But at the same time, they’re too good not to talk about.
Some cafés just hit different not because they’re trendy or packed. In fact, the best ones usually aren’t. They’re quite calm, well-designed, and everything feels in the right place. You sit down, look around, and think, “Yup, this is it.”
And for us, that’s what these cafés are. Low-key cool. Thoughtfully made. Aesthetically pleasing. And most of them are still a little under the radar. We’ll admit, we wanted to keep them to ourselves. These are the spots you don’t want flooded with people the next time you visit. But at the same time, they’re too good not to talk about.
And so, here are the cafés we go back to for work, for rest, for thinking. Go ahead, romanticize your laptop time.
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Basta Café
Basta Café is owned by filmmakers Antoinette Jadaone and JP Habac. Still in its soft opening, it already has a steady crowd. The café’s tagline “kape, tambay, deserve” sums up what a café should be: good coffee, good food, good company. And yes, we all deserve it.
The place is decorated with witty lines, relatable memes, and quotes like “Gutom ka? Lumamon ka!” written on the glass of the pastry counter. And if you’re a fan of Jadaone’s (That Thing Called Tadhana, Alone/Together) or Habac’s (I’m Drunk, I Love You, Love You Long Time) work, this place is for you.
Crowd favorites include the Burnt Miso Latte, Apple Espresso, Ang Pandan (lemongrass, pandan, and sago), MMKK (open-faced chicken sandwich with furikake, greens, and potato chips), and JP’s cooked adobo.
Beanstro
It started as a coffee truck along Yuchengco Street in Binondo. What began as a couple’s pop-up tent during the pandemic is now a full café serving coffee, pastries, and rice meals. The shop still keeps its original truck as a takeaway option.
The space stands out for its bold and playful design. Instead of going minimalist, Beanstro leans into retro-inspired colors, custom furniture, and quirky posters. There’s a bright orange couch, steel counters, and cube tables in metal and acrylic.
The cafe offers a wide range of drinks, including the Beanondo Cacao (cacao, sea salt cream, espresso), Sea Salt Latte, Dirty Oatchata, Turon Latte, Pandan Coffee, and Tropical Long Black (passionfruit and lychee). They also serve croissants, cookies, and rice meals like tapa, Hungarian sausage, and milkfish with egg.
Beanstro uses locally sourced beans and supports local farmers — a value the founders are carrying from the beginning.
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Cooper’s Coffee Haus
Cooper’s Coffee Haus’ clean space, calm mood, and coffee will surely lure you in. The Alabang branch has a soft, curved façade, tall windows, and a second-floor view that lets in warm light throughout the day. It’s quiet, easy, and made for people who like to take their time.
The Brown Butter Latte, Honey Oat Latte, and the Matcha Latte are crowd favorites. They also serve drinks using local chocolate from Tigre y Olivia. Crepes are a big part of the menu also. Top picks include Blueberry Cream Cheese, Mango Nutella, Tomato Cheese Melt, and Chicken and Mushroom.
They have branches in Estancia, Bonifacio High Street, and One Ayala but if you want the full vibe, start with Alabang.
Resonate Coffee
It doesn’t look like your usual café and that’s the point. The Katipunan branch leans into a hardware-store-meets-industrial vibe, with cement walls, red pipes, toolbox-style stools, and a mix of stools, crates, and folding tables. It feels raw, but on purpose and yes, the “hardware” part is mostly just for style.
The café started small, first as a cold brew business and later a bike café in a Marikina parking lot. Now, Resonate has two physical stores: one in Marikina, and this newer spot in Katipunan.
The Katipunan branch serves more than just drinks. The menu includes iced coffee like Blueberry Cherry Americano, Buttercookieccino, and Honey Lemon Americano, along with teas, non-coffee drinks, and filter options. You’ll also find pasta (pesto or spicy peanut noodles), sandwiches and desserts like Dirty Flan and cheesecake.
WHYN0T
WHYN0T isn’t your typical coffee spot and it’s not trying to be. It’s a creative space where you can sit, think, plan, or write, surrounded by design books, artworks, and the kind of furniture you’d expect in a gallery, not a café. There are no cozy booths or latte art pics here but you will find books stacked beside chairs, vintage rugs under glass tables, and lighting that feels more like a studio than a shop.
Entry comes with a drink, and the space is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm. It’s quiet, spacious, and intentionally different, made for people working on something, or just looking for a place to slow down and take in ideas.
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WHYN0T describes itself as a culture hub. A space for creatives, researchers, designers, and anyone else figuring things out. There’s a reading room with over 350 books on art, design, and theory, and the whole space is set up to let people gather, think, and work.
There’s an entrance fee, discounted for students, but once you’re in, you can stay all day.
Apologue
Apologue is easy to miss, and that’s part of the charm. The café sits along Benavides Street in Binondo, blending into the area with a simple storefront that mirrors the look of the traditional shops around it. But once inside, the space opens up into something different. The design includes subtle nods to Chinatown. There are tiled floors, apothecary-style shelves, and coffee cups printed with a map of Binondo instead of a logo. The space feels calm but connected to the streets outside.
Their drinks are also tied to the neighborhood. The Binondo Latte, one of their bestsellers, is made with ube and inspired by tikoy. There’s also a black sesame latte and a peanut cake latte, each one distinct but balanced. Apologue also serves house-made pastries like ube cheesecake and tiramisu, along with their version of a snow skin mooncake, a soft mochi filled with flavors like matcha red bean, black sesame, and white sesame.
If you happen to be with friends and decided to do a food trip in the world’s oldest Chinatown, Apologue should definitely be part of that itinerary.
