Top 10 Famous Coffee Shops in the Philippines

Our countdown of famous coffee shops in the Philippines starts is a tie in 10th place between The Coffee Project and Manila’s Best Coffee.

Coffee Project is Manuel Villar’s foray into the coffee shop business, the former senator being a coffee connoisseur. This famous cafe in the Philippines first opened in 2014 and currently has 50 branches, with plans to add more branches by the end of the year. Despite being a relatively new player, this famous coffee shop in the Philippines has become known for its specialty coffee and Instagram-worthy interiors.

One option for those who want a homegrown coffee experience is to go to Manila’s Best Coffee. Despite the name of this one of the top coffee shops in the Philippines, its coffee beans are not grown in Manila but are sourced from different provinces like Baguio, Batangas, Laguna, and Benguet.

At this famous coffee shop in the Philippines, customers can choose coffee-based or non-coffee-based drinks. Some have unique flavors, and some have locally sounding names like caramel otap, chocolate lakatan, and spicy chocolate labuyo. However, the best-selling drinks of this famous coffee shop in the Philippines are blended java chips and hot crimson velvet macchiato. This famous cafe in the Philippines also serves local delicacies besides baked goods.

In our ninth spot on our list of top coffee shops in the Philippines is Dreamland Arts & Crafts Café. This cafe is ideal for artistic people or those who want to relax in an inspiring space. This bohemian-inspired joint is part restaurant and part creative outlet. This famous coffee shop in the Philippines serves hot and cold drinks, including barakong Batangueño and tsokolateng Batangueña. For food, they have appetizers, rice meals, and pasta.

Unlike most famous cafes in the Philippines, Dreamland does not have Wi-Fi to encourage guests to talk to each other, read a book, play the guitar, write a poem, or do other online detox activities. Dreamland Café has branches in Lipa City and Tagaytay City.

March 2023 Update: Lipa City and Tagaytay City branches are permanently closed.

The eighth spot on our list of top coffee shops in the Philippines is a three-way tie among J. Co Donuts, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and UCC Coffee.

This famous cafe in the Philippines was established in 2005; Indonesian brand J.CO Donuts has established several branches in the Philippines’ main cities and provinces: Bacolod City, Baguio City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Davao City, General Santos City, Iloilo City, Cavite, Pampanga, and Metro Manila. J. Coffee, J.CO’s line of coffee products, uses Italian, Sulawesi, and Sumatra blends. It may primarily be a donut shop, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a decent selection of coffee on its menu. The house specialty is their Jcoccino, which has Italian espresso, milk, and foam and comes in hot and cold variants.

This famous coffee shop in the Philippines also has a selection of sweet or fruit-based frappes. Other hot drinks include Americano, classic brewed coffee, espresso, and macchiato.

Seattle’s Best Coffee started as an ice cream and coffee shop in Seattle, Washington, in the 1970s. It was acquired by Starbucks in 2010 and has over 135 outlets worldwide. Though not as upscale as its parent company, Seattle’s Best still has a good variety of coffee on its menu. Those who want classic flavors can choose from Americano, cappuccino, latte, or hot mocha drinks. Aside from coffee, they also serve breakfast, pasta, sandwiches, salads, and pastries. This famous coffee shop in the Philippines is most known for its trademarked Ice Blended Javakula.

Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd. was founded in 1951 by the father of coffee in Japan, Tadao Ueshima. UCC Coffee brings the number one coffee brand in Japan to Filipino consumers. But it wasn’t until April 2014 that businessman Hubert Young would bring UCC to the Philippines.

Food at UCC has Western flavors but with Japanese influences. This famous cafe in the Philippines serves breakfast fare, sandwiches, salads, entrees, pasta dishes, and desserts.

Another famous foreign and included in our top coffee shops in the Philippines is Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL). Also known as The Bean, the brand was created in California in 1963 by Herbert B. Hyman. The house specialty at Coffee Bean is their Original Ice Blended Coffee drinks, touted as the world’s first cold blended coffee drink, which uses smooth processed ice.

Today, they use the same technique in their tea and fruit smoothies. CBTL carries espresso, coffee, latte, non-coffee drinks, and coffee-free products. This famous coffee shop in the Philippines has breakfast meals, sandwiches, pasta, salads, and pastries to go with their drinks.

