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5 Aesthetic Cafés For Couples Who Love Great Design

Have a sip of coffee and then some in these handsome watering holes in Metro Manila

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Anna Francesca Rosete

<div><br/></div><p>Still looking for a place to spend time with your special someone?  Admittedly, so many factors come into play when choosing a place for a remarkable date.  The food, service and location matters, and without a doubt, ambiance counts for so much.  There’s something to be said for a place that gets all of these right.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/d18eb8a2-0817-4b03-b1ef-a450f87890ef_the glass house 1.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Glass House by Coffee Project<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> @glasshousephofficial  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/living/tips/12-metro-manila-hotels-with-prettiest-rooms/34883" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">12 Hotels In The Metro With The Prettiest Rooms</a></div><div><br/></div><p>Choosing a place for a date is pivotal in its success.  Especially for first dates, it’s best to be in a place that doesn’t exude that much pressure, encouraging instead to connect and have a conversation.  For this, beautifully-designed cafés can assist in creating that lovely spark!  For one, there is an opportunity to talk about the space, a neutral topic, lessening that awkward feeling of having to go deep and intimate at the first encounter.  After all, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886905002849" target="_blank">studies</a> reveal that it is best to start a date conversation with something interesting.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/83a8cde7-82ae-4bdb-962c-d9f27805b6b5_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 10.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Auro Café BGC<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Jar Concengco  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>We&#x27;ve got the perfect locations for great conversation starters! Metro Manila has a new generation of cafés that are noteworthy, not just for the excellent food and very original drinks, but also for their design.  In the gallery below are Metro.Style’s picks:</p><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/76931efd-bc01-4ab0-9346-706be6e73433_2-landscape-thumb.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/78c0c882-ffed-49a3-94bd-b2c9467c5bdb_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 8.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/16ccbba5-300e-49cd-b1b7-3623f94f6fa4_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 10.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8c043a84-893d-444b-ab90-0aa11e3a21fe_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/5113ef54-e9a4-43f3-8559-a75a6f6ff844_auro chocolate bgc interiors metro style 13.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/0f6d47da-f252-4ad6-bc35-9d4aaf040903_la condessa qc interiors 6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/cce6993b-1a95-4964-ad42-e550d3d7a9dd_la condessa qc interiors 4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a78fd32c-d2b4-494a-a897-d744fc8bc11b_la condessa qc interiors 12.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/329b6c02-a938-4614-81eb-70c8b9ba4523_burnt bean arch sudarshan khadka chef joseph galvez 6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/54d1c3ed-8786-446b-9534-96222db66c24_burnt bean arch sudarshan khadka chef joseph galvez 11.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8aaa1cf5-a3df-4777-bff4-6b1945dd2638_burnt bean arch sudarshan khadka chef joseph galvez 8.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4b138dd2-7cc1-4d45-8984-25a0bb077f89_ito site 3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/014b41bb-f7c3-4c6e-9571-2ca4e6e52024_ito site 2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/b0badbfb-b695-46ec-a94d-773a12af8987_ito site 4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/bb055e85-edb7-49d0-b6f7-70867b4f7bb5_the glass house 1.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c513fc26-856d-4217-8176-9230c6f69c13_the glass house 2.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/fb2d7598-7e35-4cbf-b47f-882c4c48ef4a_the glass house.jpeg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Auro Café, BGC - The newly opened Auro Cafe in BGC can be seen from afar. It glows amidst its surroundings and it’s hard not to stop and stare at it. From the outside, you can see milk chocolate colored arches reaching up towards colorful lamps shaped like cacao pods. -Jar Concengco<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Auro Café, BGC - Stepping inside takes you far from the city life and makes you feel as if you were near a beach. This was intentional according to Mark Ocampo, co-founder of Auro Cafe, “We were playing around with the idea of tropicality of the Philippines when we were conceptualizing this space. When people talk about the good things about the Philippines, they refer to it as a paradise partly because of its beaches. We’re known for our beaches but there’s no experience in the city that feels like a beach.”