Palawan has great café offerings that are worth checking out.
Images: Mayad Café (L); @clarisz24 (R)
When life hits you hard, sometimes all you need to get back on track is a friendly conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee and a hearty brunch at a nearby cafe. On other days you’re in a good mood, and what better way to celebrate life than having a slice of your favorite cake? These are why coffee shops are great places to visit whatever you may be going through in life.
And by some stroke of good luck, unique café shops in Puerto Princesa are all over, ready to share moments with you. So if you’re having a hard time choosing among the café shops in Puerto Princesa, check out our five picks below!
1. Mayad Cafe
Address: Freedom Park, National Highway, Barangay San Pedro, Puerto Princesa City
Operating Hours: Monday, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM; Tuesday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Coffee Price: Starts at PhP55
Mayad Cafe is all about good food that will put you in a good mood.
Images: Mayad Café (L); @clarisz24 (R)
“Mayad” is a Cuyunon dialect word for “good” or “pleasant”—and that’s precisely the vibe Mayad Cafe wants you to feel with its comfy vibe and palatable offerings. This café has a wide selection of aromatic beverages, from espresso blended to tea, which can be paired best with any of its scrumptious cakes. The cafe’s tuna al pesto, pasta Bolognese, Cajun chicken pasta, and masabor tapsilog are also must-tries.
Mayad Cafe faces Freedom Park’s greenery, giving its customers a refreshing view. For a totally relaxing Mayad Cafe experience, visit it every Thursday night when it hosts live acoustic featuring homegrown musicians.
How to get there: You can reach Mayad Cafe in front of the City Coliseum via a multicab or tricycle.
2. Eightynine Cafe
Address: 420 Rizal Avenue Extension, Barangay Bancao-Bancao, Puerto Princesa City
Operating Hours: Daily, 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Coffee Price: Starts at PhP80
Eightynine Cafe’s hippy vibe is a definite crowd-pleaser.
Images: @eightyninecafe
Grace your Instagram feed with photos from Eightynine Cafe. Here, everything from food and beverage to the interior is visually appealing. The hippie coffee shop serves traditional home-cooked specialties and continental cuisines with a modern twist. Eightynine Cafe takes the pasta to a whole new level as it introduces lechon (roasted suckling pig), carbonara, and tuyo (dried fish) aglio olio, among others. Besides coffee variants, it is also known for pastries like the heavenly Death by Choco, a double chocolate blackout cake loaded with 66% dark chocolate sauce.
This café was selected by Asia’s Top 80 as the top café in the Philippines and the best café in Puerto Princesa last 2021.
How to get there: Ride a multicab and get off at Junction 1, where you can take a tricycle to Eightynine Cafe.
3. Three Dames Cafe
Address: 2/F Malvar Square, Malvar Street, Barangay San Miguel, Puerto Princesa City
Operating Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Three Dames Cafe is sure to satisfy your cravings for cakes.
Images: @hannapril (L); Three Dames café (R)
If you’re a sucker for sweets, Three Dames Cafe is the place to be. Satisfy your cravings with mouthwatering baked goodies, such as blueberry cheesecake, lava cake, cookies and cream cake, and more! This chic coffee shop in Puerto Princesa also makes vibrant coolers to quench your thirst on sweltering days. On rainy days, you can grab a cup of coffee and curl up with a book on its cozy lounge fitted with pillows and mattresses. Three Dames’ brunch selections also have generous servings to keep you filled up to sundown. Sample its tacos, chicken and chips, and fried chicken burger and fries for starters.
April 2022 Update: Three Dames Café is permanently closed.
4. Itoy’s Coffee Haus
Address: Rizal Avenue, Barangay Maningning, Puerto Princesa City
Operating hours: Daily, 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Feel the vintage vibe as you enjoy Itoy’s aromatic coffee.
Images: @chaynikki09 (L); @girloftheorientsea (R)
Itoy’s Coffee Haus has become the local and returning tourists’ go-to cafe. When you taste its coffee, you’ll know why this coffee shop located along the city’s busiest stretch has stood the test of time. Add to Itoy’s classic feel is its vintage-inspired interior that evokes nostalgia, especially among its longtime patrons who regularly frequent it for their coffee and freshly-baked pastry fix. Also, a must-eat here is its hearty bulalo (beef shank, bone marrow, and vegetable stew) that’s touted as the best in the city. You can also try its equally palatable sizzling bulalo variation, lavished with creamy mushroom soup.
How to get there: From any point in the city, ride a Rizal Avenue-bound multicab or charter a tricycle to get to Itoy’s.
5. Isla Casoy de Palawan Coffee Shop & Pasalubong
Address: 2/F SM City Puerto Princesa, Malvar Street corner Lacao Street, Barangay San Miguel, Puerto Princesa City
Operating hours: Monday to Thursday, Sunday, 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Isla Casoy de Palawan Coffee Shop promotes the province’s cashew nuts on its menu.
Images: SM City Puerto Princesa (L); @yunisdaker (R)
Isla Casoy de Palawan Coffee Shop stands out for its coffee, coolers, and cakes mixed with cashew nuts, one of Palawan’s well-loved delicacies. For starters, grab a cup of hot (or iced) cashew Americano and pair it with a slice of cashew cake. Its beef kare-kare (stew) with the twist of creamy cashew sauce, and its vegetable salad bowl garnished with cashew nuts, are also worth sampling. The cafe also serves as a pasalubong (souvenir) center; take-home goodies like cashew cookies, tarts, butter, prunes, polvoron (Spanish shortbread), and wine are sold here.
How to get here: From any point in the city, ride a Malvar Street-bound multicab or tricycle to get to SM City Puerto Princesa.
Cafes are lovely hangout places where you’re invited to slow down and process your thoughts over coffee and sweets. Planning on visiting these cafes soon? Don’t forget to tell us about your experience with them!
Visit Yoorekka Magazine for more dining options and restaurants in Palawan!
Stay safe as you travel and dine in! Make sure to follow social distancing protocols and observe health precautions. For now, keep safe!
This article was originally published in Yoorekka on June 28, 2019.
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