“All their branches are cozy, suited for guests who want to work or study.” – Karen

Bo’s Coffee is the sixth spot on our list of top coffee shops in the Philippines. Bo’s Coffee is a well-known local player in the coffee industry. Founder Steve Benitez started the chain in 1996 in Cebu City, and it has since grown to 91 outlets all over the Philippines. Bo’s shines the spotlight on famous coffee shops in the Philippines with Coffee Origins blends named after the places they source their coffee from Sagada, Benguet, Mt. Kitanglad, Mt. Apo, and Mt. Matutum. This famous café in the Philippines serves espresso, Americano, cappuccino, mocha, latte, iced blended coffee, and non-coffee blended beverages. These can be served poured over or brewed through a French press.

Making an entry at number five in our list of top coffee shops in the Philippines is Tim Hortons. This famous coffee shop in the Philippines is named after hockey star Tim Horton, who sold burgers before switching to coffee and donuts. Last 2017, Canadian coffee-and-donut chain Tim Hortons opened in Manila.

One of the highlights of the menu at this famous coffee shop in the Philippines is their Original Blend coffee. “Double-double,” or coffee with two shots of cream and sugar, is a popular way to order this drink. Tim Hortons also has tea, hot and cold beverages, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, wraps, soups, sides, snacks, and baked goods.

“The shop offers unlimited wifi connection for customers.” – Sol

“Katsu burger, Japanese desserts, cappuccino :)” – Yago

In our fourth spot on our list of top coffee shops in the Philippines is a Japanese specialty bakery and patisserie, St. Marc Café. The cafe combines delectable desserts with premium coffee in a casual ambiance. The pilot store opened in Singapore in 2012, and in 2014, entrepreneur Ben Chan brought the franchise to the country. This famous coffee shop in the Philippines has 16 outlets in Southeast Asia, including one in Metro Manila, Philippines. While they may be known for their choco cro, they also have a sizable drinks menu with their sweet treats. One of these is the quintessentially Japanese matcha latte. Vietnamese coffee and cappuccino have also been proven hits with their customers.

Yet another doughnut and coffeehouse chain makes it to our top coffee shops in the Philippines, with Krispy Kreme at number three. Vernon Rudolph founded Krispy Kreme in 1937, making it the oldest chain. While their main product is doughnuts, they also have a line of coffee-based drinks to satisfy any caffeine junkie’s cravings. This famous coffee shop in the Philippines has its signature coffee which they recommend pairing with their Original Glazed doughnut. Other beverages include Kaffe Kreme, Americano, cappuccino, latte, caramel latte, and mocha which come in hot or iced varieties. Aside from doughnuts, they carry baked goods such as pull-apart, kruffins, and cheese puffs.

“A relaxing, colorful place to hang out with friends, with perfectly brewed coffee.” – Love

The American doughnut and coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts proves that great coffee does not need to be expensive; they took the second spot on our list of top coffee shops in the Philippines. Founded in the 1950s by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts, Dunkin is one of the largest international coffee and baked goods shops. Dunkin’ came to the Philippines in 1981 with an outlet in Makati.

This famous coffee shop in the Philippines has over 800 outlets nationwide, earning them the moniker “Pasalubong ng Bayan.” Aside from coffee, they have a variety of hot and cold beverages to complement their sweet treats. They also serve savory snacks like bunwich and croissants.

Taking the top spot in our top coffee shops in the Philippines is the American coffee chain Starbucks. The company was founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 by three partners who met as students. In 1987, Howard Schultz acquired Starbucks, and since then, it has grown into a global empire with 23,768 locations worldwide.

This famous coffee shop in the Philippines offers espresso beverages, brewed coffee, hot chocolate beverages, and tea lattes. Their menu comprises an array of breakfast meals, salads, sandwiches, desserts, baked goods, cakes, and pastries. However, this Philippine coffee shop is most famous for its trademarked Frappuccino blended beverages, which can be customized in as many as 36,000 ways.

Explore Yoorekka Magazine to see more famous coffee shops in the Philippines!