Regina Troy Barrios

The Team Behind Metiz Just Opened A Pizza-And-Cocktail Spot Called Cutie Pie

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A name like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/josephine.at.cutiepies/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joséphine at Cutie Pie</a> almost certainly commands attention, if not curiosity. Is it a rock duo from the ‘80s, a TV series for pre-schoolers, or a girly bar in the outskirts of Malate? The answer is neither—rather, it is Makati’s buzzy new bar-slash-pizza joint on the second level of Karrivin Plaza, brought our way by the team behind <a href="https://www.instagram.com/metizresto/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Metiz</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/automat.mnl/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Automat</a>.Offbeat moniker aside, it’s one that encapsulates the spirit of the place, their food and drink, and the people behind it. Cutie Pie is the pizzeria half of the equation—“pie” is the word for pizza in Northeast American parlance, and “cutie” fits the vibe of what they’re going for: an off-kilter sort of identity, drawing from “graffiti and underground and all that” according to Chef Stephan Duhesme. Josephine, on the other hand, is the bar—the more graceful of the pair in a sense, named after Jose Rizal’s common-law wife and controversial lover. These two unite within one establishment, Cutie Pie’s cheekiness playing off of Josephine’s refined charm. “And we wanted to feel kind of like a band name also—like ‘Josephine and Cutie Pie,’” Stephan quips.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17823803007831.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Pizza, cocktails, and the feeling of a friend&#x27;s apartment | Photo: Patricia Baes </div>Guests, once on the second floor, are to walk down a set of corridors decked with seemingly mismatched pieces—a vintage chandelier, flowers, and artwork depicting squid and octopi over a cosmic backdrop of sorts (“Space squid,” Stephan tells me). The passageway ends with a door with illustrations of pizza slices, behind which lies the dining area proper.A cozy space it turns out to be, with quirky details like starfish pillows with checkerboard table mats and cube-shaped Capiz lanterns. The lighting’s kept subdued for the most part, though some sunlight does enter through the windows behind their Italian deck ovens during the day. It’s hard not to feel right at home—it is as if you’re just spending a Friday evening hanging out at a friend’s apartment, swapping updates over good booze and grub.Stephan and fellow chef Arlo Gregorio make it a point to keep things “relatable and familiar” at Cutie Pie. The lineup is notably more casual and straightforward than their other ventures, the more fine-dining adjacent Metiz and the bistro-like Automat. Make no mistake: this is seriously good pizza, born out of the two chefs’ own love for the dish. At the base of each 10-inch pie is a hybrid New York-style crust aged 48 to 72 hours. It’s primarily crispy (with a well-browned bottom) and a touch chewy, and it’s pliable enough that a slice could be folded if desired. But there’s also enough structure that it keeps its shape when held straight in the hand—right in line with Stephan and Arlo’s vision of making these pies devourable when you’re standing up, plates and utensils optional.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17823805510482.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Bon &#x27;Chovy and Ate Marga pizzas | Photo: Patricia Baes </div>The flavor options mirror the chefs’ sense of playfulness, building off of classics but going a direction that’s wholly their own. Ate Marga is their take on a Margarita with cheese and a concentrated tomato sauce, plus a drizzling of an vivid green basil sauce for zip and zest. Bon ‘Chovy balances the umami punch of anchovies with the caramelized sweetness of garlic confit, with bagna cauda and a shower of Grana Padano tying everything together. Recto-Roni plays off the pepperoni-ranch combo but gives it a juicier, meatier interpretation, combining dollops of  “pepperoni-fied ‘nduja”—‘nduja seasoned a la pepperoni, that is—and a cool ranch sauce for creamy contrast.While Cutie Pie operations carry on until the evening, come 4 p.m., the team opens the bar that is Joséphine. As with Cutie Pie, the approach here involves reworking basics their way, and their lineup of cocktails—courtesy of Metiz’ and Automat’s resident mixologist Ron Job Sanchez—is largely made up of tried-and-tested tipples with little twists to keep things fresh. “We wanted something a little bit more cozy and also a little bit more accessible,” Stephan tells us. “We all agreed, from our observation, that there are enough creative bars in Manila. So we wanted to focus on classics. It’s a modern classics bar.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17823810634083.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Pepe-Roni and Mexico Pampanga | Photos: Patricia Baes | Troy Barrios</div>There are easygoing options like the Pink Reverie, a wine cocktail of rosé, vodka, and pamplemouse rosé (pink grapefruit liqueur). Bright and citrusy with the vodka lending it body, it’s easy enough to sip leisurely as an aperitivo of sorts, with or without food to match. More brooding is the Pepe-Roni—a richer spin-off of a negroni, with Tanqueray, Carpano, and a sweet vermouth blend fat-washed in cacao butter. (The fat-washing process allows the spirits to absorb the cacao butter’s richness and aroma while leaving the actual fat behind, Ron Job explains.) Going all out is also an option with the Geng Geng, Josephine’s take on a weng weng with lambanog, tequila, gin, rum, Calvados, and fresh fruit.Very soon, Cutie Pie will be taking orders for delivery, though dine-in operations remains a priority. Stephan admits there are still things they’re figuring out as they go along, but it’s all part of the process. “We want it to be fun—we want to have fun, and we want it to be accessible. That&#x27;s the most important part.”<div>Joséphine at Cutie Pie is located on the second level of Karrivin Plaza, Chino Roces Extension, Makati City. Cutie Pie (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/cutiepie_pizza/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@cutiepie_pizza</a>) is open Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday to Saturday from 12 noon to 9 p.m., while Joséphine (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/josephine.at.cutiepies/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@josephine.at.cutiepies</a>) serves cocktails from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Tuesday to Saturday. Follow their Instagram pages for menus, updates, and reservations.</div>

The team behind Metiz and Automat has opened Joséphine at Cutie Pie in Makati, a playful new pizza-and-cocktail destination serving hybrid New York-style pizzas and modernized classic cocktails in a space designed for casual, all-night hangouts.

The team behind Metiz and Automat has opened Joséphine at Cutie Pie in Makati, a playful new pizza-and-cocktail destination serving hybrid New York-style pizzas and modernized classic cocktails in a space designed for casual, all-night hangouts.

The Team Behind Metiz Just Opened A Pizza-And-Cocktail Spot Called Joséphine At Cutie Pie

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The Team Behind Metiz Just Opened A Pizza-And-Cocktail Spot Called Joséphine At Cutie Pie

Patricia Baes

Published June 25, 2026 07:10 PM PHT

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Updated June 25, 2026 07:13 PM PHT

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