-Jar Concengco<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Auro Café, BGC - Auro Chocolate as a brand is known to straddle the fine line of playfulness and sophistication. The architecture and interiors of Auro Cafe is the same way with its beautiful cavernous dining area. Terrazzo flooring resembles either sand at the beach or chocolate bark full of nuts depending on how hungry you are. Woven lamps in a vibrant array of colors by Rita Nazareno of Zacarias1925 hang above the order counter. The pattern seen behind the counter is the same exact pattern featured on Auro Chocolate bars.  Graphics for the wall coverings were designed by Rixenne Maniquiz.<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Auro Café, BGC - Address: Unit 01, Ground Floor, One Maridien Tower (U/C), 27th Street, Taguig, 1634 Metro ManilaPhone: 0917 113 3599<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>La Condessa Café and Lounge - Imagine for a minute that a Countess has invited you to her sprawling estate. Beautifully tiled floors lead you to a staircase that wraps around a grand 10-foot tall chandelier. Lush velvet seating invite you to take a seat around a marble table. La Condessa is a restaurant in Quezon City that wants you to feel the hospitality of the Countess. There’s a mystique about the place and you can only gather so many clues about who the Countess really is from the interiors and the food. -Jar Concengco<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>La Condessa Café and Lounge - The mezzanine area features a laser cut design of leaves in gold. Curves can be seen in the S-shaped sitting booths and indented in the walls. Guests can indulge in the variety of specials they serve at La Condessa which is more fusion but slightly leans towards Spanish cuisine. - Jar Concengco<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>La Condessa Café and Lounge - The al fresco area is replete with plants to recreate a garden - a perfect space to enjoy a pot of their Constellation Tea. The Constellation Tea is a butterfly tea blend with a hypnotic swirl of glittery liquid reminiscent of a galaxy full of stars.- Jar Concengco Address: CTTM Square BuildingGround FloorT. Morato Cor. Timog Ave.QC<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Burnt Bean, BGC - The space at Burnt Bean was designed by a Holy Smokes regular - celebrated architect Sudarshan Khadka.  -Jar Concengco<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Burnt Bean BGC - A witty and prominent use of shou sugi ban - the Japanese technique of charring wood in effect making it weatherproof - can be seen at the facade and a wall and ceiling in the interiors. A long banquet seating upholstered in green leather lines one wall while the other features a wooden counter for its bar. Marble tables and PU leather and metal chairs with midcentury modern forms create a more upscale look. -Jar Concengco<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Burnt Bean BGC - Address: Bonifacio High StreetUnit 204, Upper Ground Floor, C2 Bldg Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig, 1635 Metro ManilaPhone: (02) 8741 1445<cite>Jar Concengco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Ito.Space  - Designed by Japanese architect, Keiji Ashizawa, Ito Space is dedicated to the fine art of valuing what good coffee, tea and cocktail flights are. <cite>@eatswanderfull</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Ito.Space - Using a sparse language of brick and concrete, this intimate space finds its expression in a curvilinear concrete bar and ambient lighting. Its minimalist language creates a tone of reverence.<cite>@inu.llc</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Ito.Space - Address: 107 Aguirre, Legazpi Village, Makati, 1229 ito.ooo<cite>@eatswanderfull</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The Glass House - &#x27;A wonderland story of a house that coffee built&#x27; describes The Glass House.  If an Instagram post is one of your goals, this is the place to be!<cite>@glasshousephofficial</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The Glass House  - A nostalgic venue that references botanical glass houses, being in this jewel box of a place feels like the ultimate balm to the senses as plants and retro furniture mingle with dramatic chandelier lighting overhead.<cite>@theglasshousephofficial</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The Glass House - Address: Palazzo Verde - Vista Alabang, Daang Reyna, Almanza Dos, Bacoor, Metro Manila<cite>@theglasshousephofficial</cite></p></div></div></div></div>