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.

First time trying Antonio's bibingka. It did NOT disappoint. The bibingka was fluffy and had just…read morea hint of salted egg (not overwhelming) with a few slices of cheese. If you're craving bibingka, check Antonio's out!

Its really delicious, freshly made from their oven; however, sometimes they burn the sides but…read morestill yummy. This bibingka is better than the other brand (Bibingkinita). A bit on the pricey side and Cash payment only. Really pairs well with coffee.

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.

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.

People around Metro Manila are drawn to coffee shops like flies to manure. That said, most of them…read moreare s#!t. Sad to admit but true. That's because most of them try to be something that they're not, which is of course Starbucks. Few cafes out there establish their own identity. Few cafes in Metro Manila can stand out from the competition without emulating Starbucks. Cafe UK is a part of the few. A local favorite among the people in P. Noval, Cafe UK never fails to draw a crowd each day. A crowd mostly made up of students. The students love it here. Great ambiance, good food and coffee, nice staff and free Wi-Fi are just a few of the reasons why this place has become a regular on many people's place to chill. I'm pretty sure the guy who owns this place knows his target market. I mean, the way this place feels and how it's setup is just so right for students. It's tailor made to appeal to that kind of demographic. The branch here in P. Noval looks a bit tight and cramped. What it lacks in floor area it makes up for with the number of floors. In a way though, I actually liked the cramped space of this cafe. It forces people to be close and conversations are more likely to be intimate and engaging that way. Cafe UK is sweet. It draws students are drawn to it like flies are to honey. A warning though, be sure to bring a jacket. The place can get really cold especially at night.

Cute and cozy Starbucks in the Intramuros area and built into an old City wall. Friendly baristas…read moreand delicious treats. Heavily policed as many tourists are here; keep your items close. The WiFi only works if your have a Philippines SIM card to get the access code. If you need to catch a cab I was advised by the barista to not grab one directly outside but head back across the street towards the 'red building' and grab one there.

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.

I always wanted to get my brewed americano here. The…read morebarista is always making it into perfection

This Starbucks is staffed by an efficient team of baristas. It's always crazy busy and tough to…read morefind a seat, but your drink is often made quickly.

I couldn't find the yelp for the Angeles location, but here's my review…read more.. Finally got to try this place and their donuts. So many to choose from. My favorite flavors were the Mr. Green T and the Chocolate Caviar Strawberry. Their donuts are more on the dense side, but still flavorful and yummy. I also ordered the mango peach iced tea, which was refreshing. Overall, a great place for donuts!!!

My cousin took me here on my 2nd day being back in the Philippines. We were en route to Pampanga…read moreand I was craving for some caffeine mainly to alleviate my caffeine headache. I was very much surprised at how calm it was and it wasn't as packed as I've seen the mall since I landed. Upon walking in, the staff were really friendly and answered all my questions, mainly me asking if they had almond milk... unfortunately, they didn't so I kept on ordering espresso double shots everywhere we went. I ordered a double shot espresso and it came with a regular sugar donut. I also ordered a matcha green tea donut but I wasn't able to eat it b/c I was eating too many sweets after our time here. -------------- Then my family and I came here again when we were shopping for stuff to bring back home and we all needed a caffeine boost. The server that helped me out was working again and she greeted me b/c she remembered me... and it was really sweet of her. I bought the orange cup and saucer combo and the friendly server went beyond her call of duty and packed that cup and saucer thoroughly. I was really impressed and no cracks when I opened it back here. Overall, the main story: friendly staff and good donuts. Not too sweet but just right. If you have a sweet tooth... well worth checking out! To the management: well done on your staff being helpful and friendly.