Editor’s Picks: 10 Aesthetic Korean Cafés In Manila
Insta-worthy places with authentic Korean pastries and really good coffee!
In your favorite K-dramas, the local coffee shop is where some of the best scenes happen. This is where characters fall in love, flirt, confess deep dark secrets, break up, fall back in love again. IRL, Korean-inspired cafés make really great hangout places, too, even if all you want to do is read a book, study, chat with friends or get some work done.
Why? First, because they’re so aesthetic in unique ways. You just know a Korean café is going to provide IG and TikTok-worthy background. Second, the food and drinks, many of which you’ve seen and fallen in love with while watching your favorite K-drama series. And third, because stepping inside a Korean cafe can transport you into your own little piece of Kculture. You know what we mean.
Here are our ten favorite Korean cafés in Metro Manila, ranging from tiny personal cafés to specialty coffee chains. They’re the perfect places for your IG moments, unboxing videos, and kilig reenactments of your favorite Kpop idols caffeine-inspired scenes.
P.S. we arranged them in alphabetic order.
K-Cafes Manila 2023
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Baked by Trimy
A quiet, cozy little cafe with a clean, minimalist vibe, this is a great place to hang out over iced lattes or their signature coffee. Baked by Trimy is best known for its quirky, customizable Korean-inspired bento cakes that must be preordered and are so popular that slots fill out fast! A delectable selection of breads, sandwiches and pastries are on the menu, and their seasonal cakes are always a must!
Photo Credit: @BakedByTrimy
BeanBox
With private nooks, solo tables, board games, pillows, and even hanboks, Beanbox Cafes are great for everything from work and study to fun and games. There’s a long list of coffee beverages, albeit on the sweet-ish side, and you can order hefty Korean dishes like ramyun, kimbap, and cheesy tteokbokki just like your favorite K-drama characters would order! With branches in Mandaluyong, Commonwealth Avenue, and Quiapo. Contact: (0995) 325-8069 | FB: @BeanBoxCommonwealth | IG: @BeanBoxMandaluyong.
Photo Credit: @BeanBoxMandaluyong
Blue Wonder Coffee & Bean Roastery
Owned by award-winning Korean barista Soo Hee Chang, Blue Wonder Cafe offers a stellar coffee experience with single origin beans sourced from all over the world, the best coffee equipment, and a state of the art lab where barista classes are held in partnership with Cooko Academy, the first Philippine-Korean culinary and barista academy in the country. The staff are knowledgeable and can explain coffee science easily. Should you drop by, please ask for the Iced Blue Wonder Cream Mocha, which is a personal recommendation of its award-winning barista owner. With branches in Pasig and Pasay. Contact: (0917) 146-6803 | FB: @BlueWonderCoffee | IG: @BlueWonderCoffee
Photo Credit: @BlueWonderCoffee
Café 1911
Built in honor of the owners’ dads (hence the logo), Café 1911 is a small yet stunning space with clean white walls, splashes of greenery and lots of coffee-based drinks, baked pastries and pastas. The Vanilla Sweet Cream Lattes are popular in matcha, iced choco or iced coffee flavors. The pastries include Burnt Basque Cheesecake, Asado Pie, Belgian Waffles and Cream Cheese Blondies. Basically, Café 1911 is a place to share love and comfort over a delicious food and coffee. Occasionally, it hosts prenup shoots too! Contact: (0998) 333-2641 | FB: @HelloCafe1911 | IG: @HelloCafe1911 | Address: 1911 Capt. M. Reyes Street, Bangkal, Makati.
Photo Credit: @HelloCafe1911
Café Janggeum
An authentic Korean-owned cafe, Café Janggeum is where to go for all those delicacies you’ve discovered on Kdrama. Including bungeoppang, the fish-shaped pastries in “Vincenzo” — available in custard, pizza and chocolate flavors. There’s also ssiat hotteok, Korean pancakes with brown sugar filling; Gunmandu, Korean-style dumplings filled with minced meat, tofu, green onions and ginger; and the Crioffle, a delicious blend of croissant and waffles. The beverage menu is quite long with lots of teas, lattes, refreshing Korean ades and best of all, iced dalgona coffee. With branches in Pasay, SM Dasma and Cavite. Contact: (0936) 586-6740 | FB: @CafeJanggeum | IG: @CafeJanggeum.
Photo Credit: @CafeJanggeum
Coffeesmith
If the clean industrialist space feels familiar, perhaps that’s because of the K-dramas that have been shot in several of Coffeesmith’s branches in South Koreae, including “Punch” and “It’s Okay, That’s Love.” The “smith” in its name hints at how seriously it takes coffee, as a craft to be mastered. The menu features not just quality coffee but teas, cream-based frappes and best selling bing su and croissant sandwiches. They have some pretty fun beer mixes to enjoy in the evenings, too. Contact: (02) 8371-0828 | FB: @CoffeesmithPH | IG: @Coffeesmith.PH | Address: Lower Ground Floor, Festival Mall Expansion, Filinvest City, Alabang.
Photo Credit: @Coffeesmith.PH
Haruman Café
This BTS-themed café is inspired by the song “Just One Day” and is a place of happiness and sunshine, with IG-worthy interiors and a lovable couch perfect for hanging out with barkada. You’ll find classic espresso-based drinks like Iced Americano and Caramel Latte on the menu, as well as toothsome snacks like Croiffles (a croissant + waffle blend) in ham & cheese, caramel dalgona, and chocolate & muscovado flavors. Their sandwiches will hit the spot perfectly, especially the banana nutella sandwich. Drop by and be charmed. Contact: (0961) 705-7000 | FB: @HarumanCafe.PH | IG: HarumanCafe | Address: 403 D.V. Laurilla Street, Makati.
Photo Credit: @harumancafe
Hisbeans Coffee
We love everything about this Korean cafe, from the specialty-grade arabica beans used in its coffee, the insta-worthy interiors gleaming with polished wood and muted tones, and the fact that most of the baristas and coffee specialists are people with disabilities, trained at the HISBEANS Barista Academy. The menu offers classic espresso-based driks, cold brews, lattes and hibeanccino in various flavors. Sample their pastries, too, like the croffles and brownies. FB: @Hisbeans.PH | IG: Hisbeans.Philippines | Address: 116 Timog Avenue, Quezon City.
Photo Credit: @hisbeans.ph
Jinjee Café
Warmth and cuteness is the ambience at this tiny Korean-inspired café where you can get budget-friendly egg drop sandwiches (prices start at P70) that come in flavors from Ham & Cheese to Hungarian Sausage. The beverage menu consists of iced whipped coffees, iced lattes, the standard espresso-based drinks, milk teas and a mango series which includes: classic mango shake, signature Mango Graham Frappe, a Mango Oreo Graham Frappe, and a Kitkat Mango Graham Frappe. Delish! Contact: (0917) 885-0607 | FB: @JinjeeCafe | IG: @JinjeeCafe | Address: Address: 2059 Laong Laan Road, Sampaloc, Manila.
Photo Credit: @jinjeecafe
Tom N Toms Coffee
This Korean coffee chain has branches in Boracay, Bacolod, Clark and Dumaguete. In Metro Manila, it has a spacious two-storey home in Pasig where you can sip their famously slushy Tomnccinos available in flavors like caramel or green mint choco, their espresso-based drinks, and best selling pretzels. FB: @TomnTomsManila | IG: TomnTomsPH.
Photo Credit: @tomntomsph
Lead photo: Haruman Cafe, Cafe Janggeum
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