…and finding more places to love.
The first quarter of the year was brutal. The pressure of being a “responsible” adult (spoiler: I’m not there yet), and the suffocating Manila heat made me pack my bags and head north. Not for a touristy vacation—no horseback riding at Wright Park, no Mines View sunrise—but for a change of scenery while I worked. Cool weather, fresh air, and good coffee. Simple. Except, as always, I ate my way through Baguio. Again.
Baguio is the kind of place you think you’ve figured out until you come back and find something new, something better, something that makes you wonder why you ever wasted time on the usual spots. This isn’t a guide for first-timers looking to check off a list of must-see attractions. This is for those who have been here, done that, and are ready to eat their way through the city like they mean it.
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I didn’t plan much, just went where we felt like going. The moment we arrived, we were hungry, so we stopped at Luisa’s Café. It’s one of those places that don’t try to impress you—it just exists, unchanged, steady. We ordered a bowl of special mami and a big asado siopao. The broth was warm and comforting, the noodles fresh, and the siopao packed with asado that actually tasted so good, not just filler. It was the kind of meal that just makes sense after a long drive.
Dinner was Jungle Sam’s unlimited K-BBQ, eaten so fast there’s no photo proof. But the real star came after: bingsu from Seollem Café. Yes, even in the cold. Paired with their honey lemon jujube tea (so good I took another cup to-go), it was the perfect post-binge treat.
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Baguio is a coffee town and for someone like me, coffee is always a priority. At Hatch Coffee, I wasn’t a fan of the dirty horchata—too sweet for me—but the grilled cheese sandwich was something else. Crispy, golden, thick with cheese, and that honey-habanero dip? Perfect. The space was quiet, green, the kind of place you can sit in for hours without realizing it.
After working at Hatch, we wanted local food, so we went to The Farmer’s Daughter. I was hoping for pinuneg (Cordillera’s pork blood sausage) but they were out. So we only got kinuday (sautéed smoked meat), pako salad, and sendad jen baha (Cordillera’s version of bulalo). The kinuday had just the right amount of salt and depth, the pako salad was fresh and crisp, and the bulalo-style broth was clean, simple, perfect for the cold. The vinegar infused with habanero was the kind of thing that makes you pause after the first dip, then immediately want more. I bought a bottle before we left.
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At Rebel Bakehouse, I had what might be my favorite croissant in Baguio. The plain butter croissant was everything it should be: flaky, buttery, crisp on the outside and soft inside. The leche flan Danish was indulgent in the best way, and the bibingka cheesecake? I took one bite and just sat there for a second, processing how good it was.
For breakfast the next day at Café by the Ruins, we kept it simple. Kamote bread with herbed cheese and liver pâté, paired with coffee. The bread was soft but slightly dense, the kind that feels hearty even in small bites. The liver pâté had just the right balance of richness without being overwhelming, and the herbed cheese brought everything together. Sitting there with coffee, watching the world slow down a little, it felt like a necessary stop, the kind that reminds you why you keep coming back to a place.
Pasalubong shopping was routine at this point. I always think about keeping Kape Umali a secret, but I can’t. It’s too good. Their special blend and Kalinga beans always come home with me, no matter how much coffee I already have stocked.
Then there is Cornelia St. Bistro—named after Taylor Swift’s song “Cornelia Street”—mostly because we’re Swifties and it felt necessary. I ate my post-Eras Tour heartbreak away with cheesy crema pizza and a cherry cola drink named after Reputation. Maybe it was the cold, maybe it was the view, but it was exactly what I wanted at that moment.
Baguio never feels old. Even when there’s no real plan, no itinerary, even when it’s just about working somewhere that isn’t Manila, I always end up walking more, breathing easier, eating better. And of course, I always get a cup of strawberry taho.
A few more places I love in Baguio, the ones I just keep coming back to, is Choco-late de Batirol, because there’s something about drinking tsokolate in the cold. Good Taste, because buttered chicken that good for that cheap doesn’t exist anywhere else. Mt. Cloud, because I can’t leave without browsing books I don’t need but will absolutely buy anyway.
Hot Cat Café, hidden behind Mt. Cloud, is a quiet corner with the best flat white. Arca’s Yard is where I go when I want a view with my drink, their hot chocolate thick enough to feel like a meal, and when you make the trip, make sure to try their Camote Pie too! Oh My Gulay, a vegetarian spot owned by National Artist Kidlat Tahimik, serves unexpectedly filling dishes (with witty names!) and I always find myself getting the Anak ng Puttanesca pasta or the Saksakan ng (tofu) Sisig.
But there’s always something new to try. A few spots are still on my list, waiting for the next trip. Craft 1945 for Spanish food and tapas, Gypsy Baguio, and Mang Ed’s for bakareta that locals swear by. And maybe, if I get lucky, a private dinner with the Mountain Man—one of those things you just hear about and hope to experience at least once.
That’s the thing about Baguio. No matter how many times I go, there’s always another place to check out, another meal to try, another reason to come back.
