A Sip of the World through Cups of Coffee
Four newly-opened cafés in BGC bring you a taste of the world.
Written by Chesca Santiago
August 16, 2023
Coffee may come in mere ounces, but a single cup can contain a multitude of flavors in every sip. In recent years, the rich gastronomic landscape of Taguig’s Bonifacio Global City (BGC) has seen a rise in cafés of international origins. Inside these cafés, cups of coffee hold more than just fine beans and your daily caffeine fix; but also tales and tastes from all over the globe.
Shots of espresso reminiscent of Italian afternoons and lattés infused with Japanese heritage. Here are four newly-opened cafés ready to take you on a journey across the world—all through cups of coffee.
Key Coffee Kissaten’s Breakfast Specials. Image courtesy of Key Coffee Kissaten.
Key Coffee Kissaten
In 2023, BGC welcomed the first Philippine flagship store of Key Coffee Kissaten, a century-old coffee brand from Japan. Ever since discovering the brand’s 100-year heritage through their family’s extensive travels to Japan, the founders of Key Coffee Kissaten in the Philippines knew that this was an experience they must bring back home.
Key Coffee Kissaten’s Matcha Ichigo Latte. Image courtesy of Key Coffee Kissaten.
Today, inside BGC’s Mitsukoshi Mall, the café fuses Japanese history and Western delicacy together in its brews. The Philippine concept takes inspiration from both traditional jazz-playing kissatens and Hi-Fi listening bars for a full sonic-gastronomic experience. While you sip their Matcha Ichigo Latte and nibble on their Chashu Mortadella Pizza, jazz music wafts around—in the same way that both jazz and coffee puts importance on every note. As co-founder Bryan Chua explains, what emerges is “a modern take on Yoshoku cuisine leveraged on modern cooking techniques,” all embraced by Japanese heritage.
Drop by Key Coffee Kissaten from 7 AM to 12 MN daily at G/F Mitsukoshi Mall, 8th Ave. cor. 36th St., BGC.
Pocofino’s interiors have ample seating space for guests. Image courtesy of Pocofino.
Pocofino
Pocofino gets its name from two Italian terms: poco (small) and fino (fine). As its name would suggest, it believes in the power of small things to make grand moments in life, just as how the tiniest coffee bean could turn into the finest brew. With its first flagship store having opened in BGC in October 2022, Pocofino serves an authentic Italian experience through its espresso-based blends. It takes pride in its signature drinks developed in-house in its coffee lab, guaranteeing to transport your taste buds to Italy with every sip.
Pocofino Latte (front) and Tre Latte. Image courtesy of Pocofino.
Caffe Pocofino offers a full menu of specialty coffee, paninis, desserts, and alcoholic beverages in its BGC branch. We recommend the crowd-favorite Pocofino Latte—their creamy signature drink made with an Italian shot of espresso, plus a hint of vanilla.
Pocofino is open 24/7 at 30th Street cor. Lane A, BGC.
Baristart’s flagship store at BGC. Image courtesy of Baristart.
Baristart
What makes good coffee? For most cafés, it’s the coffee bean that brings the flavor, aroma, and texture. But for Baristart Coffee, it’s milk—the special Jersey Biei Milk produced especially for their coffee and specialty food items, including its Cream Puff, Hokkaido Carbonara, and Matcha creations.
Banana Caramel Cream Puff from Baristart. Image courtesy of Baristart.
Based in Hokkaido, Baristart Coffee is slowly carving its mark in Asia’s café scene. After launching several locations in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and a forthcoming store in Thailand, it officially opened in the Philippines this July. Like elsewhere in the continent, Baristart’s Philippine location uses only the freshest and creamiest milk from unique Hokkaido farms. Produced by rare brown jersey cows, which make up less than one percent of Hokkaido’s cow population, their Jersey Biei Milk is rich with a tinge of sweetness—the must-try secret behind the café’s delectable blends and food.
The spacious 88-seater flagship store of Baristart is open daily from 10 AM to 10 PM at Ground Floor Maridien Tower Two, 26th St, BGC.
Eesome’s dining space on its first floor. Image courtesy of Eesome.
Eesome
Whether you’re looking to work, drink, shop, or dine, BGC’s newest fusion space has room for everything you might seek. Forbestown Road’s Eesome is a dining and retail space in one: a cafe, restaurant, and bar on the first floor and a luxury streetwear store on the second floor (P.S. It carries G-Dragon’s brand, Peaceminusone.)
A couple of the multicultural menu items by Eesome. Image courtesy of Eesome.
Although Eesome’s founders and baristas are Korean, it doesn’t limit its menu to a single cuisine. Eesome’s menu is multi-cultural as it features elevated comfort food from Korea, Italy, America, and Japan—wherever inspiration is found for its team of Filipino chefs and New York-trained veteran mixologists.
Visit Eesome’s café space from 8 AM to 10 PM at Forbestown Road, Bellagio Tower Two.
For all the bustle of BGC, there’s always a quaint café tucked in its busy streets, ready to offer a sip of the world. Try out these four newly-opened cafés for a gastronomic journey across the globe—from Italy to Japan.
