I had a long layover in Manila and decided rather than just hang out at the airport I would go into town. That made for a rather pricey cup of coffee when you factor in the Uber trips, but it was well worthwhile…I found a great coffee shop that I highly recommend in the heart of Manila.
Best Coffee In Manila, Philippines
I do rely quite a bit on Google when finding coffee in cities I am not familiar with. Here, I googled third wave coffee and Habitual Coffee came up on the top of the list. I did a quick check of the menu (if there is no flat white or cortado it is simply not a top-tier coffee shop) and also verified it was open.
Then I hopped in a Grab and encountered typical Manila traffic. Crawling through the city, it took about 25 minutes to make the eight mile journey.
Habitual Coffee
Paseo Heights, Salcedo Village
L.P. Leviste Street
Makati, 1230 Metro Manila, Philippines
+63 2 8833 9556
8:00 am – 7:00 pm (daily)
It was the perfect third wave coffee shop. Minimalist interior. La Marzocco coffee machine. Perfect latte art.
I ordered a cortado and inhaled it.
The guys behind the counter appeared shocked I drank it so fast (I drink coffee very fast) but were happy to make me a second, which was even better.
The coffee shop is located in a very nice area with mature trees and plenty of shade.
CONCLUSION
I bet Manila is full of great coffee shops and I look forward to exploring more of them. This trip, however, I just had a few hours between flights but am so glad I maximized the time on the ground to seek out good coffee.
I will say that the coffee at the airport did not look bad at Bluesmith, but by the time I got back I was all coffee-ed out…
Any suggestions for my next trip to Manila?
Glad you enjoyed your brief stay in Manila.
Get out of Manila and go to El Nido. Take your family with you. Can take SwiftAir directly from the Manila airport.
Then stay in one of the El Nido Resorts chain of hotels there. They are run by Ayala corporation. A high end old family company from the Spanish era. One of the biggest companies in the Philippines.
SwiftAir is also run by Ayala.
I am sure you hopped into a Grab, not an Uber…
You are quite right. My bad.
Matthew, if you ever return to Manila, head to Good Sh*t Coffee.
Probably some of the best coffee Imho in Manila and the best croissant in Manila as well.
Matthew, If you arrive in Manila via Terminal 3 (which is most international flights), just take the Runway Manila pedestrian overpass walkway (a 5 minute walk) towards the Belmont Hotel in the Newport area. This will save you time and taxi fare. The Newport area has many modern eateries and coffee shops inside and outside the mega hotel/casinos. From the Belmont Hotel walk northwest about 2 minutes and you will start to run into small authentic Filipino and Asian cuisines, many meals around $3. One of our favorites is La Fuk Restaurant. These small family owned restaurants (Carinderias) are usually no more than 400 square feet inside but the food is authentic and the owners very friendly. Safe Travels
Hi Rey. As it turned out, I did walk over there and caught the Grab from the Starbucks there. Was quite a bit cheaper!
I am one of your followers on Instagram and I believe have some pictures of of the Carenderias and it’s location on my IG page.
Best Coffee In Manila ?
How many did you try?
FFS .. you are a moron.
Definitely try the The Curator and Yardstick. The Curator is one of The World’s Top Bars but it’s also a coffee shop in the day time. Picollo Coffee, Because Coffee and Angkan Coffee in BGC are also worth a try. If you do the 1.5 hour drive to Tagaytay from Manila, you’ll encounter a Starbucks on the ridge with probably one of the best views in the world, the Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.