than a comparable brew from one of the third wave stalwarts. They also have a lot of differently sourced beans to choose from, with even a Filipino Benguet option! So even though it might not have same pretentious or hipster vibes that we have come to expect from many of the other third wave purveyors here in Manila, I love how laidback this place is. You can definitely get a lot done here. Cash only!! There are ATMs downstairs though if you're in a pickle.

Food is average. Blt - bacon is not crispy and too fatty. Hungarian pasta is ok. Matcha tea not too…read moregood. The ambience is great though. Cozy and nice interior and comfy chairs. Great place for meetups